“I begin decorating for Christmas as soon as Halloween is over. I just can’t wait.” So admits Pernille Palmqvist, a confessed addict of all things festive. While for many the early arrival of Christmas decorations and high-street shops blaring Slade songs in the middle of autumn is a tinsel-clad form of torture, Palmqvist welcomes it with a heady sense of excitement. “Since my childhood, Christmas has always meant a lot to me,” she says. “It’s over so quickly, I like to start early so that we have time to enjoy the decorations before they have to come down again.”
Of course, it helps that Palmqvist lives in a setting that looks like a scene taken straight from a Christmas card, a Scandinavian idyll amid the forests of the Danish island of Langeland. Splitting her time between working as a children’s counsellor and running the family’s guest house, the converted Broløkke manor house nearby, as well as looking after her husband and four children means she has her work cut out preparing. “My children have now come to love Christmas, too,” she explains, “and we all chip in to make our home ready.”
The family home, a bright-white painted, timber clad structure was once the village’s dairy and dates back to 1750. While Palmqvist and her husband, Nils, have modernised the interior, it remains pared back and simple. The predominant colour palette is white and grey, with the occasional earth tone, dark woods and a well-chosen selection of contemporary art and photography. Modern design classics sit alongside traditional Danish crafted furniture. All this provides the perfect backdrop for a stylish festive decorating scheme. “I like to keep things traditional,” says Palmqvist. “When I was a child I spent time with my grandparents making wooden Santas and other decorations. I still have these as well as the fun baubles and figures the children have made over the years; our collection spans several generations. I don’t think you can buy everything in one go. Decorations have to be bought, inherited and home-made over the years.”
These ornaments are festooned around the house, sitting on shelves and hanging from door handles. Bowls of glass and woven baubles are surrounded by an abundance of candles. “Candlelight really sets the tone for Christmas,” says Palmqvist. Christmas music is also important in order to create the right mood. “I love American Christmas melodies by Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby and Ella Fitzgerald.”
Nature also plays a big part with many elements gathered from the surrounding forests. Palmqvist fills vases and pots with willow branches and pinecones or even simply displays them on the floor.
“An interior should be friendly, warm and created from the heart,” she says. “The soul can be found in the small details, those personal touches that make it feel real.” And is it possible to overdo it? Not according to Palmqvist: “At Christmas you need a lot of decorations to create the right atmosphere. It’s a time when over-decorating is acceptable.”
House rules
Family Christmas tradition?
We don’t allow the Christmas tree inside until 23 December. The kids decorate it outside with lametta and flags to make it look traditional before we bring it in.
Favourite Christmas tipple?
We celebrate every year at home by drinking “old fashioneds”, they have the same name as the American cocktail, but they actually originate from my husband Nils’ father’s family and date back to 1900. The ingredients are a secret, but they really liven things up!
Goose or turkey?
Neither. We always have a roast duck and roast pork with homemade red cabbage salad, caramelized potatoes and ris à l’amande – a special Danish rice pudding – for dessert.
How do you decorate your table?
The way the table looks is so important to me and usually every year I will do it slightly differently, however I always cover the table with old damask tablecloths that belonged to my grandmother and which I’ve dyed a deep blue. They’re the perfect canvas on which to layer decorations on top.
