Christmas is upon us and we all want our homes to sparkle with seasonal cheer – not just for the parties and extended family gatherings, but also for the downtime in between.
It’s all about those precious moments when you curl up on a comfortable sofa to watch a movie with the family, or create a cosy corner for enjoying a board game or a good book.
From soft rugs and Christmas-themed throws to family-sized furniture and even a musical nutcracker, Gibbons Home Store buyer, Natalie Martis shared her festive home favourites.
Festive warmth
Described by Ms Martis as “a super plush fleece”, their collection of velvet throws include something to match any Christmas theme: baubles, nutcrackers, poinsettias, reindeer and even hot chocolate motifs. Particularly on trend, however, is a red plaid with white Christmas tree throw.
“Everywhere I was reading was talking about the Ralph Lauren Christmas and how to create this aesthetic,” she explained, which includes “a lot of jewel tones, a lot of velvet, a lot of Ralph Lauren plaid”.
Add this throw to the back of your sofa and voila, latest trend has been achieved.
These throws are also ideal for beds and even outdoors.
“I have a little firepit outside in my backyard and I use these in the winter just to cosy up,” she said. “I love them. The kids come over, my nieces and nephews, and we all have a throw.”
With the cooler weather, also comes damp, and for this she recommended an electric, heated fleece blanket.
“You plug it in and it takes out the dampness from your bed. It’s queen size and it’s dual control for either side of the bed, so you can have one side warmer than the other.”
For warmth under foot, she shared a selection of rugs so comfortable you want to hug them. The most luxurious of these is a Mongolian sheepskin rug which, in the store, has been displayed around a festively-decorated bed and looks almost like snow.
“These rugs are of a natural shape because they are real Mongolian sheepskin. We’ve had customers put these under trees to make a skirt. I’ve had customers put these on the bed.”
They are great for bare feet on a cool day, come in grey and white and can actually be hugged because they also have matching Mongolian sheepskin cushions.
Other popular rugs for this time of year include their faux fur Bobble rugs, which come in grey, pink, taupe and white.
“You put them in front of the Christmas tree, bedrooms, they just add that warmth and cosiness that you need in the winter,” Ms Martis said.
Curl up in comfort
For something that can fit the whole family, Ms Martis recommended the Mariner Home trundle sofa.
“It is a three-seater sofa, it has a chaise on one side and then you lift up the chaise and it has storage for your blankets or pillows and then it has on the other two seats a trundle so you can pull out,” she said.
“It is amazingly comfortable. It has very plush pillows in the back.”
It’s available in light brown, silver and sky blue.
To add Christmas spirit to your comfortable seating, there are an array of festive decorative pillows to choose from including some in the shape of Christmas presents, baubles and candy canes.
For additional comfort, try their memory foam bedrests, which are also great as reading pillows.
“It’s a pillow that has memory foam so it has a lot of stability,” she explained. “You can put it on your bed or on the couch. It has arms that come around you so if you’re reading a book, it supports your arms. People use it in bed to watch TV. You put it on the floor if you want a little bit more support, say you’re watching a movie with the family.”
These come in navy, grey, taupe and a pink mauve colour.
Cheerful lighting
With darkness descending earlier at this time of year, lighting is even more important for creating a cosy feel and adding Christmas spirit to any room.
Silver and iridescence are big this year and nothing embraces this more than the large hard plastic iridescent plug-in, remote controlled reindeer with LED lights. The lighting colours can change and they can be set to blink. They also come as Christmas trees, a unicorn and teddy bear. These can be displayed inside and would be particularly at home on a front porch, in a child’s bedroom or by the Christmas tree.
For more subtle Christmas lighting there is a variety of battery operated LED lighting designed to be incorporated into décor or a Christmas tree, including silver iridescent tinsel garlands and string lights.
“You have a battery pack, you hide it under your décor and that can add a little bit of ambience and light into your room without having bright lights,” Ms Martis explained.
There are also some fun, plug in, “star burst” lights, which look great hung up high.
Pops of Christmas spirit
In addition to the tree, fun pops of Christmas décor throughout your home can get the whole family into the Christmas spirit. This could include faux poinsettia wreaths hung on doors or walls, urns with faux green and red foliage and berries, which could brighten up a fireplace or empty corner, or a selection of gold and silver sequin runners and cushions.
To really get both children and adults excited however, Ms Martis demonstrated the aforementioned musical nutcracker.
“A musical nutcracker I would definitely put on either a dining table, on a mantle, even on a console in the entryway, just to really get that festive feel if you’re having people over for dinner, or you’re hosting a party. It would be nice to have that festive feel as soon as you walk into the door.”
