The December issue of Places: Design & Living, out with The Sunday Times of Malta tomorrow, offers a neutral, simple, matt and natural take on Christmas, away from the lustrous textures and bright colours synonymous with the season.

This pared-down, ‘poor’ Christmas is about muted greens and woody herb displays and decorations, away from flashy tinsel and trinkets, a rejection of mass consumerism.

In the run-up to the New Year, the magazine lists the design trends for 2019,  from the rebirth of terracotta and the reintroduction of terrazzo tiles, as well as earthy colours and a continued focus on sustainability.

Among the projects featured in the magazine is the challenging design intervention of an architecture duo on an already inhabited space where stone, metal and light are the main elements that are made to work together and complement the existing space.

Heritage and conservation continue to find their spot in Places, with an itinerary of cultural sites and activities mapped out for the holidays ahead and a step-by-step account of the restoration of an 18th-century clock.

Fashion fuses with form and infiltrates the magazine with a designer’s foray into the world of soft furnishings and linen to continue beautifying the home.

Places: Design & Living is a bi-monthly magazine, produced and published by Allied Newspapers.