The maximalist

Bethan Laura Wood

‘You can tell a lot about someone from the Christmas decorations they like,’ says the designer Bethan Laura Wood sagely. Judging by the scheme she has devised for the entrance hall of the Mayfair club Sketch (right), one might deduce that Wood is unorthodox, with a penchant for splashy colour and wry humour.

There are PVC garlands that hang in alcoves, cascade from arches and zigzag across the ceiling, forming a colourful counterpoint to the Georgian building’s classical architecture. To make the garlands, Wood punched shapes from PVC butchers’ and builders’ curtains in a variety of colours, some of which she coated with glitter, ‘because it’s Christmas’. She then fashioned 3D forms ranging from spheres, bows and chains to stylised crosses and chandelier drops, held in place by brass rivets. Strung together and interspersed with oversize pearls, they create a look that combines modern design with British eccentricity – or, as Wood describes it, ‘Elizabethan panto meets pop’.

Wood made more than 200 yards of garlands in total, and any surplus will be put to good use at her own house in east London. ‘My house is so full of objects anyway – even some things that are technically Christmas ornaments tend to stay out all year round,’ she says. ‘Last year I put Christmas lights on the penny farthing bike in my living room and hung streamers from it.’

Wood’s installation provides plenty of inspiration for an unconventional Christmas look that adds maximum impact to a hallway. As she has demonstrated, inexpensive materials used creatively can work wonders. Just think of it as oversize costume jewellery for the home.