I'm dreaming of....

 Although it’s not certain that the snow will fall this Christmas, we can be sure that many of us will be dashing for the Christmas decorations box in the near future. I never fail to succumb to the sentimental draw of those few precious, slightly tattered decorations kindly donated to me many years ago by my late grandmother, neither do I fail to reminisce of happy family Christmas' past. The clever function of Christmas trees is their ability to subtly disguise some of the more worn decorations that you just can't bear to throw away, with careful arranging of a branch here and the draping of a garland there.

However, Christmas isn't just about looking back, it's also about looking anew and I see it as a colourful prelude to the New Year. Every festive season I like to indulge in a few careful additions to my tree decorations as a kind of 'collection in progress', whereas some people prefer to start afresh each year with a themed approach, which can have dramatic results (for better or for worse).

Even without any snow, with the help of an elegant wreath, you can still achieve a frosty, wintry and festive feel. Faux berries and pinecones ensure an immediate connection with Christmas and will prevail through all winter weathers.

Whatever you choose to do with your Christmas decor this year, whether it's sleek & sophisticated, traditional vintage, or just outright kitsch, give it pride of place in your home.

Merry Christmas.

Minimal::Kitsch::Traditional

1. Felt snowflake table scatter, Paperchase £2.75. 2. Satellite tree candle holder, Habitat £18
3. Vintage 1959 bauble, Harrods, £4.95. 4. Berry pack of 4 tree decorations, Habitat £5.00
5. Matt White Pyramid bauble, Heals £10. 6. Foile garland lights, Habitat £30.
7. White pinecone wreath, Harrods £39.95. 8. Slott pack of 6 tree decorations, Habitat £5.00

1. 1ft pink Christmas tree, Paperchase £4.00. 2. Multi-coloured tinsel garland, Paperchase £2.00. 3. Pink glitter fawn decorations, Paperchase £7.00.  4. Noma heart lights, Selfridges £22.95. 5. Multi-coloured decorations (pack of 6) Paperchase £4.50.  6. Niki Jones owl baubles, Heals  £25. 7. Pink knitted stocking, Paperchase £12.75

1. Liberty Advent Calendar £7.95 2. Gingerbread decorations, Selfridges £9.95. 3. Bombi set Little London, tree decoration set, Heals £45. 4. Snowflake fairy lights, Teso £18. 5. 1952 vintage bauble, Harrods £4.95

6. St. Nicholas London Union Jack tree decoration, Selfridges, £9.95. 7. Gisela Graham, Heart Bells & Berries wreath, Selfridges, £6.95. 8. Christmas bear, Selfridges £3.25. 9. Gisela Graham natural hessian heart, Selfridges £4.50

Solution: Accessory Storage

In today's hectic world of consumer madness we seem to find ourselves accumulating vast collections of...well we're not entirely sure what. No wonder then that many of us are faced with storage solution woes, sharing tales of mountainous mess and nowhere to put it.

Home storage has moved on from the good old days of the standard cardboard box, with a vast market for clever storage solutions offered up by the high street and a wealth of choice for the discerning interiors fashionista. It's now possible to find a solution for literally any kind of storage issue, which satisfies both a practical and an aesthetic need in one stylish hit.

Brit Decor has picked out a small selection of key storage accessories currently strutting their stuff on the high street.

Classic Orange handmade storage range at Heals

from £12 - Looks striking against dark neutrals.

For the slick, minimalist option...Habitat's 'Mond' range of

hand finished, high gloss lacquered MDF storage boxes are

perfect. From £35

Simple Scandinavian style - capitalise on the still current

trend for navy blues with the Lingo storage boxes, IKEA

from £4.99 and why not complement these with their Agen

handmade basket from £2.99

If you're looking for a piece of artwork to disguise those
muddles, this range of painted boxes from Graham &
Green are a must. From £115

Interior Plumage

Brit Decor applauds the current trend for vivd Peacock blue accessories within the home as a welcome reprieve from the dark grips of winter. 


There is something quite elegant and spectacular about the iridescent blue-green coloured plumage of this, the grandest of birds. Without getting too technical, many of the brilliant colours of the peacock plumage are due to an optical interference phenomenon, Bragg reflection, based on periodic nanostructures found in the barbules (fiber-like components) of the feathers.


The Peacock offers a rich palette of colour inspiration for interiors and through careful accessorising, helped by the current trend towards these colours, it is easy to translate this palette into your interior. Use rich velvety textured fabrics to mimick the layered feathers and be sure to fully exploit the full colour spectrum of blues and greens. Luxury in an instant!

From left to right; Peacock Emerald canvas, £31.99 Argos, LSA Odile vase,
£45 Heals, LSA Corgo Lagoon tealight set, £15 Heals, Nabucco Velvet cushion,
 £65 Heals, Teal Tension paint, Dulux, Soho eyelet curtains, from £40 John Lewis