No space doesn't mean no decorations
We all imagine a lavishly decorated home at Christmas with a huge full-size tree dripping with ornaments, table decorations, arrangements on the mantlepiece, lights and garlands wound around the stairs and lights around pictures. However, the reality is that a huge number of people live in apartments and small houses and there is nowhere to place a lot of extravagant decorative elements. This is where you need to be inventive and maybe make your own decorations specifically to fit a certain space.
Our slim artificial trees take a lot less space than the full-size versions, their bases measure an average of 45ins (114cm) and many of them still have the random outline of a real forest tree. If even this is too large the pencil artificial trees have a base width of only 30ins (76cm) so ideal for popping behind the sofa or in a corner. The pencil trees have the more formal cone shape but nevertheless can still look stunning when fully lit and decorated. For a more contemporary look gather together some large branches, tie them together at the base and either leave them natural or spray with snow or a metallic finish. Wind strings of LED micro lights around the branches, try and find some with the same colour cable as your twigs. Place in the corner of a room and decorate simply with a palette of just 2 or 3 colours. If you find putting colours together a bit of a problem many stores sell packs of colour co-ordinated baubles.
If finding a corner for a floor standing Christmas tree is proving impossible why not make your own and hang it on the wall. They can easily be made at home with something as simple as string and twigs.
Make a starry night on your ceiling with long strings of LED micro lights. Loop them criss-crossing the ceiling off transparent hooks on sticky pads. You can also use these sticky hooks to hang baubles off the ceiling at differing heights or combine the lights with the decorations; crystal, plain glass and silver work particularly well as they catch the lights and add extra sparkle.
Lights can also be used on the wall with the same hooks to make a contemporary Christmas tree. Wreaths and garlands can be used to great effect in a small space as they can be hung on the wall, strung across a mantlepiece or sideboard, placed on a table, around pictures and mirrors and wound around the spindles of the banister. Avoid winding decorations around the handrail as if you slip and grab the decoration there is a great chance that it will give way.
Group 3 wreaths together on the wall decorated either all the same or in complimentary colours. They can also be laid flat on a table or sideboard with church candles of different heights in the centre; if you’re going to light the candles place them on a flameproof plate. If you don’t want to use candles pile lovely glass baubles and microlights in the centre. Glass baubles and lights can also be piled into a glass vase to create a Christmas side light.
If you live in an old property with a picture rail it gives you a fantastic opportunity to hang decorated garlands. These can be the traditional green garlands decorated and lit with your own baubles and lights or just buy one ready decorated, all they need is dressing out. Screw in small hooks to hold them in place. You don’t even need to hang garlands; multiple strands of LED lights look fantastic and you can always hang some lightweight snowflakes or baubles off the lights.
Lightweight garlands of glittery leaves can be adorned with micro-LED lights. These can be hung on the wall with sticky hooks or again, on a mantlepiece, across a sideboard or down a table. They can also be wound around ornaments on a windowsill.
If the decorative touches are not your forte and you can’t seem to get it right just keep it simple and buy a lightweight garland of leaves and berries and some battery-operated micro-LED lights. These can then be just wound around a windowsill, along the mantlepiece, along a dining table or sideboard. Even simpler is to buy a pre-lit decorated garland.
Even if you don’t have a garden to decorate you can still adorn the outside of your home. Place a standard bay either side of the doorway and add outdoor LED lights and bows for a modern minimalist alternative Christmas tree. If you have a windowsill plant up a trough with 3 small conical conifers and add lights to each one. Interplant the conifers with small trailing ivies and rich burgundy-coloured pansies.
Have nowhere to place Christmas cards? Run a sparkly thread along the picture rail. Make a twig tree or star and fasten it to the wall and use pegs to attach the cards. If you have a kitchen peg board use that to pin up the cards. You can also run wires or ribbon vertically down the wall or attach the cards to a bundle of branches placed in the corner.
Even though you are stuck for space to have a lavishly decorated pad there are still plenty of opportunities to create your own winter wonderland.
