How to liven up the home this Christmas

Interior designer Ceri Rocca of The Style House highlights key trends and demonstrates how to stand out in style this Christmas.

With such a variety of Christmas themes and colourways, decorating the home for the festive season can be tricky.

For years, silver has been the fashionable alternative to the traditionally themed decorations of festive reds and greens.

So long has this been the case, however, that even this cool, ice-inspired style has become a somewhat tired tradition.

Now, according to Rocca, is the time to break out of old habits and consider new possibilities.

The word on every designer's lips this Christmas is 'kitsch', she claims.

A youthful rebellion from the regal, antique look that the season is typically renowned for, this fresh new style is said to be spontaneous and easy to achieve.

Rocca believes that homes should be livened up with decorations that are shiny and artificial; mirrors and glitter are encouraged.

This trend can also be taken down a darker glam-rock route, in which sultry over-sized patterns, pewter ornaments and violet roses sparkle against black backdrops.

Faux trees in loud colours will also make a fun statement, she claims, while also being much easier to maintain than real firs.

'Femininity' is another trend coming through this year, with pink and purple forming the romantic girly centre of a radiant colour palette, filled with pastels such as sand, aqua, lilac and lime.

Rocca also advises customers to look out for whimsical ornamentation, wire stars, glass icicles and dainty birds, which are intended to evoke fantasies and childhood memories.

She believes that homeowners should be creative this year; they should not be afraid to indulge in quirky novelties.

According to Rocca, there is also an equally fashionable, but far more demure, style to embrace.

The 'honey' look is said to be understated and sophisticated, but, like its contrastive counterpart, it aims to produce a happy and care-free atmosphere.

This warm style is based around soft neutrals and subtly glowing accents.

The key is to create a snug atmosphere that will shut out the winter chill, so all cold colours such as blue and silver should be banished, along with any images of ice and snow.

These should be replaced with warmer, summery shades of yellow; tulips and butterflies can be introduced to a scheme and various corners can be illuminated with golden candles.

Hard floors can be covered with soft, woven rugs to enhance the cosiness of the rooms and throws in natural fabrics and wool can be spread around to create further texture and warmth.

The neutral tones of this style, while setting a suitable backdrop for accessories in gold and bronze, are equally complemented by natural materials such as bamboo and wood, according to Rocca.

She believes that this trend thus lends itself well to an increasing interest in fair-trade, eco-friendly and hand-crafted products.

Each of these themes are adaptable to any budget.

There are opportunities to recycle old decorations and to create savoury biscuits and gingerbread tree decorations, ribbons, mirror mosaics, empty glass jars filled with tea lights and just about anything from unwanted pottery and plastic toys can be transformed with some creativity.

Besides all the decorative preparations, Rocca advises homeowners to wrap their gifts early in appropriately themed wrapping paper to match their interiors.

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