There is no better time of year for an interior designer to flex their creative muscles; however, it is easy for us to get side-tracked when it comes to accessorising your home at Christmas. We can all be easily led by the glistening fairy lights, attractive tree decorations and festive yule spirit, but in order to relieve the stress of creating our own winter wonderland, I’ve collated some festive design tips to ensure you maximise the potential of your home.
Preparation and organisation
Preparing and organising the main spaces before you drag the tinsel box out of the loft is vital. We have to think that at Christmas, we are adding more into our living spaces, whether this is the Christmas tree, decorative garland or wreath. Therefore, we need to think how these items will be placed and if necessary, rearrange your existing furniture to accommodate these new additions. A room that is once comfortable and open can quickly look cramped and overwhelmed. Foresight into how your room will look post-decorating frenzy will save you the headache of squeezing past the Christmas tree.
Lights are not just for the tree
The Christmas tree is usually the focal point in our main living space and where most of the attention in terms of accessorising is placed. However, there are so many other surfaces and areas where lights can be placed. Think about weaving small white lights, intertwined with a simple festive garland or autumnal leaves, through balustrades and banisters, or draped across a mantel piece.
Christmas scent
The bonus of having a real Christmas tree is the delicious fresh, Scandinavian scent it gives off. However, many of us now have artificial trees and therefore miss out on this comforting, festive aroma. A remedy could be to use a Christmas Tree Fragrance Oil, diffuser or incense; all the wonderful smell of a real tree without the mess of dropped needles. Alternatively, luxury scented candles like the ‘Melchoir Scented Candle’ from Cire Trudon or Mulberry’s ‘Tartan Orange & Clove’ candle can add that festive spice and spirit to any room.
Fireplace focal points
Utilising the fireplace is a great way to add that extra drama to your room. We’ve previously mentioned about accessorising the mantel piece with a garland and some carefully placed lights, but don’t forget about the hearth and fireplace itself. Group together a large set of different height church candles, whether in one main colour or red and white, and set these deep across the hearth, or inside the fireplace if possible (and of course when not in use!). Lighting these may take some time, however, the warm, sultry glow radiating from the candles will give your room and atmosphere and intensity not possible to achieve with a conventional gas fire.
