For one of the last issues of Beautiful Rooms before Christmas I thought I would show you 10 very different trees by 10 very different bloggers and maybe you will be inspired for next year or maybe you can just have a scroll while sipping eggnog or something. There are real and faux and kitsch and Christmassy, come with me…
Bianca, who runs French for Pineapple, says: “I’ve gone faux for the first time ever this year and I’m a total convert! Pre-lit faux trees are fabulous for control freaks like me – perfect shape, no dropped pines, and no sad sorry tree before Christmas Day. Storage may be an issue though.
“One ritual that hasn’t changed is a trip to Columbia Road flower market the Sunday before Christmas to fill the house with fresh eucalyptus and maybe a baby decorative pineapple or ten.”
Melanie Lissack says: “As I am always changing my home and redecorating I buy new decorations every year to work best with the latest scheme. This is the first year that my living room has been blue, so I have new baubles in teal, turquoise and muted copper to celebrate and compliment the warm hue of the paint.
“Every year I also make my own door wreath. I have a lot of hydrangeas in my garden so about a month before Christmas I dry out some heads over the cooker and bake orange slices in the oven to create the wreath with. I then head down to Columbia Road flower market for sprigs of Nordic pine. I always try and make the wreath better than the year before and much to my husband’s amusement, get a lot of joy when I see someone instagramming the front door”
Russell Whitehead and Jordan Cluroe, of 2LG Studio, have created this gorgeous tree in their London home. They said: “A real tree is a must. One year we went a bit mad and had an enormous tree that was too big for the room and had to have the top cut off because it was bent at the ceiling. We loved it though.
“We love to collect tree decorations; we buy each other a really special one every year. We could never afford to do a whole tree this way but over the years we have grown a selection that we get so excited to unbox. Each one has a memory and is part of our life together. We also like to save dried flowers, seed heads and branches from the garden to add to our displays. They add a lovely earthy quality and look beautiful on the fireplace and bannister and in vases on the dining table.
“For wrapping we often use fabric samples and wallpaper. We collects lots of samples throughout the year and often have leftovers from projects and our own home so we use them on presents rather than wasting them.”
Kimberly Duran, of Swoonworthy, likes to have her tree up by the 1st of December. She says: “Decorating is definitely a solo affair in our house. I’m basically Monica from Friends when it comes to the tree so my other half knows to leave me alone and let me get on with it. I sip Baileys, put something festive on the telly and enjoy a little time to faff.
“Every Christmas Eve we head to the local pub for a quiet drink in front of a roaring fire and then on Christmas morning the whole crew arrives and we exchange gifts and enjoy some nibbles and the kids get Lego which keeps them and the adults happy.”
Jess Hurrell, of Gold is a Neutral, says: “My Christmas decorating ritual is a case of letting the children (and my husband) take everything out and stick it wherever they want – ie everything on one branch at the bottom of the tree – then putting them to bed and redoing it all without interruption and hoping they won’t notice the following morning!
“My style involves lots of foliage, faux and real, lots of light and candles and burnished gold. And I always love to decorate the staircase and the fireplace – even more than the tree if I’m honest. I find I can be a bit more creative and it’s a good opportunity to give the house that wow factor.”
Emily Murray, who runs The Pink House says: “Now I have The Pink House business, brand and blog, I’m much more confident in my interior décor style, which at Christmas effectively means getting rid of all the traditional red (I’ve never been a fan of a red-and-green combo) and replacing it with pink. And sparkle.
“I’ve definitely done a good deal of decor-editing over the last couple of years. There’s actually a box full of red baubles, knitted robins and nasty ‘crafted’ décor hidden at the back of the garage, but please don’t tell my kids. Or the Pink House Husband for that matter – he has tendencies towards the sentimental.
“Over the past couple of years I’ve acquired loads of new decorations, some of which you can see here. Flowers-as-decor are also a huge thing for me at Christmas. This year the fabulous florist Hayford & Rhodes has done an incredible job of decorating my house for Christmas. Their pink hypericum berries wreath on my pink front door is rather special too.”
Ruthie Matthews, of Design Soda, says: “I like to fill my home with little corners of Christmas right the way through December and there is a miniature tree in almost every room. This year our tree has been given a newly painted rom to sit in – Dead Salmon, by Farrow & Ball. We change the theme every year and last year it was Scandi minimalism but now we have a three-year-old it’s all about colour and nature.
“Sometimes I think we have gone a little overboard but in a lot of ways I see this as a test of my maximalism and an incentive to declutter in the New Year.”
This black and white stick tree came from Habitat – sadly they don’t do them any more because if they did I would buy one. It belongs to Fiona Duke, who runs her eponymous interior design company and is also a co-founder of The Interior Design Collective. Her tips are:
“When it comes to Christmas decor, I love to begin with a simple backdrop of paired back natural decoration in the form of eucalyptus leaves, ivy and spruce. I then elaborate with a few sparkly baubles and disco balls here and there, mixed with the obligatory playful kitsch tree ornaments… …which basically results in a relaxed, eclectic approach to the whole affair. My treasured wooden fairies always sit proudly at the top of the tree as they were a gift from my family in Scandinavia.”
And where there is one founder of the IDC there must be the other. Karen Knox, who runs Making Spaces has this year’s wool wrapped tree from Habitat.
She says: “I don’t like Christmas really. I have memories of lots of flammable materials, garlands all over the shop, hanging from the ceiling, tinsel wrapped around banisters that made your hands itchy, spray snow stencils on the windows so you couldn’t see out, angels… so many of those, and glitter… my mum flipping loved Christmas!
“If I had my way we’d light a candle and maybe ((fail to) get the log burner going… but as I have a four-year-old and a husband who loves all this stuff, I compromise and allow some festive faffing to take place. No sparkle though. It’s all about textures for me. Astroturf Rudolph, pom poms, felt gardlands, woollen tree. Our house is small so to save removing all the furniture from the living room in order to make room for a real Christmas tree, our pared back, monochrome minimal number not only takes up less room but also doesn’t require a daily trip with the vacuum cleaner.”
Lastly this fabulous pink (and black and white extravaganza by Sarah Akwisombe who made her own pom poms and created her own polaroid baubles. Her tips for decorating: “Anything goes. Big, kitsch, colourful, fun… don’t worry about trying to be classy and embrace the weird.”
And there you have it. Ten very different styles of Christmas. Which are your favourites. I do love a real tree but the idea of a pink one covered in black and white is making me slightly giddy. Must be the eggnog.
Design Soda’s miniature tree is charming.
The fireplace decoration in the third room is incredible; brings a warm, cosy atmosphere into a minimalist home.
I like number 3 for the traditional green tree (they must be green, pink is a big fat NO!) and the black and white stripy tree which I would rush out and buy if it was still available. Against that gorgeous (Arsenic?) wall, it’s divine.