Amanda Holden's quietly elegant Christmas decorations are inspiring us to embrace 'less is more' this year
The TV presenter has opted for a muted colour palette with extra lights to make more of an impact
Amanda Holden has wasted no time in preparing her home for Christmas - and her decorations might inspire you to get into the spirit of the season early too.
Sharing her impeccable set-up with her social media followers, Amanda’s winter wonderland is a masterful celebration of layered lighting and tonal decorations which create the illusion of an immersive, enchanted woodland.
We’re loving the unexpected use of tonal green throughout Amanda’s decor. From the forest-green bows to the matching baubles, it definitely feels understated and elegant in comparison to jolly reds and other bright colour combinations we're seeing alreaay this year.
Sticking to one consistent colour scheme of tonal greens with flashes of gold makes Amanda’s decorations feel sophisticated and impactful.
The rich greens nestled in the artfully imperfect fir branches, pine garlands and trees evoke a calming sense of nature, almost as if the decorations are an extension of a magical woodland. While the garlands are generous the decorations are less obviously because of the matching shades of green.
With different-sized lights woven throughout the foliage, from antique-looking lamps and statement bulbs to smaller, warm fairy lights tucked inside the branches, there’s less uniform order and more the feeling of a starry sky peeking through the woodland.
It’s fun, it’s fresh, and it’s a festive twist on biophilic design that will leave many rethinking the burgundy baubles and silver tinsel this year. And despite Amanda using a professional company to achieve the wonderland feel, there are some clever tips to take away to recreate it for less.
First, focus on scale. Instead of limiting your decorations to a tree and some neat tinsel on the fireplace, as Amanda’s set-up shows, thinking bigger and bolder can really create an immersive feel.
To start, why not create your own archway of foliage with artificial or real branches that don’t just sit on the doorframes or bannister, but envelop and elongate? Don’t worry about it looking perfectly symmetrical or orderly - let it feel like you could be stumbling out of Narnia.
The other clever trick to emulate is mixing different tones. Whether you go with greens like Amanda or opt for a different hue, play with different shades and bring them together in a way that doesn’t feel overly planned or ‘perfect’.
Finally, lighting, as always, is the key. We’ve seen how lighting can transform any space before, and by mixing and matching different-sized lights, different types of lights - including the on-trend festoon style - and playing with different positionings, you can easily create a warm, enchanted atmosphere.
This is particularly useful if you want to play with the concept of size and space. Hanging lights higher up in canopy trees or arching branches creates an illusion of depth and size.
It’s a proven trick for making an outdoor space feel larger and it’s something you can experiment with to create your very own Christmas fairy tale garden.
The other benefit of focusing on your Christmas lighting is that you can use it to create a layered lighting scheme. Leave the big light off and make your decorations work twice as hard - one, conjuring the spirit of Christmas and two, making any room feel warm, relaxing and perfect for cosy nights in.
