An office Christmas installation usually covers the reception, the lobby, a tree, and the areas clients see. A florist designs the scheme to your space and brand, installs it outside working hours, maintains it through December, and removes it in January. Most London offices start the conversation in early autumn, because design, sourcing and install slots all take time before anything appears in the building.
If Christmas has landed on your desk and you've never booked it before, here's the whole sequence.
What an office Christmas installation includes
Most schemes are built from the same components, scaled to the building.
Reception and front of house.
The desk arrangement and whatever sits behind it. This is the piece clients and candidates see, so it usually takes the largest share of the budget.
The tree.
Chosen for the ceiling height and the sightline rather than picked from a size chart. A tree that looks generous in a showroom can look apologetic under a double-height atrium.
Lobby and circulation.
Garlands on reception joinery, arrangements at lift lobbies, sometimes a scheme running up a staircase.
Meeting and client rooms.
Smaller arrangements in the rooms where you host, often refreshed mid-season.
Breakout and kitchen areas.
Lower spend, high staff impact. This is the part people photograph.
What separates a designed scheme from a box of decorations is that these read as one idea. Walking from the lift to the meeting room should feel continuous rather than like five different people had five different afternoons.
Christmas Tree Installation at Crown London Hotel Cricklewood Broadway London Flowers by Amaranté London
When to book
The honest answer is earlier than feels necessary, and the reason is sequencing rather than urgency.
Design comes before sourcing. Sourcing comes before build. Build comes before install. We start discussing Christmas designs with clients three to four months before installation, and if your scheme involves anything bespoke, such as a fabricated structure, a specific colourway or a tree above standard height, that lead time is the minimum rather than the comfortable end.
Installation slots also fill from the top. Florists installing across dozens of venues in the same fortnight have finite crews, and the best slots go to whoever booked first. Leaving it late rarely means you can't get anything. It usually means fewer design options and less flexibility on install timing.
A rough sequence for a standard office scheme:
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Enquiry and site visit. Late summer to early September. Larger installations need a visit so we can measure up and understand the sightlines. Smaller schemes can usually be designed from photos and floor plans.
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Concept and presentation. One to two weeks after the site visit. You see the scheme drawn onto your actual building.
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Sign-off and sourcing. Once approved, material is ordered and anything bespoke is fabricated.
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Installation. Mid-October through November, out of hours, usually overnight or before opening.
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Maintenance. Visits through December to replace anything that has gone over.
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Derig. The first and second week of January, with everything taken away.
One practical point. If you're reading this late and nothing is booked, ring anyway. Most florists hold some capacity for late work. You'll have fewer choices, not none.
What building management will ask you for
This is the part most florists skip and most office managers get caught by.
Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, responsibility for fire safety sits with a designated "responsible person" - typically whoever manages the building. In a multi-tenant London office that's usually your landlord or managing agent, not you. Which means your Christmas scheme is their business, and they may want to see paperwork before anything goes up. FireSealsDirect
Expect questions on:
Flame retardancy.
If you're using an artificial tree or fabricated elements, building managers generally expect artificial trees to be flame retardant, and many buildings require documentary evidence rather than a verbal assurance. Optimum Safety
Electrical safety.
Any lighting in a workplace should carry the British Standard Kitemark or CE mark, with cables inspected before use and ideally an in-date PAT certificate. Sockets must not be overloaded - one of the more common causes of office fires generally. Optimum Safety
Escape routes.
Decorations cannot obstruct fire exits, fire doors or passageways. Temporary rearrangement at Christmas often leaves corridors housing boxes and furniture, and a good installer removes their own packaging rather than leaving it in a circulation route. Enfield Doors
Working at height.
Anything installed above standard reach needs appropriate access equipment and a trained crew.
Real tree maintenance.
A dry tree is a genuine fire risk, which is why a maintained scheme matters more in an office than in a home. Many buildings simply prohibit real trees for this reason. essex-fire
Ask your prospective florist whether they can supply flame-retardancy certification, PAT records and public liability documentation. If the answer is vague, your building manager will find that out before you do.
Real or artificial in an office
Both work. The decision is usually made by the building rather than by taste.
Real trees smell like Christmas and look alive, and that matters in a reception. They also drop needles, need watering, and are ruled out entirely in a number of London buildings on fire grounds.
Artificial and preserved elements carry certification, hold their shape for the full season, and need no maintenance visits. They cost more up front and less to run.
A lot of good office schemes use both - a certified artificial tree where building rules require it, with fresh foliage in the garlands and arrangements where it's permitted and can be maintained.
Christmas Tree Installation at Aqua Shard by Amaranté London
What drives the cost
Nobody in this market publishes office installation prices, so treat any figure you're quoted as a starting point for a conversation about scope. The final cost of Christmas flower installations for London offices will usually depend on four key factors:
The number of areas.
A reception arrangement and a tree is a different job from reception, lobby, three meeting rooms and a breakout space.
Scale and height.
Double-height atriums and suspended pieces bring access equipment and additional crew
Fresh or preserved.
Fresh material needs maintenance visits through December. Preserved costs more at install and nothing afterwards.
Access and timing.
Overnight installs, phased builds across a working week, and multi-floor or multi-site schemes all carry different labour.
Ask for the total including maintenance and removal rather than the install figure alone. That's where quotes stop being comparable.
Questions to ask before you book
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Does the quote include maintenance visits and January removal, or are those extra?
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Can you provide flame-retardancy certification and PAT records for building management?
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When will you install, and does that work around our hours?
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What happens if something wilts or breaks mid-season?
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Who removes the packaging on install day?
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Is the tree real or artificial, and does our building permit that?
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Do you have public liability insurance, and at what level?
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Where do the flowers come from?
That last one matters more each year. Offices with their own ESG reporting increasingly need supplier evidence rather than supplier claims.
Getting a scheme designed for your office
Amaranté designs and installs Christmas schemes for London offices and corporate spaces, including Christie's in St James's, InMode and Databricks, and we dress over 100 venues across the UK each season.
If you'd like a scheme designed for your office, tell us about the space and we'll arrange a call with our designers.
Contact Amaranté London
FAQ
How far in advance should an office book Christmas flowers?
Three to four months before installation. That is when we typically start discussing Christmas designs with clients, so a November install means beginning the conversation in July or August. Shorter timeframes are possible and we do take them on, but our schedules get tighter the later it is left, which narrows the design options rather than ruling them out.
Do you install outside office hours?
Yes. Office installs are normally scheduled overnight or before opening so the working day isn't disrupted.
Will our building management need anything from the florist?
Often, yes. Multi-tenant London buildings frequently ask for flame-retardancy certification for artificial elements, PAT records for lighting, and public liability insurance details.
Can we keep the decorations for next year?
Most commercial schemes are designed, installed and removed as a service rather than sold, which means no storage and a different scheme each year. Ask your florist which arrangement they offer.
Are real Christmas trees allowed in offices?
It depends on the building. A dry tree is a real fire risk, so a number of London buildings permit only certified artificial trees. Check with your managing agent before deciding.