CHRISTMAS IS HERE. The shops may have been filled since October with glittery garlands, and my beloved Manchester Christmas Markets have already been going strong for a month, but it’s only this week that we’ve got the decorations out of their shackles from the cellar.
Thanks to all our family having Winter birthdays, we’re a little later this year than normal, but it’s only gifted me with more time to think of how we will style the seaason. Here is why we’ve decided it’s time for a Formal family Christmas tree, and how to make it work for any living space.
1. Start With A Fantastic Tree
Whilst there are many who swear by real trees which make wonderful traditions out of picking one up each year – for us, it’s not a good fit. We start our decorating early (most years when we’re organised enough!) and have a little girl who can’t pass a tree without re-arranging the ornaments. It would most certainly be bare by the time St. Nick reached our house mid-December! For that reason, we have an artificial tree, but these days if you still want to achieve the real look, there are plenty on the market. Christmas Tree World gifted us this most BEAUTIFUL flocked tree, in a true-to-life forest green and dusted with an artificial snow.
It’s true that our taste is sometimes a little bonkers (and although not shown here, we also have a Christmas tree in our master bedroom with all our special “memory” ornaments, and a rainbow christmas tree in our playroom), but in our formal lounge, we wanted a tree to match. Going with a great quality lifelike tree gives you the foundation to customise to your own family’s style without clashing too much with your everyday decor.
2. Colour Co-Ordinate Everything
You can buy Christmas accessories in every colour these days so you truly can be as creative as you like. Sure there will be different trends each year, but if you want a theme which will keep giving year after year, match them to your decor. Our lounge is almost exclusively Navy Blue, with accents of purple, and lashings of gold accessories.
To compliment this, we have gold ribbons ties around selected branches, gold baubles in an array of finishes (disco balls, matte and glittery to name a few!) as well as deep blue ornaments too. To me, picking one metallic and one colour for your christmas ornaments will mirror the tree’s surroundings in a really timeless way, without looking garish.
3. Position In An Unloved Spot
Finding a spot for a tree can be tough, particularly if you’re already short on space, and may require a bit of musical chairs to free up some floor. If you can, pick an unloved corner. Downgrade a piece of furniture for the season in place of your tree.
We have a really dark space in this room, despite the window, and by placing a tree in our unloved corner, not only do the tree lights add some much needed sparkle to an otherwise dull area, but the shadows from the baubles and branches add so much interest to the other features in the room. Darker months are harder to style, but think of shadows from your twinkly lights as your friend.
4. Don’t Neglect The Rest Of The Room
For open-plan spaces, larger rooms or unusually shaped spaces, try to ensure you add corresponding decor at both ends to avoid one space looking like Christmas and the other…well, not.
We’ve done this by adding corresponding gold baubles on a garland on our fireplace, in addition to golden festive dinosaurs at both ends of the room. Yes, this is an acquired taste, but let’s not forget that Christmas should be a time of cheer, and if there is ever a time to do a bit of experimenting with your decor taste and add a little humour, this is it.
