Christmas interior in English. Interior design in the English style - basics and rules of design. Textiles are most often used for bedroom decor.

The New Year and Christmas holidays are getting closer, and many of us are increasingly asking the question: how should we approach decorating our home? If a traditional Christmas tree is not enough, or you want to give it up altogether, it would be a good idea to read our guide to the traditional attributes of Christmas in English homes. They will help add variety to the festive interior.

Traditionally, around Christmas, garlands of spruce, juniper and ivy appear over the doorways of English houses. They are richly decorated with fir cones, ribbons and bells, as well as scarlet poiscentia flowers and garlands.

In everyday life, poiscentia is often called the “Christmas star”, since it blooms just at the end of December, and its scarlet holly flowers really resemble a star. In general, the British have a tender love for this flower and often place pots of these flowers throughout the house.

Another beautiful tradition is decorating doorways with holly branches. Large bright red berries and dark green carved leaves, reminiscent of a royal crown, fit very harmoniously into the Christmas palette.

Four weeks before Christmas, juniper wreaths or fir trees decorated with four candles appear on tables in English homes. During each Sunday dinner, the owners of the house light one candle. First one, then two, three and so on. This tradition gradually puts household members in the Christmas spirit.

Christling is another traditional attribute of Christmas in England, borrowed by the children's aid society from the customs of the German Orava church. A candle is attached to an orange tied with a red ribbon. Four sticks decorated with leaves or colored paper indicate the four cardinal directions. Often the top of the orange is sprinkled with small fruits, nuts and sweets. Such gifts seem like something very special to children and spread the sweet aroma of orange throughout the house.
See other interesting ideas for New Year's decor in the community

We have already talked about how relevant the minimalist style is even in the festive decoration of an apartment or house. And for those who are not very attracted to traditional red and other bright colors in winter decor, this article! The whole world is crazy about Scandinavian minimalism in the interior, and we also think the idea of “White Christmas” is very beautiful, where all the elements are made in black and white or neutral colors, natural materials are used, as well as some geometric motifs. The main thing is not to forget about your own comfort and not to turn your home into a showcase. Here you will find some tips on how to transform your home into a Scandinavian Christmas retreat, as well as lots of photos for inspiration! You can also use these tips simply to decorate a New Year's table or a party you want to throw for friends ahead of the holidays.

1. Start with pure colors: in addition to white and black, green will be mandatory (although you can also put white spruce, but this is a bit contrary to the idea of naturalness), which you can also dilute with neutral beige. With these flowers your home will be filled with air.

2. Natural materials! Everyone knows how careful and respectful the people of Scandinavian countries are to nature. Therefore, there will be no plastic in their homes, and wood plays the main role. Therefore, you should not hang tinsel - the best decorations will be branches (and not only spruce branches, even bare winter branches), pine cones, nuts, cotton, tree cuts, wooden structures, fabric or paper garlands, or even baked goods that will definitely not go to waste! A great option is to do something with your own hands, and here we will remind you of our DIY tutorials: and. Also, be sure to check out the Homey Oh My blog for lots of ideas on how to make your own jewelry and some of the photos in this post are from there.

3. Add geometric elements. This will be a very modern detail in your interior. And it won’t seem so bland if you add polygons in absolutely any form to it!

4. Lighting and candles. This is what will truly add comfort to your space. Use completely simple white tall candles or many small ones in original candlesticks. Artificial lighting is also welcome, but choose lights of a natural, yellow hue.

5. Some textiles will never be superfluous. Yes, it is usually not customary to decorate Scandinavian-style interiors with curtains, multi-layer tablecloths, etc. But still, just for the New Year’s mood, you can add several plain pillows and a warm blanket, so your home will delight not only the eye!

6. Simplicity is the key to success. Don't go overboard with the decor. That's why it's minimalist, so that nothing catches your eye when you walk into the house. Even black and white decorations can turn kitsch if they are used in every corner. So place your accents wisely!

Christmas is one of the brightest holidays. It can confidently be called traditionally family-style, able to gather everyone at one table.

In order for the atmosphere of celebration to be fully felt, it is necessary to create an appropriate environment, which can be achieved through the festive design of the home. Surely, remembering the holiday preceding Christmas like New Year, everyone will think about the following: a Christmas tree decorated with balls and garlands, fake snowflakes, a festive table, candles and the smell of tangerines.

And what, first of all, is Christmas associated with? In this article we will look into this. And the main idea of the review will be the traditional customs in the decorations, rooted over the years, based on the symbols of the holiday. So, how to decorate your interior for Christmas and stay true to tradition?

In order to understand the specifics of Christmas decoration, first of all, it is worth looking at the pages of history and understanding the origins of the holiday, the nature of its origin, spread, on which, first of all, the significance of the event depends.

Note! Since in this article we will consider the Christmas interior of Europeans and Orthodox Christians, it is worth noting that it is history that connects the holiday of different branches of Christianity.

Mary and her husband Joseph went to Bethlehem for the census. The city was very crowded with people and they could not find shelter. A way out was found, but they had to stop for the night in a cave. It was intended for cattle.
It was in such an environment that Jesus was born. The shepherds received such good news, according to legend, from an angel and brought gifts. That night the Star of Bethlehem rose in the sky, which showed the way to the Magi.

Many people know that Christians and Catholics celebrate Christmas at different times: the former on January 7, and the latter on December 25. Why is this happening? It's all about different chronology and calendar.
And it was like this. Pope Gregory, during a period of controversy over the calendar, transfers the chronology to the so-called new style. The old style is the Julian version. The difference between them is about 13 days.
European countries are dutifully repeating the transition. Russia took this step only after the October Revolution.
But the church did not want to change its traditions, which is why the Georgian, Ukrainian, Jerusalem and Russian churches celebrate the celebration on the night of January 6th to 7th.

Distinctive features of European and Orthodox Christmas

As mentioned above, the first difference is the date of Christmas.
The second comes down to the strictest fasting. The fact is that according to the traditions of Orthodoxy, all believers (with some exceptions) must adhere to it. Fasting comes down to certain abstinence in food.

At the same time, a person must cleanse himself spiritually and become aware of all his actions. Before the rising of the Star of Bethlehem, you should not drink or eat at all. This period is called Christmas Eve.

There is no such custom in Catholicism.

Having carefully studied the traditions of the celebration, you will notice that for European countries Christmas is a family holiday, more reminiscent of our New Year. But for the Orthodox, this is, first of all, a spiritual holiday.

Churches hold services based on age-old customs. Thousands of people go to temples to cleanse themselves and get closer to the spiritual world. Catholic worship is much simpler, it can be said to be modernized for modern times.

Interesting fact! A logical conclusion can be drawn from the above: for Catholics it is more important that Jesus was born and not resurrected, but for Orthodoxy it is quite the opposite, since for them Easter is a more significant holiday.

Let's get acquainted with the Western design

The period of preparation for Christmas among Catholics is called Advent. It lasts about 4 weeks, and during this time European residents not only prepare for confession and other religious events, but also try to embody Christmas in interior design.

Surely, each of you has seen foreign films popular during the New Year holidays? Remember the comedy “Home Alone”, it clearly demonstrates the Christmas atmosphere in the house in a European and American way.

So let's talk in more detail about what constitutes a Christmas interior in Europe.

Baskets and wreaths

The interior of the house at Christmas is inextricably linked with wreaths. They can have different sizes, appearance, and decorations.

Christmas wreaths play a rather symbolic role in the interior. Their use has its own history, and quite an interesting one, although not so long ago.

Johann Wichern, a theologian who lived in the 19th century, took children from poor families to educate. They, of course, could neither read nor write. But they constantly asked their caregiver about when Christmas would finally come.
Wichern, tired of the same questions, decided to do the following: he placed red and white candles on the wheel. The first were small, and the second were larger. On weekdays it was necessary to light a red one, and on weekends - a white one.
Soon the red candles burned out, and 4 white ones remained. This became a kind of prototype of the wreath on which the candles were placed.

Wreaths can be decorated in completely different ways: artificial fruits, gifts, candies, and so on. It is quite possible to make such an element with your own hands.

The basis, as a rule, is coniferous branches, which are actively decorated. With their help, you can also transform Christmas baskets in which fruit is placed.

Christmas socks

Europeans have a rather funny tradition, which consists of hanging decorative socks near the Christmas tree. Of course, Santa must put gifts in them.

If the latter is not comparable in volume to a sock, it can easily be placed next to it. Each family member has his own sock. It can be made from any desired and suitable fabric.

Christmas interior decor in the form of wooden similar elements is also welcome. With a certain apartment design, they can look very stylish and organic.

Pay attention! A large number of people in Europe have long forgotten about putting gifts in socks. They are most often presented using the old Soviet method: they are simply placed under a spruce tree. That is, in fact, only the tradition of decorating the interior design for Christmas with the help of these socks remains.

Take a look at the English-style Christmas interior; it reflects the above tradition as much as possible.

Pomanders

Do you know what pomanders are? These are oranges, but not simple ones, but decorated with caraway seeds, cinnamon and cloves. Thanks to this, the whole house is filled with a wonderful incense, with which Europeans associate Christmas, just like Russians associate with tangerines.

With the help of pomanders you can easily decorate, or, more precisely, complement your Christmas interior with your own hands. Entire compositions are made, which also include pine cones, branches of pine needles, lemons, other spices and more.

You can place this unique fruit and aromatic craft anywhere: near the Christmas tree, on the table, on the windowsill.

Christmas tree

The best piece of Christmas interior, or rather even the most important, is, of course, the spruce.

You can decorate it:

Apples and other edible decorations. Currently, this is no longer so relevant and natural products have been replaced with props, but it is quite possible to try.

This is interesting! Do you know why the Christmas tree was decorated with apples? Because this is the main symbol of the gifts to Jesus.

Sweets, pomanders, nuts, cookies- all this will do too.
Lights- a symbol of light that was sent by Christ, therefore they are one of the most important attributes.
Bows, bells and other little things also relevant for decorating a Christmas tree.
The Christmas style in the interior of Europeans involves a religious theme., therefore, you can also hang on the spruce, for example, trumpets, acting as a symbol of the good news, the Magi, and angels.

Symbolic plants

Do you know that in addition to the Christmas tree, there are other plant symbols of the holiday? Catholic interior decoration for Christmas is directly related to poinsettias and mistletoe wreaths.

The mistletoe wreath is a unique symbol of inseparability. According to legend, if you kiss while under it, the union that has been sealed in the future will not be dissolved.
Now mistletoe can also be bought in artificial form. It is hung in the house in the form of wreaths or in separate branches.
Poinsettia is a symbol of the Christmas Star of Bethlehem. It is often placed on a holiday table or hung in an apartment (house). You can also use it to create compositions and weave wreaths.

Pay attention! Both poinsettia and mistletoe are poisonous and should be handled with care.

Magic cookies

Just like our tradition of drinking champagne with the ashes of paper on which a wish is written, Catholics have their own equivalent. Only what is written is not a wish, but a prediction or a playful wish.

The papers are baked inside the cookies and served. The prediction must be read without fail, because this is the traditional meaning.

Moreover, it is also a kind of Christmas decoration for the interior, even, it would be more correct to say, for the table. Cookies are skillfully decorated, and their presence perfectly complements the festive atmosphere.

A special composition is a symbol of the holiday

Christmas decorations for the interior must necessarily contain such a symbolic element as a nativity scene. This is a composition that reflects the scene of the birth of Jesus.

In ancient times, such a symbol was placed exclusively in churches, but gradually everything changed and people began to use similar scenes in festive decor.

Decorating houses outside

Europeans actively decorate the facades of houses and dachas. They are hung not only on the walls of homes, but also on trees, fences and other suitable places.

In a word, everything should glow and shine, and the brighter, according to Catholics, the better.

Traditional events and symbols of the holiday

Let's pay attention to the most striking symbols of the European version of Christmas.

Santa Claus

How can we not remember the famous Santa Claus, who climbs into chimneys on Christmas night and lays out gifts. This symbol lives not only in the thoughts of millions of children - with the help of Santa figures they actively decorate their homes.

They are placed in the garden near the house, at the entrance, near the festive tree and in other suitable places.

Take a look at the photo and see for yourself:

Advent calendars

We have already spoken above about the existence of the so-called Advent period, which lasts 4 weeks before the start of the holiday.

Because of this, there is a tradition of giving children Christmas or Advent calendars. This is a kind of method of counting the number of days remaining until the holiday.

Such a souvenir, as a rule, brings children a lot of joy not only from the holiday that is getting closer every day, but also from the mini-gifts that this calendar contains.
It is a set of 24 pockets made in various shapes. Each one contains a small present. It could be candy, a coin, a chocolate bar, and so on.
You are allowed to open one every day. And so on for all 24 days.
Such a souvenir can be bought ready-made or made with your own hands. You can also use brightly decorated envelopes and hang them on a string or magnets.
Santa hats or knitted bags are also suitable.

Such a calendar can also be given to an Orthodox child. And believe me, he will receive a lot of positive emotions.

Christmas in Orthodoxy

Interior decoration for Christmas in Orthodoxy can also become a whole ritual. Modern people are accustomed to decorating their home with what is presented on the counters, while no one thinks about the meaning of the objects and their relevance: it’s beautiful - oh well.

Moreover, recently the use of Western European design techniques has become widespread, which is also not entirely good. After all, not only the atmosphere of Orthodox Christmas is lost, but also the sacred meaning of the elements.

However, like Catholicism, Orthodox Christians have an equally rich list of customs and traditional items that can be easily compared with home decoration.

What to use

First of all, it’s worth talking about the Christmas tree. It is also fashionable to buy pine now. These are the key symbols of the holiday.
You can hang anything you like on the spruce: balls, garlands, props, lights and much more.
Biblical religious themes will also be very useful. This will make the Christmas interior design appropriate for the celebration.
The same figures of the Magi, trumpets and angels will also be relevant for the Orthodox.
Fresh flowers, bells and a nativity scene will help create a real Christmas atmosphere.

Angels

This is also a traditional ancient symbol and it means joy for the holiday and the guests who come to the house. Again, you can hang them anywhere. It’s quite easy to build angels with your own hands, and almost any desired material can be used.

Fresh flowers

Christmas is celebrated in the winter season, and it would seem that living plants are completely inappropriate, but this is not entirely true.

The icons are decorated with chrysanthemums, lilies, and spruce branches. You can even create a whole composition. This is not only symbolic, but also beautiful.

Make garlands of fresh flowers and hang them in your house or apartment. This can truly surprise your guests.

The most long-awaited, bright and main holiday of the year for Europeans is Christmas! It is on these magical days that you can truly plunge into the world of celebration and fairy tales. Christmas is considered a family holiday and many celebrate it at home, with family and close friends. An expert from the “Hand to Hands” portal, a professional interior designer, will tell you about Christmas decor in the European style. Regina Urm.

It is at Christmas that you can see Europe as fabulously beautiful! Owners of shops, shops and workshops seem to be competing, decorating their windows with various compositions and original lighting. All central squares and main tourist spots turn into a bright winter carnival of colors and wonders. Huge decorated fir trees, Santa Claus and unusual decor delight guests and local residents. In Europe, interiors are decorated in especially interesting ways at Christmas; there are many traditions; I will tell you about the most interesting ones that form the basis of the style.

There are traditional European style colors: red, green, white, gold and silver. The Christmas interior in Europe is a composition of traditional symbols that have their own history, bright decor, an abundance of themed textiles, treats and originally designed gifts. If you want to create a European style in your home, follow my tips.

Wreath

No Christmas in Europe is complete without a wreath! This is a kind of amulet, an amulet that symbolizes well-being and happiness in the home. Wreaths are hung on windows, New Year's compositions are made with them, fireplaces and portals are decorated with wreaths, and, of course, the most beautiful wreath can be seen on the front door of the house. Making a Christmas wreath is not difficult. It can be of a traditional appearance (photos 1 – 7) and consist of juniper, coniferous branches, twigs, moss, holly, ivy, fir cones, and various roots. –The wreath is decorated with berries, small toys, candy canes, stars, or is created from very unusual materials: corks, fabric, paper, bells and even cotton.

Candles

Candles are of great importance in Christmas decoration, since from ancient times light drove away cold and darkness, and after the birth of Christ, the candle became a symbol of the light of faith, the light of the world. Tables, window sills, windows, and stairs are decorated with candles. Candles can be in tall candelabras, standing on trays or on the floor, in spruce compositions. According to tradition, there must certainly be four of them; the fifth candle is lit at Christmas and placed in the center of the composition; it symbolizes Jesus Christ. Candles are decorated with spices and dressed in fancy outfits. In Europe, candles are an integral part of Christmas decorations.

Nativity scene

A very interesting European Christmas tradition is the creation of a home nativity scene; it appeared in the 13th century and was first presented by Francis of Assisi in the form of a “living picture.” A nativity scene is the creation of small compositions of people dressed in gospel clothing and animals present at the moment of the birth of Christ. They can be made from felt, paper, and the nativity scene can also be prepared in the form of a cake.

Christmas stockings

This is a traditional European decor that can be seen in every home! They are hung over fireplaces, beds, a Christmas stocking or stocking - this is usually an original gift bag that is brightly decorated and always present at Christmas.

In addition, another original European decor is:

– Candy cane with mint and cinnamon flavor. This delicacy is simply impossible not to notice! The candy cane is shaped like the letter “J,” symbolizing the name “Jesus.”

– Cookies for Santa. These are the cookies that children leave for Santa Claus on the fireplace as a thank you for his work.

– Christmas cards, which Europeans send to each other for Christmas.

– Yule log. A symbol of the hearth and a talisman against evil spirits, as well as an original element for decorating gifts.

A competent combination of these traditions makes up European-style Christmas decor!