Innholdsfortegnelse for December 2020 i The English Home

Christmas is set to feel very special this year: a celebration to mark the passing of a challenging 2020 for many, and perhaps a renewed appreciation of simply spending time with those we are closest to. Our December issue is therefore designed to help savour every moment of the festive season. As preparation is key, we have gleaned ideas and advice from designer Susie Watson on how to decorate our homes for Christmas, inside and out, to ensure they feel cosy and magical (page 90). Meanwhile, interior designers Joanna Wood and Christopher Vane Percy welcome us into their fabulously dressed homes (pages 36 and 46) and offer advice on how to create and add the finishing touches. Our gift guide contains wonderful ideas for everyone you might need to buy…

When decorating the tree, how do you combine colour, texture and lights? I always use warm white lights, which create a soft golden glow. This Christmas I’ve used a traditional palette of silver, light gold and rich red with some copper tones to create depth. To draw the eye up, I’ve tied lots of faux red flowers and ribbon underneath the gold tree topper. I always attach decorations to the tops of branches, as well as hanging them, for a fuller look. All sorts of things can go on the top of branches. There’s nothing like a few home-made, natural decorations to add texture. I often use fir cones, nuts, dried flowers and sprayed greenery mixed with contrasting, colourful, glass baubles in various sizes and shapes. The trick is to…

Every Christmas is a chance for rejoicing, reconnecting and relaxing, but this year may see celebrations taking on a different form. We do not know if large family reunions can take place, and lavish parties certainly seem to be off the agenda. Quieter, more intimate and personal festivities are likely, with the comforts of home more important than ever. Here we share a few ideas to set the scene for a cossetting and welcoming home, with considered choices to bring a sense of joy and Christmas cheer. Lusciously dark backdrops provide an opportunity for accents of berry red and emerald green to take centre stage. The soft flicker of candles and twinkle of white fairy lights, along with flashes of gold and silver, will set a soothing glow. This look…

Susie Watson started her current business by designing a range of kitchen china which was made at a small Stoke-on-Trent factory. A lucky introduction brought Susie and her team to a highly specialist ceramics factory in Sri Lanka. This in turn led to further product ranges being developed in India, using specialist makers and preserving traditional techniques and skills. These family-run workshops have become very much part of their working family and close friends. Today, Susie Watson Designs produces items for every room in the home which can be bought online and in 10 showrooms around the UK. The business sells homeware focused on a classic look and also offers an interior design service. For more information visit susiewatsondesigns.co.uk…

• The Christmas tree and all its trimmings, which is the focal point of the room. It is lovely to buy a special new ornament together as a family to create new memories, alongside unwrapping decorations that evoke the nostalgia of Christmases past. • Mantelpiece garlands. These can be refreshed with the addition of feathers, ribbons, twinkling miniature ornaments, cinnamon sticks, clove-studded oranges and dried apple slices. • An indoor wreath hung above a fireplace, perhaps pre-lit for added ambience, or used as a centrepiece on a coffee or dining table, with candles placed in the middle. • Stockings to hang from the mantelpiece. These may be cherished old favourites, a new family set or ones made on a special weekend set aside before Christmas. • Ornaments and candles grouped…

• Hanging wreaths indoors as well as out, to brighten hallway walls and to enjoy throughout the festive period. • A vessel filled with fresh or dried flowers. If dried, spray with metallic paint to create a more glamorous scene. • To really amplify the festive spirit, a small – or even full-size – tree dressed tree adorned with twinkling lights cannot fail to imbue the Christmas mood. Add a few beautifully wrapped presents underneath for added anticipation. • A garland threaded up the stairs brings classic charm. Adorn with small decorations or Christmas cards for added interest and character. • A display of foraged branches from the garden or treasured ornaments in front of a window is a lovely way to project the Christmas mood outside. LED candles or…

‘Now thrice welcome, Christmas, which brings us good cheer, minc’d-pies and plum-porridge, good ale and strong beer’ runs an entry in Poor Robin’s Almanac for 1695. We all love Christmas. We adore Christmas. We treasure Christmas. “It’s Christmas,” we say, “the Season of Good Cheer.” There’s the magic of Christmas, with Christmas stockings, hampers, cakes, trees, decorations and presents. Added to which, there is Christmas dinner. In Germany they celebrate Christmas with Gänsebraten mid Äpfeln, Rotkohl und Kartoffelklösse (roast goose with apples, red cabbage and potato dumplings to you). In Finland they tuck into Rusinasoppa (cinnamon-spiced plum porridge). In the French region of Provence they make do with a mere treize desserts (thirteen puddings). In Poland, as far as I can make out, they eat their Christmas Day feast on…

Create festive favours as keepsakes for guests In addition to making crackers (see page 116), adding decorative accents to suit all generations is a lovely way to add a personal touch to proceedings. An example might be attaching a personalised item to each napkin at the table – anything from mini felt decorations for children to vintage brooches for elegant style mavens – or printing childhood photographs as place cards. Tap into nostalgia Accessing memories and reminiscing together requires no planning and is a great way to relaect positiely on what has been a ifficult year for any. Each in turn sharing their highlight of the year will ensure plenty of conversation and jollity ensues. Play a game As well as the meowing game (see left), try other pursuits that…

For a traditional tablescape take inspiration from nature, adopting a palette of berry reds and winter-solstice greens, and add a twist with dashes of ice blue and chartreuse green. For a fully layered effect, gently punctuate the Christmas table with texture and pattern – from bamboo cutlery to striped linen, cabbage-leaf china and seasonal placemats. Ensure the table twinkles with sparkling glassware and decorate with fresh foliage such as fir, holly, sea thistle and eucalyptus.…

DAVID HUNT LIGHTING If ever there was a company with a rich history, it is David Hunt Lighting. The brand’s heritage can be traced all the way back to John Hunt, a Birmingham-based candlestick maker in the 1790s, who was a pioneer of the Industrial Revolution. The Hunt family became one of the first adopters and manufacturers of electrical lighting products in the early 1900s and by the Fifties, the company’s namesake David Hunt began experimenting with new manufacturing techniques, inventing its unique resin composite in the process. By the 1960s, the company had moved to its workshop to the Cotswolds where it has remained ever since. Over the years, the company has established a reputation for its fine handcrafted products and in particular its resin casting and hand-finished metal…

Botanical buys Charming ideas for the green-fingered and flower-loving Beautiful and useful Practical gadgets, appliances and handy buys that look lovely too Winter indulgences Cosy comforts, warming treats and little luxuries for the season Designer selection Accessories for the home from designers’ own shops…

The festive season is a time when we can take great pleasure in enjoying our homes to the full, so this is the ideal moment to consider larger purchases that will not only make Christmas extra special, but also be life enhancing for the year ahead. Well-considered smaller touches can be just as valuable to refresh interiors and, along with traditional and new festive flourishes, they can enhance the customs of the season and everyday moments. Within each room, we consider the essential elements that will work wonders to help make this Christmas one that best celebrates the delights of home. Dining Room The dining room has a big part to play in the Christmas festivities and comfort is key. Comfortable dining chairs are essential – consider fabric-covered chairs or…

• Christmas bedding, which might seem frivolous, but – much like the joy of revisiting sentimental tree decorations – it will become a joyful sign of the festive period beginning for many years to come. • Personalised stockings for children will make waking up on Christmas morning extra special and might just provide others with an extra 40 winks. • Christmas-scented candles or diffusers are a low-key way to imbue bedrooms with a festive mood. • A mini tree or a simple branch with a few choice decorations hung on them, to instantly add a cheery atmosphere to bedside tables or bare corners. • Foliage with miniature fairy lights threaded through. For a decadent Christmas mood, hang on bedframes or drape along the top of a wardrobe or chest of…

The festive season is the ideal opportunity to celebrate the strength of bonds forged and deepened over the course of what has been an undeniably challenging year – now is the time to show our nearest and dearest how much they truly mean to us. Though there is immense pleasure to be had in spoiling loved ones with generous gifts they would never otherwise indulge in for themselves, adding to the season’s rituals with handcrafted touches tailored to the individual only heightens the depth of feeling. Taking the time, thought and care to create a truly personalised element both gladdens the heart and lifts the spirits – take inspiration with our ideas to add meaningful touches in the home and beyond. Creative foundations The draw and appeal of creating thoughtful…

Decking the halls with boughs of holly, ivy, mistletoe and other greenery is a long-held ritual whose roots lie in celebrations of the winter solstice and warding off evil spirits. Today the festive period sees all manner of greenery brought into the home to dress mantelpieces, hallways and doors, as well as, of course, a resplendent Christmas tree – a custom believed to have been introduced to England by Prince Albert. Though fresh flowers are not so abundant, evergreen foliage is plentiful and readily evokes the festive feeling, from a small sprig of holly on the corner of a picture frame to a magnificent table dressing full of greenery. Florist and founder of Wild at Heart, Nikki Tibbles says: “When it comes to seasonal plants for winter, I love every…

Share in the excitement and anticipation of Christmas by helping children decorate their bedrooms with paper chains, felt stockings, charming festive garlands and perhaps even a small tree, aglow with twinkling fairy lights and pretty decorations. These festive touches will make waking up on the big day all the more magical, especially if Father Christmas leaves a special little gift beneath their own tree.…

Our special section dedicated to design and decorating inspiration begins here When the decor of a home is perfectly considered with a clear vision and elegant style, it pays to co-ordinate Christmas decorating to suit. A harmonised, timeless scheme will look good year after year, and can easily be added to with newly discovered treasures. Here an opulent garland adorned with navy baubles and velvet bows is made all the more beautiful with the addition of miniature blue-and-white ginger jars to echo the oriental-style vase and Delft tiles.…

• A floral arrangement. Create a sublime, long-lasting table centrepiece for Christmas lunches and dinners, adding candles in varying tones to ring the changes for table settings at different times of day. • Foliage, fairy lights and tea lights, to dress the length of the table. Little gifts or Christmas confectionery provide a little extra magic hidden amongst the display. • Fully dressed place settings with details such as place cards, placemats in festive colours and co-ordinating linen and tableware. • Crackers. A traditional essential, these look particularly fetching when matched to the colours of the table decor. • Garlands and hanging decorations. To decorate the rest of the dining room, arrange garlands on a mantelpiece or sideboard and hang ribbons and miniature decorations from chandeliers and pendant lights.…

• Seasonally themed oven gloves, aprons and tea towels, to make food preparation a cheery affair. • Foraging for ivy, sprigs of holly, pine cones and nuts to dress beams, sideboards and oven mantels. • A cake stand piled high with mince pies or a glorious Christmas cake. • Special cups and saucers to make tea time feel extra special. • A ribbon in a rich hue or rustic string garland adorned with miniature decorations.…

MERRY & BRIGHT A decadent, home-made Christmas cake rich with brandy-soaked dried fruit, treacle, brown sugar and spices and lovingly fed a bit more brandy each week to ensure a warming treat come the big day, deserves to be beautifully decorated. Marzipan and white icing are a classic choice, adorned with handmade fondant figures or holly leaves and perhaps a shimmer of edible glitter, but for something more unusual, gingerbread biscuits can be cut and iced to create festive figures or a snowy town scene. Here glossy red cherries encircled by sprigs of greenery create a jolly, tempting centrepiece. Try the National Trust’s gingerbread recipe with clementine and ginger icing for added zing. nationaltrust.org.uk/ recipes/gingerbread…

You will need: • Polystyrene ball• 2 types of ribbon• Scissors• Glue• Crochet flower Cut the ribbons into strips of equal length (each long enough to cover half the circumference of the polystyrene ball). Then fix the ribbon strips alternately with glue until the whole ball is covered. Next cut a length of ribbon for hanging the bauble. Fix the ends of the ribbon to the top of the bauble and glue a small crochet flower on top. Leave to dry completely.…

Whilst Christmas is a time steeped in ritual and tradition, with treasured decorations lovingly brought out each year, it can be nice to ring the changes with something a little different. These oversized mercury silver baubles make quite the impact. Just three hung in a hallway would look impressive, but en masse above the table offers a modern twist on classic Christmas styling. A room with beams offers the best opportunity for replicating this look and the mottled, shiny surfaces offer the perfect foil to a rustic location without being incongruous to the relaxed setting. Extra Large Mercury Silver Baubles, £39.95 each, Nordic House…