Stylish Simplicity

We speak to Suzy Humphreys, founder of Layered Lounge, about her Christmas inspirations and top tips

Can you tell us a little about Layered Lounge?

With an entrepreneurial father, it was always my desire to start my own business. Having renovated several properties in London, a passion for interiors developed yet I always found it difficult to source pieces with which to furnish them. It felt like there was a distinct lack of affordable good quality items with a design that was modern but would stand the test of time. So Layered Lounge was initially launched in 2017 with a local friend, Lou. We ran the business from our dining room filling every nook and cranny of the house with stock but went our separate ways in 2020 as she decided to focus more on her family. We remain great friends and she is a regular shopper with us still! We outgrew the house quickly thereafter and hence moved into our first warehouse in June of that year and at that point my husband took the plunge to join me as a partner in the business.

A year later, we outgrew that space and took on an additional warehouse opposite, which really enabled us to start designing and sourcing our own products. The business has since gone from strength to strength as has our passion for building a recognisable brand.

What do you love most about Christmas?

Christmas really is a family time for me. Our doors are thrown open to our large extended family who come and go throughout the season, so I love to make a big thing out of decorating the house to create a fully festive vibe. My husband and I tend to divide and conquer the tasks with him planning food while I decorate and make up extra beds. It’s such a wonderful time to create great memories and in fact, whenever we suggest going away for Christmas our children, no matter how grown up now, are always against the idea!

How do you prepare for the festive season?

To be honest, it feels like we prepare for Christmas all year given it is our busiest season at Layered Lounge. I am very lucky to have access to beautiful decorations so the only preparation then is gifting and entertaining. I do tend to start my gift shopping early because work can be chaotic during November and December, I even tend to start buying bits in September doing most of it online and with a strict list. We also then make some canapé and meal menus so we can book grocery shopping in too. I do love however the buzz of high street shopping still around Christmas time but tend to leave only a few gifts to that so that we can head out in December and enjoy the atmosphere more rather than worrying about getting the right gift in time!

What are the home décor ‘must-haves’’ for Christmas 2023?

I absolutely adore our paper decorations and bring mine out year after year. I place them everywhere from the corner of a large mirror to the stairs or kitchen wall. Every year we had a couple of new designs to keep it interesting and I’m obsessed with this year’s new versions so they will be featuring heavily in my home. Our collection of ceramic Christmas trees also feature in my home since you can add a festive touch to so many areas with them, from a sideboard to your shelving units, a Christmas table to your kitchen island unit. I must confess to having builtup quite a collection of them over the years, but again, with new designs this year I’ll definitely be adding to these.

What are your top tips for entertaining at Christmas?

When it comes to food choices and drinks, keep it simple so as not to stress. We have a shortlist of canapé recipes we will be sharing with our audience that my husband and I use every year, which can be prepared in advance and are so simple. A sharing platter of cheese and charcuterie always goes down well and if you are planning on cocktails go for one or two signature cocktails you can premake and pour. After all it’s the time spent laughing and joking with friends and family that ultimately is more important than offering too much choice.

How will you celebrate Christmas this year?

We will have Christmas lunch at home just the immediate family and hopefully a very dear friend and her children, given her husband will be working abroad, which will be a lot of fun. We will no doubt be entertaining a much larger family affair with nieces/nephews/children’s partners on Boxing Day and beyond. So, Christmas day could well be the calm before the storm!

Describe your ideal Christmas table?

Presenting a gorgeous Christmas table is one of my favourite things at Christmas. I love to make it look as magical as possible as we do tend to sit around it chatting, laughing, eating and drinking for many hours. I always start with a lovely line tablecloth and contrasting runner, which anchors the centre of the table. Then I will place two of our garlands down the centre and weave in a collection of our ceramic trees and reindeers. Finally for me, it’s all about the candlelight so I will add a collection of our taller candlesticks and intermingle the low ceramic tealight holders that I still have from last year and which sold out super quickly so it’s a good job I got in quick - fortunately they are back this year if you’d like some too!