Deck the Halls
Celebrate in style with these festive decorating tips from Wendy Siu, founder of Heather & March
While kissing under the mistletoe, singing carols at the top of your lungs and arranging presents under the tree are all essential Christmas traditions, nothing really beats the feeling of sitting down with your family and friends to polish off a turkey with all the trimmings. But if your Christmas tableware and decorations are a hotchpotch of worn-out ornaments and chipped plates, it might take some of the shine off that festive dinner you’ve been anticipating all year.
Happily, help is at hand for those of us sifting through boxes of broken baubles. Heather & March, an upmarket homeware store in the Prince’s Building, sells some of the prettiest festive decorations, tableware, silverware and glasses in Hong Kong. From centrepieces with sprigs of holly that will make any table look amazing to mini-wreath placemats and themed plates, knives and forks, store founder Wendy Siu really does have something for everyone.
A big fan of all things Christmas, she also has some top tips for any first-time festive decorators out there. “Use fresh Christmas flowers and plants as it is so much more refreshing and refined,” she says. “And stay away from low-quality accessories: it makes your place look like a worn-out café. Also, no more than three dominant colours—and don’t throw in every colour you can see just because they look festive.”
So how will Siu be decorating her own table this season? “With my porcelain and ceramics that have festive motifs or patterns and are adorned with visible festive colours,” she says. “This year I will go for a white and red theme, with more emphasis on the frosted white effect. I will decorate my table with a big impressive centrepiece that is a self-made flower arrangement. I’ll also use my silver candelabra with matching red and white candles.”
If that sounds like a table you’d like to recreate, you can buy all those pieces at the Heather & March store and create a dining room so sumptuous that even your mother-in-law will be impressed.
Heather & March Shop 216-218, 2/F, Prince’s Building, 10 Chater Road, Central, Hong Kong +852 2530 0686, heatherandmarch.com