at home with
Gift-wrapping expert Nathan Cole and his events-planning partner have all the skills required to make the season stylish at their west London arts and crafts home
STYLING BY PAULA MAY EVANS
Fireplace
Paul Thomas’ ‘Bailey British Garland’ adorns the mantelpiece
Living room
This armchair is part of the ‘Lennox’ three piece suite from The Conran Shop, which the couple reupholstered in velvet. Nathan made the cushion himself during lockdown using vintage moiré silk and Harris tweed. A ‘Nuance’ cashmere throw from Begg x Co adds another layer of cosiness. The coffee table is a vintage piece from The Peanut Vendor. On it sit ‘Bennett’ wine glasses from Soho Home and a sweet dish from David Marshall. A lofty Christmas tree from Paul Thomas, decorated with recycled vintage ribbon bows and baubles from Liberty and Salt Glass Studio, makes a striking statement in the space. On the wall beside it is a picture of a barn by an unknown artist, found at Kempton Market, and the antique milking stool is one of a pair that came from Ardingly Antiques Fair. All the presents are wrapped by Colford
Nathan’s rules for gift wrapping
The key is, if in doubt, keep it tonal, then it will always look nice. That’s our house style. No sticky tape! Try using string instead.
You can wrap without any adhesive, but if you’re struggling, there are some amazing double-sided eco tapes that are fully biodegradable.
Simplicity drives creativity. Reduce the amount of material you use and the results will be beautiful. The restricted choice helps you see things in a different way and, rather than doing the obvious, you’re pushed to find a solution.
Ask yourself, ‘who the gift is for?’ What colours do they like? What’s their style? Let that inform your wrapping.
As a child, Nathan Cole went to the village school on the Chatsworth estate in Derbyshire, which meant he was lucky enough to be invited to the legendary Christmas celebrations hosted by Debo, the Duchess of Devonshire.
‘You don’t realise as a kid how fortunate you are,’ he says. ‘I remember Father Christmas appeared on the roof with a deer from the park and came down the chimney with apresent for everyone.’ His hostess’s style made a strong impression on him: ‘Debo was quite irreverent with her decorations; she’d chuck a bit of old tinsel on a marble bust like a little halo. It was all quite homemade,’ he recalls. It’s only now, looking back on those childhood experiences, that he wonders if they sowed the seeds for Colford, the sustainable wrapping studio that he launched earlier this year.
Noting that gifting’s ‘quite a frivolous thing’, Nathan is determined to prove that you can take a more mindful approach that looks beautiful
