Dressing up your downstairs

Bring a Yuletide glow to your cooking, eating and entertaining areas

Whether it’s a grown-up do, or you’re entertaining all ages, think how best to make your downstairs entertaining spaces work for you.

Space savvy

Be realistic about the space you have – if you’re hosting multiple guests, is there space for a tree in your living room, or could you place it elsewhere and decorate fireplaces and furniture tops instead? For extra seating, try comfy floor cushions.

Cosy corner

Adorning sofas and armchairs with faux-fur throws and plenty of cushions featuring festive motifs will ramp up the snug factor indoors. If you don’t have a working fire, create a similar ambience by grouping together some pillar candles.

Think laterally

Smaller spaces can still pack a fabulously festive punch. Why not run garlands across ceiling beams, or try a hanging centrepiece above your dining table, suspending a branch or beam from ceiling hooks and decorating it with baubles. Or for a small-scale version, try hanging lightweight baubles off an overhead lampshade or ceiling pendant light. Add decorative pieces, such as ceramic antlers or oversized wooden stars, to walls, too.

great idea Layer up cushions that tone in with your decs and gift wrap! Gower large Aubergine velvet sofa, £1,099; Gower rectangular footstool, £439, both DFS

Incorporate firewood into your decor. Accessories from a range at Amara