It’s time to share my decorating tips on how to style a white Christmas. If you are anything like me, the tree, decorations and cheesy music begin in early December and is begrudgingly taken down on the 12th day. It’s funny, even though I start shooting Christmas from the beginning of the year, sometimes as early as April (!) I never seem tire of it, it must be a testament to my parents for making it so magical for me when I was younger.
The first image is from a job I styled for Marie Claire introducing Sainsbury’s lovely Christmas offerings. It was such fun set of shoots to do and on the last day our client laid on a full Christmas lunch with Turkey, crackers, songs and Christmas jumpers – in September! Hilarious!
This look works well in a period or modern style living room but a mantlepiece is essential as this is the main focus of the room. When styling with just white, you need to add lots of warmth and cosiness to avoid it looking too cold and clinical. Lots of layering with throws, faux furs and cable knit cushions are perfect, as well as pretty foliage to bring the room to life. Eucalyptus is an absolute favourite of mine as not only does it look stunning, it smells divine, I still have mine from last year as it looks just as pretty dried. Pussy willow is another good option as it adds height and drama to the dinner table and keeps for months. The warm tones from the wood add a rustic element to the space and if you don’t have floorboards like this, invest in some pretty wooden decorations instead, they look great dotted around the room and work well on the table as napkin ties.
You can be quite creative when it come to styling your home, especially for Christmas. Who cares if you don’t have an open fire, why not place a fire-surround against the wall anyway! Once the mantle is dressed and the logs are added, it looked really cute. The chalk picture is another easy ‘make’ and a great craft idea for the kids. Image styled by me for George Home and shot by Jon Day.
So, this might be a little trickier but it you walk past an old palette and you are up for a challenge, you could have yourself a wooden tree in no time at all…
The scheme below is slightly more contemporary and the key is reflective materials, texture and attention to detail. The hammered metal coffee table creates a pretty rippled light, the rug has a subtle metallic finish and the glass baubles add a little Christmas sparkle. For the soft furnishings we used subtle festive cushions and finished with a fun pom-pom throw, the cute circles mirrored the shape of the baubles and also the round coffee table, this created a visual link with the styling and helped to pull the scheme together. Image styled by me for Homestyle and shot by Jo Henderson.
I am always thinking of creative ways with presents as I get really frustrated with a messy mass under the tree. This way you can avoid the awkwardness of the lost presents when it’s time to dish them out…!
