[ad] Styling Christmas at home with sustainable gifting from Wildsmith

[This is a paid partnership with Wildsmith]

When styling my home for Christmas and thinking of sustainable gifting, I love nothing better than to bring the wild outdoors inside. Taking inspiration from the coldest and harshest of seasons, I like to find beauty in the abundance of nature to help brighten up those dark days. For me, Christmas isn’t Christmas without vases of fresh, fragrant foliage, lovingly homemade, rustic wreaths and a real tree to spread its woody, pine scent around the house. Whether it’s a sprig of foliage on a place setting, a few artfully arranged branches on a sideboard or a garland strung up the stair banister, nothing looks or smells as effective as natural greenery.

Inspired by Wildsmith and the secluded natural landscape of luxury hotel Heckfield Place where this British skincare brand finds its origins, here I’ve styled two festive scenes. One is slightly more traditional with a little Christmas tree and simple brown paper wrapped presents, the second is a bit more rustic, with a wild forest floor theme and foraged greenery.

If you’re not familiar with Wildsmith, they make natural, clinically proven skincare products in England. Their philosophy has been guided by a deep connection with the idyllic landscape of ancient heather, woodland and formal gardens, planted by William Wildsmith in the nineteenth century, at Heckfield Place in rural Hampshire. They use the latest plant derived bioactives, botanicals and minerals to create what they call ‘Radical Botany’. I’ve used their products for a couple of years now – not only is the packaging on point and beautifully designed, it smells like a spa and always helps me feel instantly zen.

Wildsmith’s appreciation of nature extends to their compostable and recyclable packaging, home grown ingredients and locally made stoneware vessels too – making them the perfect present to find under your Christmas tree this year.

Styling 1
I’ve centred both my stylings – featuring Wildsmith’s sustainable gifting options – around the fireplace; the heart of any room. For my first set-up, I’ve used a neutral, timeless colour palette to give an elegant look. With a simple Christmas tree festooned with subtle fairy lights, off-white paper trees and a pile of presents, it looks warm and inviting. Parcels are wrapped in brown paper and tied with cream or black ribbon to give a soft contrast. Dried hops branches give a natural touch with their sculptural tendrils.

Wildsmith’s recyclable boxes are so beautiful, they don’t need much of a flourish. A simple black ribbon is enough to show them off – and less waste too! You can save the ribbon after everyone has finished opening their presents and use it again next year.

This year Wildsmith have worked with one of the last UK potteries in Stoke on Trent, which first opened in 1810, to produce their Bothy candle. Presented in a beautiful, durable stoneware vessel, with a soft, natural coloured matt glaze, it’s something to keep long after the 100% vegan wax has burnt out. You could use it again as a pen pot, a vessel for makeup brushes or for a small plant.

The scent, conceived by olfactory experts Maurice Joosten and Megumi Fukatsu, transports you to The Bothy spa at Heckfield Place. Sage and rosemary combine with peppermint, chamomile and rose to create a delicate, cleansing aroma with soft floral notes. It brings to mind the purity of a spa, where time slows right down, and for a brief moment you can forget all your troubles and disconnect from reality. It’s Wildsmith’s first home scent, offering you the chance to capture just a small element of the magic of Heckfield and recreate it at home. We enjoyed our honeymoon at Heckfield Place and it always brings back wonderful memories – every time I light this candle I’ll think of the calm and serenity we found there.

Styling 2
For my second styling, I’ve used fragrant fir branches, soft moss, dried branches and foraged foliage to recreate the feel of a forest floor. I layered up my greenery on the edge of my hearth, but you could do this on your mantlepiece if you had one. The key is making it look a little wild, so it looks like you haven’t tried! A few pine cones and dried fern leaves give added texture. The styling possibilities with nature are endless, you could add a sculptural stem or two to add a finishing touch to wrapped presents or use a similar arrangement down the centre of a table.

Wildsmith is the first luxury beauty brand to use compostable packaging made from mycelium for their Hand Wash & Lotion biocompostable gift set. Mycelium is farm-grown in a matter of days – locally sourced agricultural waste, such as corn and barley husks, is combined with the root system of mushrooms and set in a mould to create a fully biodegradable structure. The packaging can be composted and the mycelium will break down in approximately a month. The hand wash and lotion vessels themselves are made from infinitely recyclable aluminium and Wildsmith even offer 1 litre refills to top them up when needed.

Wildsmith also offer their Hand Wash and Lotion in similarly matt glazed, simple stoneware vessels as The Bothy Candle. They make stunning gifts and can be infinitely refilled and enjoyed for months or even years to come. Working with artisan potters in Stoke on Trent using techniques that have remained unchanged since the early nineteenth century, Wildsmith’s vessels are made using plaster moulds that are filled with liquid stoneware. The hardened cast clay is smoothed and fired before being glazed in a soft, natural tone. At the end of their lifetime, the vessels can be recycled.

I would be happy to find any of these sustainable gifting ideas under my tree, would you? With considered packaging and nature-inspired scents, Wildsmith offers luxury that doesn’t take more than it gives. And with a bit of simple styling, it’s easy to let nature tell the story and bring a cosy festive feel this Christmas.

If you want to treat yourself or a loved one this Christmas, get 25% off any purchase online at Wildsmith.com using code CATE25 – valid until 29th December!