Home Entertaining: Part 4: Guest Bedrooms & Christmas Preparations
How to Make Your Home a Welcoming and Beautiful Sanctuary at Christmas
By London Interior Design Expert, Irene Gunter
We are undeniably in the run-up to Christmas now, with mince pies aplenty in the shops! It may feel as if things are getting ahead of themselves too early this year, but considering the long lead times we’ve been facing with all our supply chains, we think it’s best to be prepared, rather than leaving things to the last minute.
Decorating the house
Decorating the house is, of course, a priority and we must admit, if you’re going to put a lot of effort in, then it’s worth starting early. We think the 1st December is a good time for the decorations to go up, have them all in place and remove the need to think about them again until January, which leaves breathing space to get everything else Christmas-related organised!
One of the nicest things to do is to decorate the front exterior of your house. It doesn’t have to be full-on, but a gorgeous wreath and perhaps some elegant pots and planters filled with seasonal greenery will look welcoming. If you have window boxes, some simple string lights will do the job. It’s probably a good idea to order real greenery arrangements and displays well ahead of December and to purchase any outdoor lights and decorations in advance too. If the kitchen opens up onto a terraced space, outdoor lighting and Christmas lights add a wonderful atmosphere – especially when viewed from the kitchen and dining areas. And yes, it’s tempting to get an outdoor Christmas tree organised for the terrace as well, isn’t it?! Depending on the weather it can be fun to plan some outside entertaining too, even at Christmas. If it’s crisp and cold, an outdoor fire pit, plus some cosy furry throws and cushions on the garden furniture can create a wintery, Scandi-style occasion. We’ve been researching log-burning hot tubs for several projects as we’re all loving this cosy time at home and making the most of the crisper weather. Time for mulled wine, hot chocolate, and mince pies!
Gunter & Co’s top three exterior decoration and lighting ideas:
The Entrance Hall
Once inside the front door, the entrance hall can be bedecked with Christmas cheer – if you have a large entrance hall, it’s wonderfully festive to have a tree in the hall – as well as the living room, of course! Console and hallway tables are the perfect spot for some seasonal flowers, diffusers and candles. Try Christmas fragrances that include notes of cinnamon, clove and fir. Winter Fragrance Oil from The White Company is gorgeous, as is Anbar Stone from Penhaligons
One of my favourite festive touches is to wind a garland along the staircase handrail – real ones are lovely of course, but you may have to consider how long real greenery lasts and perhaps think about faux garlands instead. If your staircase has upright spindles it’s easy to wind the garland through the bannister. If the staircase has solid panels, you’ll need to invest in some transparent suction hooks to hold everything in place – they’re generally available from anywhere that sells Christmas decorations (and keep a packet of blu-tack handy too, throughout the festive season, for sticking errant decorations back into position!). Use zip-ties to keep a heavier garland in place, they will disappear within the greenery and can be snipped off afterwards.
Gunter & Co’s four floral suggestions
For made to measure garlands for your mantelpiece and bannisters.
For show-stopping wreaths to add to your door.
For fully decorated Christmas trees and ornaments all around the house.
For bespoke real flower arrangements and designs.
Guest Bedrooms
Guest Bedrooms are fun to prepare for Christmas, I think. It’s lovely to personalise each guest room, with little treats and finishing touches. I try to consider absolutely everything, making each bedroom as comfortable and inviting as a luxury hotel room! That means looking at everything, from towels to toiletries, blankets, pillows, and hot water bottles. A good mattress and bed linen are key requirements; no one will remember your lovely clothes hangers if they didn’t have a comfortable night’s sleep! We use Josephine Home bed linen and our guests are very lucky to sleep on a Vi-Spring mattress. Try to include surface space as well as a dressing table/vanity area. A tray for tea/coffee and a kettle are a great addition. I always think that guests may wake early and not want to make their way to the kitchen in case they wake others, so to have all the requirements for a soothing cup of tea first thing is most welcome. We generally include at least one comfy armchair in a guest room too, along with extra blankets and pillows, which we put in the ottoman or wardrobe. It’s nice for guests to have a little ‘retreat’ area where they can go for a half-hour here and there, or for a rest before dinner or the big party! Check that there's a wardrobe and hanging space for guests too, and light a gorgeous, scented candle before they arrive so that there’s a lovely lingering fragrance in the room. (Don’t overdo it though, just letting a candle burn for a few minutes is enough!).
When we have worked on full-house re-designs and renovations, there is often the opportunity to re-position some of the rooms. In those situations we often position the guest rooms away from the family rooms. This is so guests feel that they have more privacy and don’t have to be on top of the family all the time. Of course it all depends on how many guest rooms you have, but we also design guest suites, where there are a couple of bedrooms for when a family with children are staying, and then we try and include a little kitchen or seating area too. A little space with a boiling water tap and plenty of drink necessities is a very welcome addition. As far as guest bathrooms are concerned, ideally we include a guest en-suite bathroom as well. Sometimes, for space reasons, it will be a shower room, rather than a bathroom, but an ensuite with a bath and shower is luxurious and allows guests to have a lovely indulgent soak in the bath. After all, staying away from home should always be comfortable and relaxing!
Of course, not every home has the spare capacity to provide a suite of rooms for guests, in which case there are still lots of little touches that can make overnight visits successful. Ensure the breakfast cupboard is fully stocked, so early-birds can make breakfast without having to investigate all the cupboards! If you have a hi-tech coffee machine, check that guests know how to work it, and if necessary, leave a sticky note with instructions!
Next time, in our Home Entertaining Series we’ll be looking at our top tips and must have products to create living rooms you’ll always want to entertain in.