Cosy country Christmas fireplaces

1 Great for guests

You don't have to have a roaring fire to provide a toasty feel in a guest bedroom. A sturdy iron grate piled high with pine-cones beneath a chunky wooden mantel will make it look wonderfully warm and cosy. Add a vase full of bright blooms and a cheery Santa sack to make guests feel perfectly at home.

2 Gather round

Where better to curl up on Christmas Eve than in front of a charming inglenook fireplace, complete with traditional wood burner? Flickering candlelight completes the wonderfully romantic feel, while a comfy chair and cosy blanket will help to keep those winter chills at bay.

3 Light it up

A few simple additions will help spruce up a black iron fire surround. Place a berry and pine-cone garland on the mantel and intersperse with wooden and ceramic tealight holders for a homely, natural feel. Add a dash of seasonal colour with a string of 3D star-shaped fairy lights and a cheery stocking.

4 Make it red hot

Embrace the spirit of Christmas with a bold red wood-burner and go to town by adorning the room with lots of pretty colour co-ordinated decorations. Give it some extra love with a festive red and white heart-shaped garland and reindeer-adorned individual place-markers on the back of everyone's chairs.

5 Commune with nature

Forage for foliage in your garden and the surrounding countryside and arrange it to create a beautiful personal display of Christmas greenery above your fireplace. Stock up on plenty of kindling and dry logs to keep the home fires burning through the cold winter nights and place them close to hand in a rustic woven basket.

6 Be frosty

Cosy up on dark winter evenings with layers of richly textured woven woolens and faux furs in shiny silver tones and shades of grey. Add splashes of warming gold to match the flickering firelight and sit down comfortably to enjoy its warming embers in a chair made just for one not forgetting to keep an indulgent cup of hot chocolate close to hand.

7 Smell of winter

Bring a true yuletide aroma to your home with a real Nordic pine Christmas tree and a fire burning bright with sweet-smelling applewood. Adorn the mantle with a garland made of fresh foliage dotted with spicy dried oranges and cinnamon sticks and complete with a dash of Highland style using on-trend tartan furniture and fabrics.

8 Add some zest

Adopt a different shade of green this festive season and lighten things up using softer shades of lime, peppermint and eau de nil.
Decorate with pillar candles in different heights and widths and create a grown-up feel by pinning simple woollen socks by the fireside for Santa to fill.

9 Take a seat

Delivering all those presents is hard work, so give a worn-out Santa a place to rest for a while with a welcoming button-backed chair layered with comfy cushions. Leave him a warming drink – non-alcoholic of course – and a plateful of mince pies to ensure the stocking you've pinned close by is filled to the brim before he's off on his merry way.