Christmas Village Houses NZ: How to Style a Glowing Display

Our French Country tealight houses have been flying out the door these past couple of weeks, so here’s how I put a village together and the little extras that bring it to life.

French Country Nordgard Grand Chalet Tealight House$126.99French Country Nordgard Torp Red Cottage Tealight House$42.99French Country Nordgard Tall Villa Bow Wreath Tealight House$63.99French Country Christmas Tealight Cottage with Swag$42.99Le Forge White & Gold Ceramic Tealight Housesfrom $22.00French Country Village Hotel Tea Light$115.00French Country St Malo Tea Light Lighthouse$52.99French Country Devon Tea Light Cottage Arch Window Cornflower Blue$49.99

Christmas village houses NZ: where to start

My number one tip is to start with one “hero” building and build around it. A tall piece gives the whole display a focal point, so the smaller cottages look like a village rather than a row of ornaments. The Nordgard Grand Chalet Tealight House stands 32.5cm tall with an off-white weatherboard finish, and the French Country Village Hotel Tea Light is 28.5cm tall, the tallest in the French Country village tea light range.

French Country Nordgard Grand Chalet Tealight House$126.99French Country Village Hotel Tea Light$115.00

Then add two or three smaller houses at different heights. The Nordgard Torp Red Cottage Tealight House is 11cm high and the Nordgard Bow Wreath Cottage Tealight House is 12.5cm, so they sit nicely in front of a taller piece without hiding it.

French Country Nordgard Torp Red Cottage Tealight House$42.99French Country Nordgard Bow Wreath Cottage Tealight House$34.99

Pick your village style

A village looks most polished when the houses share a colour story. Here are the looks we have in store at the moment:

Scandi Nordgard village

French Country’s Nordgard collection is inspired by a Swedish village at Christmas, with weatherboard detailing, wreaths and bows. Mix the reds and greens for a traditional feel: the Torp Red and Torp Green cottages are designed as a pair, and the Woodland Cottage, Garland Cottage, Stable with Wreath and Tall Villa fill out the street.

French Country Nordgard Torp Red Cottage Tealight House$42.99French Country Nordgard Torp Green Cottage Tealight House$42.99French Country Nordgard Woodland Cottage Tealight House$64.99French Country Nordgard Garland Cottage Tealight House$64.99French Country Nordgard Stable Tealight House with Wreath$64.99French Country Nordgard Tall Villa Bow Wreath Tealight House$63.99

Soft cream and green cottages

If your Christmas decor is more neutral, the hand-painted cream Christmas Tealight Cottage with Swag is lovely, and it pairs with the Christmas Tealight Cottage with Wreath and the Large Green Tealight Cottage with Wreath.

French Country Christmas Tealight Cottage with Swag$42.99French Country Christmas Tealight Cottage with Wreath$59.99French Country Large Green Tealight Cottage with Wreath$76.99

White and gold glow

For a modern, wintry look, the Le Forge White & Gold Ceramic Tealight Houses come in four sizes (12cm, 14cm, 17cm and 22cm) and are sold individually, so you can group all four as a centrepiece. These are on pre-order and due to arrive late October/early November.

Le Forge White & Gold Ceramic Tealight Housesfrom $22.00

English village, all year round

The Cotswold pieces have thatched roofs and a storybook feel, so they don’t have to go back in the box on Boxing Day. Try the Cotswold Chapel Tealight Holder, Cotswolds Manor Tealight Holder, Cotswolds Cottage Tealight Holder, the Ivory and Blue cottages, and the Alsace Cottage Tea Light Olive Green.

French Country Cotswold Chapel Tealight Holder$62.99French Country Cotswolds Manor Tealight Holder$66.99French Country Cotswolds Cottage Tealight Holder$39.99French Country Cotswold Ivory Tealight Cottage$53.99French Country Cotswold Blue Tealight Cottage$53.99French Country Alsace Cottage Tea Light Olive Green$35.99

A seaside village

For something a bit different (and very Kiwi summer Christmas!), the hand-painted St Malo Tea Light Lighthouse is 25.5cm tall and makes a great hero piece next to the Saint Malo Buoy House and its smaller sibling.

French Country St Malo Tea Light Lighthouse$52.99French Country Saint Malo Buoy Tea Light House$52.99French Country Saint Malo Small Buoy Tea Light House$34.99

Cottagecore in cornflower blue

The Devon pieces are hand-painted in soft blues and sage with floral detailing, and they’re just as pretty on a spring windowsill as at Christmas: the Arch Window Cottage, Flower Shop, Peak Cottage and Petite Sage Cottage.

French Country Devon Tea Light Cottage Arch Window Cornflower Blue$49.99French Country Devon Flower Shop Tea Light Cornflower Blue$48.99French Country Devon Peak Tea Light Cottage Cornflower Blue$52.00French Country Devon Petite Tea Light Cottage Sage Green$39.99

How to build your Christmas village display

This is the bit I love. Here’s how I do it on our mantel:

1Lay down greenery first

Run a garland along the surface as your “ground”. The 150cm Mixed Green Garland has silver-green foliage and little berries and a loose, natural shape, so it looks like a hedgerow winding through the village. Tuck in a Mixed Berry Spray or two for a pop of colour.

French Country 150cm Mixed Green Garland$45.99French Country Mixed Berry Spray$19.99

2Place your hero piece off-centre

With the tallest buildings at the back. Dead centre can look a bit formal.

3Use risers

Books or small boxes hidden under the garland lift the back row so every lit window shows.

4Group in odd numbers and leave gaps

Threes and fives look more natural, and space between buildings lets the glow spill out and leaves room for trees and figurines.

The finishing touches: trees, figurines and a train

Little scene-setters are what make people stop and look closer. A couple of woodland figurines tucked between the houses do the trick: the Woodland Tree with Deer & Birds Figurine and the Natural Christmas Tree with Dog Figurine are both perfect village-sized trees.

French Country Woodland Tree with Deer & Birds Figurine$47.99French Country Natural Christmas Tree with Dog Figurine$59.99

For a larger display on a sideboard or hall table, a pair of stags gives it real presence. The Aurora Lying Stag and Aurora Standing Stag look beautiful at either end of a village.

French Country Aurora Lying Stag$89.99French Country Aurora Standing Stag$116.99

Every village needs a visit from Santa! The Festive Santa with Bear Figurine and Festive Santa with Bells Figurine are lovely standing in front of the houses.

French Country Festive Santa with Bear Figurine$59.99French Country Festive Santa with Bells Figurine$59.99

North Pole Express Train

66CM · GREEN DISTRESSED PATINA

And if you have the room, the French Country North Pole Express Train is the showstopper. It measures 66cm long with a rich green distressed patina, so it runs right along the front of a mantel.

$189.99SHOP NOW

A snow globe or music box at the edge of the village adds a bit of nostalgia, and the grandkids will love winding them up. Have a look at the Classic Noel Santa Snow Globe, the Classic Noel Christmas Music Box and the Rocking Horse Christmas Music Box.

French Country Classic Noel Santa Snow Globe$52.99French Country Classic Noel Christmas Music Box$42.99French Country Rocking Horse Christmas Music Box$69.99

To round it off, a little sparkle in between: Aurelia Gold Mistletoe Votives glow softly with candlelight, and a Tall Rustic Gold Christmas Bell adds warm metallic tones.

French Country Aurelia Gold Mistletoe Votivefrom $9.99French Country Tall Rustic Gold Christmas Bell$19.99

Tealights or battery lights?

Real tealights give the loveliest flicker, but please be careful. Always put your houses on a stable, heat-resistant surface, keep greenery away from the openings and never leave a burning tealight unattended. A Glasshouse Rechargeable Candle Lighter makes it much easier to reach down inside the houses.

Glasshouse Rechargeable Candle Lighter$46.70

If you’ve got little ones or pets, or you want the village glowing all evening, battery-operated lights are the way to go. The Nordgard Torp Cottage and Grand Chalet work with a tealight or battery-operated lights, and the Le Forge houses take a tealight or string lights (lights aren’t included with any of the houses).

French Country Nordgard Torp Red Cottage Tealight House$42.99French Country Nordgard Grand Chalet Tealight House$126.99Le Forge White & Gold Ceramic Tealight Housesfrom $22.00

For extra glow without a flame, I pop a few 70cm Light Up Gold Branch Stems in a vase behind the village, and the Angel with Dove Light-Up Decoration (39.2cm tall, takes 3 x AA batteries) makes a beautiful end piece.

70cm Light Up Gold Branch Stem$13.59French Country Angel with Dove Light-Up Decoration$99.99

Christmas village FAQ