If you are a leading design-focused department store with a history going back over a century, famous for rich fashions with a touch of the exotic, what do you do for decorations at Christmas, complicated by the fact that your store has three atria at different levels.

Inspired by a poem by Gabrielle Djanogly, describing an all-seeing Owl and his vision for a magical tree, the theme for this year’s Christmas display at Liberty London (founded by Arthur Liberty in 1875) is ‘The Tree of Liberty’ with the huge floating bonsai tree created in fabric suspended over the central atrium, complemented with contemporary lighting by the likes of Tom Dixon hanging in the other two atria, while the bust of Arthur Liberty still keeps a watchful eye on what’s going on.  The theme with the small animals and birds inhabiting the tree continues down the staircases and out into the window displays.

Judging by how busy the store was in the week before Christmas, and the reaction of customers taking inevitable selfies, this year’s design was a rip-roaring success and hopefully proved it worth at the tills.