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Christmas tree decoration ideas from the archive
The festive season is beginning to creep up on us which means it's time to start planning your all-important Christmas tree. There's no denying that this emblem of the holidays is the centrepiece of your entire house and the most important aspect of your Christmas decorations, not to mention the destination for all of those beautiful Christmas gifts. There are so many ways to decorate a Christmas tree, as our gallery below will prove. Will you opt for an angel or star at the top of the tree, or go for something a little less traditional? Bows have been making a comeback as a final flourish amongst all those glittering baubles and twinkling fairy lights, and have you considered lametta? All this, as well as our innovative ideas for alternative trees, which are perfect for even the smallest of spaces. From the most traditional to the slightly unusual, here's how to decorate your Christmas tree...
MAY WE SUGGEST: How to decorate a Christmas tree like a House & Garden editor
Mark Fox1/30Bows, mushrooms and an ice-cream are just some of the ornaments hanging from the tree inside the cottage of Duncan Campbell and Luke Edward Hall. The baubles come from a market in Venice and pieces were collected over the couple's relationship. “Anything shaped like a fruit or vegetable is always welcome”.
Simon Upton2/30The Christmas tree in this 18th-century country house has a strong Tartan theme to it – classic, nostalgic, and traditional.
Michael Sinclair3/30Ven House knows a thing or two about how to decorate for Christmas. For their tree in the entrance hall, foliage is used to decorate the tree itself, with russet-coloured strands of leaves instead of garish tinsel.
Dean Hearne4/30There's nothing shiny, colourful or sparkly to distract from the whimsical feather decorations in Forde Abbey's Christmas tree.
Nathalie Krag5/30Inside this Florentine villa, baubles on the Christmas tree are very much ‘mix and match’. The tall, slender shape of the tree is a perfect fit for this tall space.
Lisa Flood6/30Red bows, and red and gold baubles lend a traditional, nostalgic feel to the tree inside this tranquil Wyoming log cabin.
Martin Morrell7/30Paper Christmas decorations are back – here, paper snowflakes snugly sit among the branches of the Christmas tree in a 17th-century farmhouse.
Owen Gale8/30Tiny red baubles create a cohesive and uncomplicated scheme for the Christmas tree in this cosy Cotswold farmhouse.
Dean Hearne9/30For large country houses, why have just one tree when you can line a whole pathway or hallway with them like the owners of Forde Abbey?
Dean Hearne10/30In her Suffolk house, Pascale Smets has two Christmas trees. The tree here in the living room is decorated in a more informal style than the one in the hall with lots of colourful baubles collected over the years.
11/30The more formal tree in the hall is decorated with foliage and candles.
Paul Massey13/30'If there is a time of the year when a profusion of candles is justified, it is Christmas', says the designer Carlos Garcia . 'I place real candles on the Christmas tree.Contrary to popular habit, I always place the star at the top first and build down, placing smaller decoration items on the upper branches and gradually increasing the size of the decorations on my way down, this gives the tree structure. Every year I buy a couple of good quality decorations to add to the tree, gradually building a small collection. Fortnum and Mason is my destination of choice, if you are in London.'
Michael Sinclair14/30The Christmas tree at Ven House, a grand country house in Somerset, is traditionally decorated with candles and white and gold decorations.
Paul Massey15/30Wooden heart and red candles illuminate the hallway tree in this 19th century Regency house.
Owen Gale16/30Amanda Brooks has two trees in her Cotswolds house, and the outdoor one is festooned with strings of colourful lights and glass mushrooms.
Michael Sinclair17/30On this tree from a Christmas scheme by our decoration editors you can find the following decorations:
Brass 'Pendulum Candle Holders', £11.50 each; 'Red Beeswax Christmas Tree Candles', £18.80 for 26; all from Manufactum. 'Clear Antique Red Balls', £4.20 each, from Gisela Graham. Tin heart decorations, from £2 each, from Milagros. Rainbow pom-pom crackers, £55 for 6, from Selfridges. Wrapping paper, £1.20 a sheet; ribbon, £2 for 3 metres; all from Paperchase.
Paul Massey18/30In his London house, Francis Sultana decorates his tree in the main living room with mostly golden decorations, which complement the blue walls and cornicing.
Rachel Whiting19/30'Visitors enter through the main hall, so it has to have the wow factor,' says Grania Cavendish of the decoration of Holker Hall in Cumbria, the ancestral home of her husband, Lord Cavendish. The focus is the Christmas tree: 'It has to be perfect because it is seen from every angle. Once we have checked it is the right size, we put it on its side, on trestles, so as not to damage the branches, then wind strings of fairy lights around the trunk, hiding the wire with tinsel. The baubles are put on when the tree is up, with the aid of enormous ladders.' On the chimneypiece is a fake-fir garland embellished with fairy lights, silver foliage and dove ornaments. The finishing touch is the mistletoe wreath on the bust of Homer. 'He always looks bored, as if he is thinking, "Here we go again."'
Rachel Whiting20/30'Your tree should be proportional to the size of your room, yet also significant and impactful,' says designer Francis Sultana of the scheme in his London home which he shares with his partner, the gallerist David Gill. 'The Fredrikson Stallard table used as a plinth adds height, while the moss round the base of the tree disguises the unattractive pot in which it is planted.
At my mother's house in Malta, the decorations on the tree chart 50 years of family history. In comparison, my collection is still in its infancy, but every year I add to it with a new box of ornaments from Fortnum & Mason. My preference is always embellished eggs - there's something refined and Russian about them that really appeals to me. When I was a boy my mother would give us loose beads to string our own garlands for the tree, or would use her necklaces as decorations. The strings of Swarovski crystals I've used here are a slightly more grown-up take on that. I have a lot of chrome furniture in the room, so for the decorations.
I opted for tonal bronze and gold. I really love the festive contrast of the metallics. 'On the tree I use real candles, which give an unparalleled ambience but aren't always practical. Try a combination of electric lights placed discreetly on the inner parts of the branches and real flames on the outer; that way you have the best of both worlds.'
Dean Hearne21/30The tree at Neidpath castle, a 14th century castle in Scotland, is decorated with handmade and collected baubles.
James Merrell22/30Suzy Hoodless on her Christmas tree: "Growing up, we bought one decoration for the tree every year, and now my children are allowed to do the same. So the collection grows - they all have a memory and it is eclectic. The ribbons go back to when my eldest daughter was born. She arrived nine days before Christmas and to celebrate I added pink and yellow ribbons that I had bought in India. I added the other colours the years my two other children were born. It is a very personal tree, full of memories."
23/30A ribbon bow is a fun alternative to a star, while fabric offcuts can be made into decorative present bags to be used in place of traditional stockings.
WALLS Paint (on skirting and window frames), 'Jack Black', £37 for 2.5 litres matt emulsion, from Little Greene. Bespoke hand-painted chicken and flower motifs, from £100 a square metre for similar, from Annie Millar.
FURNITURE Wool-upholstered slipper chair with beech legs, 99 x 60cm square, £2,154, and Swedish painted pine chest of drawers, 90 x 118 x 70cm, £2,580; both from Irving & Morrison.
ACCESSORIES 2.5-metre faux Christmas tree, 'Albert', £355, from Neptune. Tree topped with giant metallic present bow, £5.99, from Paperchase. Handmade present bag in fabric, 'Bataille de Fleurs' (bougainvillier), by Christian Lacroix for Designers Guild, cotton with viscose embroidery, £164 a metre, from Harrods. Metallic gift wrap, £7.96 a 10-metre roll, from The Conran Shop. Grosgrain ribbon (on presents), £1.75 for 3 metres, and present bows, 50p each, all from Paperchase. Carved resin baubles (on chair), £22 for three, from Toast. Brass camel bell, £10.50, from Rowen & Wren.
Carolyn Barber24/30Why stop at one tree? Decoration editor Gabby Deeming has created a winter wonderland in this living room using Blue Spruce trees from Leigh Sinton Farm & Nurseries. Keep the decoration simple - here they are wrapped in warm white fairy lights from Lights4fun. On the table a display of bottles between 5 - 25cm high from Bottle Green Homes have been filled with coloured candles - try Tiger Stores for similar. Large paper snowflakes are from a selection from RE.
Simon Brown25/30A white and gold Christmas tree takes pride of place in the entrance hall of Ugbrooke Park's stable block.
Michael Sinclair26/30The Christmas tree of this former Victorian rectory is decorated with glass baubles bought as seconds from Bristol Blue Glass 20 years ago.
Yuki Sugiura27/30Consider foliage on foliage, as demonstrated by our decoration team in a shoppable Christmas scheme filled with seasonal foliage and jewel-toned fabrics. Eucalyptus and oak leaves make lovely alternatives to Christmas baubles.
Andrew Montgomery28/30Less is more, and when you use multiple trees in one space, a simple string of warm white lights is all you need.
29/30'Generally my decoration ethos is "more is more", says House & Garden art director Jennifer Lister. "I love colour, texture and craft, so Christmas is a great excuse for me to get busy. For the last few years, I have smothered my tree in multicoloured woollen pompoms. I make mine myself, but the ones pictured are from Etsy. Over the mantelpiece, I hang a garland made from felt animals, and put up a slightly ridiculous knitted advent calendar on an oversize knitting needle. I would adorn the entire house, but I'm married to a minimalist. He allows me to go buck wild in the sitting room, with the promise that the decorations will end there.'
Handmade yarn pompoms, by Iammie, large, 5cm diameter, £17.72 for 20, and small, 2.5cm diameter, £31.50 for 200; from Etsy. Knitted pouffes, 'Cisean Beag' (chartreuse) and 'Lasa' (turquoise), by Claire-Anne O'Brien. Knitted bench, 'Fite', by Claire-Anne O'Brien. Curtain, 'Haussman' (fuchsia), by Manuel Canovas, linen, 55 a metre, with 'Dolce Pom Pom Fringe' (orange float), £43 a metre, from Samuel & Sons. Walls, 'Ammonite', £34.50 for 2.5 litres matt emulsion, from Farrow & Ball. Six-foot Norway spruce, £38.50, from Christmas Time UK. Marbled wrapping paper, £14.95, at Liberty; all other wrapping paper and ribbon at Paperchase.
30/30Susan Crewe, former editor of House & Garden
'My tree is traditional, but I don't think entirely typical in its decoration. A simple combination of lights, pine cones, robins and - most importantly - fake snow, its decoration has become a Christmas ritual that started when my eldest grandchild reached an age where he could help me with the decorations.
Having always rather hated the prickly process of applying tinsel to my own childhood tree, I thought what fun instead to fling a lot of snow at it - fine as long as you have stone floors.
Starting with the lights - very small LEDs look prettiest - we then mist the tree with water before liberally applying the fake snow. Last come the pine cones (from the local garden centre, attached by thin floristry wire) and the robins.'
Feather robins, £4.99 for 12, at Whittingtons, New Covent Garden Flower Market. Dried pine cones, £39.98 for 10kg, from Floristry Warehouse. 'Display Snow' (medium size), £4.10 for a five-litre bag, from Snow Business. Six-foot Norway spruce, £38.50, from Christmas Time UK. LED fairy lights, 'Warm White Connectable', £24.95 for string of 125, from Lights4fun. Straw-back chair,'Brodgar', by Gareth Neal and Kevin Gauld, 81 x 61 x 56cm, £2,800, from The New Craftsmen. Canvas holdall, 61 x 35cm, £8, at Tiger. Walls, 'Mizzle', £34.50 for 2.5 litres matt emulsion, by Farrow & Ball. Wrapping paper at Paperchase.
