‘I like to go all out for Christmas’ says doyenne of interior design, Nina Campbell. ‘I want the whole place to be swathed in things that I have collected over the years’. Nina is known for her elegant, sophisticated and beautifully unfussy approach to decorating rooms. It turns out that she is also rather adept at decorating for Christmas. Adept and utterly passionate. As Christmas is fast approaching and many of us are dusting off our decorations and untangling our fairy lights, we turn to Nina for her pearls of wisdom.
The tree
‘There is something about Christmas decorations that I love. You produce this box once a year and it’s full of memories — everything in it has a story attached. Maybe you bought a decoration after you had your first child, or got your first dog, and the decoration celebrates that moment. I like to give them as wedding presents, and always remind my clients, when decorating their house, they must factor in space to store Christmas decorations.
When I got my first house and had my own tree, I had just a few special decorations and lots of ‘filler’ ones – plain shiny red ones that would go closer to the trunk of the tree, and then my precious ones would be closer to the ends of the branches so you could see them. Now, I’ve collected masses of lovely decorations so I don’t need the red ones anymore. I like all different sizes and a mix of things, and try to buy at least one new one every year. When my children were little I had these rather plump baubles that are decorated as ballet dancers or skaters. I bought them to represent the children’s various hobbies or talents. This year, I’ve found one that is really fun and large. It's a round Father Christmas that’s hand painted in Austria. He’s a good, fat Father Christmas and the large ball accommodates his rather generous figure.
I always put lights on the tree – lots of them! They should be white lights with green cables, and crucially, they should be static. I don’t like it when they take on a life of their own and start flashing’.
The garden
‘I don’t like to forget about the garden in winter. I tidy up all the leaves and hang fairy lights – more static, white ones – on what’s left of the greenery. I have a lovely Jasmine in the garden so hang lights on that. When all the greenery is lit up outside, it feels like an extension of the room and from 4pm onwards it’s rather jolly.
A while ago, at the florist underneath Bibendum on Fulham Road, I bought three penguin ornaments made of sticks. They are about 18 inches tall, have red scarves and look as if they have been snowed on. I used to have a stag that went with them but something – I dread to think a mouse – ate its foot. The penguins were obviously not very tasty. Normally in winter they live in the garden, though sometimes I’ll bring them inside and put them on the table’.
The table
‘I sometimes put a length of pine down the middle of the table. It’s decorated with all sorts of lovely things – holly and redcurrants and such – by the wonderful florist John Carter, who is a dear friend of mine. I’d love to do it myself but I am not very crafty, and if I tried I would inevitably get about an inch along before I got distracted and forgot about it.
For meals around Christmas I like to decorate the table myself. I don’t go crazy and colourful, but like to bring out a rather beautiful and special set of white and gold plates. I set the table with silver cutlery and candlesticks, into which I put tall, dark green tapered candles.
I put mirrored plates down the length of the table, and on top of them a series of white fir stags and antelopes and some small votives for tealights. This collection of things on the mirrored plate looks icy and cold and lovely’.
Decorations around the house
‘I don’t do mistletoe because I think it’s quite ugly and a bit of a nightmare. I’ve never had a place for it either or quite known where to hang it.
I have a garland made from large fir cones that a man in Connecticut makes. The fir remains as the body of the decoration, and he adds gold pipe cleaners as arms and legs. He’s turned them into trumpeters and violinists. They are some of my favourites - they are different from anything else I’ve seen and every year I use them to decorate the fireplace’.
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The traditions
‘Stockings go at the end of the bed, not on the fireplace. Somehow Father Christmas must creep in to retrieve it and fill it up. All but one of my children put their stockings at the end of the bed, though one didn’t like the idea of Father Christmas creeping into her room, so she’d leave it outside of her bedroom door.
You must leave brandy and a cookie out for Father Christmas, and then in the morning there will be a little trail of cookie crumbs on the floor’.
The final rule
‘I’m ferocious about taking everything down on the 12th night. I’m quite superstitious and I was brought up to think that it’s bad luck if you don’t’.
