Insider Christmas, unlocked: Ireland’s chicest decorators share their secret tricks, shop lists and festive hacks.
COMPILED BY Róisín Carabine
AOIBHEANN MCNAMARA Proprietor, Ard Bia restaurant @arbdianimmos
Best Christmas shortcut
I’m a big fan of foraging; my tree is usually a large branch cut from a tree surrounding our home in the Burren.
I’ll decorate it with some good quality fairy lights that I’ve had for years (buy quality and they last) and some simple, ad hoc decorations sourced from travels to the Arctic Circle, supplemented with other Scandi ones sourced from the wonderful Coffee Werk + Press in Galway.
Favourite decorating hack for Christmas
I love to dress my home with 'tassels'.
They’re the fall-away waste from The Tweed Project’s blanket productions.
The whole place looks like a tweedy Mardi Gras; it costs nothing, and it looks warm, cute, and kind of festive.
Go-to shop for something special at Christmas
It’s always a call to Mark Grehan’s shop The Garden in Powerscourt Townhouse, Dublin.
He drops me down a wreath wheel and some branches and natural sprigs so I can make up my own wreath.
I’ll add pines to vases too to make the place look super Christmassy and scented.
Roisin also chatted with these Irish home decor mavens for our new issue about how to make Christmas special:
SARA AUSTIN Interiors stylist @itssaraaustin
JESSICA GLYNN Interiors photographer @jessglynnphoto
JEN CONNELL Interiors stylist @jenconnell.home
ORLA MCANDREW Wedding & event caterer @orla_mcandrew_food
CAOIMHE MCGINLEY Home influencer @thebighillhouse
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