I have certainly noticed that Christmas is becoming more personalised and crafty from year to year. The possibilities of how you decorate and style your dining table, gift wrap and trees are endless and provide you with opportunities to take the time to enjoy more than just the food and presents! I recently stumbled across this image of a gorgeously designed Christmas spread, which successfully combines rustic, contemporary, earthy, romantic and beachy styling. My favourite touch is the hanging pine cones! What is your theme this year for the festive season?                                                                                                                                     Image via: Sweet Paul

Wreaths are definitely one of my favourite Christmas decorations, the perfect way to dress up a spare wall space or hang on your front door to mark the festive season. Why not try your hand at a DIY wreath this year, and forget the foliage! Check out these original and beautiful ideas from Papier Damour and Paper Couture.

This is the featrure that I wrote for the fabulous Garrendenny Lane

WHAT’S YOUR CHRISTMAS STYLE?
I don’t know about you but I absolutely love Christmas, I am like an excited school child and the excitement doesn’t seem to be diminishing the older I get!  One of the best parts for me is decorating the house and now that I have two small children, this part has become even more enjoyable, although my 1yr old pulling at the tree and lights is a little un-nerving…

As an interior stylist I have decorated a tree in almost every possible style and so I thought it would be nice to show you 3 key looks that are simple to create.

The first look is called ‘Brights’, a relatively new trend that would suit a modern room with a clean and simple back-drop.  For the tree opt for lots of bright jewel coloured baubles in lime, fuchsia, aqua and bright purple and where possible, stick to similar sized baubles as varying sizes as well as colours would look too busy.

To carry the theme through to the table, pick one of the above colours for your runner, another for the plates and then a different one for the tea-lights and napkins.  To finish off, place a large glass vase in the centre of the table and fill it with smaller baubles in the same colour scheme.

Image 1: Brights moodboard, credits: BHS, Habitat, Marks and Spencer

The next look is called ‘Nordic ’, a pretty style using white, red and green as the main colours. It would be ok to use a fake or real tree as long as it was a rich green.  The style of tree decorations are a mixture of handmade felt designs often with visible stitching teamed with authentic wooden ones but the one that we all associate with Nordic is the heart design in either felt of wood.

To carry the theme through the rest of the room, opt for felt hanging stockings like the ones in the moodboard and maybe some wooden hearts to hang from door handles, mantelpiece or  window.  For the table create a pretty centrepiece using a this white trough/tray, fill it with white sand or fine shingle and the wedge several red taper candles inside.

Image 2: Nordic Moodboard

My final look is a little more traditional and would suit a cottage or period style home.   For the tree, stick to gold decorations for a classic appearance but try to be as adventurous as possible with the shapes and style to create interest and drama.

If you have a mantelpiece then you can make a really simple garland.  Start by bunching together your foliage (either bought or taken from the garden).  Group it together with thin wire and rest it along the top of the mantle.  Attach some gold and glass baubles and a selection of ivy; I would suggest spraying the ivy gold; this is a really simple and effective feature and will be a lot cheaper than buying it in the shops.   To finish the look place some candles in amongst the foliage making sure that the top of the candles sit higher than the garland.

Image 3: Traditional Christmas

I have just been sent the latest collections from DFS and they are really quite pretty.  I know a sofa isn’t the usual Christmas purchase BUT, if you were thinking of buying a new sofa then now is the perfect time as there are some great bargains to be had!

Click here for the full collection.

Below are two Christmas films that I was commissioned for in conjunction with Notcutts and Threepipe.  I was asked to write and present the virals, which offer lots of styling tips including; how to style your dining table for Christmas and advice on buying the right tree for your home.