Give your home a festive feel
Get back to nature this Christmas, both with materials and colours, for an on-trend celebration
COMING in from the bracing cold to a beautifully warm home decked with festive decorations and smelling of mulled wine and mince pies is one of the biggest joys of Christmas.
Quite simply, without the traditions of the season – the gifts under the tree, the stockings by the fireplace and crackers on the table – it just wouldn’t feel right.
But just because something is traditional doesn’t mean it has to feel old fashioned. Instead, there are plenty of new trends and twists on old themes to put wonder back into Christmas.
NATURALLY BEAUTIFUL
THIS festive season is all about getting back to nature, with natural materials like wood, wool and leather forming the basis of many home decorations.
As for colour schemes, they’re natural too. Expect to see a lot of white and winter landscapes with snow-capped trees or opulent blue/green displays evoking the great outdoors.
The personal touch is key – making those special touches yourself or having the grandchildren help out. Alternatively, buy from a skilled artisan, so you know each item’s provenance. Vintage and recycled are also set to be big, too.
TREE TRENDS
RAINBOWS have been fashionable all year and now they’re transferring to the centrepiece in our living rooms – the Christmas tree. To create the effect, which John Lewis says will be the biggest of 2018, you graduate the colour of baubles
as you go up the tree. So the bottom few inches will be filled with blue baubles, then – say – purple, then green, then orange and so on, right to the top.
‘Moving through the spectrum of colours on your tree from top to bottom is a surefire way to create a show-stopping centrepiece,’ says Dan Cooper, Christmas buyer at the store. Snow-capped trees will also be popular this year. Whatever you do, test the lights out now – many don’t survive a year in storage and the best sell out quickly in store.
DECKS THE HALLS WITH…WHAT?
LAST year saw the emergence of flamingos and unicorns as Christmas decorations, but in 2018 you’re more likely to see alpacas and hot-air balloons. There’s a move towards ornaments being made from more natural materials like clay and wool and from those with gentle textures like felt and velvet. Woodland designs will be popular, with stag candleholders, fir-tree candles and ornaments in the shape of animals.
Snowflake and star themes in muted colours will feature in pared-down and simple designs.
Outsized decorations are also on trend – think Christmas-pudding-sized baubles sitting on the table next to the turkey.
AND THE LITTLE EXTRAS…
BRING the outside in with log holders and hurricane lamps in the living room and thick slices of wood as plate chargers.
Plaid stockings are making a comeback, as are homemade table wreaths – and don’t forget to add gold accents for a warming touch.