Christmas indulgences 1: rich pickings

This week we're going to share some wonder Christmas indulgences with you inspired by food and drinks, along with the festive colours of gold, frankincense and myrrh. We begin in the dining room and take you back in time before Christmas had become so commercialised. A time when the festive table indulgences consisted of home-made food and decorations were based on foliage and berries foraged from the countryside.

Your home may not be a stately or manor house style, with wood panelling in the dining room and an enormous fireplace however, you can still be inspired to move away from a commercialised Christmas and get back to basics. Neat green curtains hung from metal curtain poles along with a plain white table cloth may seem to have stripped Christmas altogether! To remind yourself of the season add a garland made from foraged leaves and berries and lay it across the mantle piece if you have one – if you don't you could loop it around your curtain poles and tracks.

Wooden floors should be covered with large rugs to provide comfort underfoot for your guests, rugs will also help protect your floor from high heels as well as accidental spills. The key feature of this style is its simplicity – no garish tracer lights giving you a headache and no 'talking Santa' to get on your nerves before the big day even arrives! With many people feeling the pinch and having to tighten the spending belts this year, it's never been a better time to adopt this simple yet stylish festive idea.

Spend your money on soft furnishings that will last well into the New Year and beyond. Curtain fabric can be used to make cushions and blinds for windows, you could even make your own napkins and table runners which can be used year after year and therefore are a long-term investment – all can easily be up-dated each year to keep up with interior design trends and annual colour changes. Lavish your family and friends with gorgeous home-made festive foods and they'll want to return next year!

Spend your time, rather than ludicrous amounts of money on gifts of soft furnishings and practical home items which recipients can benefit from. We're not against Christmas! - far from it, but we do like to think it's time to stop and reflect – what do you think? Join us tomorrow for another Christmas indulgence to get your interior design taste buds tingling!

For more inspiration then why not browse through our Christmas Shop.