Festive help from Miller Homes

All the spoils of a luxury showhouse can be yours this Christmas as Sarah Brentnall, Options Centre manager for Miller Homes East Midlands, shares a few tips on how to create the perfect warm and inviting festive scene in your very own home.

Sarah says:

“The key to stylish Christmas décor is to work with what you already have in your home and stick to your own personal interior style. It's really important to remember that simplicity can be beautiful, so take care to accentuate any existing colour schemes and not to blend contemporary with traditional style.

“When choosing a colour scheme, select just two colours that are strong enough to carry the theme throughout the home. For example, a red and gold scheme in a traditional home, is well complemented by seasonal festive shrubs such as holly and ivy.

“By cascading large baubles attached to long pieces of co-ordinating ribbons from doorframes, even the darkest hallway can be given prominence. Ensuring ribbon lengths vary so the decoration doesn't look too uniform, the ornaments can be stapled to the top of doorframe so that the join is hidden. Ribbon has a multitude of uses in the home at Christmas, as it can be used not only for baubles and presents, but also as an attractive alternative method for displaying Christmas cards on the wall without the use of ugly blu-tac.

“In the dining room, festive plate settings can be created by purchasing silver or gold charger plates and rich coloured wine glasses and napkins. For an elegantly seasonal touch, tie cutlery together using craft wire and a fresh sprig of holly or again, some thick coloured ribbon.

“An easy centrepiece for any table can be created by drying chunky rounds of orange in a really low oven for several hours and then adding them to a bowl of mixed festive nuts with sprigs of holly and church style candles of varying heights in the centre.

“Another tip is to create a festive feel by diffusing a seasonal aroma in communal areas. Scented candles are a great way of doing this, but plug-in air fresheners with scents such as cinnamon, and orange are now widely available and are also perhaps a safer option. A clever way of creating a festive fragrance is to place a cinnamon stick in a low heated oven which will envelop the house in a cosy and comforting scent.

“The final touch should be a Christmas wreath on the front door, some artificial wreaths can be very realistic looking, and obviously last year upon year. A cost effective way to update their look can be achieved by adding fresh ribbons or baubles in your internal colour scheme.

“Finally, after all the work is done, place a pan of mulled wine on the stove to warm - then relax, unwind, and enjoy your new beautifully festive abode.”