all is bright
Kerry and Chris Tedman celebrate Christmas with simple Scandi touches that complement their personal style
A loft extension and Scandi decor sets the scene for a serene festive season in this Kent townhouse
With a family of four girls, plus plenty of visitors over the Christmas season, I try to keep the atmosphere in our home as calm as possible,’ says Kerry Tedman, mother to Etty, 11, Bebe, 10, Marlie, nine, and Hadley, two. Her simple palette of white, grey and black – livened up with the natural greens of winter foliage and twinkling fairy lights – brings Scandi-style serenity to the festive preparations in her home. ‘My look for the rest of the year is very pared-back, so it wouldn’t work to go for full-on red and yards of tinsel,’ she says. The result is a home that sparkles, but doesn’t drown out her personal style.
Kerry, a copywriter who paints in her spare time, and her husband Chris have always liked a clean, crisp aesthetic. ‘I’m just not big on colour – and I find that you can still be really creative within a monochrome palette,’ she says. This tall Victorian townhouse in Tunbridge Wells has expanded with their family, and they recently added a loft extension to provide a new master suite, two bedrooms and shower room. As with the rest of the house, these rooms were decorated with Kerry’s creative yet practical design eye. ‘ We’ve tried to future-proof the rooms – for example, we added mezzanine sleeping levels in Bebe and Marlie’s bedrooms to maximise the space.’
When the couple moved to this house the decor was ‘ incredibly plain’, says Kerry, who gave the interior a completely fresh look. As someone who prefers to avoid clutter, she was still keen to inject some character into the four walls of her home. The couple set about
DECORATING TIP ‘Decide on a simple palette for your main Christmas decorations and then add extra warmth and depth with sprigs of silvery green foliage’
reinstating the Victorian fireplaces, installing shutters and also had many of the floors stripped back to the wood. The previously dark kitchen was lightened up by fitting a run of simple white cabinets: ‘It’s not a huge space, but good storage makes it very practical,’ says Kerry.
Storage also plays a key part in the girls’ bedrooms. ‘At Christmas, there will inevitably be more toys arriving, but built-in cupboards and shelves mean that there will always be space to store them,’ says Kerry. This chic but practical aesthetic also extends to the family’s Christmas table settings. ‘As there will be six of us around our table – and lots of food – I tend to stick to a monochrome colour scheme, using natural foliage to lift it,’ says Kerry.
The paintings that are dotted around the house exude a similarly natural feel and have been created by Kerry in her spare time. Her favourite tones are off-whites and greys, but she also brings depth to her canvases by adding filler and textural layers of paint. ‘All my art is inspired by nature, whether that be landscapes, trees or snowy mountains,’ she says.
The most serene space, which still feels festive, is the family’s bathroom, where a painting by Kerry hangs over a deep stone resin bath. ‘Making this room into a large bathroom felt quite indulgent, but it’s so worth it,’ says Kerry. ‘It always feels very calming and relaxing at the end of a full-on day, whether I’ve been making a nativity costume, cutting out paper decorations or baking with the girls. The run-up to Christmas is always busy – but this house is my little piece of Scandi calm.’
last word ‘Life with four daughters is inevitably going to get hectic in the run-up to Christmas, but a restful, unfussy decor will keep the house’s mood as calm as possible’