FIRESIDE TALES

The gentle crackling of a fire is one of winter's joys and it can be even more heartening when the fireplace area is decorated with panache

- ARABELLA YOUENS

IN THE GREEN

Damask wallpaper shimmering in candlelight, a large oil painting and a stone fireplace heavily garlanded with greenery sum up a traditional country-house scene at Christmas. This scheme was designed by Henriette von Stockhausen, creative director of VSP Interiors, for a Regency house in the West Country. Her Dorset-based team has an extensive book of artisans, including a stonemason who specialises in antique fireplace restoration. Deep-green velvet chairs with generous bullion fringes are symmetrically placed to frame this feature as well as offering a comfortable place by the fire to sit down with a drink or a book, says Henriette.

RICH TAPESTRY

It was in the late 19th century that chimneypieces made not from white marble but from a single, richly coloured stone began to appear - and they remain the perfect addition to a layered scheme, adding depth and soul to a space. In this room for the inaugural Design Centre Chelsea Harbour WOW!house show, Brandon Schubert paired an antique red marble fireplace from Westland London with Bamboo fabric by Morris & Co on the walls. 'My goal was to play with the hot - the walls, fireplace and brown furniture and cooler elements, such as the blue and green tones, to create a kind of tension,' Brandon says.

DESIGNING YOUR FIREPLACE

Expert advice on what to consider, from style and size to material