G’day friends!  That greeting rolls a little easier off the tongue today since I have a wonderful friend visiting from Australia. I think it’s so fascinating to read how different people in different countries celebrate Christmas around the globe, so earlier this year I asked my friend Sarah of A Beach Cottage to share how she celebrates the season with her family, Aussie style. 

Sarah’s story is fantastic, she was born and raised in England, but now spends her days with her husband and three children on the sunny beaches of Sydney, Australia. I’ve followed her blog for two years now and secretly wish we could trade lives for a few weeks! I adore her cheerful approach to life and ideas for living simply and we share a love of old furniture and an affection for white paint.        

Sarah’s table is a great example of how it just takes a bit of sparkle and a dash of color to create an effortless table for your holiday home. Please welcome Sarah from Sydney and enjoy the tour of her beach cottage tablescape and Christmas traditions!     

“I love styling for the holidays . . . it sure is one of my favourite times of the year, I get to play around with one of my fave hobbies, decorating and making things look pretty but all wrapped up in sparkly bits too. . . bliss!  

Since our sea change to Australia from London, Christmas and celebrating nowadays for our little family, means lovely long warm summer days and Christmas Day starts off on the beach.

 

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Hello everyone, I have another special guest visiting this week, Sarah of A Beach Cottage.  I found Sarah last year, and I have been following her for many months.  I adore Sarah’s beach style, her stunning photography, and magazine worthy mantel and tablescapes.  You’ll love reading about her life story and how she and her family picked up and moved from the busy city life of London across the globe to the beaches of Australia.  I’m sure there are many who would love to do the same !

Please enjoy this conversation with my friend from down under, Sarah of A Beach Cottage: 

Q: Tell us a little about yourself, how you ended up moving from England to Sydney!

I am Sarah, owner of a tumbledown old cottage on the beaches of Sydney, Australia. mother of three, wife to one, seaside taxi-driver.  

We moved to Sydney for a sea-change and a new life in the sun, we had gotten fed up of the commuter life in London where much time was spent on the motorway and the weekdays had become a grind.

We wanted a warm climate and a healthy outdoor lifestyle for our children – moving to Sydney and a new life on the beaches has given us that and much more. 

Q:  How would you describe your decorating style?  

My decorating style has been described as, among other things, ‘coastal chic’ though I often think of it as ‘vintage beach’  . . . it came about as I decorated this old cottage with a vintage feel similar to the English country look I had previously loved. 

Because of the warm Australian sun and bright colours everywhere outside, the old chintzy look and big old bright roses didn’t really work, and I found I wanted a cool and calm sanctuary at the end of the day. 

So I combined the things I love from the cottage look with a more coastal vibe . . . bare floorboards, coir rugs, vintage furniture with an old faded patina and of course the odd nautical stripe.

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