New York City is renowned the world over for its Holiday decorations and holiday spirit, transforming into a winter wonderland and drawing tourists from across the world every December. But what happens to your lobby on January 2nd, when the winter trees are taken down and the twinkling lights are packed up for another year? For many businesses, commercial holiday decor begins and ends with the winter holidays. The magic disappears, when it could evolve instead.
With the right year-round commercial décor, NYC businesses can create a sense of welcome, delight guests, and impress clients every day of the year. It just takes a little knowledge, inspiration, and creativity.
NYC’s millions of customers, tenants, and visitors judge businesses by what they do every day, not just in December. Year-round storytelling can keep spaces vibrant, engaging, and inspiring no matter the season.
Read on to learn how to enhance your space every day with a comprehensive four-season strategy and some great ideas to get you started.
Beyond Winter Decor: Why Year-Round Visual Appeal Matters
As the first thing tenants, visitors, and clients see when they visit your space, your lobby is vital when it comes to making a first impression. Rotating seasonal décor can provide a refresh to your space throughout the year without costly renovations. It can also make your space feel cozy and welcoming, make you more memorable, and give you an edge against your competitors.
Decor can also play a key role in enhancing brand recognition and reinforcing brand identity. Decor reflects culture and allows you to represent values such as sophistication, warmth, inclusivity, or trend-forwardness. Buildings that schedule quarterly décor updates report higher tenant engagement scores and improved leasing perception. In other words, the right decor—not just for the festive season but all year round—is a smart investment in your business.
Finally, a comprehensive year-round decor plan provides operational benefits. Using a “plan once, execute quarterly” approach, you can enhance efficiency, smooth logistics, and reduce rush costs for last minute decor. Decor storage and reuse programs reduce waste, boosting your sustainability credentials.
In the next section, we will provide ideas and a possible framework for each season of the year.
Post-Holiday Winter Reset: January–February
The post-holiday months are the ideal time for wintery color palettes of crisp whites, silver accents, natural wood tones, and calming neutrals. Once the holiday trees and lights have come down, focus on texture rather than sparkle.
Focus on making a smooth transition from the holiday season back to everyday life, reinforcing professionalism and cleanliness. Lobby installations with orchids, amaryllis, and preserved branches are all good choices, bringing a feeling of life and warmth indoors during the cold weather.
You can also nod to specific holidays and occasions. For example, why not include a branded “Welcome Back” message after the holiday break? The Lunar New Year, which falls in January or February, is a great time to use red and gold tones. And as Valentine’s Day approaches, floral pop-ups with pink and red color schemes are the perfect way to mark the occasion.
Spring Renewal: March–May
Spring is all about new life and the hope that is inspired by warmer weather, longer days, and fresh flowers blooming. Fresh greens, soft pastel shades, and pops of citrus colors are perfect for this season.
Potted bulbs such as tulips and hyacinths, as well as seasonal plants such as daffodils and pansies, are all great choices. Consider using planters or hanging baskets filled with these colorful blooms to bring joy and vibrancy to your space. Consider using pollinator-friendly annuals in outdoor planters and rotating color stories to align with seasonal changes.
Interactive activities can encourage tenant engagement. For example, floral “pop-up” bars in lobbies are increasingly popular. We also offer this service throughout the year, with many of our commercial clients choosing it for corporate events. We have also recently started offering workshops in which attendees can learn how to pot an orchid or create their own terrarium.
April is also Earth Month, which is an excellent time for sustainability-themed projects and displays paired with educational signage.
Summer Statements: June–August
Summer is the time for bold and bright colors, tropical tones, and energizing themes. Large-scale sculptural foliage such as monstera, philodendron, and dracaena are fabulous for larger spaces, while smaller lobbies can benefit from touches such as branded summer photo walls for social media sharing. One idea we loved featured an ice cream cart with a themed decorative backdrop.
If your building has a rooftop space, summer is a great time to upgrade your amenities and decorate with seasonal plants. With a few thoughtful touches, your rooftop can become both a visual wonder and a place for your tenants, customers, and visitors to relax away from the bustle of the city.
June is also LGBTQ+ Pride Month, celebrating the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer communities. This is a great time to showcase your commitment to diversity and inclusivity by integrating the rainbow or other pride flag colorways subtly into floral arrangements.
Sustainability is more important than ever in the summer, when drought is a real risk in NYC. Choose UV-tolerant and drought-tolerant plantings, and ensure that you are using water-efficient irrigation systems. If you are placing planters outside, ensure you are adhering to the DOT sidewalk planter regulations.
Autumn Layers: September–November
After the pastels of spring and the brights of summer, fall is the time for warm shades. Think ember tones, copper, oxblood, and deep greens to reflect the changes of the leaves and seasonal transitions in the natural world.
Textured grasses, seed pods, and layered arrangements are great choices for fall. Lobby centerpieces that evolve weekly are also a creative way to evoke the changing of the seasons. Harvest-themed displays featuring hay, pumpkins, gourds, and mums can encourage tenant and visitor engagement and social media sharing.
Hispanic Heritage Month also takes place from mid-August to mid-September. Using bold, tropical palettes and national colors is a wonderful way to celebrate New York’s vibrant, multicultural community. And in October, consider warm light-based displays to coincide with the festival of Diwali.
In recent years, many of our clients have also requested Halloween decor for their spaces, in particular those in the residential or hospitality industries. To create a fun, irreverent atmosphere, you can incorporate spooky lighting and Halloween decorations such as skeletons, spiders, and ghosts.
New York Fashion Week takes place in September and attracts visitors from all over the world. This is a great time to bring a touch of high fashion to your space with sophisticated and designer-inspired floral displays. The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) and New York Marathon also take place during the fall. Consider welcoming, hospitality-driven decor choices.
December Reimagined: Signature Commercial Holiday Decor Installations
The winter holiday season is by far the busiest of the year in our industry. At Cambridge, we pride ourselves on offering bespoke, site-specific décor. We can add subtle accents to your existing decor or build a spectacular display from scratch, making the most of the space you have available and highlighting your brand identity and values.
We offer a wide range of holiday decor options for your space, from vibrant 3D LED stars and large ornamental displays to stunning oversized menorahs.
We will work closely with you to devise a decor plan and an installation timeline that works for you. We take care of the entire process, from initial concept to post-holiday breakdown and storage. We can offer storage at an additional cost, or store your items safely in your onsite facilities. Sustainability is important to us, and we are happy to refurbish or repurpose ornaments and catalog items for later reinstallation.
Our team of experts is fully insured, licensed, and versed in local building codes and regulations to ensure compliance.
ESG Considerations and Sustainable Holiday Decor Services
Environmental, social and governance (ESG) concerns and sustainability are front of mind for many business owners in New York City and beyond. Fortunately, you do not need to sacrifice style to bring sustainable holiday cheer to your space this winter and beyond.
Consider choosing sustainable materials such as FSC-certified wood, recycled ornaments, and live plants over plastic decorations, single-use items, or artificial plants. Refurbish and reuse items wherever possible instead of throwing them away. A single reuse cycle of holiday décor can reduce material waste by up to 40%.
Eco-friendly lighting options such as LEDs, local sourcing, and water-smart irrigation will all help to ensure that invoking the holiday spirit does not harm the planet.
You can also tie your decor initiatives into ESG reporting by considering elements such as waste diverted and carbon savings made by choosing more environmentally friendly options.
Invoke the Holiday Spirit Year Round: Start Planning for Next Year Now with Cambridge
From spring to winter, decorating your commercial premises can have significant benefits to businesses of all kinds in New York City. By focusing on a year-round strategy, you can take decor from once-a-year sparkle into a continuous experience.
Cambridge is proud to deliver design-to-execution expertise, covering concept, fabrication, installation, compliance, and seasonal refreshes.
Not sure how to get started? Download our resources for building managers:
- Seasonal décor planning checklist.
- NYC-specific cultural micro-season calendar.
- Budget and storage tracker.
- Vendor coordination worksheet
Ready to evolve beyond December? Speak with a Cambridge design professional today to start planning your 2026 seasonal decor strategy.