Tips from the top at Christmas
WhILE most of us are busy dusting off last year’s baubles and wondering where we put the fairy lights, others are already plotting for Christmas 2018.
Kally Ellis, who set up mcQueens Flowers in 1991, is one of them. Rapidly becoming the fashion world’s favourite florist, she decks out the Vanity Fair post-Oscars party and is responsible for some of the prettiest festive displays in London hotels, including Claridge’s, the Connaught and Shangri-La, starting on the 34th floor of the Shard.
Such big, grand spaces demand striking shows — the outside of Claridge’s is laden with shiny parcels — but that doesn’t mean you can’t borrow some of Kally’s ideas for your home. Plus, if you don’t have the space for a traditional tree, you could opt for a floral centrepiece instead.
For a super slick look, stick to a limited palette. Yes, Christmas is all about nostalgia and fun, but when it comes to your dining table or mantelpiece, fewer colours will look more elegant.
Kally suggests no more than two, plus green which is a base shade in the world of floristry. this year, white and silver has been a popular choice giving a magical frosty feel. With a spray can and some foliage, it’s an easily achievable look.
Country dwellers have the advantage of being able to forage for foliage. Slender branches sprayed gold, white or silver, will make a good base for a larger display. Look out for lichen- covered twigs, which are attractive without added spritz.
When sprayed silver, feathery asparagus fern will give a narnia feel. You can treat a collection of branches as you would a tree — hanging baubles, lights, glass icicles.
the White Company’s icy looking flecked glass baubles cost £14 for six, thewhite
company.com, while heal’s has a frosty glass icicle for £7, heals.com. nkuku’s dewdrop baubles will shimmer en masse, too, £24.95 for 12, nkuku.com.
For something that will delight the whole family, try re-creating one of Kally’s snow globe- like scenes. She puts together vignettes — using snowmen or deer ornaments, for example — in a large glass terrarium. You could experiment with a small one using habitat’s round Boll vase (£40, habitat.co.uk).
Of course, you can’t beat cheering red and a bunch of ilex berries, or statuesque red amaryllis look gorgeous on their own.
ThIS
year, Freddie’s Flowers, which offers weekly deliveries from £22, are offering an alternative to traditional berries.
‘ Solidago ( a golden perennial) is a favourite of ours, combined with purple
alstroemeria, fuchsia lisianthus and white and purple pico lilies,’ says Claudia Ruane, from Freddie’s.
With its evocative scent and grey-green shade, eucalyptus is another favourite.
‘One of our arrangements this month combines a bunch of beautiful cream avalanche roses with silver eucalyptus parvifolia and eucalyptus cinerea. the different leaf shapes of the eucalyptus varieties give interest and depth. We’ve lifted it further with some snow white bouvardia’, says Claudia. OKa does some big glass vases that would be useful vessels for such glamorous displays. their large glass hurricane lamp is £44, oka.com. Wreaths are expensive so, if you have any off-cuts, why not put your own together. Florist’s oasis — a foam used as a base — is easy to come by and a cinch to use. though an even simpler option is to try twisted willow sprayed gold. a properly dressed table is one of the great joys of Christmas. Lay a linen runner — heal’s does one in arresting red or white, £35 — and add candles. Pentreath & hall has a vibrant array of coloured candles £ 18 for 12, pentreath-hall.com. miniature Christmas trees give an instantly festive look. homebase does them in ceramic pots for £5, homebase. co.uk. habitat has paper versions in red £15. It is, of course, hard to resist cute and kitsch at this time of year. Felt decorations are back. Liberty London has a charming range of reindeers, robins, peacocks and penguins, libertylondon.com. Petersham nurseries offers a Beatrix Potter-like rabbit, from £6, petersham nurseries.com. Its gold flamingo in a top hat has sold out online, which just goes to show flamingos have still got it. But John Lewis has a jolly piñata Lima Llama, £6, johnlewis.com. If you’re wishing you were somewhere else altogether, opt for Oliver Bonas’s glitzy palm tree (£8.50, oliverbonas.com) and dream on.