We’ve been spotting Christmas trees and lights on our walks around our neighbourhood, and conversations on Instagram seem to suggest that many of you are putting your decorations up early this year as we’re all staying home this month. With this in mind, we caught up with one of our favourite interior stylists, Lucy Gough, to pick her brains about tasteful festive decorations. Read on to discover Lucy’s expert suggestions for Christmas styling and festive DIY ideas that you can enjoy with your kids. And don’t forget to check out our Decorative Gift Guide for ideas for any budding stylists in your family!
Find out more about Lucy’s work and follow her on Instagram. You can also sign up to her online interior styling course!
What are your top tips for decorating tastefully for the festive season?
Keep the colour palette restricted to a few colours only- this always makes things feel more sophisticated. Only use warm white fairy lights in your home. Cool white and blue lights are too cold!
Styling: Lucy Gough | Photographer Oliver Perrott | Publication: Living Etc
How will you be decorating your own home this Christmas?
We have a small house so we have a 4ft tree in our sitting room filled with decorations that we have collected over the years. We only buy one new decoration a year. I never wanted the tree to feel too perfect so we have lots of random baubles from our travels. Christmas is meant to be a bit eclectic in my opinion! We also have a large hanging canvas of a Christmas tree that I bought from Surface View years ago that we hang in our hallway each Christmas.
Do you have any tips for adding a festive flourish to your existing décor without completely refreshing your interiors?
Wrap garlands around your stair bannister and then cable tie lots of lovely baubles and decorations into it. It will make such a lovely feature in the centre of your home.
Styling: Lucy Gough | Photographer Simon Bevan | Publication: Living Etc
What would you gift to a friend who loves playing around with styling their home?
Earthenware vases and hand-made clay vessels- I love anything that you can see has been lovingly made by hand. Also a pot of Annie Sloan chalk paint. That way you can paint second hand vases and bring them to life again. Perfect for styling any corner of your home!
Styling: Lucy Gough | Photographer Simon Bevan | Publication: Living Etc
