INTERIORS

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Paired back perfection

Christmas is typically a time of excess, full of extravagance and glitz. Each year, gifts seem to get ever more intricate and expensive, pre-lit trees are produced in a vast array of colours, styles are updated from previous years to suit the prevailing trends. Advances in technology mean new and improved indoor and outdoor lighting options become available, controlled by the touch of a button or the click of an app. With so many opportunities to overspend, it’s not surprising that more than half of the respondents to a Which? questionnaire expressed that they had concerns about this coming Christmas. Indeed, in a recent survey by American Express, 86% of millennials (aged 23 to 38) spent more money on Christmas last year than they planned to. Of those who overspent, about one in five (21%) went over budget by approximately £500 or more.1 And in other research by YouGov, it was discovered that in 2019 (our last ‘normal’ Christmas) the average Brit spent £1,116 across the Christmas period. Whilst your default might be to leave out some presents for the wider family or limit children to a maximum spend, gifts are not the easiest areas to cut back on as it is in our nature to want treat those we love and give children a Christmas to remember.

A much more manageable and achievable way to limit our spend is to switch to a more sustainable and paired back level of Christmas décor. With a little creativity and a willingness to improvise, homemade, salvaged or foraged decorations can be just as magical as the bought equivalent and are undoubtedly more unique and original.

Seek out inspiration on Pinterest, or watch tutorial videos on YouTube and TikTok. With a little imagination, even the simplest pine cone, jam jar and glitter combination can be used to create a pretty snow globe. Natural materials are ideal for Christmas decorations. Think wood, foliage, glass, metal, card, string, rope, cloth, linen or even home baked goods such as biscuits and cookies.

Driftwood, branches, twigs, pine cones, pallets or crates, combine any of them with some greenery, a candle or some battery fairy lights to give them a seasonal look. Hang bell, Christmas tree or holly shaped biscuits from a multi-stemmed branch or use the metal shape cutters on their own as decorations instead. Twigs can be tied together with twine to create a star shape with glitter added to make it sparkle. Glass bottles look great at any time of the year and work well on their own, but they can look especially elegant at Christmas when combined in a small display with soft linen, dried whole fruits such as oranges or pomegranates, or with aromatic cloves and cinnamon sticks.

Christmas tree prices are expected to escalate this year with labour, supply and Brexit all having put pressure on availability last year. If you haven’t already purchased an artificial tree, then December 2022 may well be the time for you. If you don’t like the idea of having a fake tree, then why not visit a local garden

Rosie Kinsella Interior Designer 01604 751262 www.millsandkinsella.com

www.cascayde.com

www.littlelocalbox.co.uk