{"id":4681,"date":"2021-12-12T13:48:00","date_gmt":"2021-12-12T13:48:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.clairstrong.co.uk\/blog\/?p=4681"},"modified":"2021-11-28T13:49:23","modified_gmt":"2021-11-28T13:49:23","slug":"getting-your-home-festive-ready-part-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.clairstrong.co.uk\/blog\/tips-and-advice\/getting-your-home-festive-ready-part-2","title":{"rendered":"Getting your home festive ready\/Part 2"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Image: Annie Sloan<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

This week I\u2019m looking at some simple easy ways to add festive touches to your home. From adding greenery to your entrance hall to putting fairylights up in your garden, now is the time to go crazy with decorations to create a bit of sparkle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Get decorating<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Deck your home with fairylights and festive garlands.\u00a0Arrange some dried florals for a wintery centrepiece or\u00a0use\u00a0fresh seasonal flowers to help make your home feel extra special.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Image: Dibor<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Nothing says Christmas\u00a0is here more than a wreath hanging on the front door.\u00a0They are all over Bath already and I love to see all the different styles \u2013 from dried pampas grass to baubles. I love to make wreaths and create tabletop centerpieces with winter greenery. I use my dog walks with Stan to find holly, ivy, old-man\u2019s beard and pine cones to make decorations for all around the house.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Image: Ella James<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Make a welcoming entrance by decorating your hall and staircase. If you don\u2019t have time to forage, there are also lots of amazing faux garlands which create a truly striking effect when draped over a mantelpiece or wrapped around a staircase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Use\u00a0lanterns and fairy lights to\u00a0create a pretty festive atmosphere. I love winding fairylights around the stairs to create a sparkling welcome every time\u00a0I open the front door.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Create a festive glow<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I like to use lots of candles to create a warm festive glow. In the dining room, arrange plenty of candles along your table, varying holders from chunky candlesticks to more delicate glass votives and tealights to give the space a lovely soft light.\u00a0Dotting clusters of church or column candles around a room will spread out the light and warmth and add a bit of drama to your room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Image: Diptyque<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I love use scented candles to make my house smell gorgeous.\u00a0Look for winter fragrances with spicy or smoky, woody scents. Think Oud, Cinnamon, Pine and Fig. My favourite candles are\u00a0Baies and Feu de Bois from Diptique, with their floral and smoky notes.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Music for the soul<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I am a big music lover and my parties always involve great sounds.\u00a0I link my phone to my Sonos speakers so I am always surrounded by music.\u00a0A good\u00a0soundtrack is essential for a fun night in so create your play list on Spotify and get your music system set up ready to stream music to any room in the house. Kitchen disco anyone?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Image: Audenza<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Get tablescaping<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

For me, Christmas is the time to pull out all the stops when dressing the dining table. I go for it with gold and silver metallics, sparkling crystal and iridescent accents. I mix silver candlesticks with coloured glass and delicate tableware and bring out my best tablecloths, placemats and napkins. I like to include a few unique tabletop items that add a bit of an unexpected twist \u2013 a big flower display or a glitzy candelabra. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Image: Chalk Pink Linen Company<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Next week I\u2019ll be looking at different styles of Christmas table, so look out for that post.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cocktail hour<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

You can find vintage drinks trolleys or bar carts in flea markets (paint or spray paint them to revamp them) or there are lots of great versions on the high street from Graham & Green to Soho Home.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Image: Cox & Cox<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Style them up with pretty decanters and glasses ready for cocktail hour and you\u2019ll create a fabulous focal point.\u00a0Decide on your look, whether that\u2019s 20s glam, 50s kitsch or 60s cool! I look for\u00a0\u00a0Instagrammable bottles like Hendricks Gin and Disaronnoare for #cocktailporn. Arrange a selection of different sized glasses, from shot glasses to champagne flutes, along with your bar utensils and then choose fun accessories. Look for flowers, straws, a crystal decanter, a champagne bucket, cocktail recipe books, a cocktail shaker and fruits like lemon and limes to give your cart a touch of style.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Party outside<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t forget your outside space. If lockdowns have taught us anything it is to value our outside space. The most sociable kitchens link to the garden to create an indoor-outdoor entertaining space.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Image: Fire Pits UK<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Get out the fire pit, string up some festoon lights, make some mulled wine, bake some mince pies and enjoy a night outside in the garden.\u00a0Choose from hurricane lamps and lanterns for the table and solar\u00a0lights for lighting up pathways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A few simple things will make your house party-ready for the festive season. We are all ready to celebrate this year.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Here are some simple easy ways to add festive touches to your home. From adding greenery to your entrance hall to putting fairylights up in your garden, now is the time to go crazy with decorations to create a bit of sparkle.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4683,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[54],"tags":[118,117,142,224,226,141,225,143,223],"class_list":["post-4681","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tips-and-advice","tag-christmas-2020","tag-christmas-decor","tag-cocktail-bar","tag-decorations","tag-fairylights","tag-festive","tag-fire-pit","tag-tablescape","tag-wreaths"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.clairstrong.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4681","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.clairstrong.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.clairstrong.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.clairstrong.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.clairstrong.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4681"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.clairstrong.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4681\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4696,"href":"https:\/\/www.clairstrong.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4681\/revisions\/4696"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.clairstrong.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4683"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.clairstrong.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4681"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.clairstrong.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4681"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.clairstrong.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4681"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}