Dramatic Christmas Dining

Christmas comes but once a year, so I really love to splash out and create scenes of grandeur and splendour to impress my guests, and to give my dining spaces a cobweb-clear-out. For this look, I used the Chalk Paint® colour Athenian Black as inspiration. A little darker than most Christmas looks, but it's a black Christmas I think you'll really enjoy. 

This moody yet cosy Christmas backdrop was painted by my son, Felix. Felix painted the walls using a large Chalk Paint® Brush and Chalk Paint® in Athenian Black. Once the wall was dry, Felix used a Small Flat Brush to flick Chalk Paint® in Old White in differing increments at the centre of the wall to give the suggestion of a star-studded galaxy. Felix left these walls unwaxed because they are of a porous, lime stone quality in an old house and therefore they need to breathe. If you use Chalk Paint® on a wall in a high-traffic area of your home we recommend a layer of Clear Chalk Paint® Wax or Lacquer to protect from sticky fingers and beyond!

These crackers have been personalised to exactly match the Christmas décor. It’s a brilliant way to tie your scheme together and avoid the plastics associated with mass-produced Christmas crackers. Plain cracker making kits can be easily found at craft stores or online and filled with your own gifts. Then, simply pick your favourite Chalk Paint® colour (or the one which best ties your Christmas theme to your existing interiors scheme) and apply to the what will become the outer surface of your cracker. For a luxurious, festive finish, apply metallic Gilding Wax to the inner tube of the crackers (here I used Dark Silver). Make it your own inside too - write a joke for added bespoke humour, and tailor the cracker gifts to your audience. You'll never look back to mass-produced crackers again. And if you're feeling particularly authentic you can purchase the illusive cracker 'bang' to add too.





The baubles were given a rustic, rusty feel. These I created using my Gilding Waxes. One set I painted first with Chalk Paint® in Emperor's Silk before stippling roughly Warm Gold Gilding Wax and more Emperor's Silk over the top. The others, I painted with Paris Grey and stippled in the same manner with Dark Silver Gilding Wax. These rustic decorations were then hung from a branch at different heights using twine for a dramatic, twist on a Christmas chandelier. The chandelier, you can see above, made its way to the table top instead!

The look was finished off with a matching table cloth and napkins made from my fabric collection Linen Union in Graphite + Old White. I simply hemmed these with a sewing machine but if your not confident sewing you could simply cut them with pinking shears to minimise fraying, or tear the fabric and embrace the rustic look and feel! 

Let me know what you're doing to your Christmas spaces this year! Remember, if in doubt or in stress, a little goes a long way. This looks has been taken to the extreme, but taking small pieces of inspiration from here can help transform your space. 

Yours, 

Annie.