Each year it brings me delight…Designed, rather than decorated, I look forward to creating something of a little masterpiece, carefully curated to its space. I account for the room in which the tree will stand, considering the colour palette, style and mood of the house. I then formulate a plan, to include colour scheme, theme and types of decorations that I will use, complete with a mood board and design.

Tree designs these days can be anything; that sometimes doesn’t even include trees, just the shape of them, but those designs I will leave to Mara Harding and Pussbackfoot. For me, it is a traditional Christmas tree, real or faux…there are benefits to both and I love working with both equally.

The Choice.

• A real tree of course wins on smell; the rich and refreshing scent of pine filling the home just embodies Christmas. BUT, this can be achieved with diffusers, reeds, plug-in scents and candles if you opt for a faux.

• A faux tree wins in terms of maintenance, because there is no sweeping and watering whilst it is up, like the real tree requires. However, the work of assembling, disassembling and storing a faux tree can prove challenging for some, as opposed to just chucking a real tree once you are done.

• BUT, it’s the chucking that is an issue for many…the cutting down of trees each year for the purpose of decorating and the implications on the environment?

• With its fixed and firm branches, I find the faux tree much easier to decorate. The branches of a real tree sometimes cannot manage the weight of ornaments and require wiring.

The Steps

• Establish your tree design/theme/colour scheme — elements that bind the design.

• Sort, organise and group your ornaments, flowers, and ribbons.

• Erect, trim/shape your tree

• Light the tree, making sure to go branch by branch, in and out, to get a bright glow.

• Divide the tree in sections to help you to better distribute the decorations evenly. This ensures that clusters and decorations are uniformly grouped and similar pieces are not in the same area.

• I start with the topper that can range from angels, stars, bows, finials, flowers and picks.

• I then start with the clusters of flower and picks, arranged in their respective quadrants

• Then I fill in with ornaments. Combine large and small ornaments for depth. I like to create clusters of ornaments for impact.

• I constantly stand back and circle the tree to see where needs are.

• I then complete the tree with a tree skirt, collar or water bucket, in a coordinating or complementary colour and I’m done!

The Haute Tree is haughty in size, and finish. Here, more is MORE! Completely covered in luxurious ribbons, velvet, silk and leather, poinsettias and magnolias, pearl, diamanté and glitter stems and nearly 150 luxurious glass ornaments and baubles.

The Haute Tree is a colour-block contrast of ivory and turquoise, with hints of gold, perfectly coordinated to the interior decor. Right down to the coordinating gift wrapping.

The Glam Sophisticate Tree is more understated in its finish in terms of volume and tone, but no less in the choice of ornaments, flowers and stems. A monochromatic statement of white, ivory and gold, against the deep forest green fir tree, but bursting in textures of diamanté, sequin, pearls and glass beads. The tree sparkles and glitters with glamorous sophistication, perfectly suited to its sophisticated home.