How To Give Your Home That Festive Feeling🎄

While we’re all scrambling to find the perfect tree and dusting off the bauble boxes, there are more enticing ways to elevate your home this holiday season. From winter wallpapers to perfect wreaths, discover our guides below.

Your Complete Guide To Creative Christmas Garlands

There’s nothing quite like the soft scent of pine or the shimmer of fairy lights to summon the spirit of Christmas. Whether draped across a stocking-clad mantel, framing a townhouse doorway, or tumbling down a staircase, garlands bring a hint of Christmas magic to any home. Discover our top tips for garland styling here.

How To Have A Ralph Lauren Christmas

Stepping into the world of Ralph Lauren is at once both grand and cosy. Let’s set the scene: a leather sofa draped with tartan throws and wool cushions, a mahogany coffee table topped with holly garlands and whisky glasses, and a glittering tree dressed up in red, green and gold. It’s the classic Christmas scene – one that’s instantly recognisable, and primed to make us feel festive. Want to recreate the look at home? Here’s how.

Laura Jackson’s Guide To Festive Entertainment

Stuck for ideas this festive season? We asked writer and broadcaster Laura Jackson to share her top Christmas hosting tips and traditions, as well as her favourite decorating ideas. From setting tables to creating that all-important festive ambience, here’s how to host Christmas like a pro.

With December just around the corner, it’s officially time to deck your halls. We caught up with Sofas & Stuff’s design consultant Jill O’Doherty and chief marketing officer Ricky Partner for their top styling tips and holiday how-tos.

What are your top tips for festive sofa styling?

Jill: Festive sofa styling is all about layering comfort (or glamour, if that is your preference). Start with cosy textures – velvets, soft wools and tactile eaves – and introduce accent cushions in rich and festive colours. Deep reds, forest greens or warm ambers work beautifully at this time of year, but metallics can also add to the mood of celebration. Mix scales of pattern for interest, perhaps pairing a bold heritage print with a stripe to keep it balanced. And don’t forget a generous throw; it instantly softens a space and encourages guests to settle in.

How can we adapt our living spaces to best host guests during the festive season?

Jill: The key is flexibility. A corner sofa is the perfect addition for large family gatherings and works wonders as a sleeping space for children and teens. Cosy conversation spots can also be created with armchairs which can be moved around as needed. Footstools in all shapes and sizes double up as coffee tables or extra seats when the neighbours come for a festive tipple or you have a spontaneous gathering. 

Having a declutter before guests arrive will also provide a calmer environment especially as we fill spaces over the festive season with extra decorations. You don’t want to have a room so overly cluttered that you can’t relax. The addition of wintery fragrances using candles in scents of cinnamon, fresh eucalyptus or pine will complete the mood and make the room feel welcoming and ready for festive hosting.

What are your top tips for making guest bedrooms feel cosy and homely?

Jill: A welcoming guest room feels considered without being cluttered. Good-quality bedding layered with a soft throw for warmth and texture is the perfect place to start. Add a bedside lamp with a gentle glow and leave a little space in a drawer or on a hanging rail, so guests don’t have to live out of their bags. Finishing touches make the biggest difference – a small posy of seasonal greenery, a carafe of water and a couple of books or magazines always help guests feel cared for.

What’s your advice for doing Christmas decor sustainably?

Jill: Choose decorations you’ll love for years, not just one season. Nature offers endless festive inspiration – pinecones, dried oranges and seasonal branches look wonderfully festive and compost beautifully afterwards. Fabric decorations, stockings and wrapping made from soft furnishing offcuts, perhaps a heritage print or a soft velvet – can also be reused year after year and avoid unnecessary waste. A few thoughtful pieces will always look more elegant than a house full of throwaways. And if you’re investing in new furniture, choose British-made or locally crafted pieces in durable, sustainable materials –something built to last is always the most environmentally conscious choice.

You’ve partnered with RHS and the V&A on your fabric designs. What draws you to these British institutions?

Ricky: We’ve always been strong supporters of the arts and feel a real synergy with the creativity of these institutions. We also share a deep connection to storytelling. Their archives hold so many remarkable, often untold stories – and we want to help bring those to life through fabric and design.

Heritage fabrics are having a moment, especially as we creep closer to the festive season. Why do you think people are falling back in love with these classic designs?

Ricky: Heritage designs are timeless. They’re rich in history, with fascinating stories behind them, and that sense of depth really intrigues people. When you choose a print rooted in history, it never truly goes out of ‘fashion’ – it carries character and meaning that lasts. That enduring appeal matters to us as a brand that values longevity in both design and the pieces we make.

Sofas & Stuff is all about personalisation. How can we prevent our festive designs looking cookie cutter?

Ricky: We’re asked this a lot, as we lead the way in personalisation when it comes to sofa and fabric choice. If you stay true to yourself, your individuality will naturally be woven through the pieces you choose, ensuring the design is unique to you. No customer is the same – everyone has their own unique personality and ideas, and the festive season is no exception; your home should reflect all you love and hold dear. In essence, let yourself shine through.

What does the perfect Christmas look like to you?

Ricky: For us, it’s waking up to a crisp, snowy morning with excitement in the air. The real gift is being surrounded by family, friends and loved ones, and hosting them in a way that feels warm and connected – before we all retire to the sofa in the evening to snuggle down with a film. And Champagne… always Champagne.

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