Do you bring out the same threadbare tinsel and tired baubles each year, throw some lights on a tree, and consider Christmas done? Well, it’s time to get a bit more creative. From scouring charity shops for vintage decorations to foraging for your own DIY wreath, there are better ways to have a stylish home this Christmas.
We’ve asked style gurus from all disciplines for their tips and tricks. From hand-writing menus and festooning bannisters to where to find the best high-street wine glasses (the answer may surprise you), we’ve got Christmas covered – stylishly.
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The best chic Christmas decorating tips
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Shop for vintage baubles
I like to festoon my tree with vintage baubles from different periods and places. My favourite piece is a Santa’s sleigh from the 1960s, given to me as a child, but I love shopping for retro baubles too. Vinterior has a selection of bygone Christmas pieces, ornaments and tree decorations. You’ll find wooden Christmas elves and rosy-cheeked Santas from the 1960s at Handmade & Vintage.
Eleanora Cunietti, interior designer at Carden Cunietti
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Bring out a tablecloth
I’ve got a red-striped Arket cotton tablecloth that I bring out every year. It’s not Christmas‑themed but I only use it at this time as it makes our grubby Weetabix-stained kitchen table feel fancy and signifies our favourite festive tradition: canape day (where we spend an entire day eating only miniature food and cheese). Ikea has this gloriously festive berry-print one this year.
Alexandra Stedman, fashion editor, The RUE
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Display paper baubles in clusters
I love Scandinavian-inspired Christmas decorations and have been stocking up on big white paper baubles, stars and snowflakes for years. I arrange a few of each in a “tasteful cluster” and hang them in all corners of the room. All the fun of the 1980s, but much more chic. I’ll also be making my own orange-slice garlands. It’s quite time intensive (four hours of drying in a low-heated oven), but the smell is incredible and they look so festive hung around the fireplace.
Melanie Wilkinson, the Guardian’s styling editor
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Light a warming candle
A scented candle gives a glow to the house, and Bella Freud’s Herb (£65) is my favourite. It smells of white tiare, red apples and warm cloves. I also like to have bowls of colourful and moreish Italian confetti assortiti (sugared almonds) in the cupboard for guests (or myself) to have with a coffee or a Christmas drink.
Ruthie Rogers, co-founder, The River Cafe
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Make a bauble snake
This Christmas I’m going to thread baubles – glass and glitter, in all the usual metallic shades – on to a length of wire to make a bauble snake. Then I’ll twist and coil it to create piles of baubles across our mantelpiece. Between them, I’ll dot simple cream church candles and tea lights in clear glass jars. I’m imagining all the colours and textures twinkling like the contents of a magical treasure chest.
Matthew Williamson, interior designer
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Snuggle under a cashmere throw
I’m all about the hygge when it comes to Christmas, so I want my home to feel warm and cosy. I love bringing out all my beautiful cashmere throws and blankets. I’ll stack a few in a wicker basket, throw a couple on the sofas, and use some at the bottom of the tree to place all the presents on. I love Janavi because its cashmere is so soft, with different textures and in gorgeous, deep, rich colours. We love to snuggle up under them – and I don’t have to put them away until April!
Divia Thani, global editorial director of Condé Nast Traveler
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Tie ribbons on to everything
One affordable and stylish way to make your home feel Christmassy is by incorporating ribbons. You can tie big looping bows round folded napkins, plates and table settings, the stems of wine glasses, or even the base of candlesticks. For a cohesive touch, I also wrap ribbons round my Christmas tree – wired ribbons are great for this as they hold their shape beautifully as they cascade. Cut a 1.5-metre-long strip and push the top, bottom and middle into the tree to make it look as if it’s trailing down the tree. It’s a more romantic, effortless take on Christmas.
Loui Burke, interiors digital creator
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Hand-write your menus
I love to hand paint my menus with watercolour for special occasions. It’s as simple as painting on an A5 card and adding sketches inspired by the food you’ll be serving. I’ve been doing this for years for family and friends (the kids love helping at Christmas, too). Sometimes we use zigzag pattern scissors to achieve a different border or go for an alternative menu shape such as a champagne bottle or cocktail glass.
Laura Jackson, co-founder, Glassette and presenter of the Art of Hosting series on Instagram
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Make your own foraged wreath
Every year I make a wreath for the front door. The base is made from a ring of natural rattan grapevine. I got it from a garden centre and have had it for years. I use wire to attach clippings of foliage from my parents’ garden – spruce and fir, sprigs of holly and even trimmings from evergreen plants – and the offcuts of the Christmas tree (I always select one too big for the room). The decorations change from year to year: traditional baubles, feathers or just pine cones collected while walking the dog.
Sallie Smith, head of visual presentation, Fortnum & Mason
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Buy some high-street wine glasses
It’s so, so difficult to find good, affordable high-street stemware for your Christmas dinner table. It tends to be dipped in rose gold (not my taste), excessively thick (limits the drinking experience) or adorned with pineapple print (why?). Thankfully, Zara makes elegant, light and perfectly tulip-shaped glasses for appreciating wine – and they’re inexpensive enough (£4.99!) that you can swill with abandon.
Hannah Crosbie, author of wine guide Corker
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Rummage for secondhand decs
In the lead-up to Christmas, my son and I head to the charity shops in search of secondhand decorations. Most shops redecorate their stores for the season; they are a treasure trove of options. Not only is this a super cost-effective way to decorate, it creates a tradition and adds character, charm and authenticity. Our favourite Christmas runner is a beautiful vintage tapestry we found while out searching in Hertfordshire. It depicts a traditional scene with children playing in the snow, sleighs, outdoor Christmas trees and decorated houses. I love its simplistic charm and good, old Christmas family fun.
Temi Johnson, interior designer and Interior Design Masters alumnae
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Invest in a fancy candle – and scatter pine cones
The first thing I buy is Ralph Lauren’s evergreen, juniper and redcurrant-smelling Christmas candle (£70) as it immediately transports me to Christmas Eve. Every bowl is full of pine cones and leftover baubles. Mini acorns and pine cones are scattered along the dining table. And I use brown paper wrapping for presents, with luggage tags and thick rope or wired ribbon.
Kelly Hoppen, interior designer
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Taper candles for a centrepiece
For my table decor, I always buy some Danish taper candles (£8 a pair) in Ice Latte or Toffee shade, from my local interiors shop, Abode Living in Brighton. I like the candle shape – nice and minimal – and they’re good quality, so don’t burn too fast. I also decorate the table with clusters of fresh clementines that I buy from my local fruit and veg shop (Fiveways Fruit), as they sell the lovely ones with leaves still on.
Alexis Foreman, creative consultant
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Buy a meaningful bauble
Every year I buy a Christmas decoration for each family member to add to our tree. Last year for my sons it was a robot and David Bowie, and my husband got a hot sauce. Buying something personal to them that we can cherish and reuse year after year feels really special. Over the years, we’ve built a meaningful collection that holds a lot of memories – and makes for a Christmas tree unlike anyone else’s.
Hannah Emslie, visual presentation director, Selfridges
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Create a tablescape
I love a good tablescape, and I up my game at Christmas . I do what I tell my clients to, and layer textures, height and splashes of colour using runners, place mats, tall tapered candles, flowers and foliage (I like to use potted herbs as a centrepiece to add scent). The key thing is to leave enough room for the turkey and trimmings. I detest Christmas crackers; they’re table clutter, so are banned. And last year we used a couple of large Victorian serving platters I found in a charity shop, to avoid having loads of vegetable dishes taking up every inch of space. It also saved on the washing-up.
Sarah Haywood, celebrity wedding planner
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More candles – and coil lights in vases
I change the colour of any tall candles from white or pale pink to deeper shades of pink and red. And I coil fairy lights into big glass vases so that by Christmas, the house is twinkling with anticipation. You can get both from Ikea.
Kate Watson-Smyth, founder of madaboutthehouse.com
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Commit to a colour
For me, the festive season is always about making the space feel decadent – royal camp is the best way to describe it. My tree ritual is really committing to a colour – I approach it like I’m designing a collection – and the last couple of years have been almost all white. Obviously, I know it’s beautiful to have a tree full of baubles that represent memories, but I’m silhouette-driven and like high-impact choices, which opting for one colour gives.
Harris Reed, fashion designer
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Burn some incense
When I want a clean smell that reminds me of log fires, I burn Ember incense (£35) from Vyrao. It’s just gorgeous. That, along with the smells of proper cooking and baking, is the scent of Christmas to me.
Claire Ptak, baker, Violet bakery
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Display your dried hydrangeas
If you’re looking to bring the outdoors in this Christmas but fancy a change from slowly desiccating greenery, starting with something that’s already beautifully decayed is a nifty solution. Dried allium heads have a celebratory air – they evoke fireworks, especially if you coat them in metallic spray-paint – but for something a little more ubiquitous look to dried hydrangea flowers . They are starting to brown and dry naturally now in a garden near you (alternatively, ask your florist), and you don’t need many to make a show-stopping table or mantle arrangement. Tie with a piece of velvet ribbon if you fancy, or weave them into a wreath (just be mindful of having candles nearby). Their aesthetic is universal, so come 6 January you won’t need to take them down.
Alice Vincent, Guardian gardening columnist
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Festoon your bannisters
I love a festooned stair bannister. It makes the house feel festive when you are lugging laundry upstairs or legging it out of the door to work. All you need is lengths of greenery, which can be real foraged ivy or the fake pine stuff. Wrap it around the bannister – messy is fine, it looks good when bits trail down the spindles. Wind fairy lights through for added twinkle. If you don’t have stairs, you can get the same effect by draping festive greenery over a picture or mirror in your hallway. It’s like a Christmas wreath, but for inside.
Jess Cartner-Morley, the Guardian’s associate editor (fashion)
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Invest in reusable crackers
The best Christmas purchase I ever made was the Colours of Arley x Happy Crackers reusable fabric crackers They are a chic addition to any tablescape – you can fill them with your own goodies and use them year after year. Happy Crackers does all sorts of designs, from modern stripes to traditional florals (from £30 each).
Jessica Gerardi, stylist
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… or pimp your shop-bought ones
I like to level up shop-bought crackers with ribbon and even a sprig of foliage or flowers to make them feel special. You can stick on a handwritten card that works as a place-setting idea … I’ve even sneaked them open and popped in a handmade chocolate as a more thoughtful gift.
Sophie Robinson, interior designer
