Welcome

It’s Christmas – well at IHIL HQ it is! One of our annual Christmas traditions is to have the Christmas tree up to coincide with the launch of the December issue. What are your decorating traditions? We asked nine of Ireland’s leading interior designers to share theirs with us, along with any tips to ensure our homes look magical at this time of year.

We’ve also reached out to six readers who let us inside their Christmas homes to marvel at all of their decorations. Our cover home in Co. Down is full of seasonal style thanks to the creative talents of owner Sara, who like many of the personalities we spoke to this month, likes to forage and bring nature indoors at this time of year. Likewise in Cork, Dave heads out with his sister every Christmas to forage for a large branch to bring home and decorate as part of his seasonal décor. In Ballymena, Louise’s candy coloured interiors are enhanced with her love of vintage decorations which she displays beautifully around her home. Carol and David’s Rathfarnham home is adorned with a host of decorations and flickering candles at Christmas, while in Belfast, Jackie and Trevor’s new build combines old and new pieces that they have lovingly collected over the last 40 years. Last, but not least, in Dublin, Sarah enhances her contemporary minimalist interiors with stylish seasonal additions that are thoughtfully placed throughout.

For those wondering what to gift friends and family this year, how about some original art? We catch up with 14 Irish artists offering paintings and prints that we’re sure would be the perfect present, even for those who are notoriously hard to buy for! We also pick out a few other options on pages 62 and 63, and the Seasonal Scoop offers even more inspiration if you need it.

Finally, it wouldn’t be Christmas without some fabulous food, and we’ve some delicious recipes to see you through the festive period from Graham Herterich’s new book ‘Bake: Traditional Irish Baking with Modern Twists’. There’s also a chance for you to win one of five copies of this gorgeous hardback, which we’ve no doubt would be gratefully received by foodie lovers this Christmas too!

We hope you enjoy this festive edition, and on behalf of the whole IHIL team, Merry Christmas!