Living Inspired Interiors: Your Guide To All Things Festive

It’s time to decorate for the holidays and embrace the spirit of the festive season. We chatted with Tanya Solomon, founder of Living Inspired Interiors about some of her favourite Christmas trends and how to plan and execute a memorable Christmas tablescape at home!

Here’s what Tanya had to share…

Which famous South Africans would you have over for a festive dinner party?

I’d love to put together a mixture of interesting, famous South Africans from different spheres of life, like artist William Kentridge, Chef Jan Hendrik van der Westhuizen, business magnate Elon Musk and actress Charlize Theron.

What are your three favourite things about Christmas?

Family and friends, festive meals and happy children.

Do you believe festive decorations in the home at Christmas time play an important part in creating lasting memories for both children and adults?

Absolutely!! I recall the smell of the faux Christmas tree and decorations so vividly and fondly, each year unpacking everything and setting it up with my family. It’s a special time of the year for children to treasure especially.

How do you decorate your home at Christmas time?

With a traditional Christmas tree, decorated with all the bells, lights and whistles (literally!) and loads of gifts stacked underneath.

Let’s talk Christmas Trees… real or fake?

Would love a real tree!! But the good old faithful fake tree has been a family favourite always.

How can you mix up the colour theme at Christmas, so each year has its own personality (without the need to buy everything new again)?

Get different colours and textured ribbons that are not as expensive as new Christmas decorations, that you can cut into big bows and tie onto the tree to add a new colour! Or get the kids to bake different Christmas-shaped biscuits with colourful icing to decorate the tree. If you’re a fan of Christmas crafts and want to put your creativity to the test, try making cute and elegant DIY Christmas ornaments that you can easily use year after year. You can find so many ideas available online.

Let’s talk about the table… what’s important in creating a festive table at home?

When it comes to creating a classic festive table, I like to put an of-the-moment spin on a traditional setting. One way to accomplish this is by opting for a non-traditional colour palette, sometimes even favouring deep pinks and golds over the usual red and green.

Inspired by our summer season colours the hues are unexpected yet still give off a decidedly festive feel. If you wish to go this route, I suggest pulling in traditional Christmas elements like evergreens, berries, and ornaments to give the look context.

I also recommend using the holidays as an excuse to pull out all of your barware! Cocktails are essential to holiday entertaining. Though I rarely set the table with cordial glasses, it’s the season to offer up a toast in a pretty vessel.

While you’re giving your favourite glassware an opportunity to shine, go ahead and dust off your other favourite family heirlooms and wedding gifts. Christmas celebrations should be special and festive, and if you don’t pull them out now, when else are you going to use them? Don’t be afraid to break up sets and mix and match to keep things interesting.

What are some ways to bring nature into the house at Christmas time?

Making use of evergreens, berries and my favourite go-to decor also includes loads of fresh flowers, fruit and vegetable displays.

What are your best decor buys in your collections for Christmas?

Most definitely the bookstand, that’s a must-have accessory for every home, besides for all the accessories that you can’t go wrong with favourites always. I think a special Christmas purchase can also be an art piece from our curated art collection that will make a perfect Christmas gift for anyone.

Take a look at the collection available from Living Inspired Interiors and create your own magical festive interior this season!