If you love Christmas, we hope you’ll love this – some fun festive tips for the home, to get you in the Yuletide mood.
“Have lots of flowers everywhere to keep your apartment feeling warm, festive and welcoming. The costs can add up, so we love to mix in high-quality fake flowers from Silk Flowers Singapore (silkflowerssingapore.com), run by Becca de Saint Maur.” – Chantal Travers, FairPrice Antique
“I always try and tie the theme of our Christmas tree and wreath together so it flows. Last year I sourced pink, gold and red butterflies from a wholesaler in Chinatown. We always get a large tree, and I don’t want to spend a fortune buying expensive decorations, so Chinatown is a great haven of all things decorative. The wreath is made from multi-coloured butterflies attached to a cheap IKEA undecorated straw wreath as the base. The butterflies were then again used as the base of the decorations for the tree, and we added our own silver and gold decorations that we’ve collected over the years.
Be creative by looking at props that can double up as Christmas decorations at a lower cost – it stands out because it’s unique and gives a cohesive look to your Christmas theme!” – Visha Nelson, The Cinnamon Room
“I always look forward to having the aroma of pine throughout the house from a real Christmas tree. Along with the tree, I stock up on poinsettias, holly and Christmas cactus from the Thomson Road nurseries. I also obsessively replace ornaments that my boys have haphazardly thrown at the tree from a distance!
I love to evoke the smells of Christmas in our home, and this year I’ll be stocking up on Mel Marriott’s beautiful luxury brand of home scents, Indi Nyah (indinyah.com). My wish list includes her Christmas Eve soy candle and room diffuser, along with cranberry and cinnamon body cream and liquid hand wash – divine!” – Nikki Settle, Originals
“Tableware is a reflection of one’s taste. It’s important to set a theme, as the right tableware can work magic! My tip would be to have your table sparkling with silver at Christmas time, with silver dinnerware, cutlery and candle sticks; just beautiful.” – Marie-Hélène van Houten, The Past Perfect Collection
“For some really festive bed décor, simply add red and white bed sheets and some Christmas lights to your bedroom, and voila – you have a cosy and beautiful bedroom to escape to.” – Melinda Lim, European Bedding
“We absolutely love scents, so if you’re entertaining at Christmas you could try this to welcome guests into the home. Heat a third to a half a kettle of water on a low heat with some cinnamon sticks, a few orange and apple slices, and some cloves. Keep it at the same heat level throughout the party to fill the entire house with a nice aroma.”
“Christmas here in Singapore is still very summery, so we find many Western traditions may not work so well. That doesn’t stop us though, and one thing’s for sure, it doesn’t feel like a celebration without food and friends and presents. We’ve held pool parties for some years now, and often make Christmas stockings, or tote gift bags, out of outdoor fabric with a festive feel.” – Felicia Koh, Gallery 278
“The typical classic Scandinavian Christmas décor includes red and green tones with gold elements, and a lot of nature plays a part as well. For a crisper style, you can use simple single colours and patterns, such as squares and stripes, often with a white or light gray base.
A typical Scandinavian home always uses natural components such as fir twigs and branches, and, most importantly, candles. The candlesticks and other accessories are often made of brass.
Scandinavians love this time of the year, lighting candles and spending time by the fireplace. Just let the inspiration flow and spice things up with beautiful cups for hot drinks, fluffy pillows, plaid, and lots and lots of candles.” – Emelie Hedén, Mobler
“We absolutely love scents, so if you’re entertaining at Christmas you could try this to welcome guests into the home. Heat a third to a half a kettle of water on a low heat with some cinnamon sticks, a few orange and apple slices, and some cloves. Keep it at the same heat level throughout the party to fill the entire house with a nice aroma.” – The Danish Design team
Looking for more on the festive season?
Gorgeous Christmas gift ideas for kids
How to host an easy Christmas party
This article first appeared in the December 2017 edition of Expat Living. You can purchase a copy or subscribe so you never miss an issue!
