Why pack and unpack boxes of seasonal décor when a simple solution will work all year long? In this photo series, we’ll show you how to take an iconic WILLIAMSBURG product—our glass hurricane shade—and style it for each season by simply changing the objects surrounding your display.
First, a bit of history. In the 18th century, “candle glasses” served as protective shields for open candle flames. Candles in colonial times were a precious commodity. Making them was time consuming, and certain types of wax, such as beeswax or bayberry, were particularly expensive. Protecting candles from drafts so they would burn longer saved both time and money. Imagine gathering 15 pounds of bayberries to make just one pound of bayberry wax. You’d want to protect that candle, too!
Our signature hurricane shades by Reed & Barton are adapted from a large 18th-century English antique in the collections of Colonial Williamsburg. We used the signature shades to create a traditional holiday look for winter. For summer, fall, and spring, we’re introducing our new Blair Pedestal Hurricanes. This new shape reinterprets the classic look with a modern aesthetic. We’ll show you how to style the pedestal shades for maximum drama and sophistication in your home.
Summer: Neutral Nautical
Let’s start with summer. Showcase your shells! Not only will they make a beautiful display filling the glass shades, but they’ll bring up fond memories of the relaxing vacation days spent gathering them. We filled the medium shade entirely with shells and the small shade with sand beneath a flameless pillar candle (a modern-day wonder by colonial standards!) In the center, we displayed conch shells, coral, and a starfish. This would also be the perfect place for sand dollars, sea urchins, or large abalone shells. We unified the display and added a nautical note with two lengths of rope—one forming a base for the shells in the large center shade, the other winding around the bottom of all three. Our Mini Ivory Lanterns become ship’s lanterns in this seaside vignette.
Fall: Harvest Hues
Fall is right around the corner, and with it will come cooler days and the rich colors of a bountiful harvest. In this display, our large shade holds faux apples and pears in muted shades of red, brown, yellow and light green. The medium and small pedestal hurricanes hold only tall ivory pillar candles, letting the central shade steal the show. Romantic grapevine branches encircle the whole grouping, and faux fall leaves add a bright pop of seasonal color. Can’t you just smell the hot spiced cider and fresh apple pie?
Winter: Traditional Holiday
For a traditional holiday look, we chose our classic hurricane shade, styled as fans of Colonial Williamsburg are probably most accustomed to seeing it. Here, the tall and medium shades cover Brass Candlesticks with ivory taper candles (also available in flameless), just as they would have in a colonial home. The small glass hurricane brings color to the display with red cranberries and green crab apples. An Ivory Pillar Candle provides a small accent, and three sizes of red berry candle rings (available next month) further add to the holiday festivity.
Spring: Luxe Magnolia
It’s hard to match the natural majesty of the magnolia, but the brass metal Dunmore tray by Global Views (available at WILLIAMSBURG at Home) grounding this display comes close! The geometric patterns on the tray are inspired by 18th-century buttons in Colonial Williamsburg’s amazing collection of period costumes. Gorgeous buttons like these would have been worn by fashionable aristocrats of the time.
The large brass tray (available at WILLIAMSBURG At Home) easily holds all three pedestal shades and brings a luxurious element. For our filler material, we chose stones in warm tones of beige, gray and black. The small and medium shades hold ivory flameless pillar candles, creating the perfect frame for our magnolia centerpiece (available at Celebrations). The large central shade holds faux magnolia stems and picks of varying heights. Faux magnolia leaves scattered around the base of each shade add another lush touch.
Guest Blogger: Kimberly Richards-Thomas
Kimberly Richards-Thomas, a public relations professional with ten years of experience in higher education communications, recently joined the WILLIAMSBURG brand. Her responsibilities include managing public relations with more than 30 licensees, growing WILLIAMSBURG brand social media presence, and writing copy for products available in the Historic Area, at nationwide retailers, and online at www.WilliamsburgMarketplace.com.
Because our products are inspired by Colonial Williamsburg history or by 18th-century art held in our museum archives, Kimberly researches the inspiration behind each piece to tell its story–and our story–to the public. In this way, her writing supports the educational mission of the Foundation while also
love the simplicity of the accessories. It looks easy.
Thank you for your feedback, Betty and I totally agree with you. The simplicity of each display gives me hope that even I (a non-crafty person) could do this for the different seasons!