4 top tips for creating a festive oak frame home
Whatever time of the year is your favourite, there’s no denying that intangible sense of magic in the air as 25th December approaches.
From streams of twinkly lights guiding our journeys home, to the tempting and tasty festive foods on display wherever we turn, as we transition from autumn into winter and go about our daily lives, Christmas is all around us.
So, how can we invite this magic into our oak framed homes too?
Now obviously, oak frames are not just for Christmas, and they have an intrinsic way of bringing cottage to contemporary home styles to life.
However!
The charm and character of an oak frame lends itself perfectly to Christmastime, and below you’ll discover four top tips to help you create the festive home of your dreams:
1. Enhance natural beauty with seasonal greenery
1. Enhance natural beauty with seasonal greenery
This may already be a decorative tradition of yours, and if it is, have you ever wondered why we bring foliage into our houses?
Typically during the winter solstice, greenery adorned mantlepieces, staircases and other furnishings to ward off evil spirits and celebrate new growth…
You could also consider Christmas as a way of celebrating the beauty of the oak in your home by intertwining long strands of ivy with branches of various conifers and holly (as suggested by House & Garden) and wrapping them around your handcrafted beams and pillars; seasonally sprucing up your interiors in a way that naturally gives a nod towards your frame and tailored architectural design.
2. Use lighting to create cosy spaces
2. Use lighting to create cosy spaces
As the evenings noticeably begin drawing in, there’s just something we can’t quite put our fingers on about closing the curtains and feeling snuggled up inside – do you agree?
Shadows formed from table lamps positioned in corners add another dynamic to rooms at nighttime that may not be as noticeable during the summer months, while their illuminations authentically bounce off your frame above so you can enjoy it in another light.
Furthermore, ignited fragranced candles, such as this Silent Night Candle by Sophie Allport, are always on hand to spread a scent of Christmas cheer throughout.
3. Choose complementary colour schemes
3. Choose complementary colour schemes
Soft furnishings can not only add layers of cosy textures to our interiors, but they can also inject a splash of Christmastime colour.
A traditional festive palette includes reds, greens, golds, whites, blues, purples, silvers and browns, and it’s amazing just how a simple changeover of an autumnal burnt orange blanket to a faux fur throw in one of these colours can transform the festive feel of an oak framed room.
4. Maximise the potential of your spaces
4. Maximise the potential of your spaces
As we wind down for a Christmas break in some fashion, we relish the opportunity to spend more time with our loved ones.
Many of our clients fondly refer to their kitchens as the heartbeat of their homes, having carefully designed open-plan kitchen/diners featuring expansive vaulted ceilings with us based on their aspirations of entertaining and dancing the night away.
Oak extensions are a popular design addition as they help to maximise the potential of such spaces, allowing your eyes to wander out into the wintery night sky, peppered with stars while immersing yourself in the festivities inside, surrounded by family and friends, in a place you’re proud to call home.
We thoroughly enjoy hearing from you and seeing your Christmas decoration ideas on social media. Please continue to tag us in them accompanied by the hashtag #AtHomeWithOakwrights and we’ll always do our best to share them.
