5 Ways to Bring the Outside In

Happy New Year Everyone! I hope you've all had fun-filled festivities with some time to rest too if that's possible during the Christmas holidays! Today being 12th Night is traditionally the day that all the decorations come down. As always, I'm continually thinking about decor, and I'm here to bring some January cheer with ideas how to replace the void once the eucalyptus, ribbons and tree decorations have all been packed away for another year.

 

Flickering candles, twinkling fires and low-effort platters of comfort food are all very welcome in January, but I also like to bring in an element of the outdoors inside to bring some joy into the home when it can be a bit dark and flat. 
 
I must be honest, I love January as it's the month of my birthday! So here are 5 ways I'll be bringing some outdoor joy into my home to welcome my birthday guests in a week or so.

REFILL YOUR BUDVASES - If my eucalyptus branches still look fresh, I'll keep them going by trimming them down and mixing in some fresh white blooms such as ranunculas or whatever I can get my hands on at this time of year. Even supermarket white roses look striking and make a beautiful and very affordable statement on your mantlepiece, dining or bedside table.

USE LOTS OF GREENERY - I like using whatever foliage is around at this time of year, whether foraged  from walks or from the market if it looks fresh. Don't be afraid to mix in some faux greenery stems such as ferns with fresh flowers if you can't find enough real foliage. It's a trick that lots of stylists use on magazine shoots and it works a treat. 

 

Another thing I like doing is to take the wreath off the door, de-bauble it, spritz it with water to revitalise it and add a few pine cones and lay it on the kitchen table with a big candle in the middle. It still feels festive but cosy and warm.

POP SOME BULBS INTO BOWLS  - Another easy way to bring some outdoor joy into the home this month is to pot some supermarket or garden-centre bulbs into some bowls and cover with moss for a professional finish. I love hyacinths, paper whites or tiny dwarf iris look fabulous too. Marks and Spencer have really good quality bulbs I've found. And you can dot them round the house for a pop of unexpected colour  to brighten a dark corner.

TREAT YOUR TABLE AS DECOR - Crunchy crudites with fresh humous or home made guacamole is a lovely antidote to all of the Christmas food and looks so inviting on my teal and white vellum flow platters.

SWITCH UP YOUR TABLECLOTH - I love putting away my Christmassy tablecloths for something a bit fresher in January and my new French linen tablecloth and napkins in teal bubbles fits the bill perfectly. I love seeing the bubbles cascade down the centre of table and it's a great backdrop to some simple budvases at breakfast or the full-on birthday lunch I'm about to host.

The SOS Revitalising  Masks from decree work magic on puffy post-party faces. You can buy them as singles or in a pack of six. For an extra de-puffing trick, you can keep them in the fridge.

Luisa Weiss's Classic German Baking is a great  cookery book for dark winter days. There are lots of traditional favourites in there which my family have grown to love.

Vogue: Inventing the Runway is an exhibition narrated by Cate Blanchett which explores the history of fashion's catwalks from the private salons of the early 20th century to the often unforgettable pop-culture events they have turned into today.

Lucy Delius's twisted gold and diamond rope ring is top of my birthday wishlist. I have a few of Lucy's pieces already and they are beautifully tactile as well as being aesthetically pleasing.

I’m obsessed with Dirtea coffee. It travels everywhere with me. I love how it tastes and how the added mushrooms and vitamin B12 gives my mind clarity and how I don’t get jitters from drinking it.

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