Here’s how designers do it.
We asked experts for their best tips, tricks, and creative ideas to help inspire you this year.
Mixing natural [and] organic textures with dressed-up materials creates a look that feels refined but relaxed.
Photo:Oksana Bondar/Getty Images
Choose a Color Palette and Theme
Not intotraditional Christmas hueslike red and green?
Prefer snowflakes to Santa?
Theres no hard-and-fast rules here, saysKathy Kuo, interior designer at Kathy Kuo Home.
The easiest thing to do is to simply make a decision and stick with it.
My advice is to consider a color palette and an overall theme, she says.
Instead, she recommends working from the top down.
This way the coverage is consistent.
Set your foundation with lights and garlands by alternating strands of each throughout," she suggests.
Start from the top as far in as you could, then work back.
Each accessory should be facing out and then secured with a hook or wire.
The shove-and-stuff technique is an easy way to ensure all your favorite items make it on the tree.
I go for six to nine inches or larger and always ensure to have about a dozen mixed in.
Scale plays a big role when people saywow.
“Got old holiday cards?
Cut out the designs and hang them as unique decorations.
Kitchen items work wonders toothink dried orange slices, cinnamon sticks, or cookie cutters for a festive touch.
Even family photos clipped with clothespins add a personal, heartwarming vibe.”
Plus, you could invite your kids to double down on the crafting fun!
On trees under eight feet, three-inch-wide ribbon is a good size.
confirm you buy ribbon with wire so you might bend and shape it nicely.
Capra also advises cutting the ribbon into manageable 24- to 30-inch strips.
Place them individually and tuck them in to fill the space between ornaments.
Alternatively, you’ve got the option to decorate your tree entirely with bows.
Dont Forget the Finishing Touches
Think youre done decorating your tree?
“Then add in large ball ornaments toward the inside of the tree to help close any large gaps.
Once those gaps are closed, work your way to the outer part of the tree.”
And dont forget a tree skirt or collaror did you forget to buy one?
Thankfully, it’s easy to improvise.
“Style the blanket(s) around the base of the tree and secure the ends with clothespins.
