Arts
Deck the halls with wow factor
2019 has come and gone in a whirlwind of activity but you will probably see the remnants of the holiday spirit if you take a drive around Colombo in the lights and decor that illuminated the season.
Crescat: Carousal with reindeer. Pic by M.A. Pushpa Kumara
If you happened to visit the Crescat Boulevard during Christmas time, chances are you may have been struck by the mystical carnivalesque theme that had touched the Crescat halls. Fixed with carousels with reindeer ready to go and tethered by striped poles, Christmas trees decorated in red and gold, and lit with fairy lights and vintage bulbs, it was quite the sight to behold.
Charith De Silva and Eric Wijeratne, the masterminds behind MAIC, were the creators of the Crescat decor as well as many other strikingly seasonal decor not just in Colombo but way down in Weligama too.
MAIC is what they call their firm and as they explain it was even before the thought of being in the decor business together that they came up with the name ‘MAIC’ randomly mulling over a future partnership. The two have been friends from the time they were in Grade 1.
“We thought if we ever start a business (all our friends did it) we would call ourselves MAIC. At home they call me Malla and we joined the ‘MA’ from that, and the ‘IC’ from Eric,” laughs Charith.
Their journey with decor started when they were part of ‘Shakes’ back in school at St. Peter’s. “We were involved in Shakespeare (the Shakespeare drama competition) in school and we did all the props and that was actually the start of things,” Charith explains.
Years passed and it was out of the blue, when a colleague asked Eric and Charith to do her wedding decor as they both were known to be creative individuals who occasionally helped out with decor. That was when the duo who were both working in advertising at the time realised that this was something they had to take more seriously.
When it comes to weddings, Charith and Eric like to fully immerse themselves in the lives of the bridal couple. From how they met to what they eat–they use all the information they can garner to create an intimate, personalised decor.
“We felt that there were not enough ideas in decor, it is always just flowers and we felt that there was more to it,” says Charith as he recalls how for the first wedding they did, they incorporated little nuances of the couple into the decor.
Eric
Charith
From weddings they moved on to having corporate Christmas clients as well. This past Christmas, MAIC worked their magic not only on Crescat but also Food Studio and the Scope Cinemas at the Colombo City Centre and One Galle Face as well as Marriott Weligama.
With oversized bonbons, intricate ornaments and a sharp attention to detail, MAIC definitely set the bar for Christmas decor.
“Sometimes, people just come to see the lights. As a country our entertainment is very low-scale. That is why organisers should realise that they should be doing something different. They should think ‘Why does someone need to come see my Christmas tree rather than the one next door?’ ” shares Eric on how the ‘wow’ factor comes into play.
Believe it or not, Charith and Eric start their decor for the Christmas season in July. This way they give ample time for clients to choose a concept (they provide at least three) and then they can begin to execute the idea.
As they customize every single element of their design they share with us how they produce something to international standards but still locally produced on a local budget. It is sometimes simply by putting affordable components together to create something wonderful and matching the right elements. Although at times certain expensive elements are used they combine it with economical units to keep it affordable.
“As a nation, if we all stick together, I think we could become a powerhouse. There is so much talent around,” says Eric.
Charith and Eric both believe they need to keep pushing boundaries to make their decor truly unforgettable.
Crescat Christmas Carnival
Marriott Weligama. Pix by Brian Dharmasena
Food Studio : Giant bon bon