How Does a Designer Decorate a Christmas Tree? A Guide to Styling Your Tree Like a Professional

You love beautifully decorated Christmas trees. Unfortunately, your tree never seems to resemble those you see in photos.

The fact is, creating a well-designed Christmas isn't a random process. Decorating a tree like a professional takes a bit of strategy. The trees pictured on Instagram or your favorite website likely took hours and hours to dream up and decorate.

Christmas tree decorators generally start with a theme or design concept. Think like a designer and decide how you want your tree to look.

For instance, if you’re attracted to simple designs, you may prefer a minimalist Christmas tree. On the other hand, if you can’t resist a little sparkle, a glamorous tree might be just your style.

Popular looks this year include monochromatic themes, neutrals, and variations on traditional red and green.

Whatever look you land on, planning ahead enables you to create a cohesive Christmas tree theme.

Once you have a design direction, determine what you need to make it work. Consider the type of decorations you will use and the colors, patterns and styles appropriate to your theme.

Get out any Christmas ornaments you have tucked away and look them over. Which ones will work with your theme and which can go back into storage? Make a note of items you still need to complete your Christmas tree design.

Don’t forget that the decorations you choose for the top and base of your tree should also support your theme. You can use a traditional tree topper, like a star or angel, or artificial stems for added color, shimmer and depth.

Now that you have all your ornaments gathered, separate and group similar items together. Depending on your design, you may decide to arrange your Christmas tree decorations by size, style or color.

Organizing your ornaments lets you see what you have at a glance and identify any gaps left in your design scheme.

For instance, do you have enough red ornaments? Too many small ornaments? Not enough dangly ornaments? Decide if you need additional decorations to complete your design.

Is your Christmas tree artificial? If so, it either came out of a box or has been stuffed someplace out of the way since last year.

A faux Christmas tree can get bent out of shape in storage and needs some attention to return to its beautiful, conical Christmas tree shape. Decorators consider “fluffing” a crucial step that helps your Christmas tree look its best.

Shaping your Christmas tree means adjusting each branch by hand. Working section by section, lift individual branches up and outward in different directions. Move around the tree, arranging all the branches to make them appear fuller and mimic the look of a real Christmas tree.

Don’t shortcut on tree shaping! Fluff the entire tree, even if one side will be hidden. You won’t regret it when you see the results.

Another designer tip? When you fluff a Christmas tree, protect your hands with lightweight cotton gloves or rubber gardening gloves.

It’s common to add lights to a fresh-cut Christmas tree or unlit artificial tree. If your tree is prelit, you can skip this step – or choose to add more. Some people supplement their Christmas tree lights with other styles, such as fairy lights or novelty lights.

How many lights you hang on your Christmas tree depends on personal preference, as well as the size and type of lights used. Decorators typically recommend 100 mini lights per foot in tree height.

It’s easiest to hang your Christmas lights before adding other decorations.

Designers create visual excitement in various ways, including the use of Christmas tree accessories. Decorative additions like ribbons, sprays and garlands, for example, can separate the ordinary from the spectacular.

Garland

From nostalgic tinsel garland to trendy beaded garland to lengths of berries or greenery that add fullness to a tree, garlands are a Christmas tree decoration staple. Garland is most often swagged in a loose spiral around a tree. Sometimes, however, you’ll see garland laid vertically, from the tree top to its lowest branches.

Ribbon

Decorating Christmas trees with ribbon has become very popular and it’s easy to see why. Ribbons add color and movement to a tree. Christmas ribbon can create a look that is romantic, elegant and sophisticated.

Choose a ribbon that reinforces your color choices and complements your design. Add plaid ribbons for pattern, velvets or mesh for texture, or metallic ribbons for a touch of glamor.

Experiment with various ways to tuck and loop ribbon around your tree, or search “How to decorate Christmas trees with ribbon” for online video tutorials. Wired ribbon about 2 to 2-1/2 inches wide works well and will lay nicely on your tree.

Picks & Sprays

Artificial stems are decorating dynamos. If you’re unfamiliar with them, however, you may not be certain how to use Christmas picks, branches and sprays effectively.

Some of the most elaborate Christmas tree themes rely on floral and other decorative sprays for maximum impact. Floral picks and sprays are useful for filling bare spots or providing a focal point. Sprays can create a luxurious and dramatic look at the top of your tree.

Garland, ribbon and sprays are easiest to add before you hang the ornaments.

Here’s where your Christmas tree decor really comes together - when you add the ornaments! But don’t decorate haphazardly. This is the step you’ve been working toward, however, impatience could sabotage your design plan. Take your time and enjoy watching your theme develop.

To avoid bunched-up ornaments or bare spots, imagine that your tree has been divided vertically into three or four pie-shaped sections. Decorate each section separately in a similar way. Decorating one section at a time is not as overwhelming as tackling the whole tree.

Start with the largest and boldest ornaments first. Designers commonly use a signature Christmas ornament as a focal point for the tree. This could be a doll-sized figure, like an angel or elf, a sign or group of signs, or an ornate antique ornament. Rather than hanging these pieces in the traditional way, with an ornament hook, you may find it easier to tuck a feature ornament into the branches or even tie it in place with pipe cleaners or zip ties.

Fill in spaces with medium-sized and small ornaments. Standard shatterproof ball ornaments work well for this step.

Use a mix of ornament sizes. If your tree is midsize or larger, don’t be afraid to incorporate large ornaments. Balance patterned or ornate ornaments with ornaments in solid colors. Alternate matte, shiny and glittered finishes to avoid an overly-matched look.

Hang some ornaments on branch tips, but work others toward the trunk. Shiny ornaments set deeper into the tree help catch and reflect light. 

A Christmas ornament set is a combination of two or more Christmas ornaments sold together. They may be identical in size, finish, color and style, or they may vary in one or more of those features.

For instance, a set may contain ornaments that are:

Buying ornaments in sets has several advantages. First, they're economical. It usually costs less to purchase a set of ornaments than to buy the same number of ornaments one at a time. This is helpful when you're just starting out with your first Christmas tree or completely changing the look of your tree.

An ornament set helps ensure your decorations are consistent and cohesive. Do you want a group of ornaments that are all the same color and size? Buy a set. Looking for many ornaments of the same color, but different finishes? Buy a set.

Christmas ornament sets provide the basics for decorating. A medium to large-sized set can create a backdrop for a handful of beloved heirloom ornaments or more expensive feature pieces.

You can decorate economically by supplementing a few inexpensive sets with a pretty ribbon garland, a few shimmering sprays and an eye-catching tree topper.

Are you using a special decoration as a focal point for your Christmas tree? Choose an ornament set that complements your feature ornament. If your feature ornament has red and white stripes, for instance, consider a set of red and white ornaments in different sizes and finishes to visually frame your focal point.

Sets are affordable and come in many styles and varieties, so it’s easy to find one (or more!) that fits your needs.

By developing a decorating plan, taking advantage of the ease provided by coordinated ornament sets and adding a few distinctive touches, you can create a Christmas tree that rivals the beauty of a professionally decorated Christmas tree.

Browse Christmas Central’s vast selection of individual ornaments and Christmas ornament sets and start planning this year’s Christmas tree theme!

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