The tropical lifestyle is all about relaxed living, comfort, ease, and hospitality. The interior design manifestation of that lifestyle, known as “tropical chic”, has been trending for a minute and we wanted to share with you ways to create that vibe in your home for the holidays.

Here are a few tips to adding island chic to your home:

Bring the outside in

Tropical chic is inspired by the colours of the ocean and skies, as well as the notion of “bringing the outside in” with lots of greenery and foliage. Incorporating greenery is an easy way to embody the natural side of the tropical aesthetic and in our experience, the foliage most utilised are banana leaves and palm fronds.

Typically, during Christmastime, Jamaicans decorate with the classic poinsettias. But instead of the typical statement piece, how about adding a large indoor plant like fig, bird of paradise, palm, rubber tree, or elephant ear to fill empty corners and awaken dull rooms? You can also buy fresh tropical flowers like lobster claw, heliconia, ginger lilies and bird of paradise stems and place them in vases throughout your house to create a lush, green look. Spaces has fig leaf trees and other great artificial plant options to help you achieve this look.

Style hack: Fresh and faux palms define tropical décor and are easy to find right now.

Adding wall décor that has a textured feel, be it a rustic mirror or a macramé piece can be another great way to create that multi-layered feel that so often characterises the tropical chic aesthetic. Another great addition is tropical print wallpaper like this bedroom from Spaces Limited. Use wallpaper like this sparingly, however, or it may overpower your room!

Mix wood tones and furniture styles

Mixing woods like cedar and mahogany with varying furniture styles like the British Plantation and Mid-century modern also helps to bring to life to your tropical chic look. At Spaces we often incorporate a lot of traditional furniture like rattan and mid-century modern weathered oak in our decorating assignments.

Pops of colour

Bringing bold pops of colour into the design mix is also important for setting the tone for tropical chic.

Incorporating varying textures like rustic wood, bamboo and wicker furnishings is another easy way to achieve a tropical chic look, or simply throw in a bold palm leaf print. We’ve found that floral patterns are aesthetic staples that can be used from upholstery to curtains to rugs.

Spaces’ design studio is known for celebrating modern Caribbean glamour; an unforgettable blend of unique and fun home furnishings and décor. Aside from furniture and accessory options, we also offer staging, and home decorating services.

Art inspires everything we do

We have an eye for art that took years to cultivate, the kind that makes people ask, “Where’d you find that?”Art inspires everything we do from our statement-making furniture all the way down to the finishing touches of décor.

We believe in creating the house you want to go home to. With people spending more time at home because of curfews, we want to create some looks that our clients can create for themselves, no matter their budget.

— Janelle Pantry-CokeCreative director of Spaces