Thursday 12 December 2013

The Retro Decorator - 90s Christmas Opulence

Who remembers 1991? It was the year of the first Gulf War, the year of the dissolution of the Warsaw Pact and the year Freddie Mercury died. Bryan Adams was riding high in the UK charts with "(Everything I Do) I Do It For You" for weeks...and weeks...and weeks...and on TV the UK was watching the first "Prime Suspect". It was also the year that the first "PC World" store opened in Croydon.

It was also the year of a major UK recession caused by high interest rates, falling house prices and an overvalued exchange rate(1). Not that you would notice if you were a regular reader of House & Garden magazine at this time. No, the December 1991 edition can be described in two words: Christmas Opulence. No sign here of minimalist Scandinavian interiors, no driftwood trees or home-spun decorations. This is a Christmas of conspicuous consumption.

Exhibit 1 - the London home of florist Martin Robinson:


...and exhibit 2 the Christmas Eve dinner designed for a china shop by consultant designer Tom Ellery:




Quite frankly, I wonder how anyone had any space for the food!

Sunday 8 December 2013

Fantasy Christmas Decorations

Happy 2nd Advent!

My distinct failure to do any crafting has led to me hitting the internet for some favourite quirky Christmas finds this week instead:

I'm definitely aiming for a red and white/Scandinavian theme this year - and these purchases would be just the ticket.



1) I love the fact these snowflake decorations from the White Company come with their own Christmas scent.
2) These simple sticker place settings are my absolute favourite thing this year - they come in different colours and are personisable. via Swing and Pretty Things.
3) A simple modern take on the traditional wreath by Wild Ink.
4) Got a coastal theme? This unique driftwood star decoration from Driftwood Dreaming would go perfectly!

Sunday 1 December 2013

Christmas crafts even I'm tempted to try

As today is the first Sunday of Advent, it means my inner Christmasholic is finally allowed free rein without scaring too many people. (What do you mean I've hardly held back so far?!)

I've stated before that I'm not really much of a crafter. Sometimes, however, I come across ideas of both such elegance and apparent simplicity that even I'm tempted to give them a try - and if you can't try these things at Christmas, then what hope is there...?

My favourite is definitely this simple string tree decoration on the right - what a fabulous way of displaying a few cards!



Happy first Sunday in Advent!

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