Christmas Decorations Inspiration with Buchanan Interior

Before we delve into the gorgeous tartan interiors, we thought we'd give you a little insight into who James and The Buchanan Interior are, in case you haven't had time to watch the interview yet. James Hughes runs the account with his partner Kenny by his side and their cute dog Ollie regularly makes a cameo. James and Kenny have lived in their flat in the Buchanan Institute building for 9 years, but only started renovating when they purchased the flat two years ago. It was then that the Instagram account was created, with the idea to share pictures of the flat as they transformed it from the grey paradise it was originally into the colour haven it is today. Their story is full of so much creativity, which comes as no surprise as, by day, James works as a hair stylist at MD Beauty Lounge in Glasgow.

The first look we had James design was of course Christmas themed, and we chose the Glasgow tartan to light up the room with Christmas spirit. The combination of reds and greens symbolise perfectly a traditional Christmas which was the exactly the look James wanted to create when decorating for the festive period this year. However, it was also a nice little bonus that this is the District Tartan for the area of Glasgow, which is obviously close to James and Kenny's hearts as this is where they grew up and live currently.

The Glasgow tartan is primarily red and green, with a touch of navy blue featured as well. The exact date that the tartan was designed is currently unknown, although it was mentioned in correspondence from the Wilsons of Bannockburn back in 1790. However, what is interesting about the Glasgow tartan is that the colours change depending on the weight of cloth you go for. The tartan used by James in his pictures is the 8oz fabric, but if you choose the 10oz fabric then the red colour changes to a bright pink, an unusual colour for our favourite Scottish check. You can see the differences in the swatch image above. This has always been the case with the tartan, as when it was included in Wilsons of Bannockburn's 1819 Key Pattern Book, it was explained that usually the scarlet dye would be used, but could be substituted for madder (a eurasian plant, where dye is obtained from the root), which would significantly increase the price. So, if you do decide to decorate your home in the Glasgow tartan, make sure you select the correct variation.