Ancient Traditions

Inspired by nature, Edward and Emma Bulmer strive to make the festive season as sustainable and beautiful as possible at home in rural Herefordshire

- HANNAH NEWTON

'We treat Christmas and New Year like a harvest festival and bring all the natural bounty inside,' says Edward Bulmer, interior designer and founder of ecological paint company Edward Bulmer Natural Paint. 'Removing trailing ivy is good for buildings and trees, so it is a win-win situation, but we tend to leave the holly, if it has berries on, for the birds.'

Edward and his wife, Emma, live in the deepest reaches of Herefordshire where mistletoe, once believed to bring good luck, grows in abundance; great balls hanging from the trees. This naturally growing luck may have contributed to their story. Since he was a child, Edward had adored the Queen Anne house they now live in, but when he and Emma returned to the area years later, they discovered it had become a crumbling wreck. A rare spotting of an otter in the grounds was taken as a sign by the young couple and, that night, they posted a hand-written letter asking if they could make an offer. The rest, as they say, is history. And then, after moving in, they felt exceptionally fortunate once again: having been told she couldn't have children, Emma became pregnant with her first daughter and went on to have two more.