Five Tastemakers on What Makes a Christmas of Dreams

From chef Hayden Quinn and fashion designer Genevieve Smart to Gro-To founder Zoë Foster Blake, the ‘My Christmas’ series offers a peek into the season’s most stylish celebrations.

How do some of Australia’s leading tastemakers celebrate Christmas? In style of course. Expect dazzling decorations, gorgeous gifts and the most mouthwatering festive food, all available at David Jones. Be it the warm whites of Justine Cullen’s coastal Christmas or Steve Cordony’s playful take on the traditional, join us as we share in the sublime.

As someone who’s known to put their tree up so early, they need to buy a second one, Justine Cullen isn’t short on festive spirit. This year, the mum of four and JONES Editor-in-Chief is dreaming of a Christmas full of family, festivities, and copious amounts of food. “To me, Christmas is about friends and family and love and spending time together. It’s also about eating. In fact, I think the most important part of Christmas is the eating,” she says. When it comes to setting the scene for her Christmas of Dreams, Justine plans to stay true to her coastal surroundings with elegant neutrals and warm white lights.

“Sunshine, summer, family, friends, amazing food, great seafood and, of course, a cold beverage,” are Hayden Quinn’s ingredients for the perfect Christmas Day. As a chef who is passionate about vibrant flavours and high-quality produce, Hayden’s festive season will be one of fresh indulgence. “I think a really good crunchy, crispy, vibrant salad is really special for me,” he says, “You do eat a lot, and I think having a little bit of fibre, a little bit of crunch, some strong acidity in there makes a really nice, balanced lunch.”

Exuberance, jubilance and colour take centre stage for Zoë Foster Blake this Christmas. “We sort of have a different theme every year,” says Zoë, “Last year, it was silver and white; the year before, it was traditional gold and red. It depends on my mood.” With a more-is-more approach and her decorating assistant (and daughter) Rudy in tow, this year’s celebrations stand to be the most vibrant yet.

“Christmas for me means friends and family and being surrounded by lots of love and beautiful food,” says fashion designer Genevieve Smart. As the co-founder of label Ginger & Smart, a Christmas of glitz and glamour is written in the stars. From elegant styling to a sensational spread of food and drinks, Genevieve is looking to moments of celebration and of course, an excuse to get dressed up. “I think we’re all going to get dressed up and celebrate what this year has been and pull out our favourite dresses and great prints,” she says.

A traditionalist for Christmas, interior stylist Steve Cordony’s festive season is one of pure opulence. With carols playing as soon as the season begins, Steve loves to capture the romanticism about the classic-ness for Christmas. When it comes to creating a festive tablescape, Steve opts for the greens and reds, adding gold for some accent and playing with quirky additions like pomegranates for a dose of fun.