Walking into Les Fleurs in Andover this December is not an errand but an immersive experience into the traditional New England holiday. The scent of evergreen begins at the entrance, which is lined with fresh, lush greens and massive pinecones. Layers of texture appear everywhere—thin, smooth velvet, woven tweed ribbon, and twinkling white lights alongside chandelier-style glass crystals hanging from mini Christmas trees. Vintage patinas from antique French vessels complete the scene.
“This year everybody is going back to that very traditional New England style—think Ralph Lauren. The tweeds, the plaids, the deep burgundy reds, deep forest greens, and large pinecones, berries, and foliage picked from the woods. I think people are going back to tradition, and the deeper red is making a big comeback,” explains Sandra Sigman, owner of Les Fleurs, a French-inspired home, garden, and floral shop.
Sigman, who has owned the shop for 35 years, is passionate about florals and French design. Before opening Les Fleurs, she spent time in Paris working alongside fleuristes in Parisian flower shops, where she learned the nuances of floral arranging and French aesthetics. Five years ago, she purchased an apartment in Paris and now makes frequent trips—about seven per year—to source vintage items at the city’s famed brocantes, or flea markets.
For the holiday season, Sigman offers a service that brings her exquisite designs and vintage containers directly into clients’ homes. She works closely with customers to design and install outdoor and indoor holiday décor, including Christmas trees, wreaths, tablescapes, and entryway arrangements.
“Once Thanksgiving hits and the holiday season begins, we do a lot of florals for people who are having open houses, book clubs, parties, or Christmas dinners, and they order arrangements. I think the days of just plopping one thing in the center of your table are not that popular anymore. People are doing a whole table set.
‘I want something for the center, but I want maybe two others that are smaller in size and complement it, and maybe each napkin is tied with a sprig of balsam or pine with a thin velvet ribbon. Maybe the candlesticks are embellished with velvet ribbon—something that gives a little more, makes the table a little more upscale.’ Vintage is huge, too,” Sigman notes.
For winter florals this year, Sigman is relying heavily on deep reds and winter greens, incorporating a variety of textures. Her arrangements feature roses, paperwhites, amaryllis, dusty miller, smokebush, ninebark, plumosum, winterberries, and dusted pinecones.
According to Sigman, this year’s traditional New England theme leans toward a simpler, less fussy, and less “blingy” aesthetic. In the shop, Les Fleurs features thin velvet ribbon—between half an inch and an inch wide—in burgundy and mocha.
Vintage crystal and silver pieces are especially popular, adding nostalgia and charm. In her own home, Sigman decorates with vintage French baskets filled with pinecones or glass ornaments, antique brass candlesticks, and Christmas trees placed in vintage French urns instead of traditional stands.
Les Fleurs hosts an annual annual Wreath Workshop, where attendees can create their own seasonal designs – this year it was on December 7. Perhaps the most surprising element of the simpler, traditional trend this year is the revival of tinsel—yes, old-fashioned silver tinsel. “Absolutely—vintage crystal with a little bit of tinsel. Not a lot, just a little,” says Sigman.