House builder teams up with The Festive group to spread some Christmas cheer during lockdown

Stewart Milne Homes has teamed up with the UK’s leading Christmas installation company The Festive Group to offer one lucky homeowner a festive makeover of their dreams. 

As the countdown to Christmas starts, the housebuilder which has developments across the North West and Scotland, is working with the decorative specialists to give homeowners across the country a helping hand when it comes to getting their homes ready in time for Christmas. 

Stewart Milne Homes invited The Festive Group to its show homes at the Bayley Croft neighbourhood in Willaston, Cheshire to create some show stopping festive designs as part of a nationwide competition to win a £450 voucher towards a Festive Group makeover.

This year The Festive Group has seen a surge in early bookings and have noted a rise in demand for jewel colour themes, featuring emerald, sapphire and magenta. 

Lead stylist Jackie Chapman from The Festive Group shares her top tips for turning your home into a stylish festive space.

1.Making an entrance – perfecting the hanging door wreath….

Door decorations have become more popular in recent years, with wreaths becoming more decorative to match the detail of decorations inside the home. Many people struggle with how to hang their wreath without damaging their front doors or using unsightly and unstable nails.

To hang the perfect wreath, use a coordinating ribbon to go over the top of the door and attach to the letter box with string on the inside. Finish the look by creating a bow with the leftover ribbon and you have the perfect festive entrance to your home.

2.Little touches which make a difference

Although the Christmas tree is the centrepiece to any festive decorations in the home, don’t forget to include other details throughout your home to tie your theme together.

At the Millwood show home in Bayley Croft, we created a window garland using some of the same decorations and baubles from the tree on a long pine wreath – brightening up the windowsill and it can be seen inside and out.

While The Festive Group takes the hard work out of this for you, creating your own can be a cheaper alternative, with lots of craft and decorative options available in good homeware stores or online.

3.The festive pièce de résistance

The tree really is the crowning glory of any festive home. Whether it’s a real or an artificial tree you choose, make sure you pick the right size and shape to suit your room and home.

Most artificial trees come in a standard or a slim line base, so take into consideration the amount of free space you have in your living room, will it obstruct a door way or are there any other pieces of furniture a tree might hide.

Make sure it’s not too tall– think about the height of the room, especially if you’re opting for a real tree, as you don’t want the top to bend at the ceiling, taking attention away from your chosen tree topper.

4.Let there be light

Tree lights are usually sold with either ice white or warm white bulbs. If your room has a cool-toned silver colour theme, choose ice white lighting to tie in with the existing interior design.

On the other hand, if your space has a warmer colour palette, choose warm white lights to complement these tones. Warm lights are often associated with a cosy feeling whereas icy lights are bright and sparkly – think about what vibe you want your tree to have.

5.The decorations

When choosing your decorations, ensure you opt for a range of sizes, shapes and styles to keep the overall look interesting and add some eye-catching pieces to the mix. Go for decorations which have the same colour theme and ones which match the decorative style of your room.

This year, as well as jewel colours, muted golds, silvers and mink with a hint of pale pink or green are also proving popular colour choices for decorations.

When it comes to placing baubles on the tree, make sure that you give each decoration plenty of space on the branches. When you look at the tree, you should see no horizontal lines of baubles and each decoration should be placed a different height.

This will make your tree look fuller and give it a professional touch, while giving each decoration room to be appreciated.

The Festive Group has decorated the homes of many celebrity clients over the years including, Sharon Osborne, Dawn Ward, Gemma Collins, Trent Alexander Arnold and Mo Saleh.

Vicky Lally from The Festive Group said:

“With lock down restrictions likely to prevent people from heading out to celebrate this year, we’re seeing many of our customers pulling out all the stops this year, investing more time and money in making their home the perfect space to spend the festive season.

“Whilst 2020 will always be remembered for Covid-19 I hope  it will also be remembered as the year we saw the return of the magical and memorable family festive Christmas.”

Stewart Milne Homes said:

“Creating spaces for families to enjoy has always been a key part of our design ethos and we’ve teamed up with The Festive Group this Christmas to ensure families can make the most of their homes this winter.”

To enter the competition and win a £450 contribution towards a makeover from The Festive Group visit @smilnehomes on Instagram. Competition launches Friday 6^th November 2020.