THE BRIGHT STUFF
Take tips from the experts and give Christmas a sparkle, says Emily Page
FIFTEEN-FOOT trees laced with lights and baubles; sparkling silverware and the scent of spiced orange. Christmas spirit is in full flow at Waddesdon Manor. Every Christmas, about 160,000 visitors descend on the Buckinghamshire turreted mansion, once the party venue of the Rothschild dynasty, now a National Trust favourite, and this year sees its most extravagant festive offering yet. The carnival-themed makeover takes inspiration from the Rothschild collections, drawing on lavish feasts, theatre and fancy dress.
It took a team of 19 people 15 days to install and decorate the East Wing and the Bachelor’s Wing of the manor, stringing up 10,000 lights, 8,000 baubles and 160 masquerade masks. Outside, a spectacular outdoor light trail winds through the grounds including a neon light tunnel designed by the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.
A 3D animation is projected onto the building’s facade. That’s more than most of us can manage. But there are plenty of ways to put on a dazzling Christmas show at home.
DECK THE HALLS
TAkE a break from spherical. There are plenty of bauble alternatives which will give your tree a jauntier feel.
One of Waddesdon’s 15 Christmas trees was inspired by lady of the manor, Alice de Rothschild, a keen housekeeper and horticulturalist, and is covered in mini copper pots and pans, along with garden trowels.
Elsewhere, trees are strewn with fake flowers, playing cards and even pipe cleaners.
Try a selection of Christmas tassels and sparkly monkeys, below, from Raj Tent Club, £10,
rajtentclub.com or Brussels sprouts, £3.50, and chilli peppers, £5.50, from The British Library, bl.uk.
FEATHERED FEATURES
NINETEENTh- CENTuRy aristocrats would have received game birds for Christmas — the higher their societal rank, the bigger the bird.
This year, turkeys aren’t the only bird getting a look in — birdthemed decorations are big. Go for dashes of tropical colour with Wayfair’s flamingo hanging figurines, £8.99 or John Lewis’s ruby glittered bird clip- on tree decorations, £4, johnlewis.com.
For a subtler take on the avian theme, opt for a white feather top ball by The Original Winters Tale, £8, from heal’s, heals.com.
TABLE TOPPERS
MIA JACkSON, curator of decorative arts at Waddesdon Manor says: ‘Table decorations don’t need to be expensive and can make a big impact: maximalism is key.’
For the dining table in Waddesdon’s White Drawing Room, an artist spent four weeks creating paper sculptures.
Skandium has a range of paper stars that can be hung from light fittings, from £12, skandium.com.
keep table decorations bold, but simple with mountains of foliage, bright colours and festive accessories. Marks & Spencer has a Winter Berry lit table centre, £15,
marksandspencer.com, £ 10.50 or add sparkle with glitter pine cone decorations, £2, for a pack of nine, sainsburys.co.uk.
FOCUS ON FOLIAGE
BEFORE trees became the symbol of Christmas in the 1800s, aristocrats would hang generous sprigs of foliage and leafy garlands around their homes, filling rooms with an appealing alpine scent.
Ditch the tinsel and take cuttings of ivy, pine or eucalyptus which you can tie with ribbon and hang over door frames, drape over mantlepieces or use as a centrepiece on your dining table. For ease, John Lewis has a luxuriant readymade white and silver two-metre garland for £65, while Laura Ashley has a pretty foliage lit wreath for £ 55, lauraashley.com.
RAINBOW DELIGHTS
FIRST Lady Melania Trump has gone for a walkway of bright red trees at The White house and each tree at Waddesdon has a unique colour palette, from silvery pastel shades in the Blue Boudoir to bright red colour blocking in the men’s Smoking Room to symbolise gunpowder and fireworks. Pick a palette or go wild. Abi Thurgood, assistant buyer for Christmas at habitat, says: ‘This year Christmas decorations featuring bright geometric patterns, figurative illustrations and unusual shapes and materials are flying off the shelves.’ habitat has a set of two brightly-coloured Castillo baubles, above, for £7.20, habitat. co.uk, or go for a handmade, pom-pom garland, £12.99 from Sourced by Oxfam, oxfam.org.uk.
MIDNIGHT HUES
AS ThE light fades, visitors to Waddesdon can walk through the grounds for an outdoor light trail featuring lit-up wine bottles hanging from branches and a glitter ball casting thousands of mesmerising, spinning reflections.
The night sky is one of 2018’s key winter trends. As Emily Dunstan, home buyer at heal’s, comments: ‘This season is set by inky blue and midnight hues which create an exquisite backdrop for twinkling Christmas interiors.’ Try some Trille star lights, £35 or a hanging moon light by Sirius, £35, both from heal’s heals.com, or go all out with a Glitterati disco ball, £50, f rom Talking Tables, talkingtables.com. If you want to illuminate the trees in your garden then Lights4fun has a range of LED fairy lights, lights4fun.co.uk. n For futher information, see waddesdon.org.uk