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If, like me you have been known to buy the Christmas editions of well known interior magazines for the promise of pages of fabulous Christmas decor, than you too will have experienced the disappointment of making crafty decorations which never quite resemble the glossy pictures in said magazine...Does anyone really have time to faff about with the fads and fashions that come and go each Christmas? Take it from someone who devotes a considerable amount of time perusing the Christmas look for the coming year, what's in this year will be tired and dated in 12 months time. When we put together our Christmas ranges at Bowley & Jackson the emphasis is firmly on a traditional and classical Christmas, an extension of how we decorate our own home for Christmas. We hope that our decorations become part of the fabric of Christmas and likewise my own thoughts of decorating for Christmas have evolved over the years and a natural display using foliage is central to decorating our own home.
A scandinavian style Christmas
Decorating with foliage offers many advantages, the most obvious being that much of the material can be gathered for free. Foraging for suitable foliage is a really pleasant way to spend time and a great excuse to spend a few hours out in the fresh air. I will set off with a wheelbarrow and the kids in tow, (but lets not get too misty eyed, taking the kids has on occasion proved to be a mistake!).Here is a list of tools and kit useful to have on hand:
The type of foliage you gather depends very much on the type of display you're looking to create. Here is a list of different types of foliage that can be useful:
This is my list and is strongly influenced by what is available in my garden and the hedgerows surrounding our paddocks. It is worth cultivating certain plants such as Bay and Hebe for this very purpose and over recent years I have come to know where to find certain species such as a prettily coloured berried Ivy.
Creating a twig ceiling
Our Christmas twig ceiling has been a feature in our stores for a number of years and is much photographed by visitors each year. What started out as a practical way to display our Christmas decorations has become a display in itself. A really easy look to create, we create a version of this in our kitchen at home every year. I usually use blackthorn for this design, simply because the thorns offer rigid spikes from which to hang heavier glass decorations. In recent years I have also used silver birch branches which creates a wonderful Scandinavian style Christmas and this year I found some Hawthorn with dark crimson berries which looks sooo Christmassy without adding anything else. Here's a step by step how to:
A close up of the screw in brass hooks, use these to hold the twigs or to secure cable ties to.
Adding greenery
Greenery was traditionally used as a way of warding off evil spirits and even if you aren't too worried about the spirits it brings a fabulous warmth and grandeur to your decor. You can really go to town with rich garlands made up of greenery including conifer, holly and ivy to dress up fireplaces and staircases. A garland is easy to assemble, here is a step by step how:
A greenery garland will transform a fireplace, add in fairy lights and candles to really max out on an opulent display.
Christmas Table Centrepiece
For the Christmas table itself use the fruits of your foraging trip to create a beautiful table centre piece. Here, I have used an old Indian brick mould, but you can use anything from a ceramic bowl or cache pot such as our Barnsley Cache pots. For a vintage design, an old tomato tin similar to the fabulous tomato tin from our range. Here is how I created the table piece:
This Antique Indian brick mould is used to create a table centre piece with ivy, rose hips and two Danish dinner candles. It contrasts well against the red gingham oilcloth.
You can also add fruits such as oranges, apples or pomegranates to the arrangement.
Danish glass hurricanes filled with foraged twigs with pumpkin glass tea light holders complimenting.
A hurricane glass filled with oranges and a simple pillar candle is super easy to create and will add a wonderful citrus aroma to the room.
Paper Whites and other bulbs
Pot up Paper White Narcissus to decorate a windowsill or dresser surface. Something as simple as an old terracotta pot planted with these delicate flowers, finished with moss to the top is very effective. Amaryllis or hyacinth bulbs are also seasonal and can be easily purchased in Garden centres and Supermarkets.
The kitchen ready for Christmas... on to the tree and wreath...