Foam for Retail Window Displays

When the shop windows start to look a lot like Christmas, there's no better time to make the festive change. From artificial snow to polyurethane-supported props, window displays are ever more intricate, extravagant and creative – and foam plays a bigger role in transforming shop windows than many assume.

Numerous high-street retailers rely on foam to bring their creative visions to life. McDonald's, for example, have been known to create M-shaped foam figures for their stores, mostly in children's play areas and on displays out of customers' reach, while supermarkets and large stores frequently construct foam Christmas tree mobiles to hang from their ceilings. The possibilities are endless, and in window displays creativity can run free with such a versatile material. So how can you use foam to make your display stand out this Christmas?

Foam snow

For the perfect winter backdrop, you might consider artificial snow. Many choose a soap-based effect, but it's unnecessarily messy and needs significant maintenance – especially in a window. As an alternative, Polyfibre/Dacron or soft-density foam can be shredded into tiny pieces for an identical look with no maintenance and zero damage.

Foam props

Foam props are among the features most loved by window dressers. Foam can be cut to size in any shape and is available soft or rigid enough to be constructed together – a children's toy store once colour-sprayed foam cubes to build an igloo. From polar bears to snowmen, foam can be painted and have features attached. Some displays instead use polystyrene shapes sprayed with a polyurethane coating, but polystyrene leaves little room for error, unlike foam, which can be re-pinned and reconstructed without visible marks.

Foam detailing

Foam can be painted for an all-over base colour, but detailing is best achieved with additional components. These can be made from glitter, glass and more, though Plastazote foam works well for generic details – Plastazote strips can form the braces on a foam Santa, or build out facial features on a reindeer.

Foam backdrops

Foam can build a display's main features, but large foam sheets also make excellent backdrops. In place of solid backdrops or hard walls, items big and small can be pinned or attached without causing damage, and if those items are also foam, weight is no issue. For seasonal projects, see our guides to Christmas foam crafts and foam party decorations.

At eFoam, we're tried-and-tested experts at providing foam for retail displays, and not just for Christmas – we've supplied foam components to the premium department store Selfridges. To discuss how foam could build out your window display, please get in contact and one of our friendly advisers will be glad to help.

Frequently asked questions

How is foam used in window displays?

Foam brings displays to life as props, shredded "snow", fine detailing and large backdrops. It can be cut to any shape, painted, and pinned or reconstructed without leaving visible marks, making it ideal for seasonal and year-round retail displays.

What can be used for fake snow in a display?

Polyfibre/Dacron or soft-density foam shredded into tiny pieces gives a convincing snow effect with no mess, no maintenance and no damage – a tidier alternative to soap-based snow, which needs significant upkeep in a window.

Why use foam over polystyrene for props?

Foam can be re-pinned and reconstructed without leaving visible marks, whereas polystyrene leaves little room for error. Foam can also be painted and have features attached, and being lightweight it's easy to affix to backdrops.