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Inside White Company founder Chrissie Rucker's Christmas-ready home

‘We might have red gingham stockings, but those are the only red things in the house,' says Rucker; right, pillar candles and greenery on the table in the dining room - Chris Everard
‘We might have red gingham stockings, but those are the only red things in the house,' says Rucker; right, pillar candles and greenery on the table in the dining room - Chris Everard

As for so many of us, Christmas 2020 at the home of The White Company founder, Chrissie Rucker, was a rather surreal affair. ‘Our son Tom had had a positive Covid test, so we opened stockings in face masks and set a little separate table up for him in the corner of the dining room for Christmas lunch,’ she recalls.

‘It was so sad. At this point, we’d all been tested but didn’t have our results yet, then we found out a few days later that five out of the six of us actually had it.’

Fast-forward 11 months, however, and the scene couldn’t be more different. Her Oxfordshire home is in full festive mode, with decorative touches on almost every surface and seasonal scents wafting through the rooms. Whatever Christmas 2021 has in store, Chrissie – whose pre-lit Grand Spruce is our pick of this year's best artificial Christmas trees –  is ready to celebrate in her signature serene style.

As you’d expect, here the decorations entail an expertly put together mix of seasonal foliage and delicate ornaments, in a restrained palette of white, green and glass.

‘My mother once gave me a swinging Father Christmas that sings Jingle Bell Rock, so he always comes out at Christmas, and we might have red gingham stockings,’ she concedes, ‘but those are the only red things in the house. I can’t do colour; it starts to give me a panic attack.’

The Christmas tree is always by the fireplace and features a subtle mix of glass and white decorations - Chris Everard
The Christmas tree is always by the fireplace and features a subtle mix of glass and white decorations - Chris Everard

She starts dressing the house at the entrance, hanging a wreath wound with fairy lights on the front door and setting a pair of candle lanterns either side. Next comes the tree, which is stationed by the fire in the hall. ‘I always aim to keep the tree quite simple: quiet but twinkly,’ she says.

‘We decorate it with lots of cluster lights and a mixture of glass and white decorations I’ve collected over the years – lots from The White Company and also some beautiful vintage ones, which I often draw inspiration from when we’re designing a new range.

‘If space allows, it’s lovely to have more than one tree,’ she adds. ‘My husband, Nick, and I have four children and when they were younger, we always used to put a tree in their playroom. They still love to have a small one in their bedrooms today, even though they’re almost all in their 20s.’

Festive touches are in evidence all over the house: mantelpieces and windowsills are decorated with greenery and fairy lights, and a mix of scented and unscented candles are dotted everywhere.

Left: windows and tabletops get the festive treatment with wreaths and candles; right, greenery reigns in the form of real and faux foliage - Chris Everard
Left: windows and tabletops get the festive treatment with wreaths and candles; right, greenery reigns in the form of real and faux foliage - Chris Everard

The whole effect is soothing and warm, an understated antidote to the visual onslaught that Christmas decorations often bring. ‘December is an incredibly busy time for us,’ says Chrissie, who founded her business in 1994 and still signs off every product that enters the collection.

Her home is a haven of calm, while time-saving tricks are key to her approach. ‘I always want the house to look lovely and want lots of people to come, but the run-up to Christmas is so hectic, so there’s an awful lot of cheating that goes on, both with how we decorate and how we entertain,’ she says.

‘We have a large family – hopefully there will be 24 of us for Christmas lunch this year – so I’ve sort of become the master of being able to cheat well to feed the masses. If you’re having friends over for a party, I always think that if you present things well, no one will notice if you’ve simply put together a great big cheeseboard and you’ve bought everything in.’

If all goes to plan, this year will involve all of Chrissie’s favourite festive traditions, from carol singing on Christmas Eve to stockings on Christmas morning, charades in front of the fire and a long walk with the dogs (she and Nick have four).

‘It’s that one time of the year you all come together,’ she says, ‘that wonderful moment when everyone’s on holiday. I can’t wait to get back to a normal family Christmas; it really is such a special time.’

Chrissie’s Christmas tips

For an extra-festive touch, lay a simple wreath flat on the kitchen island and fill it with tall pillar candles - Chris Everard
For an extra-festive touch, lay a simple wreath flat on the kitchen island and fill it with tall pillar candles - Chris Everard
  • Mix faux and real greenery. You can keep the faux up for weeks and add in natural greenery and flowers in the days before Christmas. It’s such a time-saver.

  • Have different scented candles in different rooms. It’s a good way to change the mood as you move through the house.

  • I like to place a mini tree on a table or large windowsill. Decorate it very simply just with white fairy lights.

  • For an extra festive touch, lay a simple wreath flat on the kitchen island or table and fill it with a glass storm lantern and tall pillar candles.

  • I always max out on fairy lights, mixed with vintage-style glass and touches of white, they create such a lovely warm palette for Christmas.


Are you going for a white Christmas or prefer a colour-drenched approach? Let us know in the comments section