How to get your home ready for the festive season

Before going full steam ahead with festive decorating, it’s a good idea to declutter and clean key areas that will be the focal point of your displays. This may include reimagining the space with a brand new floor – a good area to focus on in your renovation budgeting as flooring can really transform a room – or maybe you are using one of our FloorSpa kits to give your existing Harvey Maria floor a bit of TLC. Once you have created the perfect canvas for your decorating it is easier to imagine the final look; scandi, gold, traditional red, a touch of sparkle or contemporary fun…the choice is yours of which theme to go for!

What do you associate with Christmas? For us, it’s being surrounded by loved ones near crackling fireplaces, getting out all the soft blankets and preparing comforting homemade dishes. Creating this warm atmosphere is key to a cosy Christmas at home. We love the natural warmth the MSeries Hurst Herringbone collection includes – the multi-tonal designs add real character and authenticity. Not only do the petite planks create an on-trend herringbone pattern, but they also are easy to clean and care for and a sustainable option that will last for years to come. This all means less time spent maintaining the floors and more focus on styling the room to suit your own personal style.

During the holiday season especially, we are all starting to choose products and materials that improve our indoor air quality and reduce energy consumption, pollution and waste and we are always looking at ways in which we can invest in products and production processes that are more sustainable. We are really proud that the MSeries collection in particular is recognised for its low impact on the environment in all aspects including production process, product consumption, emissions & indoor air quality and sustainable construction. This makes it a perfect choice for your pre-Christmas renovations as we strive for more eco-friendly options.

Open-plan interiors have been a contemporary trend that we have loved for a while now as they allow for a more social space. We all know that our rooms are used in many different ways, which is one of the reasons we love open-plan kitchens as they mean whoever is cooking can still socialise with guests during Christmas parties or New Year’s Eve gatherings. We also use rooms like kitchens in other ways, especially since our working lives have changed over the past year. With many of us now working from home, our open-plan kitchen-diners have now become nooks for working, with breakfast bars or dining tables doubling up as desks.

With this in mind, dividing rooms is sometimes necessary to separate work and home life to a degree. One way to do this without losing the open feel is through stylish flooring. You can pair our Design Series patterns with MSeries woods to create borders and zones, helping with the functionality of a room; as seen below with Northmore Sable Black and Natural Plank Cove. This way you are making the most out of the space whilst still having the opportunity to have a sociable area that can be utilised especially during party season.

Last week on our blog we discussed how to elevate your pantry or utility room with stylish flooring. Now is the perfect time to rethink your pantry space just before the rush to get in all the Christmas favourites, so you can add a bit of organisation into the Christmas chaos! Pantries are often neglected when thinking about the renovation process, despite being one of the most used areas in the home. Even smaller pantry spaces have a lot of potential and can allow you to experiment with your interior style as well as being more functional for busy family homes. Featured below, Northmore Waterhouse Blue which brings a cottagecore, rustic aesthetic to this pantry and utility space.

The Swedish term ‘lagom’ means not too little, not too much, just right and is all about finding balance in all aspects of our lives. Finding lagom enables us to create a tranquil and peaceful environment, something we all strive for over the festive season. Lagom is a trend spreading into interiors, with many people sharing their lagom inspired living on Instagram as inspiration for their interior styling. This is definitely something to consider when preparing your home for Christmas. Consider decluttering areas to store away for a few weeks whilst the Christmas decor takes centre stage. We also love how this concept has been applied to Scandinavian inspired decor – clean, neutral but still with a touch of festive magic.