Inside Sam Faiers' festive home - from sentimental tree to partner's heartwarming tradition

Sam Faiers' newly-renovated home looks incredible in all its Christmas splendour, and in this exclusive chat she tells us all about how she makes it so magical

Samantha Faiers gorgeous home looks picture-perfect decked out for Christmas. With the help of Sam and partner Paul Knightley's three kids - Paul, eight, Rosie, seven, and Edward, two - they've achieved the traditional "Home Alone look" former Mummy Diaries star Sam craves. As well as a decorated front door, there's sweeping wreaths and baubles up the grand staircase, and a large Christmas tree lovingly decorated with bits and pieces Sam and Paul have picked up over the years.

“I love doing the tree with the kids. Every year we add little bits to it. I love red, green and gold, like Home Alone in the 90s," she says in an exclusive chat with OK!. The couple bought the house two-and-a-half years ago and have poured time and money into turning into their dream family home, complete with uber-stylish study, kids' playroom, open-plan kitchen and some dreamy pink bathrooms.

Sam, 33, says she makes most of the interior decisions, and partner Paul is (mostly) happy with her choices. “Style-wise, I make most of the decisions about the decor, but Paul and I have quite similar tastes when it comes to interiors and he’s very happy with it all – apart from the two pink bathrooms we have,” she says.

“Paul’s big job next year is the landscaping, as I’m way out of my depth on anything to do with the garden. Each room is slightly different – the only uniting theme is the wooden parquet flooring downstairs. I like to keep the colours light and neutral, but I also love colour and wallpaper."

Along with the kitchen, which pops with a mint-green stove, another of the fully-finished room is Sam's home office, where she runs her Revive Collagen business, which she co-founded during the Covid lockdown in 2020 and now makes millions every year.

"So in my office, the bathroom and the kids’ rooms, there are nice florals throughout," she says. "I inject colour here and there, whether it’s the green oven or the taupe-coloured wardrobe in my dressing room. For me, it’s all about having a warm, cosy home. So I love lamps and spotlights and cosy carpets for that reason. I don’t like bright lights. I like photos of the kids in the house everywhere – that’s what makes it homely."

At Christmas, the family go all out. As well as their tree, which Sam lets the kids decorate, there's also a Christmas sleepover with her sister Billie Shepherd and children, and a special tradition involving partner Paul donning “the cheapest, crappiest Santa outfit ever” to film a secret Santa video for the kids.

“One year, we were in the Maldives and Paul said, ‘We still have to do it,’ so we took the suit out there and I set up the GoPro," Sam laughs. "It was 35˚C, Paul’s got the full suit on and doing the presents, absolutely melting. We still laugh about it to this day!".

And on the cousin sleepover, Sam shares: "As you get older and the families start packing out, it’s really tough. So we made a pact that every year we’ll do a Christmas sleepover, usually with me, Billie, my mum and all the kids.

"We do the full Christmas dinner, present exchange, Santa’s elves come, there’s Christmas music, drinks, games, everything. The kids basically have two Christmas Days. It can be hard when families are big and there’s politics over Christmas – this way it’s always special and there’s no pressure.”

“I’m still working on plans for our bedroom. I want to have a drop ceiling, so I can have some nice warm lighting. I want the main bedroom to feel peaceful and cosy – almost like when you go to a really nice hotel room.”

Sam says she and Paul are around two thirds of the way done in the house but they're looking forward to crossing the finish line - once Christmas is out the way of course.

“We’re still only about 65% done, but I love it – it’s such a lovely family home,” adds Sam. “I let the kids make a mess with their toys because I’ve learnt to embrace imperfection.”