Winter Warmer

Where to get cosy in the run up to christmas ―

By Holly O’Mahony

With the temperature plummeting and the energy crisis looming, thoughts of how to transform our homes into naturally cosy nests, and where to get warm when we’re out and about, are starting to fill our minds.

Tackling the former then the latter, the South Londoner spoke first to Anna McGregor and Lotte Martin, co-founders of Peckham-based homeware store Lamp LDN, for their tips on making the home comfortable for the cold, dark months…

South Londoner: With winter on its way, what should we be doing to capture that cosy feeling?

Lamp LDN: Keep a basket of blankets in the sitting room next to the sofa to wrap yourself in on cold mornings and make long evenings cosy. A good heavy throw or old fashioned eiderdown on your bed makes bedtime much more snug too. Invest in good quality, lined curtains or blinds for your windows – but don’t forget the doors too. A curtain over your front or back door makes the house feel cocooned and keeps the drafts out.

SL: Hacks for keeping out drafts are especially welcome this year, when we’re up against an energy crisis. Have you got any more of those?

LL: Make sure you choose energy efficient bulbs with a warm light. Soft warm lighting will trick you into feeling warmer, so turn off or dim the main ceiling lights and turn on some lamps. Light a candle; as well as actually giving off heat, they look so pretty. A mixture of cone and tapered candles on your mantelpiece and a heady scented candle always feels right at this time of year. We always have one in the hallway and one in the living room, so that the whole house is filled with a comforting and seasonal scent.

SL: What are some interiors trends we're likely to see this autumn / winter season?

LL: Well, according to our current products, we’re currently embracing joyful and confident interiors with palettes of mustard yellow and moss greens with accents of coral and raspberry pink. We’re also stocking lampshades in botanical patterns alongside the never-out-of-fashion stripe. Beyond our own catalogue, the farmhouse style will continue to be popular, with its layering of fabrics, patterns and textures.

 Buto-multicandlesticks £35

 Pilgrim-lampshadeterracotta £70

SL: How can we go about transforming dull corners to reflect the new season?

LL: Any of the following should do it: mantle vases filled with conkers, vases of cut hydrangeas left to dry as the winter approaches, oversized platters holding piles of quinces and apples, coloured candles on the table each evening and scented candles everywhere.

SL: Is there one stand-out Lamp LDN product readers should know about this season?

LL: Our limited edition candles made with UK artists and designers, which are hand-poured in Wiltshire by home fragrance company True Grace. There are just a few left from our collaboration with the super talented artist Willemien Bardawil, so keep your eyes peeled for the next run which is launching late November. Not only do these smell divine, but the pots are designed to be kept forever. A beautiful keepsake in themselves, they can be used for flowers, plants, pens or make up brushes – or just to look pretty on a shelf or mantle.

SL: Lastly, where can readers find you beyond your shop? Before the pandemic, you were running events…

LL: We are busy again with events and for private parties as well as commercial and residential design projects. We focus on creating joyful celebrations and beautiful interiors in a mindful way. You can keep up to date with our work via our website and our Instagram handle: @lamp_london.

Lamp LDN, 20b Maxted Road, London, SE15 4LF. Tuesday - Friday, 10am - 5:30pm; Saturday 10am - 6pm; Sunday 11am - 5pm. www.lamplondonhome.com/

see tHe spirit(s) oF cHristmAs on stAge

The Old Vic Theatre’s production of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol has become an annual highlight of the London festive calendar. Adapted by the brilliant Jack Thorne and directed by the theatre’s own Matthew Marchus, it sees a different actor step into the miserly boots of Scrooge each year, and this winter it’s Game of Thrones star Owen Teale who will be shouting ‘bah humbug!’. Sat in near darkness around the stage, you’ll be fully enveloped in the tale of repentance – with plenty of merriment, music and mince pies along the way.

Old Vic Theatre, The Cut, London SE1 8NB. November 12 - January 7, 7:30pm with additional 2:30pm matinees. Admission: £12+. www.oldvictheatre.com/stage/event/a-christmascarol-1

©Manuel-Harlan

get rosy-cHeekeD AnD merry over A crAcking gooD roAst

There’s nothing like a hearty roast dinner to see off winter’s chill (or Saturday’s hangover), is there? While most good pubs rustle up some gravy-drizzled roasties on a Sunday, when it comes to contenders for The Best Roast in South London, you can’t beat Stockwell gastropub the Canton Arms. Kick things off with a seasonal apéritif, and whatever else you try, leave plenty of room for the main event: sharing plates of pies, fresh fish and slow-cooked meats. If you’ve a group of four in tow, how could you resist a bubbling pot of seven-hour cooked lamb shoulder with potato and olive oil gratin? These days, they take bookings too, so hop online and secure your table.

Canton Arms, 177 S Lambeth Road, London SW8 1XP. Tuesday - Saturday, 11am - 11pm; Sunday 11am - 4pm. www.cantonarms.com/

Where to get cosy in south London this winter

WAtcH A movie in WAnDsWortH’s snuggLy Winter WonDerLAnD

Backyard Cinema is once again immersing cinephiles in a snowy, cosy kingdom of nostalgia this winter, offering rides on an Arctic Express train set for the North Pole before depositing visitors on plump bean bags to watch their film of choice. Grab some popcorn, mulled wine or the venue’s signature ‘Gingerbreadtini’ cocktail, and nestle down for a family favourite. From rom-coms like Love Actually and The Holiday, to kids’ favourites The Grinch and The Polar Express, and golden oldies Miracle on 34th Street and It’s a Wonderful Life, there are festive flicks for all tastes.

Backyard Cinema London, Armoury Way, London SW18 1SH. Screenings at various dates and times until January 3. www.backyardcinema.co.uk/shows/ london-christmas/?filter=2022-11

mArkets AnD more on tHe soutH BAnk

Let the warm, glowing bulbs of Southbank Centre’s Winter Market lure you away from the icy, blue-lit trees lining the river beyond. Here, you’ll find alpine lodges standing shoulder to shoulder, sheltering visitors from the harsher elements and serving up all things comforting and warm, from gourmet cheese toasties to truffle burgers, hot chocolate to mulled wine. Once you’re sated, pay a visit to neighbouring installation ‘Dichroic Sphere’ by Danish light artist Jakob Kvist and gaze in wonder at its multicoloured hues. Finally, head on over to another light installation, American artist Fred Tschida’s ‘Sphere’, a spinning, fiery orb the colour of a setting sun. It’ll warm cold fingers and toes (at least mentally).

The Winter Market and light installations can be found at the Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London SE1 8XX. Market November 3 - December 26, 11am - 11pm; installations November 4/8 - January 8. Admission: FREE. www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on

ALps-on-tHAmes

tAke your tAsteBuDs to tHe countrysiDe

How can we get some of that rustic, farm-to-fork fare without, you know, going to a farm? Bringing a slice of Sussex countryside to Britain’s busy capital are restaurateurs the Gladwin Brothers, who have several rural-themed eateries around the city, including Nutbourne in Battersea, named after the family’s vineyard. Hunker down amid its woody interiors and tuck into some nose-to-tail dining, paired with one of their own English wines. And if you’re really craving some time in a field? We imagine Vauxhall City Farm’s fluffy animals would be grateful of some petting during these chilly months. Prefer the cosiness of apres ski to the risky business of gliding Bambi-style down a mountain? Then save yourself the flight and curl up instead in an alpine-themed ski lodge, courtesy of pop-up entrepreneur Jimmy Garcia. The lodge plus its cluster of neighbouring snow globes are back with a theme of ‘Fire and Fromage’, inviting diners to cuddle up around fire pits, chewing on hunks of bread layered with raclette and toasting their own s’mores. Your cockles will be warmed through in no time – and did we mention there’s mulled wine on arrival?

Jimmy’s Lodge, The Queen's Walk, London SE1 8XX. November 5 - January 15, Monday - Saturday, 12pm - 10pm; Sunday 12pm - 9pm. www.jimmyspopup.com/fire-and-fromage

Nutbourne, Ransomes Dock Business Centre, 35-37 Parkgate Road, 29 Ransomes Dock, London SW11 4NP. www.nutbourne-restaurant.com/