Design director at Alexander James Interiors, Stacey Sibley
Working for bespoke designer Alexander James Interiors, Stacey Sibley has also noticed a move towards vintage, home-made Christmas décor this year.
She said: "I think the vintage, homemade look will be on trend this Christmas with soft tones dominating. Tree decorations like vintage knives and forks, lettering and paper pom-poms will inject a bit of wackiness."
Intarya MD and designer, Daniel Kostiuc
Managing director of international interior firm Intarya, which worked on Hyde Park Apartments, Daniel Kostiuc likes to add quirky details into traditional Christmas décor.
He says: "One thing that always makes the decorations a little more interesting is to inject a
bit of personality and repetition. I really like to find something interesting and repeat it over and over. This year, we are decorating the office with pearl-inspired decorations. Apart from the green of foliage and the tree, everything is pearlescent."
Since graduating from UCLA I interior design, Brazilian Daniel has had some interesting requests from clients for Christmas decoration. None more than a request from Australia a few years ago.
He says: "A client with a home on the coast of South Australia wanted their baby's first Christmas to be a white Christmas. So, we went about decorating the whole house with very wintery elements, including as a 14-foot-tall Christmas tree in the entrance lobby, holly and ivy everywhere and a giant mistletoe arrangement in the living room. To keep it interesting, faux snow was applied all over the tree, which was decorated with beautiful silver plated holly branches - ultimate wintery luxury in the height of their summer."
Suna Interior Design co-director Rebecca Tucker
Lighting is key to getting the right festive ambience at the dinner table according to Rebecca Tucker at boutique Suna Interior Design -which designed the What House? Award Best Interior Silver-winning house Central Square for Mount Anvil.
She says: "For your carefully planned Christmas meal, be sure to have a beautifully lit dining room. Use occasional lamps and wall
lighting to create a more relaxing mood and atmosphere, taking care to provide a carefully lit table that is sympathetic to the ambience you are trying to create for your guests.
"Choose a Christmas colour scheme that sits with your current decor, you don't have to always use the traditional greens, reds or golds. Any accent colour mixed with whites, or silver or gold can be made to feel festive.