Phoebe Hollond On Her Favourite Hosting Space & Twixmas Tricks

In our new column, we ask the experts of interior design to tell us about their ultimate night in. This month, we speak to Phoebe Hollond, founder of London-based design firm Studio Hollond, about her favourite space to welcome guests – as well as her top tips for hosting over Christmas.

Staying In With Phoebe Hollond

Phoebe Hollond

Your favourite place to stay in?

I love spending time in my open kitchen and dining room. It’s the most recently completed space in my home, and it feels the most grown up.

The antique Versaille flooring brings such warmth and sophistication and really makes the space so inviting. Then you have the Serpentine table that I designed, and sat above that is a large green Murano chandelier that really draws your eye up to the bespoke trellis detailing on the roof lantern.

These bespoke details sit alongside all the little personal trinkets we have collected over the years. It makes the space feel completely personal to our family.

Is this a space you like to host guests in, or wind down in?

This is definitely a hosting space, designed to do just that. Having the kitchen and dining room as one large space means that I can cook and entertain at the same time.

What makes it the best setting for a night in?

The kitchen leads onto the dining room, which in turn leads onto our garden. This means that when we are having a night in – whether it’s with friends or just a lovely dinner with my husband – there are many spaces that you can be in even though they are all connected.

You can sit in the garden surrounded by the romantic glow of dimly lit wall lanterns; you can camp out on the sumptuous red velvet sofa that has an inviting quality to it; or you can hop onto one of the antique bar stools and be in the centre of the cooking action. Having multiple places to relax is key to a perfect night in.

Phoebe Hollond opened up her kitchen and dining room to create one free-flowing space for family life and hosting

Tell us about a ‘wow’ feature that you love to show off.

I think the wow feature of this space is the bespoke trellising I designed around the roof lanterns. Everyone who comes over says they love it – normally you have a bare recess with sharp edges that feels quite cold, so this detail completely transforms the space.

What was your best buy for that space, and why?

I would say it was actually the bespoke horsehair covers I  had made to cover my radiators. It adds another place to put beautiful trinkets and candle holders and playful things.

What does the space say about your personal design style?

This space shows how distinctive and unique my style is. All the pieces I have either bought or bespoke designed are so individually beautiful, but then they work so well together that the overall and whole effect is so welcoming and comfortable. It is truly a place to enjoy and be present in – it makes you forget about the outside world while you are in there.

The snug

And does your interior design style evolve during festive season?

I am very classic when it comes to Christmas style. I adore velvet bows and will often put them on lampshades and at the bottom of the staircase and all over the tree. I keep the lighting classic, warm glows – no multicoloured flashing lights please! A fair amount of greenery, like a garland down the side of a staircase or over a mantelpiece. 

I don’t believe more is better in this scenario, I think having restraint is more elegant. Every year, I collect three or four pieces of decoration that I add, and then over time they will be reminders of the different years over my life.

How do you like to set up your living room for hosting at Christmas?

A combination of hanging paper stars and a lot of candles, as well as a couple of huge oversized witches balls. Christmas is all about the golden glow, a few unique and surprise interior decoration pieces, the sound of carols coming from the speaker and the smell of scrummy pigs-in-blankets. And, of course, an antique bar cart which contains delicious port for the cheese.

Moving to the dining room – what do you think makes a fabulous festive tablescape?

Again, I go classic here. A colour palette of white, cream, gold and silver makes a very elegant tablescape – since there are usually garlands and colourful bows around, I think it is nice to go more chic and simple on the table. 

I start with a white or off-white tablecloth and then lots of cream candles in various candle holders. Beautiful crackers on the table are a must, as is a sprinkle of star confetti on the table. I also love white plates with a simple gold or burgundy rim and then antique silver cutlery to frame them. 

The library, with a view into the hallway

What is your go-to dinner party menu? (And what are you serving it on?)

I am the queen of roasts. I can spend three hours just on the potatoes – to me, a perfect roast has to have the crispiest, naughtiest potatoes possible – and I love to serve them with a roast chicken (with butter and thyme stuffed under the skin), roasted maple syrup and cumin butternut squash, pine nuts, courgettes and green beans mixed with butter beans. This makes it a fairly colourful supper. Antique oval platters inherited from my grandparents are a great thing to serve all the food on!

Next up, the bathroom. Do you have any go-to brands that uplift the room (and no doubt impress guests)?

I’m a huge fan of Ortigia. I love their liquid hand soaps and the beautiful containers they come in. I also normally buy the lavender bar of soap from D R Harris because it looks so pretty and the packaging is to die for. There’s always a candle burning in there – my favourite brand is Cire Trudon, as these smell delicious and look beautiful. 

At our wedding, we received a few monogrammed hand towels with our initials on. I tend to save those for the guest powder room, which are hung on an antique fleur-de-lis towel rail.

What are your top three tips for hosting guests at Christmas? 

I think the key is to be prepared. Everything can be done in the morning before guests arrive, all the vegetable prep and the canapes that you serve can be finished in good time, meaning when the guests arrive you can offer them drinks and food on arrival and then the pressure of time dissipates. 

The best strategy is to ensure you have enough of everything – especially wine – and then everything else flows well from that! So in order of importance it goes:

1. Make sure to have enough wine, spirits and beer to ensure everybody gets the exact tipple they want. 
2. Make sure you have canapes or snacks ready for when guests arrive. 
3. Enjoy yourself. Guests will feel much more relaxed if you aren’t running around trying to be perfect. 

The powder room

And what do you recommend avoiding?

Making too much of an effort so that you end up being stressed out and ruining the vibe. Know your limits of what you can achieve and go for that. Don’t take on too much – guests will catch on if the host isn’t calm, and in turn it makes them a bit uncomfortable. 

If you have a five-minute warning of unexpected guests, how do you make your home look ready in a hurry?

I light candles, open bottles of wine and quickly hide all my daughter’s toys!

Do you prefer staying in or going out? 

Going out, especially at Christmas. I love to go to the carols and adore seeing London lit up at this time of year. The streets are full of merriment and the shop fronts are designed in such a beautiful way – it feels like you’re on a movie set.

Explore

Keep up with Phoebe Hollond and her work at studiohollond.com

Images courtesy of Phoebe Hollond and Studio Hollond (photos by Milo Brown)