At this time of year, I love making my house look and feel festive for Christmas. Here are a few easy ways to decorate your home for maximum effect.
Hang a wreath on your front door
For me, the festive season starts the minute I hang a wreath on my front door. I make my own wreath with greenery picked on my daily dog walks. Our hedgerows are full of plants like holly, ivy, hazel, willow, catkin and pine which are perfect – just add some herbs, berries and spices to create a beautiful natural wreath. There are lots of YouTube tutorials showing you how to make a wreath or many of Bath’s florists run workshops which are great fun to do with friends.
Decorate your hallway
As soon as you open your front door, you want your home to feel festive. If you have a staircase, it’s the perfect place to go to town with decorations. You can make or buy beautiful natural garlands to wind around your banisters. Just add fairy lights and instantly your hallway and staircase will look Christmassy!
Create a Christmas colour scheme
Every year I choose a different colour scheme and base all my decorations around it – from Christmas tree baubles to napkin colours. Red and green are traditional Christmas colours, but I love to break away from tradition and use rich jewel colours to create a dramatic and sophisticated colour scheme for the holiday season. Rich plum, blue-black navy, emerald green and deep pink work beautifully with gold and silver to create a stunning Christmas scheme that looks wonderful at night with twinkling candlelight.
Go crazy with lights
Whether you are hanging fairy lights around your mantlepiece or lighting candles on the Christmas table, the right lighting will create atmosphere in your home. From tealights grouped together on a table, candles providing a soft glow on a mantlepiece, antiqued candlestick holders on the sideboard or lanterns outside, the right lighting brings warmth and adds a bit of drama to your home. I am a big fan of portable lamps (all the rage now). You can move them around to where you need light and even use them outside.
Decorate your garden
Don’t forget to decorate your garden. Fire pits are perfect for gathering around to watch the stars or enjoy a hot toddy. Make sure there are lots of warm blankets and plenty of lighting. Solar lights work even during the winter and look pretty wound round trees or pergolas.
