Local Decorator Creates Holiday Magic At Newtown Savings Bank
Local Decorator Creates Holiday Magic At Newtown Savings Bank
By Nancy K. Crevier
After several years as a residential interior decorator specializing in whole home décor and silk flower creations, Jackie Shea, proprietor of Settings By Jackie Shea, is stepping into commercial work. Local and regional customers of Newtown Savings Bank will have the chance to revel in her holiday creations this year as Ms Shea works her decorating magic on the foyers and public spaces of the 12 Newtown Savings Bank offices in the region.
âWith each individual office in mind, I designed the tree and coordinating pieces to work together,â said Ms Shea. âI am just thrilled that Newtown Savings Bank has trusted me to use my creative talents in this fabulous venture. They gave me a lot of creative freedom and thatâs what I love.â
Ms Shea has previously done floral arrangements for the bank and is looking forward to providing a polished décor to welcome the bankâs customers during the Season of Light.
âNewtown Savings Bank had reached a point where it wasnât fair to put the burden of decorating on the bank staff,â said Tanya Truax, community relations and marketing manager for the bank. âWe have been expanding and we wanted our holiday decorations to reflect a more professional image.â
Ms Shea was one of three artists who submitted proposals to the bank for the holiday decorating, said Ms Truax, and it was decided that Ms Sheaâs vision most closely fit what NSB had in mind.
Newtown Savings Bank tries to support local businesses whenever it can, said Ms Truax, so coupled with Ms Sheaâs proposal and previous work she had done for the bank, Ms Shea seemed the best candidate.
âWe had some guidelines that we needed the decorator to follow,â said Ms Truax. The designs had to blend with each branchâs color scheme, the decorations could not interfere with merchandising or marketing materials in the banks, and certain budget constraints needed to be adhered to.
Following an initial visit to each branch by Ms Shea, Monica Pitruzzello, NSB vice president in charge of loan servicing and facilities, and Ms Truax met with Ms Shea to review her decisions and discuss the themes. âHer decisions were everything we expected. We feel we have made a good choice,â Ms Truax said.
Each of the thirteen 7-foot trees and 30-inch wreaths â including a tree upstairs and downstairs at the Newtown Main Street branch â as well as two special arrangements per office are all a little different, said Ms Shea.
âBut they are all a sophisticated look. All of them include floral stems and top quality silk and velvet ribbons. Some of the trees will have ornaments and some will have beaded fruit.â
Each collection will follow a color scheme developed around the particular setting in which it will be displayed, though. Copper and soft aqua colors will be highlighted in two of the NSB offices, others will follow schemes of bronze and chocolate; traditional burgundy and gold; creamy taupe and soft moss green; or olive green with rich red and gold accents.
Residents may sense some familiarity about her work when they enter one of the NSB branches she will decorate between November 23 and 30. Ms Shea has decorated homes for the Holiday House Tour in the past.
âI love the holiday season. Christmas is really my thing,â declared Ms Shea, who for many years handled the silk flowers and displays, including the elaborate holiday tree exhibit, at Lexington Gardens on Church Hill Road.
âMost of my experience is hands-on and in retail,â she said. âI started out doing floral arrangements in the garage of our home in New Jersey and shows out of my home in the late 1980s,â Ms Shea said. âWe bounced back and forth a couple of times between New Jersey and Newtown for my husbandâs job, but I always kept the interior design side of my business growing. Now I think that it is time to show commercial and corporate offices how they can benefit from my expertise.â
What Ms Shea will provide to NSB and other corporations is a captivating first impression. âThe foyer or reception area is your clientâs first impression. With seasonal changes to a beautiful display that greets your customer, you can say that youâre at the top of your game,â explained Ms Shea.
Because the silk floral arrangements can be a big outlay of money, she tries to make her creations as versatile as possible. The holiday tabletop arrangements she has made for the bank, for example, will quickly be transformed into a winter, spring, or summer bouquets by a few subtractions and additions.
âI use very high-end floral stems and ribbons, so I understand that people want them to last more than one season. I think it is important to create something that is adaptable to the changing seasons,â said Ms Shea. âOver the years, because all of the colors I chose for this holiday décor are interchangeable, Newtown Savings Bank will be able to switch out a look from one office to another, making it a practical and good return on their investment,â Ms Shea said.
Not only must her creations be flexible, but she must also be able to adapt to unexpected changes in the designs. Her work for NSB began six months ago when she was first contracted for the job.
âIt takes that much time to acquire all the pieces and to come up with the designs, and to get good quality materials you need to order early. I count on the companies I deal with â mostly out of New York, some from Miami â to get me the things I need on time. If that doesnât happen, I am willing to be flexible,â Ms Shea said.
Luckily, everything she needed for the holiday decorating at the NSB branches arrived in a timely fashion, and last week her home living room was festooned with the wreaths, topiaries, planters, and large pots of ornately adorned arrangements of silk flowers and artificial greens she had created for the bank. Boxes of ornaments and other decorating needs were piled in her basement, and while she does the decorating on site by herself, her family would be assisting her in loading the van and transporting the many items to the bank sites, she said.
It will take Ms Shea approximately half a day at each branch to complete the decorating job, but by November 30, all of the Newtown Savings Bank branches will be aglow with holiday cheer.
âIt could be like going on a Christmas tour to each branch,â said Ms Shea.
Settings By Jackie Shea provides home and office staging for residential and business customers, as well as interior design advice and creative designs with a twist. For more information contact Ms Shea at 364-9504or jjbshea@yahoo.com.