WHERE TO FIND INSPIRATION FOR YOUR CHRISTMAS DECOR
photo Sergio Zhukov
I find inspiration for my Christmas themes and decor in a range of places. Here are some of my favourites to help you level up you festive styling.
retail
Department stores are are great source of inspiration. Some will have a full Christmas department from July onwards, selling decorations and showcasing decorated trees. My favourite here in London is Liberty in the heart of the West End.
Closer to Christmas you can enjoy in-store decorating. A team of highly skilled visual merchandisers with their finger on the pulse of current trends, will have decorated the store and the all important Christmas window display.
Don’t overlook smaller independent shops too, they can have beautiful window displays. Also visit streets with lots of upscale designer shops as they will be packed with wonderful visual merchandising. Here in London I’d recommend Bond Street.
Why not combine this with a day out with your young kids, grandkids, nieces/nephews or godchildren and trip to see Santa or the turning on of the high street Christmas lights?
Pinterest is a great place for general creative inspiration. You’ll need to create an account, then you can set up a Christmas board to fill with inspiring images.
It’s worth remembering Pinterest is in essence a search engine, so you can search for anything here from festive colour palettes, to types of decorations, to styling themes.
Once you find pins you like, you can re-pin them to your boards. And eventually you can even pin your own content.
So that your home feed is full of relevant content to you, it’s worth following other Pinterest users or follow specific boards.
Wondering where to begin? You can follow me and/or my Christmas Aesthetics board, and re-pin my pins to your own board to start you off.
NEWSPAPERS & Magazines
Around December many newspapers or the newspaper’s colour supplements will often have a range of articles to inspire, such as ‘ten stylish baubles to buy now’ or ‘how to decorate your tree on a budget’.
Similarly December issues of monthly interiors magazines such as Elle Decoration or Living Etc. usually feature styling ideas and shopping recommendations for Christmas. Since these come out in November it give you plenty of time to prepare for the holidays.
These article are a great way of learning how different palettes and styles would work with different interior styles too.
The good thing about looking for inspiration in print media is that the information will be current so the decorations are more likely to be in stock, which can be a disadvantage of online research such as Pinterest.
HOTELS & RESTAURANTS
If you want to find some truly magnificent examples of elevated styling, take a look at five star hotels and high end restaurants.
The hotel or restaurant will most likely have a theme and colour scheme running throughout, and you can see how florists and stylists have worked their magic, matching trees with garlands wreathes and table decorations.
If you don’t have the budget to dine or stay there, you can just pop into the lobby for a look; if you’re polite to the person on the door and say you’re admiring the Christmas decor they should let you take a peek.
Instagram is full of inspirational photos and reels. You can follow me on there. Follow Stylists, Florists, Interior Designers and Lifestyle influencers for top tips and on-trend ideas. And seek out your favourite brands to see what decorations they might be showcasing.
LOVE CHRISTMAS TREES?
Discover my masterclass How to Style Your Christmas Tree Like a Pro, and learn the art of joyful decorating for the festive season.
