I love Christmas. Not in a “it’s November, I’ll put the decorations up” kind of way but more a “this is brilliant, I get at least a week off work” kind of way. It feels so restorative to kick back, not have to get up at the crack of dawn. Dozing on the sofa in the afternoon surrounded by empty chocolate wrappers and the scent of pine needles whilst the fire roars away and then realising that I genuinely have no idea what day it is.
We’re always a bit late to the Christmas prep party, mainly because without children and both of us working all the way up until Christmas Eve, we barely get enough time to buy presents, let alone decorate the house. But we do always get round to it and apart from last year when we really couldn’t be bothered to get a tree, have always popped out about a week before the big day to find ourselves a lovely real one. This year we made a weekend out of it and drove to Greenwich, choosing a lovely 6ft Nordic fir which is at least as wide.
I was even more excited to find our tree because it’s now become home to some very special decorations. The lovely team at Villeroy & Boch asked if I’d like to collaborate with them on a Christmas styling post following my visit to their HQ and factories in Germany earlier this year and of course I didn’t need to be asked twice. Such a wonderfully iconic and luxurious brand is absolutely in keeping with the type of pieces we love for our home and I chose from their beautiful collection of porcelain which arrived well packaged in their branded boxes.
Villeroy & Boch decorations reflect a nostalgic style, featuring baubles, bells, angels, snowmen and woodland themes. It reminds me of what the Christmas tree would have looked like when my grandparents were little, cherishing beautifully crafted pieces rather than the more throwaway culture that we’ve become accustomed to. I’m forever joking that the reason this house renovation project is taking so long is down to my expensive tastes when it comes to our home and decorating the tree this year felt like so much more of a treat than normal, studying and treasuring every item.
Having been to the factories where Villeroy and Boch produce all of their items from sanitaryware to tableware, I appreciate even more the attention to detail which will have gone in to every single decoration. Many of them will have been painted in part by hand because this is how some of the mugs and plates are finished, by specialists whose job it is to add the smallest and most delicate touches.
Each year, a part of their Christmas collection is also manufactured specifically for that year, turning the pieces into collector’s items to be passed from generation to generation. I selected the 2016 bauble, bell and angel and will no doubt be back next year for the 2017 additions and each year afterwards. What I’ve loved so much about throwing myself into blogging this year is seeing so many different styles and ideas, challenging my perception of what I always thought I liked.
This is our third Christmas in our home and I’ve loved returning here after work each day since we put the tree up, sitting in darkness on the floor watching the decorations gently spinning in the fairy lights. It’s what I used to do when I was little and our gaudy 80’s plastic disco baubles would play on the coloured beams. My tastes have moved on since then but my love of nostalgia hasn’t. And it seems I’m not the only one who loves the tree. Thank you Villeroy & Boch for bringing that little extra magic to this time of year.
Post written in collaboration.
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Hello, I just discovered these Annual Edition items. I try to collect them for my son, who was born in 2016. I cannot find them anywhere, unfortunately. Would you sell a bell, a ball and an angel, please?
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hi Aniko, unfortunately I no longer have mine any longer having sold them all as collectibles a couple of years ago