The mood this year is green – so kiss tinsel and plastics goodbye in favour of natural wreaths and garlands to deck the halls, kitchen, livingroom and anywhere else that might make the place look festive.
So say no to any lights on your Christmas tree and instead let simple bauble forms do all the talking. This is the new naked style of decorating. These blue and red designs are Broste Copenhagen and cost €6 each from Nordic Elements, where there is a pop-up shop in the studio from now to Christmas, at 54 Booterstown Avenue, Blackrock on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, from 10am to 4pm. nordicelements.com
This boule-shaped installation, set above a dining table will really wow. Designed by London property management company Hostmaker, it floats above the place settings thanks to its light-as-air components; dried rabbit tail grass and red amaranthus, using chicken wire at its heart instead of weighty oasis. The design, pictured, is about 1.5metres long and about 80cm deep, and features two boules, says florist Mark Grehan of Powerscourt Townhouse Centre-based shop The Garden and will cost from €400 upwards. You can use two lines of Ikea's Dignitet stainless steel curtain wires, €21 each.thegarden.ie
Simplicity done well really works. And it's hard to beat natural foliage and candles. You'll find visually appealing foliage like holly and ivy growing in many public parks and hedgerows where you can gather for free. You may also be tempted to take some clippings from a neighbour's garden but ask first before you bring out the secateurs. Eucalyptus, pictured, is another popular foliage, and is now being grown in Co Wicklow. It has the added advantage of having a beguiling scent and can be bought in any good florists. Add natural beeswax candles and you have a bewitching smelling space. Co Offaly-based Beeswax Candlemakers trawl second-hand shops and antique shops for candelabra to show off their tall, 12-inch, €10, or classic 7-inch, designs which you can buy at the upcoming Dublin Flea or online. beeswaxcandlemakers.com
Ikea's new Vinter collection showcases the daytime colours of the Arctic Circle. This palette of forest greens, seen in the simple circular wreaths sewn together to the back of shot and snow white of the Strala candelabra, €30, with LED-lit decorations from the new range, €3 for three, is a very simple but effective way to go. And while you're there you can also shop for your real Abies Nordmanniana Christmas tree at the Swedish store. These cost €30 and those that purchase will receive a €20 voucher, which can be redeemed in the Dublin store from January 14th to March 3rd, 2019. Ikea.com/ie/
Your decorating personality starts at the front door where a wreath is the equivalent of the little black dress of Christmas decorations. You can sign up for a wreathmaking class with florists The Crate on Wednesday, December 5th, which takes place at The Jar on Dublin's Camden Street. The class, which includes a glass of bubbly and festive treats on arrival as well as all materials, costs €75, which may seem steep but if you end up with something that resembles this design, you'll be bursting with pride. Or you could cheat and buy one of these already beautifully formed wicker designs from Neptune, which range in price from €50 to €64, or a baby's breath design complete with satin ribbon to hang it, which costs from €175 to €255 at all branches of Lamber de Bie. thecrate.com; neptune.com; lamberdebie.ie
A lush mantelpiece garland looks especially stylish in a period home with marble fireplaces. This design, by Bronagh Harte of Ginkgo Florists on Dublin's Baggot Street for the library in the Dylan Hotel, features Christmas tree foliage, skimmia, a waxy green evergreen, blue thistle, holly hypericum berries, clusters of cinnamon sticks, pine cones, eucalyptus from Wicklow and dried limes and orange slices with a string of battery-operated lights woven through it. Close to six feet long this design costs about €200 but some customers use a three-foot designs, costing €100, in the middle of the mantle and it has the same effect, says Harte. ginkgoflorists.ie
If you love the look of natural decorations but loathe the faff then head to Woodie's where its wide range of decorations includes some seriously natural-looking wreaths – at least from a distance or if you squint a little. They look the part especially if you group them together as has been done here to great effect. Now reduced, these range in price from €27.99 to €34.39, and look especially beautiful when hung on sash windowpanes as pictured. You can do this using red ribbon, fishing line and small screw-in hooks – white ones would become invisible on paintwork this colour. woodies.ie
Ceramic pots filled with Christmas tree clippings, pinecones and Christmas rose can look really sweet when positioned on shelving, mantles, side tables and kitchen counters. It's also a smaller scale idea that will work in small apartments or homes. The arrangement will look especially good if you set the foliage in festive coloured pots, either ice white or ribbon red or in soft pastels as stocked at Arboretum where its range of cool contemporary shapes for indoor use come in colours soft white, soft mint and soft mauve, in three sizes, and range in price from €3.50 to €12.95 each. arboretum.ie
