5 stylish designer Christmas trees in London
This holiday season, fashion brands and designers aren’t just content with taking over the windows at luxury department stores but instead dressing Christmas trees for luxury hotels across London. Claridge’s unveiled a 16-foot tree decorated with bows designed by Burberry’s Daniel Lee, while The Londoner embraced the ethereal aesthetic of Susan Fang, and One Hundred Shoreditch brought a monstrous touch to the festive season with Charles Jeffrey.
Claridge’s – Daniel Lee and Burberry
Luxury Mayfair-based hotel Claridge’s has a long tradition of tapping fashion designers and brands to dress its Christmas tree, with everyone from Karl Lagerfeld, Alber Elbaz, and Louis Vuitton bringing their aesthetic to the hotel’s Art Deco lobby.
This year, the hotel selected Daniel Lee, chief creative officer of Burberry, who has designed a Christmas tree celebrating craft, heritage, and festive wonder, decorating the 16-foot magnificent tree with vibrant bows crafted from surplus Burberry fabrics. The tree is also covered in wild foliage and thistle, Scotland’s national flower, as a nod to Burberry’s connection to the Highlands, where its cashmere scarves are produced, as well as brass bells, inspired by the house’s Equestrian Knight Design, and baubles handmade by a British glassblower. Sitting at the top is a gold crown, while the base features oversized floor-standing chess pieces and cosy cushions and blankets.
Lee said in a statement: “Claridge’s has always felt like home from the moment you walk through its doors, a true symbol of elegance and British heritage where I’ve enjoyed many special moments over the years.
“Being invited to design the hotel’s annual Christmas tree is a huge honour. I saw it as an opportunity to celebrate tradition and togetherness - expressing the season through vibrant colours and rich textures. Christmas is my favourite time of the year.”
The traditional tree is part of a wider festive takeover at the hotel, which also includes a collaboration with Claridge’s on their annual festive bauble. Each hand-painted design features the Claridge’s bell boy teddy bear dressed in a classic Burberry trench and scarf, uniting two heritage British brands in a collectible piece, as well as the hotel doormen wearing iconic Burberry check scarves to welcome guests and visitors. A check pattern also appears on room key holders, as well as in the lift, which has been redesigned with a plush sofa and cushions.
The Londoner – Susan Fang
The Londoner, the boutique hotel by Leicester Square, has unveiled a Christmas tree in collaboration with fashion designer Susan Fang, entitled ‘The Crystal Dream’. The Christmas tree brings Fang’s signature dreamlike world to The Londoner’s festive season, transforming the traditional tree into a poetic, futuristic masterpiece illuminated with an iridescent glow.
The sculptural all-white installation draws inspiration from the feeling of “air-flora fantasy,” and combines transparent spheres with oversized 3D-printed flowers, which shimmer with soft blush hues and an iridescent glow to evoke the sensation of stepping into a crystalline dreamscape as each bauble seems to breathe and shimmer as if made of pure light.
The Goring – Lulu Guinness
The Goring has partnered with British fashion and accessories brand Lulu Guinness for its Christmas festivities this season to design the hotel’s two trees. Lulu Guinness worked with creative studio Makerie on the playful and whimsical festive displays. The ‘London Calling’ Christmas tree in reception has been wrapped in a winding scarlet ribbon with Lulu Guinness’s signature red lips, while miniature London post-boxes and phone boxes line the bottom.
While around the corner, the ‘In Bloom’ Christmas tree creates a festive garden of pinks, yellows, and deep burgundies, complete with Lulu Guinness’ florist baskets and a few of The Goring’s beloved sheep nestled beneath the branches.
Each decoration, from tiny telephone booths to clusters of winter blooms, was handcrafted in England by Makerie Studio using only paper and card.
100 Shoreditch – Charles Jeffrey
East London hotel 100 Shoreditch has gone for an unconventional Highland Christmas tree “gone wrong” designed by Scottish designer Charles Jeffrey. More art than traditional, the ‘Monstrous Highland Tree’ makes an impact as Jeffrey constructs a tree wrapped up for delivery.
"In the Highlands, Christmas trees aren’t gentle,” explains Jeffrey. “They are unruly things, drunk, loud, and full of bad ideas. When one is cut down, it’s too dangerous to leave in the open. Tradition says they must be sealed in cardboard, shipped north, and tamed by Santa’s workforce before they’re allowed anywhere near polite company.
“This one didn’t make it. It broke free on the way and found its way to One Hundred Shoreditch - still boxed, still half alive, still swearing!”
The Maine Mayfair – Annie’s Ibiza
The Maine Mayfair on Hanover Square has unveiled a Christmas tree designed by Annie’s Ibiza’s founder and designer, Annie Doble, celebrating the shared spirit of glamour and celebration. The Christmas tree offers an opulent festive wonderland, with bows and baubles decorated with recycled textile off-cuts from Annie's Ibiza's holiday collection and intricately hand-beaded to illustrate key dresses from the brand.
Commenting on the inspiration, Doble said in a statement: “We wanted to capture all the magic and whimsical elements of Annie’s designs, using inspiration from bestsellers and our newly launched exclusive Christmas Capsule.”