This year Claridge’s taps Diane von Furstenberg for an astrologically inspired Christmas tree (Photo: Claridge's)
Diane von Furstenberg is the creative genius behind Claridge’s Christmas Tree 2018, bringing to London’s legendary Mayfair hotel a touch of her inimitable grace and style. This fascinating and highly unusual Christmas tree is inspired by the famed designer and philanthropist’s passion and strong belief in the power of love, symbolising life and nature, and drawing particularly from the creative influences of the ancient traditions of the astrological world.
The 6m-tall sculptural Tree of Love is coloured with a blue iridescent lustre and shimmer and is decorated with over 8,000 hand-painted silver-leafed leaves, glass spheres and, of course, 150 hand-blown glass hearts. The tree also plays host to six silver-leafed abstract animals, such as an owl representing knowledge and wisdom, a dove for peace and a horse depicting strength and endurance. Highlighting the importance of nature within the Tree of Love, a deer portraying gentleness sits at the base, a peacock represents beauty and a sleeping silver-leafed mouse symbolises curiosity.
In order to make this a fully immersive experience, the lobby of Claridge’s has been reimagined under von Furstenberg’s creative vision with a magical midnight blue skylight covered in dazzling stars, and astrological star signs from the constellations which encourage us to look upward to the sky for inspiration.
