It’s November, the pumpkins have all sagged or been turned into soup, and it’s wet and decidedly chilly outside. All of which can only mean one thing….it’s time to start getting excited about Christmas! Yep I said it. For me the best thing about Christmas is not the presents (although I do love hunting down the perfect gift and there are some great gift ideas within this post). For me, it’s the perfect excuse for festivities. And by that I mean the endless opportunity to don your sequins and sparkles and gather with your nearest and dearest for fun, games, cheese, laughter and dancing. I don’t know about you but we lead such busy lives. It’s busy, busy all the time, and this time of year feels like a really good time to catch up with all those people that you haven’t seen nearly as much as you’d have liked to. For us, this starts around the last week of November and builds from there, past the big day itself and right into January until the kids go back to school.

I think because it’s all about the socialising aspect for us, I like our festive decor to reflect that. I like it to be warm, cosy and glam, rather than the South East London branch of Santa’s Grotto. So when French Connection Home asked me to collaborate with them on styling up some of their key Autumn Winter pieces for the party season, I didn’t need to think twice. Their version of Christmas offers burnished metallics, foxed glass, slinky sheepskins and cool concrete, all set against oodles of cosy candlelight. And not a Father Christmas, Snowman or candy cane in sight! (Nothing wrong with any of those things btw, but I’m here to show you something different today.)

I thought it might be a good idea to break this blog down into a guide to how I approach festive styling, which could be useful if you’re hosting a gathering, Christmas dinner or New Years Eve drinks this year.

1) Create A Showstopper

If you’re hosting a party, it’s always fun to create a talking point, something with a bit of wow factor which will capture your guests attention when they arrive and create a little bit of excitement. We threw a big Halloween party last year and had our bath brimming over with dry ice and a skeleton in there having a nice long dip. Kids and adults loved it and it was a great ice breaker, so to speak. When my French Connection edit arrived, I couldn’t stop thinking about how good the burnished Radiance baubles and foxed glass Nebula stars would look hanging from a rustic style branch over the dining table. I’m a big fan of using Christmas tree decorations somewhere other than on a tree.

Choose the best ones and nestle them between foliage on the table, or place them on dinner plates as place settings. My branch idea was a bit half-baked at this stage because finding the perfect fallen (and dry) branch at short notice is not exactly an easy task in the depths of South East London. Thankfully my wonderful local florist came to the rescue. Now, all I had to do was put it up…on my freshly painted ceiling. Ouch! It was totally worth it though. Dave used a drill, expanding rawl plugs and two small screw in brass hooks, I tied some rustic string to each end of the branch (invisible string would work equally well depending on what look you want to achieve), wrapped some copper string LED lighting along the length of it, and up it went.

I wanted the baubles to be low enough to be seen, but not too low as to obstruct everyone’s view across the table. I’m so happy with how it turned out, it was so easy to do and it’s so effective and shows off the decorations from every angle, particularly when they reflect the candlelight from the table. We are leaving the hooks in so we can pop the branch back up again for other occasions like Easter, Halloween, birthdays…aka any excuse for faffing and making things look pretty. Alternative showstopper ideas you could consider include creating a massive grazing table on either a kitchen island or dining table with baubles and stars nestled along it, a supersized wreath on an empty wall, or a staircase festooned in foliage, fairy lights and dripping in decorations. There are so many options that you can adapt to suit your space.

2) Cosy Up

As soon as the colder nights draw in, so does the need for cosiness. More cushions, more blankets, more texture, it’s all about getting your hygge on, even when you’re having a party! Sheepskins make any space look instantly more inviting and these softer than soft Tipped Cashmere Pelts and cushions from French Connection are perfect for throwing over the back of your dining chairs to make everything look more festive.

I also styled up the bar cart with a pelt on the lower shelf, and I love the mix of the minimal industrial style of the cart, softened up with the fluffy pelt, and then bringing the party vibes with these shimmering Luxe wine glasses and champagne flutes which are hand-made from salvaged glass with the aim of reducing waste. They have a lovely flecked reflective sheen to them, which leads me nicely to my next festive styling tip…

3) Mix It Up

Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without a shedload of sparkle. French Connection’s range is all about layering up shimmering glasses, with foxed glass and burnished brass decorations (on the branch and on the table). You could stick to only one source of shimmer but if you’re throwing a party I think it’s far more fun and interesting to play with textures and mix it up.

I’ve contrasted the shimmering baubles with the Stoneware candle holders and the Matt Metro dinner plates. The result is a bit more low-key cool, rather than all out sparkle. I also selected these Orion mirrored stars, which are the festive equivalent of a disco ball. Shine a light near these babies, ramp up the speakers and get ready to party!

4) Get The Glow

And to make the most of all those reflective surfaces you’ll need lashings of warm candlelight and fairy lights to maximise the shimmer and shine. If you’re throwing a dinner party or gathering, the lighting is so important for setting the mood. I’d pretty much ban any bright overhead lighting and stick to a couple of shaded lamps, strings of fairy lights and lots and lots of candles. French Connection have a fab range of candles and candleholders, which would also make perfect gifts. A candle is never a bad gift idea in my opinion. These Stoneware Candle holders come in three sizes and make a lovely table centrepiece when grouped together, or paired with other styles like this 2-wick Terrazzo candle. It also comes in a huge 3-wick style which would make a brilliant present for a terrazzo loving friend or family.

5) Get The Drinks In

My next tip revolves around the drinks. Well, this is a party after all! A well-stocked bar cart is always a hit with your guests, and not to be underestimated for its party styling potential. You can have loads of fun with this iron bar cart as a base. As mentioned above I added the cashmere pelt plus a string of fairy lights and the mirrored stars for maximum glitz.

This one is unusual in that it has an extra shelf and space for plenty of glasses and bottles. If you’re tight on space and don’t have room for a bar cart, my top tip is to use a tray, like this Metal Mirror Tray on top of the cart, and put an edit of your fave tipples and cocktail making kit on it, which can then be sat on a sideboard or side table and moved around easily enough. Make the bar come to you ;-)

6) Bonus tip - Don’t forget the foliage!

Finish it all off with plenty of festive foliage. Or flowers. Whatever takes your fancy really. I wanted to create a kind of Scandi forest vibe (it’s a thing, honest) to go with my rustic branch so I stuck with greens and silvery looking foliage, types of eucalyptus, pine and something else which I’m afraid I don’t know the name of. Not only does it fill your house with evocative wintry Christmassy scents, it also brings in yet more texture to add to your overall mood. Style it up in a variety of different shaped and sized vases. I love the understated glamour of the Magma vase, alongside the rustic style Mist vases.