Houses decorated for Christmas

The interiors writer Anne Hardy tells the story of her own Connecticut house, created by skilfully linking a former blacksmith’s forge to a 19th-century wagon barn, and how she and her husband Jim incorporate family traditions at Christmas

Lucy Clayton and interior designer Ben Pentreath played with colour and whimsical details to bring comfort and joy to her London townhouse

Buying a house in which little has been changed for 40 years might seem a daunting prospect. But for Rosie Hayes it was a chance to celebrate the timeless interiors created by Robert Kime and update them sympathetically with the help of the studio’s current managing director, Orlando Atty

At her farm in the Cotswolds Amanda Brooks and her husband Christopher have used reclaimed materials and furniture from a past life to turn a former piggery into a charming guest cottage. Here is how she decorates it for Christmas.

Swedish design duo Studio Ramson enlisted specialist craftspeople to help to turn back the clock in this traditional country house, restoring authenticity one tile at a time

Having moved to Dorset just over year ago, designer and arist Jess Wheeler and her boyfriend Eddie Orlik have turned a rental cottage into a charming home that forms the backdrop to their creative endeavours.

Christmas at this Edwardian country house, where Flora spent her childhood Christmases and now returns with her own family, is all about comfortable informality and making new memories from old traditions

Transforming a brutalist flat in the Barbican into a warm, festive space is no mean feat, but interior designer Tom Morris has risen to the challenge

Driven by details and a commitment to doing things right, Eva Karayiannis' west London townhouse shares the same ethos as childrenswear brand, Caramel, that she founded in 1999. Just like with her clothes, it's all about getting the bones right and creating something that can be dressed up and down.

The florist behind Bloom & Burn uses locally-grown and foraged plants to make his accessible, festive decorations.

In a farmhouse on the edge of Dartmoor, Callie Coles and her husband Toby live a life of ‘merry bedlam’, bringing up their three sons surrounded by the animals they love

Richard E Grant's house in Richmond is filled with an abundance of treasures that the actor acquired with his late wife Joan - antiques, artefacts, paintings, books, dolls and the odd souvenir from his film career. And, at Christmas, the colourful interiors are given a maximalist boost with lavish decorations

As one half of a traditional paper marbling studio, Alex Lewis is constantly acquiring new skills, as evidenced by his have-a-go renovation of his Somerset farm, employing techniques picked up from family and friends

Set inside a 19th-century palazzo, the French-Chinese food writer’s apartment blends old-world architecture with the warmth of a large, cosmopolitan family – never more so than during the festive season

In December, Lulu Benson welcomes her extended family to Neidpath Castle in the Scottish Borders, where they celebrate the season with reeling and feasting in the vaulted medieval hall

Interior designer Martin Brudnizki and his art consultant partner Jonathan Brook like to let their imaginations run riot at home in West Sussex, especially at this time of year. Part of a large 17th-century house in West Sussex, their flat, with its grand proportions and ornate original features, provides the perfect backdrop for indulging their lavish, country-house decorating dreams.

Marie-Louise Sjögren’s historic house on the Stockholm archipelago was built as a summer retreat, but her family now enjoy the tranquil location in comfort all year round–especially at Christmas

The food writer and tableware designer usually spends Christmas in her apartment in a 17th-century palazzo in Venice, where we visited her for a special festive edition of Design Notes

At this former rectory in the West Country, foraged Christmas decorations and salvaged materials enhance the sense of a house that has been made suitable for modern family life, while retaining its Victorian character

Deep in the Mendip Hills, garden designer Sean Pritchard has turned a labourer's dwelling into a charming home