My minimalist Christmas decor – the first few touches

I don’t normally start decorating the house for Christmas until December, but with the weekends falling the way they do – and with the days getting increasingly gloomy – I couldn’t resist adding some festive cheer a little earlier this year. So, here’s a look at the touches I’ve incorporated so far. As always I’ve opted to keep things simple and minimalist, with neutral colours and natural greenery, and I’ve focused on timeless pieces that can be used again and again rather than anything trend-led.

In the living room, I’ve taken inspiration from my autumn pumpkin display and created an asymmetrical arrangement with a cluster of plain white pillar candles. It includes some of the same foliage, which has dried out nicely over the last few weeks, and I’ve also added sprigs of fir and some preserved eucalyptus left over from last year. I’ve secured everything with a twist of floristry wire so it should stay put for a month or so, and I’ve positioned things carefully so that there’s no risk of anything catching fire from the candle flames.

On the other side of the mantlepiece I’ve placed one of the paper stars that I reuse in different ways around the house year after year, and there’s some more festive greenery – fresh, this time – in a small glass vase on the coffee table.

Another of the paper stars has appeared on the sideboard in my little office, where I’ve created a simple yet striking display using LIND DNA’s new ‘Curve’ modular candleholder collection. Designed by the Danish company’s founder, Preben Lind, it showcases beautiful organic curves and comes in chrome and gold-plated versions. There are three different base elements (triple, double and single) plus various add-ons, and you can arrange them in whatever combination you want: big, small, minimalist, ornate… I’m planning to use mine in various ways over the festive period and they may even put in an appearance on the Christmas table, but for the moment they look great here with a few foraged pine cones.

We’ll be adding more decorations next weekend, so I’ll share photos when I can. In the meantime, here are some Christmas posts from years past that might give you a bit of inspiration for your own home:

How to make an asymmetrical Christmas wreath

Christmas inspiration with paper baubles

Simple Christmas decorating ideas using paper stars

How to have a minimalist Christmas

How to make a seasonal garland

You can also see three ideas for nature-inspired festive colour schemes here, and my round-up of the best scented candles for Christmas and winter here.

Please note I was given various items from the LIND DNA ‘Curve’ collection as part of an Instagram collaboration, however I wasn’t obliged or paid to include them in this post. 

All photography by Abi Dare

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