It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas… or is it? With December right around the corner and the dark nights seeing us spend more time inside, if you’re ready to add some festive cheer to your home, you’ll want to read on.
We asked interior designer Joanne Allen how we can all sprinkle some style into our homes this Christmas, whether the budget is tight or there’s a little extra to spend.
What’s the first thing you do when you’re styling your home for Christmas?
The first thing I do is pick a theme. This really helps give focus to the style and feel you’re trying to create. Once you’ve chosen a theme, stick to it and weave it throughout your rooms.
Christmas is a notoriously expensive time of year. What’s your advice for sprucing up your home for Christmas without breaking the bank?
Forage. We live in a beautiful part of the country with an abundance of nature’s own decoration. Thoughtful foraging for natural greenery, foliage and berries is a budget friendly way to add some decoration to your home. Recycling old decorations is an affordable way to add a festive feel. If you’re looking for a change, instead of getting rid of your old decorations, spray them to give a new lease of life.
If you’re going to splash out on any festive decorations, what would you recommend?
My advice is to keep it neutral, this way if you change your colour scheme, your new decorations will still work.
What are your 3 favourite ways to decorate for Christmas?
I love creating a magical backdrop with soft, warm glow lights draped over mirrors, running all the way to the floor or draped over cabinets and windowsills. I don’t think you can ever have too many.
The perfect complement to the soft glow of fairy lights is to use them alongside natural greenery and foliage. Forage for branches of ivy and berries, and spray twigs and branches.
A great and inexpensive way to create drama above your dining table is to suspend a decorative branch, spray in the colour of your choice and secure foliage and baubles with floristry wire.
Any suggestions for homemade decorations that look good?
Spray some pampas grass with hairspray to stop it malting, use some metallic spray to make it festive then use some oasis to create a pampas grass tree.
What decorations do you think make the perfect gift?
A. Christmas candles make a great gift. They’re relatively inexpensive and there are some fantastic scents available at this time of year. Perfect for setting the Christmas mood with their warm glow and seasonal scent.
What are the big trends we’ll see on the shelves this year in terms of Christmas decorations?
This year natural and rustic decorations continue to be popular alongside gold and copper. Fuse the two themes for a high low luxe look.
Wreaths are the perfect way to welcome guests to your home, what other ideas can add Christmas kurb appeal?
Decorating the outside of your home with warm fairy lights makes your home look festive.
Where do you get your inspiration from?
Nature, it’s always the perfect place to get inspired. The changing seasons constantly provide new ideas, the colours, sounds and smells.
We hope this has given you some ideas to add some festive style to your home this holiday season. In the meantime, if you’d like to be in a new home in Beverley for next winter, we’ve recently released Phase 2 of Shepherd’s Rest.
Following the sell out of Phase 1, we’ve released a further 22, two, three and four bedroom homes in a variety of exclusive designs. Early bird deposits for this sought after development are now being taken with prices starting from £225,000.
To secure your new Shepherd’s Rest home or to arrange a viewing of the show home, contact Trina Henderson at sales@risbyhomes.co.uk.
To secure your new home or arrange a viewing of the show home, please contact Trina Henderson at trina@risbyhomes.co.uk