A Suffolk Christmas with Restaries Founder, Gemma Boner
Restaries is a collection of contemporary retreats created by Gemma Boner and Thom Scherdel. Set on the grounds of a 16th-century Suffolk farm, which has previously seen cider production and New World Music distribution, it has now been transformed into an array of unique luxury holiday stays.
Coming from hospitality, PR, events, marketing and fashion backgrounds, the pair created Restaries as an organic take on what they feel guests should be offered when taking time away from their busy schedules. Their deep-rooted sense of hospitality comes not only from their working lives but from years of welcoming friends and family into their own homes – a familiar approach that has shaped every decision, so that every guest feels welcome, unique and at home. Find Restaries on instagram here
How do you set the scene for a festive gathering? Walk us through your signature Christmas table styling.
I like a Christmas table to feel abundant but not overly polished. We tend to start with a really beautiful cloth or runner, vintage crystal, mismatched glassware, lots of candles and foliage gathered from around the farm.
Food is very much part of the decoration too. Big bowls, platters and serving dishes go straight onto the table, so it feels generous and communal rather than formally styled. For me, the nicest festive tables look better as the evening goes on. My husband is the cook, and I’m the atmosphere setter!
At this time of year, bringing the outside in feels essential. How do you integrate natural elements into your Christmas decor?
Living on a farm means we are incredibly spoilt for material. I’m constantly bringing things inside – branches, ivy, dried seed heads, rosemary, pine and whatever else still looks beautiful at that point in the season.
I prefer arrangements that feel slightly wild and oversized rather than very manicured. A huge branch in a pot can have far more impact than lots of smaller decorations.
We also use natural materials throughout the house: baskets, old timber, stone, linen and wool. At Christmas I think you can simply exaggerate what is already there, rather than suddenly making the house feel like somewhere completely different.
Scent has a powerful link to memory and mood. What is your absolute favourite olfactory moment during the festive season?
That moment when you come back into the house after being outside in the cold and there is a fire going, something cooking and candles burning.
It’s that combination of woodsmoke, greenery, food and warmth that instantly feels like Christmas to me. Scent is incredibly transporting – often more so than something visual – and those slightly smoky, woody smells remind me immediately of everyone being together.
VERDEN’s Festivum Scented Candle captures a joyful, seasonal blend of warming woods and spices. What makes this scent resonate with you at Christmas? Where and when do you burn it?
I’m naturally drawn to woody scents, so Festivum feels very much at home at Restaries. I love that it feels seasonal without being obviously “Christmas” – the warmth and spice are there, but it still feels sophisticated and earthy.
I would burn it from late afternoon onwards, particularly in the sitting room or kitchen as the light starts to disappear. There is something about lighting candles before everyone gathers for dinner that marks the transition into the evening.
I also love scent in an entrance space. When somebody walks in from the cold, it immediately creates that sense of warmth and atmosphere before they have even properly entered the house.
Which VERDEN piece are you gifting this year, and who are the lucky recipients?
The Festivum candle would definitely be one of my gifts this year. Candles are one of those things people often love but don’t necessarily buy themselves, so they make a very easy but still thoughtful present.
I’d give them to the people who host us throughout the year – friends and family whose houses we always seem to descend upon. It feels like a particularly lovely host gift because you are effectively giving somebody an atmosphere for their home. Or the Sleep Mist – because everyone needs better sleep.
What colour palettes or tactile materials are inspiring your design moodboard this Christmas?
I’m always drawn to quite earthy, muddied colours – tobacco, olive, chocolate brown, deep red, faded pinks and warm creams rather than anything too bright or crisp.
Texture is probably even more important than colour. Heavy linens, velvet, old timber, sheepskin, wool and handmade ceramics all come into their own at this time of year.
I like interiors to feel layered and tactile, particularly in winter. Nothing should feel too precious. You want people to curl up on a sofa, move a chair nearer the fire, put a glass down somewhere and genuinely relax.
How do you approach sustainable decorating without compromising on aesthetic impact?
For me, sustainability tends to come naturally from not wanting everything to feel new.
We reuse decorations year after year, mix them with things we already own and bring in natural materials from outside. Often the most beautiful decorations cost absolutely nothing – a huge branch, dried foliage, ivy around a doorway or bowls filled with things gathered from the garden.
I also think buying fewer, better things makes an enormous difference. I would much rather have something beautifully made that becomes part of Christmas every year than continually replace decorations according to a trend.
The slightly imperfect things are usually the pieces that give a house its character anyway.
