INTERIOR INSPIRATION
BY KATE KINGSTON
Kate Kingston, Managing Director of Kingston Shaw, an interior design company with offices on the Wirral, London and Dubai, shares with us the latest trends for creating the perfect home.
NO NO NO!
It’ s nearly upon us, that dreaded time of the year when all style goes out the window and we dress our spaces to the maximum with gaud and tinsel. Don’ t get me wrong, I love Christmas, the presents, being around family and the festivities, but I cannot abide the lack of elegant décor that smoothers most abodes. At Kington Shaw, we are on a mission to prove that you can have plenty of Christmas spirit and improve the look of your space for the season! Here are our top 5 Christmas Rules:
3. Me, me, me, me! Personalise your home, Write your children’ s names on their stockings, or monogram a bauble. Anything that gives your rooms your personality will enhance the space and create a special vibe – just keep it stylish!
1. Pick A Colour! Will it be silver, gold or raspberry? For us this year, it’ s Navy. Colours have meanings and no more so than at Christmas, Blue and any derivative of this wonderful hue is said to represent the importance of Mary, the mother of Jesus, she is always depicted wearing blue. Blue pigments were more expensive than gold and therefore only the very rich or royal families were ever shown to wear blue.
4. Look to the East or in the Kitchen You probably have all kinds of goodies in the kitchen that make the most perfect Christmas Decorations- Oranges, Popcorn, cake glitter! But why not try sticks of Cinnamon, not only do they smell great, they instantly evoke feelings of cosy Christmas evenings, mulled wine, hot chocolate and egg nog, stack them around a white candle or simply tie ribbon on them and hang them on the tree.
2. Choose two accent colours This will give your Christmas décor balance, we have chosen White and Green, using nature at Christmas time is a long standing pagan tradition The Romans loved a good party, and Saturnalia was no exception. This holiday, which fell on December 17th, was a time to honour the god Saturn, and so homes and hearths were decorated with boughs of greenery – vines, ivy, and the like. The ancient Egyptians clearly did not have evergreen trees, but they had palms, and the palm tree was the symbol of resurrection and rebirth. They often brought the fronds into their homes during the time of the winter solstice. This has now evolved into the modern tradition of the holiday tree.
5. Frankincense, Myrrh and Scent of the Pine Nothing conjures up the feelings of your childhood and / or of precious memories than a familiar scent, the smell of satsuma’ s always sends me back to the Christmases of my youth. Did you know that as humans we can detect at least one trillion distinct scents, that’ s quite the library to pull from. So ensure that your home creates the right ambiance by allowing your space to be filled with the smell of Christmas.
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