At Christmas, the Herefordshire barn conversion belonging to Holloways Interior Designer Annie Blackledge and her husband James is a riot of colour and texture. A huge wreath hangs on the front door, ready to welcome treasured friends and family. Mirrors are resplendent with greenery and berries foraged from the garden. Boughs twisted with fairy lights and velvet ribbons hang above a beautifully laid dining table, fires roar, drinks flow and on every surface, glistening baubles reflect the light – and every cherished memory of the celebrations.
Laying the Christmas table is, surely, one of the greatest pleasures of the festive season, and in Annie's house, it's a ritual which marks the start of the most wonderful time of the year. Here's how she decorates her table, and her home for the holidays.
Well, we bother because Christmas is the one day of the year when everyone should make an effort. And whether you’re hosting Christmas for a crowd, a small family affair or an intimate lunch for two, creating a beautiful scheme for your Christmas lunch or dinner should be a priority.
It will be a lovely space in which to spend several hours with your family and friends. It will create wonderful memories and make you feel proud of what you have designed. And of course, it will be a beautiful backdrop for all the photo opportunities around the table you’ll revisit for years to come.
Set a date aside well in advance of Christmas Eve to lay your table. It will be such a beautiful scene in your dining room, why leave it ‘til the last minute? You can add fresh foliage and any flowers closer to Christmas Day.
My table last year was almost ready on December 22nd, as shown above left. Glasses, cutlery and fresh flowers were added closer to the day to create the finished tablescape you see, top right.
So much choice is out there and it’s all too easy to just grab things that ‘will do’. But we’re going to try and create a scheme where everything has been carefully selected and has a place on the table to bring you joy over the festive period.
Some of you may have wandered through the showrooms over the past few weeks and spotted a few tables that have already been set up with products from our Christmas Gift Shop. We hosted a Christmas Tablescaping masterclass, and if you're quick, you'll find all four of the tables I designed in the Gallery Showroom. Be inspired by traditional red and green; Scandi minimalist; rustic, and gold and sparkly schemes.
Traditional red and green
This gives you the opportunity to decorate with fresh cranberries and holly sprigs scattered down the centre of the table. You can always grab some faux holly from our Neptune store if you can’t find fresh – apparently it is in short supply this year. Get inspired – how about a couple of pomegranates to add a dash of vibrant colour?
Scandi minimalist
A theme with silver accents, mistletoe and ivy. Take a walk around countryside lanes and grab some lengths of ivy and mistletoe stems laden with those snowy-white berries. Just make sure you don't ingest them: they're highly poisonous. So if you want to err on the side of caution, pick up some faux mistletoe from our Neptune store-in-store. It's just as lovely as the real thing.
Gold
Go for it with shimmer and sparkle. Create impact with layers of rich golds and metallics to make your table really dazzle. I love these Heddon candlesticks, available in our Neptune store-in-store. And spraying greenery with gold paint makes a stunning centrepiece.
Rustic
Take your inspiration from the hedgerows using cones, twigs and boughs. Dried orange slices and bleached pine cones are easy to create at home. A bough hanging over the table with battery operated fairy lights creates an amazing focal point, and won’t block guests’ view across the table.
Tablecloths
Ideal when you don’t want your tabletop to show. If you have to create more space by putting a board on top of your existing table, you’ll probably need a tablecloth to cover it.
Make sure the tablecloth suits your theme and colour scheme. Oilcloths with farmyard animals or an Orla Kiely wipe-clean topper from the kitchen table just won't do at Christmas.
Where you have a really huge table to cover, using more than one tablecloth in a contrasting colour can look very effective.
In the Holloways Gift Shop and Neptune store-in-store you’ll find beautiful tablecloths in several sizes in silver, gold, green and white to suit almost any scheme.
Runners
Use a runner on its own or as well as a tablecloth. A runner is ideal when you want to feature the tabletop but still need something to create a focal point. Runners can also work effectively on a round table – try putting two runners at 90 degrees. Very edgy!
Choose your place settings
Chargers in wood, glass, ceramic or metal make a dining table look extra special.
They also help keep spills from hitting the tablecloth or table and make your plates look more ‘cheffy’.
Choose placemats in fabrics, leathers or woven grasses to complement your colour scheme – or try using alternative colours around the table to make a real statement. You’ll find placemats in all materials and colours in our Gift Shop and Neptune store.
Place cards
Place cards make your table look dressed and considered. Hand-write place cards with a gold or silver felt tip, or even use small table gifts with name tags tied to them with ribbon as place cards.
Feeling crafty? Make stars out of salt dough and carve your guests' names into each.
Bunches of foliage with name tags are a pretty alternative. Or try old-fashioned luggage tags tied to a fir cone with ribbon. You could write a personal message to your guest on the back of each.
Napkins and napkin rings
Fold your napkins into special designs. For me it has to be the Christmas tree design – easily done in a few seconds using standard fabric napkins.
If you just want to have your napkins rolled into a tube, add some interest with foliage. Wrap some rustic twine around each napkin and coil a small stem of ivy around it. Tuck sprigs of rosemary or a bay leaf in between the napkin ring and the napkin.
WATCH: Christmas tree napkin tutorial
Leave space for glasses
Make sure you leave enough space on the table for all the glasses you'll need for your celebratory lunch or supper – water, white wine and red wine glasses should be carefully arranged at each place setting. Place the water glass above the knife, the white wine and red wine glasses flanking it on top, to make a triangle.
Champagne or liqueur glasses can be waiting on a tray, decorated with fairy lights, until you’re ready to pour, so they don't clutter up the table and get in the way of serving dishes.
Create a centrepiece for your Christmas table
Place a wreath – real or faux – in the middle of the table and wrap it with micro fairy lights. Place pillar candles in the centre to match your colour scheme. Or take a long platter that you can load up with foliage from the garden, tall taper candles and baubles. Add little lanterns, faux and dried berries and seasonal flowers. Poke in small branches, dried orange slices and fir cones for texture and scent. Trail small LED lights down the centre of the table to make it sparkle. And don’t block your guests’ views – consider hanging a wreath or decorated bough above the centre of the table.
Spread a little interest
Use tree decorations to add some magic to the table – think glass baubles, tiny gold bells or silver stars. Using real candles and tealights scented with spruce or cinnamon will enhance the Christmas experience.
For the super cautious, use faux candles and tealights.
There are lots of LED fairy lights in our Gift Shop. Use multiple small sets on thin copper wire – and make sure you have spare batteries. Choose colours to tie in with your scheme.
Add a few simple games around the table - quiz cards, brain teasers, etc – to keep your guests occupied while you make the gravy. There are lots of great examples in our Gift Shop.
…and share the load
When you’re spoiling family and guests, they usually want to help in some way.
If you’re expecting guests on the big day, ask someone to bring canapés. That’s one less thing for you to worry about. People go the extra mile and put lots of effort in when given a special responsibility.
Maybe you have a family member who’s great at selecting interesting cheeses. Let them supply a cheeseboard already assembled on a platter.
And tell them that includes bringing the crackers and chutneys too!
If anyone is bringing food on the day, highlight gluten free and vegetarian diets, or any other allergies they need to know about.
Music
Elect someone to be in charge of music– background Christmas music or a playlist featuring everyone’s favourite artists.
Drinks
Choose a trustworthy person to be in charge of drinks. An empty glass on Christmas day is TERRIBLE! Make sure you have plenty of bottles lined up in the fridge or outside in a bucket full of ice. Keep the ice cubes in their bags – when it melts, it won’t take the labels off your bottles.
Make the designated driver feel special by mixing a virgin cocktail in a beautiful glass with dried orange slices – they're simple to make. There's only so much sparkling water you can drink in a day.
Your front door and entrance hall are the first areas everyone sees when they enter your home and the last they see when they leave.
Make it special by taking time to create a welcoming space to delight your guests.
All of these are Holloways wreaths to which I have added berries, leaves and lights to create original designs.
Wreaths can appear throughout the house on front doors and in the hallway – and don’t forget the kitchen.
Hang the mistletoe
Hang the mistletoe Even if you don’t want a kiss from everyone who enters your home over Christmas, nothing says ‘sharing the love’ like a bunch of mistletoe hanging in a door frame.
It’s the only time of the year we can use it, so embrace it!
Garlands
A festive garland fixed over a door frame, spiralled down a banister or draped over a mantlepiece is one of my favourite Christmas decorations and can transform a space in minutes.
If your garland (real or artificial) lacks interest, incorporate some fresh elements into it. Eucalyptus leaves, dried orange slices, cranberries threaded on twine micro fairy lights to twist around the branches.
A garland running down the length of your Christmas dining table, interlaced with lights, church candles and oranges studded with cloves will make a spectacular focal point.
Bannisters
Bannisters
The bannister is a classic place for twisting a length of artificial or real stems. Add a few lengths of shimmering ribbons and some small red baubles to create pops of colour.
If you have a socket handy, you could use plug in fairy lights on a subtle slow dim to create gentle mood lighting throughout the day.
Mirrors
Using a garland around your mirror reflects both the foliage and the lights and makes a great focal point in the room.
You can tuck the garland into the frame or fix with self adhesive pads you can remove later. Add lights, ribbons, orange slices and hook a few candy canes in for a bit of fun.
Suspend ornaments from the ceiling in front of the mirror so they reflect in it. Stars or shimmering snowflake decorations hanging from different heights look fabulous.
Image below: Edward Bulmer
Guest bedrooms
Take time to spoil your overnight guests by making their rooms festive.
Fill glass diffusers with Christmassy oils, put battery-operated LED candles on the bedside tables and drape a faux fur throw from our Interiors Room throw across the bed.
Who wouldn’t be thrilled to find their very own bar in their room? A decanter of sloe gin, a couple of glasses, and maybe a tin of homemade cranberry shortbreads or a jar of smoked almonds will make them feel instantly at home.
Don’t forget the essentials – glasses and water in a pretty glass carafe, a pile of fresh towels – and a discreet packet of Alka Seltzer and paracetamol for those who didn’t pace themselves. These Islington glasses and carafe are available in our Neptune store.