Decorating in a rustic style
Insight If you love Mary Maddocks’ natural decorations, recreate this fresh, understated look at home Back to nature Add texture
Tapping into nature with fresh foliage, rustic materials and simple adornments is a fussfree way to decorate your home for Christmas while creating a warm and welcoming look. The key is to opt for a cohesive style to ensure impact. There are plenty of options when it comes to styling your home for the festive season. Rustic decorations like Mary’s are appealing because of their effortless, authentic appearance, while a palette of natural greens and whites complements almost every interior. It’s a style favoured by florist Philippa Craddock. ‘Natural rustic Christmas designs always create a wonderful welcome and a truly homely feel,’ she says. ‘Stick to neutrals such as whites and warm browns, adding a touch of silver or different textures depending on your interiors, to enhance and add depth and interest.’ She also suggests selecting the bushiest Christmas tree you can find. ‘I always opt for Blue Spruce as this variety has wonderful full branches and impressive staying power with minimal needle drop. Add a natural rattan base and decorate with a few white adornments.’ Carry this look throughout your home by adding green touches with an unexpected twist, such as spring bulbs planted in vintage bowls or teacups. Natural foliage looks great paired with texture. Linen, hessian, rattan, aged metals and faux furs are all natural partners – try placing your tree in a deep metal bucket or a wicker vessel for an unstudied look. Continue the pared-back feel with foraged branches placed in simple oversized glass urns and securing loose spruce into smaller bunches with ribbon to hang at the front door instead of the traditional wreath. A statement piece such as a large foraged branch suspended horizontally across the dining table provides a natural focal point. Use clear wire to hang it from the ceiling and wind small fairy lights around to add sparkle.
‘Using natural elements from the garden or local garden centre lies at the heart of rustic seasonal decorating. Bare twigs can be given a modern twist by being sprayed in white or shimmering colours, and either hung from thin wire or placed in a pot of the same colour filled with sand, and then adorned with monochromatic or sparkling crystal decorations.
Foliage such as holly can be effective strewn in an informal manner over a dining table or mantelpiece or woven into a wicker wreath for the front door to give a festive welcome. Dried sliced fruit can also be worked into wreaths. Try drying them slowly for a few hours in a low oven to give the home a lovely aroma.
For a simple rustic Christmas uplift, group candle-filled vintage jam jars in varied shapes and sizes. They look great in random clusters on windowsills and coffee tables. The key is to ensure that you use several jars for an impactful look.
Rustic decorations work just as well in a minimalist setting as in a cosy country home. A table set with a hessian cloth can offset white minimal lines beautifully, while simple paper decorations such as white or dusky pink pom poms add a special touch.’