The English Home

PHOTOGRAPHS P15 (TORI MURPHY) © CHARLOTTE BLAND; P16 (TOM LANE) © OLIVIA BOSSERT; P18 (HUNTSMAN) © NICK TYDEMAN; (NANCY & BETTY STUDIO) © YASHEN VENEMA ■

For a traditional tablescape take inspiration from nature, adopting a palette of berry reds and winter-solstice greens, and add a twist with dashes of ice blue and chartreuse green. For a fully layered effect, gently punctuate the Christmas table wit

Ensure guests feel extra special this Christmas by welcoming them with a beautiful homemade wreath. Revel in the meditative ritual of choosing and gathering any number of key ingredients such as winter berries, pine cones, pussy willow, feathers, mis

Christmas is set to feel very special this year: a celebration to mark the passing of a challenging 2020 for many, and perhaps a renewed appreciation of simply spending time with those we are closest to. Our December issue is therefore designed to he

To make life easier, you can now buy single editions or back issues of The English Home online and have them posted directly to your home address. To order your copy, please visit chelseamagazines.com/shop ■

Christmas is a lavish affair at interior designer Joanna Wood’s country home in the Cotswolds. The family descends on Fyfield Manor for festive frivolity and indulgence. Roaring fires, glowing candlelight, a glistening Christmas tree and mantelpieces

When decorating the tree, how do you combine colour, texture and lights? I always use warm white lights, which create a soft golden glow. This Christmas I’ve used a traditional palette of silver, light gold and rich red with some copper tones to cre

Where do you get your inspiration from? Growing up in the 1950s, Christmas was quite a meagre affair. As a boy I can vividly remember watching the film White Christmas and falling in love with the American glamour of their Christmas, thinking ‘one d

Designers Elle Kemp and Martin Gane take a relaxed approach to decorating their home for Christmas. “For many years I would just buy lots of oranges and liberally spread them around the house with a few bits of greenery and pine cones thrown in for g

Our special section dedicated to design and decorating inspiration begins here When the decor of a home is perfectly considered with a clear vision and elegant style, it pays to co-ordinate Christmas decorating to suit. A harmonised, timeless scheme

Charming ideas for the green-fingered and flower-loving Practical gadgets, appliances and handy buys that look lovely too Cosy comforts, warming treats and little luxuries for the season Accessories for the home from designers’ own shops FEATURE K

For Christopher Vane Percy, assembling the elaborate Christmas decorations which adorn Island Hall, his eighteenth-century Grade II* listed home, is a labour of love. “I start with the tree that stands at the foot of the grand staircase in the hall,”

Whilst Stephanie Thorne strolls from room to room, admiring her cherished Christmas decorations, she reminisces about the day she first viewed the historic farmhouse that is now her home. “Although I instantly fell in love with the exterior, having s

Every Christmas is a chance for rejoicing, reconnecting and relaxing, but this year may see celebrations taking on a different form. We do not know if large family reunions can take place, and lavish parties certainly seem to be off the agenda. Quiet

“Getting ready for Christmas and all of the preparations are almost the most exciting part of the season for me – I really enjoy it. I love adding that whole extra layer of decoration to the house, and the fact that the holly, the tree and a cracklin

When Christopher and Rima Proudfoot founded The White Kitchen Company in 2015, they had one clear objective in mind – they wanted to offer exceptional quality at a fair price. In addition to this, they were adamant that all the costs should be transp

‘Now thrice welcome, Christmas, which brings us good cheer, minc’d-pies and plum-porridge, good ale and strong beer’ runs an entry in Poor Robin’s Almanac for 1695. We all love Christmas. We adore Christmas. We treasure Christmas. “It’s Christmas,” w

The festive season is the ideal opportunity to celebrate the strength of bonds forged and deepened over the course of what has been an undeniably challenging year – now is the time to show our nearest and dearest how much they truly mean to us. Thoug

The festive season is a time when we can take great pleasure in enjoying our homes to the full, so this is the ideal moment to consider larger purchases that will not only make Christmas extra special, but also be life enhancing for the year ahead. W

A decadent, home-made Christmas cake rich with brandy-soaked dried fruit, treacle, brown sugar and spices and lovingly fed a bit more brandy each week to ensure a warming treat come the big day, deserves to be beautifully decorated. Marzipan and whit

In addition to making crackers (see page 116), adding decorative accents to suit all generations is a lovely way to add a personal touch to proceedings. An example might be attaching a personalised item to each napkin at the table – anything from min

Whilst Christmas is a time steeped in ritual and tradition, with treasured decorations lovingly brought out each year, it can be nice to ring the changes with something a little different. These oversized mercury silver baubles make quite the impact.

Decking the halls with boughs of holly, ivy, mistletoe and other greenery is a long-held ritual whose roots lie in celebrations of the winter solstice and warding off evil spirits. Today the festive period sees all manner of greenery brought into the