Display Ideas for Model Winter Panoramas

Christmas Village Displays

There are a number of simple design principles that can be applied to the design element of any Christmas village arrangement. For example, icicle edging on the front of a display table can make the village appear neat, crisp and tidy, obscuring table legs and providing an attractive frontage, especially when a rich coloured velvet is draped underneath, all the way to the floor.

It is important to keep the layout balanced and it can be extremely effective when shorter buildings are placed at the sides, forming a rough balanced triangle shape when the overall display is viewed from a distance. Simply hiding any wires, battery boxes and labels will ensure that they do not spoil the illusion of a winter panorama.

When first building the display, by taking time to construct a solid base, it will enable you to position the buildings in the exact places required, rather than compromising where platforms are too small, too narrow or just unstable. Areas of space are just as important as the houses themselves. Don't try to cram everything into a tight space - informal groupings of houses, trees and people give a more realistic effect.


Try to position all of the elements so that they come together to tell a story, perhaps keeping the clusters themed. It won't really matter if you have Dickens-style houses mixed in with more modern buildings if they are laid out in this manner. Any buildings that are of a lesser quality can still be used as 'space fillers', placed in less obvious positions, away from the main action in the centre.

A main street or public square can form a centrepiece, around which the principal buildings are placed, to recreate a busy thoroughfare with shops and perhaps a restaurant, church, school, bank, clock tower or post office. Mountains at the back will add both depth and height, preventing your Christmas village from appearing too flat. If you prefer not to use or make mountains, then simple platforms can be constructed using some of the boxes that you have unpacked to form the supports. Styrofoam (polystyrene) can also be a model-makers best friend when it comes to landscaping in layers.

To create a successful display, it is quite surprising how many different pieces you will need to purchase or make beforehand. Many collectors begin planning their Christmas village in November, particularly where there are mountains, snowmen and trees to be made. By tackling different elements well in advance, it can make the whole experience feel far less overwhelming and more enjoyable.

A Christmas Village for the Summer

When Christmas is over, rather than packing it all away and having to find somewhere safe to store all of your delicate porcelain treasures, why not select the least 'Christmassy' houses and create yourself a summer village for your bedroom, as shown in the following collection of photos?