THE HOLLY AND THE IVY Interior designer Christopher Vane Percy’s Huntingdonshire home

The Christmas tree stands at the foot of the grand oak staircase in the stone-flagged entrance hall. The columns have a theatrical lapis lazuli finish whilst the walls are painted eau de Nil, replicating the original colour, discovered by taking paint scrapes. The staircase predates the mideighteenth-century house and most likely came from a house nearby. The jute stair-runner was hand-stencilled by Colleen Bery.

For Christopher Vane Percy, assembling the elaborate Christmas decorations which adorn Island Hall, his eighteenth-century Grade II* listed home, is a labour of love. “I start with the tree that stands at the foot of the grand staircase in the hall,” he says. “I always buy from the same grower because they deliver and help manoeuvre it into position. Generally, I chop off a bit at both ends so that it fits beneath the 14ft ceiling – the off-cut branches are useful for filling in any gaps.”

Each year Christopher holds a candlelit charity Christmas Carol concert, so all the decorations have to be in place in time for that. “It’s quite an occasion. We encourage guests to dress up, and afterwards they stay for drinks and mince pies. Last year the beneficiary was MAGPAS, an invaluable organisation that Linda, my late wife, was patron of, which operates an emergency air ambulance for the East of England.”

Christopher lives and breathes design and decoration. “I started collecting when I was 12, buying a set of Hogarth prints in a local sale,” he recalls. “Upon leaving school, I was taken on by Asprey’s in Bond Street, which then, as now, employed an amazingly skilled group of craftsmen. I learnt on the job, working in the interior design studio that 

ABOVE In the drawing room the original architectural details were mostly intact, although the marble fireplace had been boarded up. Stripped of paint, it is once again the focal point of the room. Similarly, the panels lining the walls were all removed and carefully stripped before being painted in a pale teal finish. The curtains are a straw-coloured silk seersucker from Osborne & Little. RIGHT The drawing room sofa is upholstered in Lorenzo, a damask pattern designed by Christopher in the 1970s, available from Bennison.

The wood-grain panelled dining room, lit by innumerable candles, is designed for evening entertaining. The table is laid for the festivities on red devoré velvet by Zuber. Different sets of china and glasses add to the opulent effect, along with Venetian glass figures, gilded picture frames, and a gilt lily chandelier, augmented by sparkling crystal icicles bought from Bloomingdale’s.

‘I instantly had the feeling that the house and I were connected in some way’

was then an important part of the business. I stayed for six years, before leaving to set up on my own.”

With his knowledge and appreciation of historic style, Christopher was soon much in demand, building up an impressive client list, along with experience of working on projects in London and the country. “It was an exciting time in the interior-design world,” he says. He is still busy. Current projects include a historic eighteenth-century house near Bedford, and the refurbishment of London private members’ clubs such as the Garrick and Boodle’s.

Island Hall has been part of Christopher’s life since he first set eyes on it as a schoolboy in the 1950s. “My family was on a boating holiday on the River Ouse, and we children wandered off to explore nearby Godmanchester. We came across an ornate, rickety Chinese-style bridge leading to an overgrown island in the middle of the river. I noticed a beautiful, but forlorn Georgian house set back amongst trees on the riverbank. I instantly had the feeling that the house and I were connected in some way,” Christopher explains.

“A couple of years later, I was helping my grandmother sort through my grandfather’s papers after he’d died, when I came across a Victorian journal that had belonged to his father. I began to read and to my amazement came across a description of the Chinese wooden bridge and the house. ‘I’ve been there,’ I exclaimed. My grandmother sat down and explained that the house, Island Hall, had been owned by generations of our family since 1804. However, during World War II it had been requisitioned by the RAF, and then sold in the 1950s to the local council, when it was turned into bedsitters. When I passed

Christopher stands in front of a baroque oak mirror at the foot of the grand staircase.

An eighteenth-century portrait illuminated by candlelight is surmounted by a elaborate arrangement of greenery set at a rakish angle. “I do the decorations for my own amusement and ring the changes each year. I’m always adding more. When it all comes down after New Year, everything gets packed away beautifully, ready for next Christmas.”

ABOVE The walls of the main bedroom are lined with a decorative cinnamoncoloured toile de Jouy supplied by Simon Playle depicting the legend of William Tell. The four-poster bed which Christopher acquired as a teenager has been cleverly enlarged with lengths of picture-frame moulding to extend the pelmet. Austrian blinds, made in a sheer fabric from JAB International, filter the light.

my driving test aged 17, my first solo outing was to Island Hall. I stood on the mill weir, gazing at the home of my forebears, wondering if I would ever be able to afford to buy it back.”

Over the years, Christopher returned from time to time, noting the worsening condition of the house, which became semi-derelict following a fire in 1977 when the roof above the south wing fell in. Soon after it found a saviour in the form of Simon Herrtage, an interior designer who bought it as a project to do up.

In 1983, Christopher, married to Linda and living in London with their two small children, picked up a copy of Country Life. “Flicking through the property pages I saw a small announcement that was to change our lives completely – Island Hall was for sale. Linda went along with my proposal to buy it, but it was only after contracts had been exchanged that I told her I’d never actually been inside the house. She was worried the reality might not live up to the fantasy, but the opposite has proved to be true, as I knew it would.” Island Hall could not have fallen into better hands – with his knowledge of English architecture and access to some the most accomplished craftsmen, Christopher spent the next 10 years painstakingly restoring and embellishing each room. “Fortunately my Victorian and Edwardian forebears clearly didn’t believe in spending money unnecessarily,” he explains, “so the original panelling in the principal rooms was still in place, and, amazingly, so were the chimney pieces, which come into their own at this time of year.”

“The entrance hall is where much of the action takes place over Christmas,” Christopher says. “My daughter Grace will be here, and her eldest daughter Ariadne is now four, so Christmas will be especially magical for her. Tryce, my younger daughter will be home from London, along with my son Maxim and his family, so we’ll have a fairly full house. On Christmas Eve, after everyone has arrived, we have tea in the hall in front of a roaring fire.”

RIGHT Christopher bought the Indian mirrored furniture – including the settee, armchair and mirror – in the 1970s at Sotheby’s. They were once part of a collection that belonged to a Nizam of Hyderabad. BELOW RIGHT Island Hall dates from 1748 and is Grade II* listed. It consists of a three-storey central portion flanked by identical two-storey wings.

Christopher decorated the dining room with candlelit dinners in mind. “Some may think it’s a bit over the top, but I describe my style as ‘more is more.’ More gilt, more sparkle, more candles...more everything,” he says. “Part of the fun is laying the table. Rather than using plates from the same dinner service, I liven things up with a mix of patterns. Tableware is one of my weaknesses, and since the advent of eBay there is the constant temptation to add to the collection.”

Christopher loves to share the house with others and is a member of the Historic Houses association, so a few times a year Island Hall is open for small tours via its Invitation to View scheme. “We host a variety of functions, from summer weddings or private parties on our ornamental island, to Christmas concerts and dinners. It is a happy house and was clearly made for entertaining. Allowing others to experience the unique setting gives me enormous pleasure. Whether it’s a candlelit dinner or a simple supper in the kitchen, the backdrop should be memorable — and over the top.” 

CHRISTOPHER VANE PERCY FANCIFUL FLOURISHES At Christmas, this interior designer decorates his home with a sense of fun and exuberance

Where do you get your inspiration from?

Growing up in the 1950s, Christmas was quite a meagre affair. As a boy I can vividly remember watching the film White Christmas and falling in love with the American glamour of their Christmas, thinking ‘one day I will have a Christmas tree like that’. Back in the 1980s, when we first moved to Island Hall, it was impossible to buy big trees, so I would tie three trees together to create the look. These days we use Nordmann Fir Christmas trees which are very bushy and glossy.

What do you love most about Christmas?

Well I suppose Christmas is the child in us all. As you get older, you have your own children, which reinvigorates Christmas. Then, when you have grandchildren, it is reinvigorated again. It’s a very exciting and magical time. We are subconsciously creating memories – that’s probably why I love it so much.

How would you describe your style, when it comes to decorating for Christmas?

I am a traditionalist and always say I’m from the Fortnum & Mason school of Christmas decoration rather than Liberty. I’m creating an illusion rather than setting a trend and go for quite a theatrical ‘more is more’ approach. I make sure I get the basic bones of the decorations right and quietly keep adding, until I wish to stop.

In the hall, the arrangements above the fireplace and painting (pages 26 and 31), have to work together with the tree and garland (page 28). The intention is that they don’t match but have their own distinct look. As the fireplace decoration is very symmetrical, I decided to go for an off-centre, asymmetric display over the painting for a witty feel. As a final flourish I’ve added some whimsical pieces, such as a dove, a drum and a Father Christmas that children love to spot amongst the greenery.

I’ve gone for quite a natural colour palette above the fireplace to harmonise with the stone and wood, but I’ve added a glitter ball into the pediment above the door nearby. I don’t take myself too seriously. I like to throw something in that’s clashing and eye-catching to spark it up a bit. I’ve placed an antique, handblown glass witch ball in the centre of the fireplace arrangement, along with some green tinsel to twinkle up the foliage and add a fun element. I hope the decorations convey a wit and sense of humour – it’s just to amuse really.

Do you make a plan before you start?

I don’t plan ahead and each year I create something slightly different. My style is quite loose and I suppose it’s like flower arranging. I know basically what I want to do, but ideas come to me as I work, depending on what foliage is in my garden or what decorations I have to hand.

How have you created such an opulent, atmospheric feel on the dining table?

I like to mix and match different styles on the dining table. For example, the white wine glasses might be intricate cut glass, combined with quite plain red wine glasses and coloured champagne glasses, but they all harmonise.

When my wife and I were in Venice one year, I commissioned a set of four Venetian glass figures as a 25th wedding anniversary present, and these are now part of the Christmas table centrepiece. In the eighteenth-century, people often added porcelain figures to tables, so I feel like I’m reviving a tradition from the past.

There is a lot of layering and I’ve even sprinkled crystal diamond scatters on the table to give an extra twinkle. Our dining room is designed to be a candle-lit room. Apart from two uplighters and one picture light, there are no electric lights in there so it feels very atmospheric, rather like it would have done in Georgian times. n

© GRACE VANE PERCY PHOTOGRAPH © ANDREAS VON EINSIEDEL CLAIR WAYMAN PORTRAIT FEATURE

With the fire lit, the family gathers in the cosy drawing room on Christmas morning to unwrap gifts and enjoy coffee and Bettys mince pies. The banquette is made in Romo’s Layton Henna fabric, whilst the curtains have been made from Larissa Sienna/ Rose fabric by Mulberry. The bespoke sofas, are upholstered in GP & J Baker Lea/Stone fabric and piped in Neptune’s Isla Velvet Otter. The Juliette 815 chandelier is from Estro.