Christmas Decorating And Cleaning House

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The festive season is looming cheerfully on the horizon, and here at House & Garden our thoughts naturally turn to Christmas decorations and all the ways to bring a little extra joy to our homes, particularly after last year's strange hiatus on celebration. Mince pie and mulled wine in hand, we've been looking back over our absolute favourite Christmas decorating ideas for living rooms, dining rooms and beyond and we think the ones we've found are rather special.

Our archive is full of elegant Christmas wreaths to greet your guests as they arrive, opulent table settings, and of course the jolliest baubles and Christmas tree decorations to set off those carefully collected Christmas gifts. Whether you're planning a traditional festive season full of red, green and gold, or prefer something a little more contemporary (we do love a tree full of kitsch ornaments), our gallery of inspiration is sure to have something you can bring to your own house. And if this really isn't your style, then we do have a rather lovely gallery of Christmas decorating ideas for minimalists that might just do the trick...

Paper stars (white), large, 60cm diameter, £8.60 each; medium, 45cm diameter, £6.13 each; and small, 12cm diameter, £16.15 a set of three. All from House Doctor. Wrapping paper, £2.50 per sheet, at Smug. Velvet ribbon, from £2 a metre, at MacCulloch & Wallis. Pressed-metal swags (over door), large, £40 each, and small, £18 each, at RE. Punched metal tea-light holders, £30 each, at Caravane. Soapstone reindeer candle holder (on chimneypiece), £265 a pair, from Otago Design.
Paper stars (30cm) by Bungalow DK, £9.50 each from Trouva.

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"Greenery is a wonderful way to add to your Christmas decorations," says interior designer Carlos Garcia. "The tradition of decorating with foliage is intended to ward off evil spirits, so deck your halls, mantelpieces and staircases or place greenery above tapestries and paintings. Use branches of varied conifers, holly and long strands of ivy to create a wonderfully festive environment, and add fern leaves and dead tree branches to create a realistic woodland still life. They are sustainable, and you can either add them to your compost heap or burn them in the fires after using them, which releases a beautiful scent."

See Carlos' guide to decorating your house for Christmas, along with the full feature on his Norfolk manor house.
At this former rectory in the West Country, foraged Christmas decorations and salvaged materials enhance the sense of a house that has been made suitable for modern family life, while retaining its Victorian character. At Christmas, the family gathers pine cones and branches of old man's beard to decorate this room at the front of the house, which has walls painted in Farrow & Ball's 'Setting Plaster'.
Pedro da Costa Felgueiras, an expert in historical pigments, uses sparse holly branches to decorate the mantelpiece of his East London house.
A well-stocked drinks trolley dressed for Christmas provides a joyful centrepiece to the celebrations in this scheme by Gabby Deeming. Old fashioned crepe paper streamers give an instant pop of colour.
Rainbow paper streamers, £6.99 from Party Pieces.

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In December, Lulu Benson welcomes her extended family to Neidpath Castle in the Scottish Borders, where they celebrate the season with reeling and feasting in the vaulted medieval hall. In keeping with the vast setting, huge candlesticks and hanging arrangements of greenery set the scene for dinner.
WALL Mirror, for similar, 'Chichester' (old chalk), 124 x 82cm, £270, from Neptune.

FURNITURE Acacia dining table, 'Baudelaire', 81 x 284 x 99cm, £2,750, from Oka.
Nineteenth-century French bench, 51 x 267 x 29cm, £980, from Puckhaber; covered in 'Fela Ticking Stripe,' by Adam Bray, flax and cotton, £76.80 a metre, from Tissus d'Hélène.

ACCESSORIES
Hanging birds, cut from watercolour paper, £2.35 for an A2 sheet, from Paperchase.
Paper stars, '11-3009E-1', e14.20 a pack of four, from Livingly.
Tablecloth, 'Large Spot' (ivory), by MYB Textiles, cotton voile, £48.22 a metre, from Tissus d'Hélène.
Linen napkins, £16 each, from Volga Linen.
Glass bottle shades, £4.50 each, from RE.
Silver-plated plate domes, £70 each, from Hilary Batstone.
Dinner plates, 'Bowsley', £78 for six; stainless-steel cutlery, 'Stuart', £275 for a 36-piece set; both from Neptune. 'Marbled Enamel Dishes' (navy), £7.50 each, from Labour& Wait.
Christmas crackers, £35 for six, from Toast.
Foliage garland, from £82.50 a metre, from Achillea Flowers.
Faux Christmas tree (with added foliage), 'Albert', £355 for 2.5-metre, from Neptune.
Connectable fairy lights (warm white), £12.99 for a 10-metre string, from Lights4Fun.
Hand-carved and gilded wooden animal decorations, £7.50 each, from Rococo Chocolates. Paper snowflake tree topper, '07-2425-1', e12.70 for two, from Livingly.
Wrapping paper (gold, silver and brown kraft), £2.50 a 3-metre roll, from Paperchase.
Give traditional Christmas decorations a colourful twist. Gabby Deeming creates a scheme inspired by the holiday season, using this year's most stylish decorations paired with patterned textiles and hung with garlands of origami stars.
Origami garland of stars kit by Cambridge Imprint, £14.95 at Liberty.

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Forties glazed Fulham Pottery vases, by Constance Spry, £2,450 for a set of nine, from Quindry. Floating plinth shelves, £11.95 each, from The Good Shelf Company. Foliage garlands, from £82.50 a metre, from Achillea Flowers. Poppy seed-head garlands, threaded and sprayed with gold paint by House & Garden.
Christmas decoration for the minimalist. In this sitting room designed by Rose Uniacke, floral designer Nikki Tibbles of Wild at Heart has created arrangements to complement the simplicity of the interiors.

'We incorporated elegant statement arrangements, that were clean and sophisticated,' says Nikki. 'For both arrangements, we've used a base of Scots pine, soft grey pine, soft grey eucalyptus and asparagus fern. On the mantelpiece we've added flowering white jasmine and white euphorbia, while the grey vases have been padded out with lichen branches and eucalyptus buds.'
Crepe-paper streamers are an affordable and effective way to add festive cheer to walls and furniture. Here House & Garden decoration editor Gabby Deeming has twisted them round the posts of this eighteenth-century Spanish daybed. Decking its canopy with a bushels of fir and multi-coloured baubles.
Gold leaf candlestick, £38 at Graham & Green.

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A traditional Christmas scheme from our decoration team:
Thirties brass starburst lights, from £660 each, from Carlton Davidson.
'Seven-arm Bronze Candelabra', £378, from Manufactum.
'Taper Candles', £9.50 a pair, from The Conran Shop.
Antique silk cushions, tasselled, £190; square, £220; from Robert Kime.
Silver-plated metal flutes, £950 for 6, from Hilary Batstone.
'Large Tray' (warm grey/orange), by Pentreath & Hall, £750, from The Lacquer Company.
Nordmann fir 10ft Christmas tree, £84, from Kingswood Christmas Trees.
On tree: Brass 'Pendulum Candle Holders', £11.50 each; 'Red Beeswax Christmas Tree Candles', £18.80 for 26; all from Manufactum.
'Clear Antique Red Balls', £4.20 each, from Gisela Graham. Tin heart decorations, from £2 each, from Milagros.
Rainbow pom-pom crackers, £55 for 6, from Selfridges.
Wrapping paper, £1.20 a sheet; ribbon, £2 for 3 metres; all from Paperchase.
Pressed silver decorations, from £3.50 at RE.

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'I have always favoured traditional but pared-down schemes that look natural, light and fresh,' says Ben Pentreath. 'For me, the most important thing is to bring greenery into the house. I don't believe in buying lots of shiny, glittery imported stuff that's just going to end up in the bin.' On the chimneypiece of his Dorset home are holly and ivy that gathered from nearby woods.
Our decoration editor Gabby Deeming hand-painted the patterns on to these plain cardboard baubles from RE, mixing them on the table with coloured-glass 'dew drop' baubles from The Original Pop Up Shop.

Handmade origami stars (find out how to make them here) and crepe streamers finish the look.

The 'Da Terra' plates from Unique & Unity are combined with pink glasses and Stamperia Bertozzi 'Blue Waves' linen napkins from Summerill & Bishop
The hall in print maker Cameron Short's restored Georgian home leads to the back office with the workshop on the left. The hall itself is eclectic and full of vintage accessories such as the 'Bonfield' sign which is an original from the shop which Cameron has turned into a workshop. The bunting hanging across the hall is perfect for vintage style Christmas decorations. Make your own using a craft punch like this one from Woodware.
Christmas at her restored farmhouse in Cumbria provides Annabel Lewis, owner of specialist haberdasher's V V Rouleaux, with the perfect canvas on which to display her talent for artistic embellishment and dazzling decoration. In the hallway the red-berry and faux-fruit garlands, both from VV Rouleaux, add cheerful colour. See the rest of her Christmas scheme here.here
ACCESSORIES Thirties painted steel chandelier, by Jean Royère, £30,000, from Howe.
Tablecloth, 'Marrakech', silk, £610 a metre, from Robert Kime.
Brass and pewter 'Shelf Sconces', by Malin Appelgren, £140 each, from The Shop Floor Project.
Pillar candles, £44 each, from Cire Trudon.
Gessoed card shapes, by Bridie Hall, £265 for 4, from Pentreath & Hall.
Wood manger figures, from £29.50 each, from Manufactum.
Glazed stoneware plates, from £65 each, from M Charpentier Antiques.
'Pulcinella' tumblers, £54 for 4; and wine glasses, £64 for 4; 'Wood' cutlery, £24 for 4; all from Oka.
'Selena Napkins' (indigo), £10 each; 'Embossed Metal Candles', £37 for a set of 3; all from Caravane.
Tissue paper (sweet wrapping), £3.75 for 30 sheets; wrapping paper, £1.20 a sheet; ribbon, £2 for 3 metres; all from Paperchase.
'I decided to avoid the traditional green garland here,' explains florist Silka Rittson Thomas of her pomegranate mantlepiece. 'We wired together the pomegranates and lit them with tea lights. It looks like an old Spanish still-life.'
Silver vases of red anemones, hellebores and eucalyptus pods decorate the table of Silka's dining room at Christmas. She also uses her best china and silver table accessories to make the day feel special.
A traditional Christmas scheme from our decoration team:
Lampshades, £530 each, from Robert Kime.
Hand-printed Japanese woodblock wrapping paper, £12.50 a sheet, from Liberty.
Ribbon, as before. Silver-plated cake stand, £580, from Hilary Batstone.
Twenties mouth-blown Egyptian glasses, £15 each, from Pentreath & Hall.
'Isphahan' porcelain serving bowl, £86, from Oka.
Hammered iron 'Nox Candleholders', £45 for 3, from Caravane.
'Madeleine' dinner candles, £18 for 4, from Cire Trudon.
Glazed stoneware bowl, from £120, from M Charpentier Antiques.
Foliage arrangement, from £245, from Pulbrook & Gould.
This cosy living room decorated for Christmas features many stylish details. Paper and cotton garland, 'Vintage Music', at The Original Pop Up Shop. Paper bunting at Toast. Pine-cone garland, at Anthropologie. Nineteenth-century French mirrors and mercury-glass candlesticks at Maison Artefact. The bespoke garland of eucalyptus, holly, snowberry and conifer from Interflora.
A ribbon bow is a fun alternative to a star, while fabric offcuts can be made into decorative present bags to be used in place of traditional stockings.

WALLS Paint (on skirting and window frames), 'Jack Black', £37 for 2.5 litres matt emulsion, from Little Greene. Bespoke hand-painted chicken and flower motifs, from £100 a square metre for similar, from Annie Millar.

FURNITURE Wool-upholstered slipper chair with beech legs, 99 x 60cm square, £2,154, and Swedish painted pine chest of drawers, 90 x 118 x 70cm, £2,580; both from Irving & Morrison.

ACCESSORIES 2.5-metre faux Christmas tree, 'Albert', £355, from Neptune. Tree topped with giant metallic present bow, £5.99, from Paperchase. Handmade present bag in fabric, 'Bataille de Fleurs' (bougainvillier), by Christian Lacroix for Designers Guild, cotton with viscose embroidery, £164 a metre, from Harrods. Metallic gift wrap, £7.96 a 10-metre roll, from The Conran Shop. Grosgrain ribbon (on presents), £1.75 for 3 metres, and present bows, 50p each, all from Paperchase. Carved resin baubles (on chair), £22 for three, from Toast. Brass camel bell, £10.50, from Rowen & Wren.
At her restored farmhouse in Cumbria Annabel Lewis, owner of specialist haberdasher's V V Rouleaux, has festooned her front door with pine boughs and bows, which lead down to two giant log baskets hung with ribbon.
Christmas at her restored farmhouse in Cumbria provides Annabel Lewis, owner of specialist haberdasher's V V Rouleaux, with the perfect canvas on which to display her talent for artistic embellishment and dazzling decoration.

In the sitting room, the chair in front of the fire has been reupholstered with antique millinery velvet and trimmed with vintage ribbon fringing. Annabel made the garland above the fire from a cluster of light bulbs salvaged from Parsons Green station in the Eighties, which she painted with bright coloured stripes. On the mantlepiece are an array of brilliantly coloured Mexican tin ornaments. See the rest of her Christmas scheme here.here
At Christmas, Studio Indigo founder Mike Fisher thinks nothing of entertaining 50 people at Ven, his eighteenth-century country house in Somerset. The grand entrance hall has a suitably huge tree, and the gallery is decorated with swags of foliage - an idea that can easily be applied to bannisters as well.
This delicate over-table decoration is inspired by a humble cafe curtain. Though the one shown is a relaxed and informal arrangement, you could go for a neater, more regimented look with stiffer lace. Cut the lace into strips - sometimes cut straight and sometimes follow the pattern of the lace to form zigzags or scallops. Take metal hoops - used for lampshade-making - and cover them in masking tape to make them white, fix the lace around the outside with strong glue and then spray the hoops with a fabric stiffener to hold it in place.

Metal rings, from 77p each, from Fred Aldous. Cotton lace, from top: 'Veronica' and 'Simone', both £50.44 a metre; 'Large Diamond' (ivory), and 'Elgin', both £100.97 a metre; all from M Y B Textiles. Starch spray, 'Stiffen Stuff', £7.50, from Craftworld Direct. Walnut table, 'Harper', 74 x 240 x 110cm, from £2,685, at Pinch. Steel drinks dispenser (green), £68, at Anthropologie. Wrapping paper, by Esme Winter, £3.50 a sheet, at Shepherds. Ribbon, £1.75 for three metres, at Paperchase. Battery-powered LED fairy lights (warm white), £3.99, from Lights4fun.
Emily Senior, online editor at House & Garden on her Christmas tree

'I first came across the work of the artist Peter Hone last Christmas. The garden designer Arne Maynard told me that as an alternative to a traditional tree, he commissioned Peter to make 40 plaster leaves, which he hung from a huge bough of hawthorn. I love the rather pagan idea of using a bare winter branch instead of a fir and have recreated a similar idea here on a smaller scale.

The delicate leaves - which are individually cast from real specimens - look beautiful against the spindly, lichen-covered branch. To add extra sparkle we improvised some tiny hanging decorations from star-shaped table confetti hung on 1mm-gauge floristry wire.

Floristry wire is the best kind to buy for Christmas decorating because it is shimmery and supple, and can be cut easily with normal scissors. Create hooks facing in opposite directions at either end of a short piece of wire and hang the star from the bottom hook. They move and catch the light at the tiniest gust of wind. It's an extremely pretty and cost-effective trick.'

Plaster leaves, from £12.50 each, from Peter Hone, available through Pentreath & Hall. Star table confetti (silver and gold), £1.75 a box, at Paperchase. 'Rustic Natural Planter', 20 x 16cm, £39.95 a pair, from The Balcony Gardener. 'Rectangle Table with Carving and Wood Top', 75 x 87 x 51cm, £757, at Chelsea Textiles. Wrapping paper and ribbon, at Paperchase.
Matthew Morris, decoration stylist at House & Garden on making his own baubles

'The marbling itself was a process of trial and error; I ordered a kit online that included everything I needed. I prepared the liquid by dissolving the crystals in boiling water and leaving it to thicken overnight. I then decanted it into four different containers, added the ink, gave it a swirl and dunked the baubles.

You could use just one dipping container, but I wanted to keep the background of the balls bright white and found that, after a while, the water gets quite dirty. The final touch was the decoration of the pot, which I stencilled using white and blue paint before carefully applying marbled wallpaper using PVA glue.'

Ceramic baubles, 5.5cm diameter, £4.98 for six, from Baker Ross. Marbling kit, £35, from Marbling4Fun. Blue ribbon at Paperchase. Walls, 'Pitch Black', £34.50 for 2.5 litres matt emulsion, by Farrow & Bal
Alexander Breeze, former wine & food/decoration assistant at House & Garden on his Christmas tree:

'Although I dream of having a forest of huge, silver-blue spruce trees, with glass baubles scattered over them, alas, it is not to be. My boyfriend has a completely irrational dislike of Christmas trees, so I miss out each year. However, the sitting room in my flat has shelves lining the walls, which is why I've chosen something that uses the existing features of the room, but adds a bit of a Christmas flourish.

I've always had a thing for passementerie and trimmings, so chose an orange grosgrain that is folded at the corners and fixed in place with drawing pins. It's a pretty adaptable scheme. Something in tones of grey and white could look amazing paired with antique plaster casts and fragments of marble sculpture; or a huge version could be interesting if you're lucky enough to have a library.'

Ribbon, 'French Grosgrain' (coral), 3.8cm wide, £8 a meter, from Samuel & Sons. Paintable floating shelves, made to measure, £90 each as shown, from Tappin at Bespoke Nature. Walls and shelves, 'Deep Space Blue', £39.50 for 2.5 litres matt emulsion, from Little Greene. Wrapping paper and ribbon, at Paperchase.
This simple, natural arrangement works especially well in a smaller space or above a console table. Tie string around each end of a fir branch and hang it from a central point with twine. After a short amount of time, it will form this lovely relaxed shape. If you find that it falls back like a hammock, an additional length of string running between the two ends to form a triangle should keep it facing forward. Hang little bud vases at random lengths and fill with tiny berries or winter flowers. Red berries are festive, while bold flowers like hellebores would look very chic. Alternatively, attach brown envelopes with string or tape for a different take on an advent calendar.

Nordmann fir branch, £7.50, from Pines and Needles. Plaited twine, £3.50 a metre, at Cloth House. Glass, zinc or brass drop vases, £12 for a set of two, from Rowen & Wren. Vintage elm tabletop, £1,848, at Caravane. Glass goblet, by Côté Bastide, £52, at Summerill & Bishop. Jute twine (terracotta), £4 a ball, at The Conran Shop (also used for hanging). Linen napkin (green), £18 each, at The Conran Shop. Gold-plated floral scissors, by Ernest Wright & Son, £50, from The New Craftsmen. Wrapping paper, 'Jazz' (mustard), by Esme Winter, £3.50 a sheet; and bow, 'Tumbling' (berry), by Katy Goutefangea, £3 a sheet; both at Shepherds.
Plain paper chains and a traditional Christmas tree keep this neutral space simple, while the brick fireplace creates atmosphere.
'Your tree should be proportional to the size of your room, yet also significant and impactful,' says designer Francis Sultana of the scheme in his London home which he shares with his partner, the gallerist David Gill. 'The Fredrikson Stallard table used as a plinth adds height, while the moss round the base of the tree disguises the unattractive pot in which it is planted.

At my mother's house in Malta, the decorations on the tree chart 50 years of family history. In comparison, my collection is still in its infancy, but every year I add to it with a new box of ornaments from Fortnum & Mason. My preference is always embellished eggs - there's something refined and Russian about them that really appeals to me. When I was a boy my mother would give us loose beads to string our own garlands for the tree, or would use her necklaces as decorations. The strings of Swarovski crystals I've used here are a slightly more grown-up take on that. I have a lot of chrome furniture in the room, so for the decorations.

I opted for tonal bronze and gold. I really love the festive contrast of the metallics. 'On the tree I use real candles, which give an unparalleled ambience but aren't always practical. Try a combination of electric lights placed discreetly on the inner parts of the branches and real flames on the outer; that way you have the best of both worlds.'
Pots of greenery and streamers are an easy way to create a festive atmosphere at a party, from our shoppable scheme of party rooms.
Architectural designer Ben Pentreath of Pentreath & Hall divides his time between an eighteenth-century flat, moments from his shop in Rugby Street WC1, and the Old Parsonage, a picture perfect Regency house in a pretty village in west Dorset.

'For me, the most important thing is to bring greenery into the house,' he says. 'I don't believe in buying lots of shiny, glittery imported stuff that's just going to end up in the bin.'

In the dining room Ben has placed holly on the picture frames, and foliage and candles on the sideboard. The table is simply arranged, allowing the food to take centre stage. Holly and ivy gathered from nearby woods, surrounds antique candlesticks holding dark brown candles, and lemons - an original and inexpensive Christmas decoration that provides a zingy contrast to the greenery.
'I made these arrangements myself very simply using moss and twigs from The Chelsea Gardener, says designer Francis Sultana. 'If you live in the country I recommend gathering your own decorations in the hedgerows. Bare winter branches have a delicate look that is more modern than evergreen plants such as holly.'
If your tree is a little more sparse than you'd like, simply pad it out with additional foliage. Here decoration editor Gabby Deeming has used eucalyptus and snowberry inserted between the branches, pairing with a selection of decorations from Selfridges. A eucalyptus-and-pine banister garland from Jamie Aston, twined with fairy lights from Lights4fun winds its way up the bannister.
'I wanted to create a Christmas woodland - silvery, but with bright colours, so I included some anemones,' says Suzy Hoodless of her mantlepiece decoration. 'The florist Harper and Tom's is near my studio on Clarendon Cross, W11, and helped me to make this. I like decoration to be natural and flowers should be fresh'
At the bottom of this spiral staircase, the floral artist Rebecca Louise Law has created a woodland scene with blue spruce trees imported from Denmark.

'The larger trees were at least 12 years old,' she says. 'I wanted the installation to look as real as possible. My inspiration came from childhood memories of untouched, snow-covered trees at Anglesey Abbey, near where I grew up.'

To create the drifts and undulations of a convincing snow-covered forest floor, smooth domes of wadding have been hidden under the synthetic snow. The trees were sprayed lightly with adhesive to create a fuller, more natural settling of fake snow on their branches.
Embellished Crowns - Christmas Decorating Ideas

While the effect of this particular arrangement is grand and impressive, the idea is a simple one. Choose a pendant light, chandelier or any suitable oversize object, and adorn with decorations and foliage. These crowns have mixed metals and ivy trails for an overgrown, romantic feel and silver thread to add sparkle. Multicoloured baubles and full-on foliage would look equally impressive.

Crowns, from left: iron and giltwood corona, 48cm wide, £2,850, at Josephine Ryan Antiques; rusty metal crown, 49cm diameter, £800, at Maison Artefact; Spanish, gilded-tole ceiling light, 45cm diameter, £594, at Carlton Davidson. Crown decorations from left: rusty pierced birds, £4.50 each; metal floral drops, small, £6, and large, £8 each; tin swallows, £5 each; rusty metal wreaths and crowns, £3.50; all at RE. Metal crown candle holders, from £24 each, from RE. Glass goblets, by Jerpoint Glass Studio, £32 each, at David Mellor. Snowflake scatters, £3.25 a box, from The Original Pop Up Shop. Walnut table, 'Harper', 74 x 240 x 110cm, from £2,685, at Pinch. Similar linen tablecloth, at Guinevere. Wall paint, 'Stiffkey Blue', £36 for 2.5 litres matt emulsion, at Farrow & Ball.
These embroidery-hoop 'baubles' give an instant injection of colour and jollity. The hoops work by clamping paper or fabric between an inner ring and an outer ring, which you then tighten, just like the skin of a drum. The hoops can hold any lightweight fabric or paper, so they can be used to display drawings or pretty wrapping paper. After the paper is in position, tape a length of ribbon to the back of the hoop and tie a bow to disguise the join. A ball of Blu-Tack inside the bottom of the hoop will weigh it down and help it to hang straight, and you can place two hoops back to back to make the decorations double-sided.

Embroidery hoops, from £2, at Hobbycraft. Coloured tissue paper, 15p a sheet, from Craft Creations. Coloured ribbon, £1.75 for three metres, at Paperchase. Painted-wood chairs, 'Orangerie', 86 x 54 x 51cm, £1,512 each, at Howe. Tablecloth in 'Saraille' (noir), linen, £137 a metre, at Designers Guild. Aluminium candle holders, £4 each, at RE. Candles, £3 each, at Heal's. Glass tumblers, 'Clair', £39.95 each, at Summerill & Bishop. Glazed-terracotta fruit stand, by Astier de Villatte, £255, at Summerill & Bishop.
'The dining room is my theatre.' says designer Francis Sultana. 'Christmas dinner should be playful and I like using props. Indoor fireworks make a decadent replacement for crackers - I bought some glorious Hermès ones, made for the company's one-hundred-and-fiftieth anniversary - or try laying your table with a runner of brown paper that your guests can decorate and write messages on.

For the centrepiece I painted some twigs red with a flock spray, and fixed them with Blu-tack to a bed of moss scattered with ornamental eggs and crystals. Black candles and the sculpture in the middle by André Dubreuil add a masculine, geometric edge. The overall effect is like gazing through an enchanted forest.' Read the full story here