The holiday season is upon us!
Have you seen the Christmas tree designed Jony Ive? Apple’s Chief Design Officer, in collaboration with industrial designer Marc Newson, created this Christmas tree installation for the luxury London hotel Claridge’s.
The lobby is lined with 13-foot tall light boxes with images of birch trees, models of large Scots pines, and small pine trees, all covered with a canopy of green pine. The main tree stands beside the main staircase, which stands unadorned. While I appreciate the departure from decorating a tree and instead creating “an all-enveloping magical experience” that layers organic forms with technology, it looks like a moody winter forest. It could possibly be the transition space between the wardrobe and Narnia. However, I’m not sure it really captures the magic of the holidays. Where are the lights? Where is that feeling of nostalgia? Perhaps the photos don’t do it justice. Maybe the pine trees make it smell like Christmas. In the end, it is a luxury hotel, so they’re keeping it classy.
On the other hand, at the Herald Square Macy’s in New York, the window displays created by designer Roya Sullivan, are beaming with holiday cheer. The six windows each portray a different holiday scene that puts technology in a context with an engaging narrative. They’ve incorporated technology as interactive elements to the window display. One display allows visitor to place their hand on the screen with a temperature sensor, which then shows on a meter how naughty or nice they’ve been. As a retailer, it’s about creating an experience that will draw people to the store, get them into the holiday spirit, and buy stuff!
