WHERE IT GOES
Four places, and each one wants something different
01
The front door
The only piece anyone outside the house sees, and the one that takes the worst weather. A wreath between 45 and 60cm suits most UK front doors; smaller than 40cm and it looks lost on a standard door. Hang it on a wreath hanger over the top edge rather than on a nail — no holes, and it comes off in seconds in January.
02
The mantel
Seen from below and from one side, which changes what works. Build along it rather than up from it, and let something trail over the front edge at one end only — that single detail is what separates a styled mantel from a row of objects on a shelf. Leave one end lighter than the other. Perfect symmetry looks arranged rather than considered.
03
The table
Height is the only rule that matters. Anything above 30cm blocks the sightline across the table, and a centrepiece guests have to lean around is a centrepiece that gets moved before the starter. Long and low beats tall and round on a rectangular table — a shallow run down the middle with candles between.
04
The stairs and hallway
The first thing a visitor sees, and usually the darkest part of the house. Garland along a banister, or one tall arrangement on the console. This is where real greenery struggles most: no light, central heating, and nobody remembering to water anything in the third week of December.
Asked before buying
The questions people actually type
Taken from what people search before they decorate. Answered plainly, the way I would if you emailed.
Delivery takes 7 to 12 working days from the day you order, and December is the one month when carriers everywhere run slower than usual. November is comfortable. Early December is usually fine. Leaving it to the middle of December is a risk I would rather you did not take with something that has a date attached to it. The advantage of these over fresh is that early is free — buy in October and the box sits in a cupboard until you want it.
Yes, if you store them out of direct sun. Colour loss comes from light exposure, not from time on a shelf. A piece kept in a cupboard for eleven months looks the same the following December as it did the first — a piece left on a sunny windowsill in January will not.
Loosely, and not flattened. The commonest damage is not from time in storage, it is from cramming everything back into the box it arrived in. Wrap each arrangement in tissue rather than pressing them together, and use a large lidded box with room to spare — crushed stems and bent leaves are what actually age a piece. Somewhere dry and dark, and label the box. That is the difference between ten minutes next December and an afternoon.
Some do. Anything in berry reds, deep burgundy or bronze carries straight through. Brighter orange and yellow autumn tones read as out of place once the Christmas colours come out, so those are better swapped than stretched. If you are buying for both seasons, start with the muted end of the autumn palette and you will only need to add a few stems in December rather than replace everything.
No. There will be no additional charges when your parcel arrives. You will not be asked to pay anything at the door — the price you see at checkout is the total you pay.
Not sure what fits your mantel?
Measure the surface and send me the numbers. I will tell you plainly what works there, and what will look lost.
Email meFirst look at new designs
New pieces land in small batches. Email me and I will let you know when they go on the site, and as soon as anything goes on sale.
hello@lifelikebloom.com