Interview for Stylist Magazine
2020 has landed us all in places we didn’t expect to be this year... we've had clients contacting us all over the world to help make their homes cosier, their dinners prettier (up to six before lockdown 2.0!!) and their stay-cations more innovative and more creative than ever...
It felt like back to basics at the start and then it progressed into thinking out of the box to keep everyone happy and smiling.
Christmas is going to look a little different this year. What are the main ways in which you think it will change for us emotionally? For example, do you think there'll be an emphasis on starting new traditions, celebrating small pleasures and meaningful moments because of what's happened? I wonder if community (albeit online) will be more important too..? And whether we will be more sentimental in general?
The world has become a much smaller place in recent years as we have all had the luxury of hopping on planes like they are local buses. This year our wings are clipped somewhat. Houseparty was the thing of Lockdown 1.0 so lockdown 2.0 is about snail mail… hand written letters, cards and printed pictures to bring personal festive wishes in pretty bright envelopes to outshine the usual bills. The post is slower than usual so get your special thoughts in the post sooner than later wherever you are…
There is definitely an uptick in community. Many I know have been donating or organising food drops. This year I’ll be spending Christmas Eve day with friends cooking turkeys with ALL the trimmings to deliver in separate boxes to those on the streets. Due to Covid its been impossible to join already set up organisations so we have take it upon ourselves to be elves this year… a little shot of whiskey, a mini stocking of useful goodies and a proper Christmas lunch drop off to those that need it most.
No doubt traditions new and old will feature heavily at the forefront of everyone's mind with a big focus on all ages pitching in. Elf on the Shelf will make big appearance this year! With everyone at home this charming Scandinavian tradition will be all the more creative and fun to wake up to every morning as a family to start the day with a giggle.
Corporate Christmas parties are a no-go so fun and fab hampers for all occasions are already flying off the shelf and into delivery vans making their way across the country for employers to let their staff know there is still some Christmas cheer and thanks in the air, or far away families who yearn to be reunited... and what better way than a Chilli Bees Hamper... certainly beats the standard pickles and random back of cupboard stash hampers of old used to offer... Spice Up Your Night Margarita Hamper for your party bestie, the Winter Warmer for your family, or go one step further and order a whole Festive Feast for those you cannot sit next to in today's frozen world...
Are there any other ways in which we will be transforming our houses this year? For example, do you predict more emphasis on lavishly-decorated trees, things like staircase garlands and people being more OTT than ever? Any trends you've noticed in festive home decor?
Home baking, tablescaping and doorstep decorating… There is no doubt we have been starved of nature and this year’s current Christmas themes are largely based around animals and the outdoors. Give the dog a Christmas collar, do it subtly with glitzy leopard- print Christmas tree baubles from John Lewis or go the whole way with reindeer wall mounted heads from Covent Garden Flower Market to golden geese on your table or glitzy wooden safari animals hanging from your tree or garlands.
Bright jewel like colours are taking centre stage for table settings as well as brightly coloured modern and eye catching Christmas garlands… you need the best door on the street for Christmas 2020 as we will all be doorstep dancing with thy neighbour…at an appropriate social distance I might add… (eye roll).
Homemade Christmas baubles are definitely on the list to entertain all ages and another tradition to continue for years to come. Buy them empty from amazon and fill your basket with feathers, beads, bright ribbons… leave the glitter behind- I’m still in trouble for filling my baubles with gold glitter from two years ago!
And crackers… we all love a cracker, again bright colours, fun eye catching excitement for the table… and fill them yourself. Jokes written by all ages in the family and anything from Haribo Christmas trees (yes they exist in some newspaper shops), personalised key ring with a message or photo, engraved USB sticks with past family photos on them to laugh through later, shoelaces, gift cards, CBD oil to calm the Christmas (or COVID) crazy and things that actually are appreciated rather than the wasteful plastic fantastic crap of norm…
How can we make the most of our outdoor space (even if it's small?) Are there any low-budget hacks from transforming your doorstep or a drab few square metres of concrete into a festive wonderland?
As unoriginal as it sounds, nothing beats a fairy light. Cheap and cheerful and always majestically chic… battery powered and waterproof should last the month.
The restaurants took every outdoor heater off the shelf... so fire pits, hot buttered rum and roasted marshmallows are a homely staple this year for those with a garden or a terrace, and many are already swiping all the fairy lights off the shelves to create that garden charm from now. We've all become so accustomed to being outside, if it's a little bit pretty and a little bit sparkly the cold wont even be a feature! I’ve always been a big believer in mirrors in gardens and of course by adding twinkly lights at night you maximise that fairylike feel...
Interview with Alicia Pasley-Tyler, Director & Founder, December 2020