Can you believe it’s already the time of year where we start planning the big day (no I’m not getting re-married)…Christmas is only 66 days away. Thanks Annabel - my 11 year old - who likes to give me the countdown!
Not only is it a day of the year we adore, coming together with our families over never ending laughs, delicious wholesome food and one too many drinks, it’s our favourite date in the calendar for our norsu styling team. It’s the moment where we throw on our creative hats, spend hours trawling blogs for new products, and where we get COMPLETELY lost in the land of Pinterest searching for the very best decorating inspiration we can find. If there’s one thing we love doing, it’s creating the perfect table setting for any celebration!
If I was asked to sum up this year’s theme I would say “more is more”. This year we inject a serious explosion of colour and pattern, we channel some Donna Hay or Martha Stewart vibes, and apply some cost effective “tips and tricks” for good measure.
Let’s now step into what we did - we honestly love nothing more than sharing what we did so you can create the same magic in your homes. It’s time to Make It Merry. Let’s go!
Nat xxx
The Decorations
Each year we wait with much anticipation to see the colour palette Nordic Rooms has selected for their infamous paper ornaments and table top Christmas trees. I know I say it every time…I think this year are our favourites…think muted blue, warm clay, buttery sand and classic linens. It’s the perfect balance of sophistication and colourful fun. These always become the basis for our norsu "Christmas" theme.
To sprinkle a little more festive cheer, this year we’ve added pops of glitter. Don’t stress, we’re not talking the OTT disco vibes, imagine sun drenched glistening throughout the table (OK I'm clearly getting carried away). Be sure to look at our collection from Holly & Ivy and Danish designer Nordstjerne.
I've spent endless hours late at night sourcing new products for the table. This year we've gone back to our Scandi roots and found the perfect touches that aren't readily available (in most cases, we're the only Australian retailer - how special is that!). We've imported hand crafted 'do it yourself' Type & Story crackers in the most inspiring patterns and tones, along with paper wreathes and Advent calendars by Dutch designer Jurianne Matter. Not only are the designs unique they're all sustainable and reusable. #winning
The Foilage
I love incorporating natural elements to the table, and foliage is a perfect way to do this…it’s also a perfect way to inject some more colour!
To be honest I didn’t have much of a plan when I went into Say It With Flowers in Malvern, in fact I was in a mad rush (doesn’t sound like me does it..?), but with some help from the experts and some rough design principles in mind we selected some absolute beauties!
I like to start with a show stopping centre piece, we chose some “Dogwood” for it’s height, colour and sturdy woody stems (perfect for hanging extra ornaments if that’s your thing). I decided to place these solo in a large vase in the centre of the table. I then placed two smaller vases either side (these don’t need to match!) and from there, it was a bit of trial and error and fiddling around. We mixed some Snowballs, Andromeda and Ranunculus - play around with different colours, textures and heights here.
Choose flowers/foliage that you love then it’s hard to go wrong!
Ok so now you’ve got your arrangements in place, it’s time to kick it up a notch by colouring the water...no, this isn’t a school science experiment! So don’t go too crazy with the dye. Start by mixing in a seperate jug, adding 1 drop of food dye at a time. If the colour is too bright, don’t panic! Just keep diluting with more water. In most cases here the softer the better.
Hot tip! We matched our water to our glassware.
The Napery
Anyone that knows me knows that I am obsessed with fabric, so napery would have to be one of my favourite parts of decorating a table! Napkins are such a great way to introduce colour and pattern onto your table and it won't cost you an arm and a leg to do so!
Don't be afraid to mix and match a few different sets of napkins to create a colour palette which will set the story of the rest of your table. Our OYOY napkins are in sets of two so it is an easy one to add to the mix with our Flou or L&M Home sets of four.
Make sure you evenly lay the different styles of napkins around the table so that the same pattern/colour is not next to the one another. Can you believe that I throw my napkins just like I throw a throw! Don't be too strict with this, trust me... the more relaxed and the less thought you put into it the better it will be.
The best thing about linen is that it falls so beautifully so the less constructed the better! We absolutely love adding a little detail to each setting. Every alternate plate and napkin we have added a stunning Flou brass napkin holder and then every other alternate our beautiful Jurianne Matter TWIG leaf wreath, (cutting these into smaller rounds to make mini wreaths... how gorgeous!) which added that little festive flare.
