Roaring fires, cosy corners, and ceilings high enough to accommodate storybook huge Christmas trees – the country house is the ultimate festive aspiration for those chasing the Hallmark movie, nostalgic magic of the season.
And the ultimate country house is Coworth Park, according to Sue Barnes, creative director of renowned florist Lavender Green, who oversees the overnight transformation of the hotel each year.
The sprawling cream stucco Regency pile near Ascot is set in acres of grounds, including its own polo field, with the interiors and food menus drawing heavily on the hotel’s surroundings year round.
This theme carries through into the Christmas makeover, which is effected by 22 busy decorating elves, starting after the last guest has hit the hay and continuing overnight with the finishing touches added before the house stirs for breakfast.
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Planning for the next year starts the day after the instal is finished, although the design proper starts around July and while the hotel’s assistant director of events, Georgina Lawton won’t be drawn on costs, she does concede that whatever her budget is it gets busted.
“Every year it’s the biggest, most exciting installation it’s the one that turns us into little kids regardless of our age,” says Barnes, who has worked on many impressive country houses, including royal ones.
“But everyone involved with Coworth Park absolutely loves it so it’s got to be right, it’s got a real soul so conveying that difference compared to other luxury hotels is so important.”
Lawton says many of their guests view it as a home from home and return Christmas after Christmas, so, much like in any family home, making sure to retain some elements from year to year is critical – while introducing new themes and refining the look.
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“It always has to be naturally beautiful, that’s our baseline, but with a touch of luxury added on top,” says Barnes.
“This year we’ve gone for a really cosy, elegant feel, with a more plush look, velvets and deeper colours mixed in with the hotel’s neutral palette.”
But what should never change, says Barnes, is “that wow, that excitement when you see it”.
And it is quite the feat. From the entrance framed by two stately pillars wrapped in shining gold ribbon and crowned with an enormous natural wreath, to the winter wonderland display behind the reception desk, complete with spinning ice skates and a miniature railway, the common parts become chapters in the big Christmas story of the hotel.
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But while the scale of the hotel is maximal, and apparently some very wealthy clients do request temporary Christmas grottoes to be built in their own homes, plenty of the decorations are simple and inexpensive to replicate.
“When we design Christmas we want it to feel like a home not a hotel,” says Lawton. “People ask us how to build things or where to buy them from all the time and we can tell them.”
So, if a trip to Coworth Park is not on the cards this winter, here’s how you can recreate the country house decoration in your own home.
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“Concentrate on first impressions, the tree and things that you sit alongside,” says Barnes.
A fabulous wreath on your front door will set the tone from the off and is simple enough to make yourself, or buy a readymade base and add foliage and personalised decorations.
For example: “I drink gin and tonic so I reference that in my wreath. It has lemons, it has limes, it has juniper, it makes a statement about me,” says Barnes.
Add little festive touches to your dining table, or to a side table set at a natural conversation point in your home – this year Coworth Park has added snow globes and bud vases filled with baubles and foraged bits.
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Forage foliage from wherever you can (safely, legally) find it. Look for anything seasonal and follow your nose for wonderful smells too.
Things like old man’s beard and rosehips are plentiful at this time of year and look great arranged simply.
If you want to ramp things up a notch, you could try to replicate the dried hyacinth ‘snow clouds’ bunched and hung from the ceiling, with paper snowflakes dangling from them for a slightly surrealist use of natural elements.
Dried hydrangea ‘snow clouds’
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Don’t be afraid of a touch of whimsy
Lawton is a big fan of the tree in reception with Harry Potter-esque letters hanging from its branches.
Children can post their own letters to Santa on a postbox attached to the tree.
The postal bauble look is super easy to recreate yourself and could even be hung off houseplant if you don’t have a suitably dramatic looking tree at home.
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Similarly, the pair of vintage ice skates rotating in the reception display seems like the sort of thing you’d only find in a professional setting, but in fact, a bit of kinetic action could be a fun touch at home.
Turntables can be bought for as little as £20 and just need covering with a more festive fabric before artfully arranging your chosen trinkets on.
If you already have an electric train set, consider confiscating it from the kids and set it up around the base of your Christmas tree or on another large enough surface.
Jars of sweets, board games and puzzles, favourite DVDs – make treats visible and let things be interactive (so don’t be too precious about your displays).
Cupboards in the drawing room have been left open to display jars filled with sweets, alongside vintage cookbooks, knitting needles and baking supplies in “Mrs Claus’s cupboard”, a hospitable touch you can easily create at home.
The hotel has a games grotto with a cosy corner, old school pool table, air hockey, table tennis… But it could be that at your more modest home you have a pile of board games, Christmas books, and toys for visiting or resident children.