This is the busiest time of the year for retailers, but how do they celebrate the season? We asked three very different households of stylish shopkeepers to share their festive plans.
Kemi Lawson and Lara Senbanjo, The Cornrow
The Cornrow was founded by sisters Kemi and Lara after a shopping trip to buy Christmas decorations resulted in them coming home empty-handed. ‘It’s important to me to represent Black culture in how I decorate my home,’ explains Kemi. ‘I was searching for angels that looked like my two daughters, with dark-brown skin and Afro hair; I didn’t find anything. I thought: “I can’t be the only one who feels like this.” That was the lightbulb moment.’
Now, The Cornrow sells homewares, beauty products and books by Black makers and creatives, but those angels are still the bestseller. ‘They sell out every year – we can’t meet the demand,’ says Kemi. ‘We have people asking, “When are they coming out? I don’t want to miss the Christmas decorations!”’ And, according to Lara, there will be new must-have pieces this year. ‘We’ve got some lovely Black ballerinas and ice-skaters. Lots of people have written us notes saying: “Thank you so much for your Black angel collection, I’ve told all my friends about it”.’
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One of Kemi and Lara’s family traditions is decorating the Christmas tree around a theme, together with their cousins. ‘This year, we’re going with Black Narnia,’ says Lara. ‘We love The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, and realised there’s actually a lot of snow in Africa,’ adds Kemi. ‘We thought we could create an African Narnia, featuring our beautiful decorations. We’ll have the full troupe of Cornrow Christmas angels – they do what we wanted, which is to represent little brown girls everywhere.’
The sisters also plan to include baubles by March Muses – another Black-owned brand that makes decorations shaped like plantains, Dutch cooking pots and hot-sauce bottles – plus Kemi’s collection of nativity scenes crafted by Nigerian artisans. Christmas Day will be spent apart this year, with Kemi in Nigeria with her husband’s family (‘We will be in a country house outside Lagos, surrounded by tropical plants. We’ll have a traditional roast but also plantain – a nice mash-up!’) while Lara will be at their mother’s home in Liverpool with friends.
For both sisters, though, Christmas is about family, food and having a chance to detach from the grind. ‘I’m more aware of my privilege than when I was younger,’ says Kemi. ‘I realise how this is a very hard time for many people.’ And, of course, an audience with Father Christmas is a must. ‘One of our rituals is heading to Noir Kringle in east London, which is a Christmas grotto with a Black Santa,’ says Kemi. ‘It’s a really special experience for the kids.’ thecornrow.com
Niko Dafkos and Paul Firmin, Earl of East
Since launching in 2014 with just three candles, Paul and Niko have seen Earl of East expand to encompass home fragrance and bath and body products, while their stores – in Hackney’s Redchurch Street and King’s Cross – offer a curated assortment of independent brands. Their look is modern and pared-back, but also playful and warm. ‘Our style is generally quite tone-on-tone,’ Paul explains, ‘so we keep our Christmas decorations more muted as well.’
The pair usually make an annual pilgrimage to Liberty’s Christmas Shop to add to their growing glass-bauble collection but, last year, necessity led to an inventive addition to the tree. ‘We decorated it with our air fresheners,’ says Paul. ‘We were so busy, it was the easiest thing to do.’ Forget the tacky green trees of petrol-station fame, though: the Earl of East cards are beautifully illustrated and naturally scented.
This year, the duo plan to use two striking ‘Fountain’ ceramics by Ferm Living as centrepieces in the dining and sitting rooms, filling them with fresh, seasonal foliage. ‘We’re inspired by that West Coast, Californian aesthetic,’ Paul tells us. ‘We use a lot of conifer and olive, rather than holly and ivy. It’s more of a modern twist.’ The relaxed, glowy effect is enhanced with gleaming brass objects– bestsellers in their stores – and more glassware from Ferm Living.
Working seven days a week to grow the business means the festive break is all the more important for the couple. ‘Our production of Christmas candles starts in July, so by the time December rolls around there’s a bit of fatigue,’ they admit. One tradition from Niko’s homeland provides a welcome respite to what can sometimes be 18-hour days in the office, packing orders and overseeing their stores. Niko is Greek-German, and his name day is 6 December – the date when Saint Nicholas’ arrival is celebrated in Germany. ‘We put a boot outside the door and fill it with gifts for each other,’ says Paul. ‘It’s a nice little precursor to three weeks of madness.’
The Covid years have seen old traditions – dining out, travelling to see friends in the US – replaced with new, quieter rituals. ‘We’ve become more homebound,’ says Paul. ‘On Christmas Eve we cook, then exchange a few small gifts on Christmas morning and have a German-style breakfast (lots of meats and cheeses). It’s just us and our dog, Piper. We stay in and go for walks around our neighbourhood – London is special at that time of year. Without a doubt, it’s a pause for us; I love those days.’ earlofeast.com
Isabelle Dubern-Mallevays, The Invisible Collection
Like many people, Isabelle Dubern-Mallevays celebrates Christmas as a blended family, with her husband’s children in London and her own in Paris. That gives her the perfect excuse to explore different decorative styles in each location. ‘In London, I avoid buying a Christmas tree, because I have one in Paris,’ she explains, ‘but I love the British tradition of having a wreath. It doesn’t exist in Paris – that’s why I’m crazy about it.’ Doors, windows and even the chimney breast in her London apartment get the full wreath-and-garland treatment.
Before launching her digital interiors platform, Isabelle worked in luxury fashion with brands including Dior and Diptyque. That still influences the way she styles her home for the festive season. ‘Anything except red or green,’ she tells us passionately. ‘I don’t like the classic colours of Christmas– sorry! I always try to do something different.’ This year, she has opted for a light-pink and grey scheme, with lots of velvet ribbon and foliage in the same shades. It is, she explains, a ‘super-soft’ look and, while she’s happy to go DIY for the decorations, for flowers she turns to online florist Flowerbx, ‘because it’s always slick’.
Isabelle describes her aesthetic as ‘classic-contemporary, with a twist’. ‘It’s a personal mix of all the designers I love,’ she says. ‘The miracle is that when you combine them, it works.’ In her London home at Christmas, this approach translates to a maximalist table set with Italian glassware, Egyptian embroidered linen by Malaika and objets in Isabelle’s favourite rock crystal from Goossens, a small company owned by Chanel.
In creating quietly elegant spaces, she considers all the senses, including smell. ‘This year, I will add a big Diptyque candle by the sculptor Johan Creten. I will also have beautiful perfumed crosses by Joana Vasconcelos – maybe two or three in the living room. I like to do something that is ephemeral,’ she explains. ‘Next year, the decorations will be completely different.’
Perhaps Isabelle’s most charming festive gesture, though, is one that has nothing to do with her own brand of restrained glamour. ‘My husband’s children are French, but were born in London. For them, we have stockings – that tradition doesn’t exist in France.’ She buys new ones each year, often from Liberty, and while she initially struggled with the idea of finding tiny gifts to fit inside, now, she says with a smile, ‘I’m beginning to understand the concept’.
Once the festivities are over in London and Paris, Isabelle and her husband will travel to India for the first time in 20 years, but with two baby grandchildren and her own kids gathering to celebrate, she’s looking forward to Christmas being an ‘absolutely magical family time’. theinvisiblecollection.com
