Christmas styling at home: light, greenery and what you already have
For me, Christmas is about light and about making the most of what you have. A home that is already well considered does not need much to feel festive: a few branches, more candles, a table set with the best china. Two homes I have designed were photographed for Christmas features – my own in 2009 and an archipelago house on Yxlan in 2011 – and this is what I take from them.
Start at the door
Christmas starts at the entrance. It is the first thing guests see, and the first thing you see when you come home in the December dark. A wreath on the door, two small trees in pots, a lantern on the step – that goes a long way.
At my home the entrance got two small trees and garlands around the open double doors, so you look straight into the warm light inside. On Yxlan wreaths hung in the glazed panels of the yellow doors, with a bench and a lantern beside them. Both are simple gestures, but they say something about the house before you even step in.
Choose greenery that tolerates cold and lasts all December: spruce, pine, box, eucalyptus. And light candles outside too, ideally in lanterns that shelter them from the wind.
Light is the most important decoration
Nothing does more for the Christmas mood than light – and by that I mean candles. Gather candlesticks in groups instead of spreading them out, in different heights and materials. Brass, silver and glass reflect the flame and double the light.
In my home a group of brass candlesticks stands in front of an old painting, and a gilded cherub holds a candle on the wall. A chandelier with real candles, dressed with a little greenery, becomes the centre of the room. Turn off the ceiling lights and let table lamps and candles do the work.
Think about safety: never candles near curtains or dry branches, and blow them out before you leave the room. It sounds obvious, but in December it is easy to forget.
The tree and the greenery
The tree should be given room, not squeezed in. Place it where it can be seen from several rooms and where it gets its own corner, ideally near a window so it is visible from outside. In the living room on Yxlan the tree stands between striped wallpaper and a black chandelier, and in my own home under the brick vaults between the sofas.
Decorate with few kinds of baubles and let them be old if you can. Clear glass baubles and one or two colours are more beautiful than everything at once. Greenery beyond the tree – branches in vases, a garland on the stairs, amaryllis and hyacinths – ties the rooms together.
Scent, textiles and the little extras
Christmas is also scent and feeling. Hyacinths, oranges studded with cloves and spruce branches smell better than any candle from a shop. Put the hyacinths where people pass, in the hall or on the kitchen worktop, so the scent greets you when you come home.
Textiles do a lot for warmth. Swap to thicker throws on the sofa, lay a sheepskin on a chair or bench and bring out tablecloths in linen or velvet. Red and green tones work well, but so do white, gold and silver if your home is already full of colour.
And let the children’s crafts, old decorations and things that have followed the family for years have a place. Those are the things that make Christmas your own and not a magazine feature.
Think about sound and pace, too. Light the candles well before guests arrive, play music at a low volume and make sure there is somewhere to sit right in the hall. It is the small things that make guests feel welcome from the moment they step in.
The table: the best you own
The Christmas table is the moment to bring out the best china, the old glasses and the tablecloth that otherwise stays in the cupboard. Mix freely: inherited china with new, different glasses in the same colour. On Yxlan the table was set with blue-and-white china, and in the country kitchen in the archipelago with green glasses and patterned plates.
Keep the centre of the table low so guests can see each other: short candles, small bouquets, a few sprigs straight on the cloth. And give the dining room the same light as the rest of the house – a crystal chandelier with real candles, as in the dining room on Yxlan, does more than any decoration.
Most important of all is to use what you have. A well-considered home becomes festive with very little, and things with a history always do more than things bought for the season. See more pictures in Christmas at home with Pontus Nilvander.
