MERNIE GILMORE

Big isn’t enough, it has to be the est. They love the reaction they get nstagram if theirs is the best.” t some clients are so wealthy, and ercely protective of their safety and acy, that Adele never even gets to w their names. hey don’t have social media unts and they would never dream haring personal details,” she says. y do it purely for themselves.” is high-level festive planning is done ugh concierges, wealth-management panies and security staff. The clients ften on the other side of the world eam of 10 decorators works around clock. “We have some clients who only be in their house for a couple of s on Christmas Day,”

NTS Alex errie. , Mrs O says Adele. “They can spend tens of thousands for just the time it takes to eat dinner, then they’ll fly off to another property, maybe in Aspen, which we’ve decorated as well.”

Landing a £40,000 bill might seem like a nightmare before Christmas, but it doesn’t bother a multimillionaire. So what do they get for that? A mansion can take a team of eight at least three days to complete, using cherry-picker cranes to install roof-line lighting and huge garlands on the outside.

It can cost £10,000 to light just one tree with a dazzling 33,000 lights. Every external tree along the driveway will have an extra 10,000 lights, and it can cost another £10,000 for a giant bauble stack for the garden. Add to that lavish decorations in every room, and the cost soon mounts up.

Adele, who lives with her two daughters in Melling, Merseyside, has been decorating the homes of the rich and famous for the past eight years, ever since she hired professional Christmas decorators for her own home and liked

the idea so much, she decided to do it herself.

Although Cheshire is her core area, clients often have second properties, either in London or abroad, meaning Adele’s teams are in demand across the globe. Last year one group of decorators spent two days flying to Australia and back for just two hours’ work. With 120 client briefs to fulfil in the hectic eightweek run-up to Christmas, she has 20 decorators out working right up to Christmas Eve.

And if the designs sometimes seem over the top, the rules around what can and can’t be done during installation are even more draconian.

“Before we even set foot on site, everyone has to be vetted, searched and sign a non-disclosure agreement,” says Adele. “We ban mobile phones from being taken into homes so there is no risk of photos.

“If you’re a multimillionaire, it’s all about privacy and security, so we’re often watched and escorted room to room. “Our staff are asked not to look in certain rooms or ask any questions, and the only things allowed in are the boxes ‘BAUBLES’ Louboutins

BUSINESS IS BOOMING Adele says make the tree the focus

of decorations, which are put in a secure room and monitored.”

It’s strict, but Adele says she understands. “At first, to be honest, I thought it was rude. But they have to be protective – they’re letting you into their home. There’s a huge element of trust which comes with that which we never underestimate.”

While most families are digging dusty baubles and home-made adornments out of the loft, Adele’s decorations are made bespoke – the company has two factories in China producing all year round. “You wouldn’t find anything we use in a department store,” she says.

Although installation is concentrated into eight weeks across October, November and December, she spends the rest of the year sourcing pieces from around the world and designing.

“We only get two weeks after Christmas to take everything down, and the minute it’s gone, those clients – or their concierges or agencies – are planning for the following year, so the work never stops.”

Not everyone manages to be quite so

STUNNING Some of Adele’s work

■ Go for classic colours such as gold, silver and white as a base – then you can add a different accent colour each year.

■ Choose a good-quality tree. Make it the main focal feature, and always have something at the bottom to hide the base to give the tree a finished look.

■ Use ribbon and strips of fabric to decorate the tree to give a full, colourful effect.

■ Add themed props – stars, reindeers, nutcrackers soldiers – so it isn’t just about baubles. ■ Invest in a beautiful garland with lights that can be used as a centrepiece every year. organised though, and inevitably there are last-minute phone calls.

“We’ve had housekeepers ring us on Christmas Eve because they’ve only just found out the owner is going to be in the country on Christmas Day,” says Adele. And yes, Adele admits that when she receives a panicked call, she is prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice.

“The year before last I had seven trees in my house, which looked amazing. But the closer it got to Christmas Eve, the more the phone started ringing with late bookings,” she remembers.

“I was going to Lapland with my daughters so I just let the staff take everything. By the time we went, there wasn’t a single tree or garland left, the place had been stripped bare.”

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Staff are told not to look in certain rooms and the decor is put in a secure area