This idea for an alternative Christmas tree has been in the making for a few weeks’ now.
I had been chatting to a friend about Christmas and getting a bit over-excited about our annual tree buying day.
The fact we always have a fairly large, real tree; the tradition of decorating it. The scent of the pine needles.
And she said, much as she’d love to have a tree in their sitting room at Christmas — real or otherwise — they simply didn’t have the space for one.
Instead, they had a tiny fake tree that sat upon the window ledge.
She said they always made an effort to decorate the rest of the room but were sadly lacking in the tree department, due to floorspace being in short supply.
Which got me thinking.
Now I’ve seen a fair few non traditional Christmas trees on Pinterest but really wanted to create something that would work in their home.
I’ve spotted some fab ladder versions but they’d potentially take up as much (if not more) room as a regular tree.
And I’ve seen lots of lovely wall-hanging trees made of twigs and twine. But they’re a bit rustic for my friend’s taste.
So my idea for an alternative Christmas tree is a little different.
It’s a wall mounted ‘tree’ made from ledges, that you can display your decorations on.
Really easy to make; just saw lengths of 4 x 2 timber (I used 4 although you could use more to create a huge ‘tree’ with loads of tiers).
To give you an idea, my top tier was 15cm long. The second was 30cm, the third 50cm and the fourth was 70cm.
I spaced each baton 15cm apart, horizontally, making sure they were nicely centred and level. Use a spirit level for this (there’s nothing worse than wonky shelves)!
Then I used contact strips to stick them to the wall.
Finally, I piled each ledge with as many spangly, pretty things that would fit.
You could paint the ledges a foresty green colour to look a little more like a real tree.
Or paint each ledge a different colour and have corresponding baubles; red baubles on a red ledge, blue on a blue ledge etc…
The possibilities are endless.
But my friend’s house is fairly minimal and I thought a classic combination of white gold and silver would work really well in their home.
I quite like the ‘white on white’ shelf and wall combo; I love how the colour comes from the decorations themselves.
As she didn’t have a huge amount of tree decorations, we went on a bauble buying mission to HomeSense.
They have the best selection of Christmas decs plus this year they’re supporting The Prince’s Trust Achieve Programme with a fabulous ‘Hang A Bauble’ campaign.
There are quite a few options to suit all budgets — you can pick up paper decorations, chocolate coins, lollies or bags for as little as £1 — the sale of which ensures that a charitable donation is made to the trust.
My fave were these gorgeous glass ones. They’re available in red, gold and silver and cost just £3.99.
And the best thing is, £1.70 from every bauble goes to the Achieve Programme which provides young people with the space and attention they need to learn skills, develop confidence, raise aspirations and improve their attitude to learning.
Definitely a gift that keeps on giving.
Plus they look good!
A Prince’s Trust bauble
So that’s it.
My alternative Christmas tree.
A fabulous, space saving alternative to a traditional tree. A little unorthodox but perfect for small rooms or for people that want something a little different from the norm.
Wishing you all a very merry Christmas!
Caro xx
Pin this ‘Alternative Christmas tree’ for later…
This post is in collaboration with the lovely team at HomeSense but all thoughts, words and images — as ever — are entirely my own.
Pop into store and do your bit for charity this Christmas by buying one of The Prince’s Trust decorations.
Caro Davies art directed fashion and interiors before leaving the world of design to pursue a career in social media. She can now be found chasing the light — and two small twin boys.
Gorgeous! What a novel idea!
Merry Christmas Caro x
This is gorgeous, I love alternative Xmas trees and think next year we will have one somehwere in the house. xx
Author
Aaah thanks pet — I’m so pleased with it!! I’ve seen lots of alternative trees but was trying to create something that would work for my friend. I love the shelf idea :) xx
I love your wall mounted Christmas tree – I guess the trick is narrow shelves. We have a couple, of floating shelves at home which seem to float out and down, which is a bit disconcerting …
Happy New Year,
Julie
Author
Thanks so much Julie!
Such an effective idea. I’ve never seen anything like that before but it works so well against the white walls. #HOMEETC
Love this idea! Clever you! It would work well with picture ledges too. x ´#HomeEtc
Author
YES! I was looking for picture ledges to begin with but couldn’t find any exactly the size I wanted! Making my own from 2×4 was the result!! :)
I love this idea! I have such a small flat and some years I think I should do something a little different for Christmas. The metal train is the cutest decoration ever!
After a break away from Linky Parties and blogging its great to be back on the #HomeEtc bandwagon!
Nancy
http://www.hellonancy.co.uk
Author
Happy (a little bit belated) new year Nancy!! I hope it’s a good one :)
Such a great idea and I love the white on white theme :)
Author
Thanks so much Laura! Happy new year!! x
Brilliant – no excuse for not having a tree for anyone. And so stylish too – love it. Thanks for hosting #homeetc
Author
Exactly!!! She was chuffed to bits!! Plus you can make them as big as you like!! :)
Oh I LOVE this. Such a imple idea but can work for anyone’s tastes. Love your gold version though. Only 11 months until next Christmas haha!
Author
Thanks lovely!! I know!! Haha!! It wasn’t the most topical of posts — given that Christmas is over — but I was so sad not to be able to share it last year!!! LOL!! I like to think I’m early for next Christmas, rather than being late for last!! ;)
Wow what a unique idea Caro! Really effective and I bet it doesn’t leave quite as many pine needles lying about the place!! Keira #HomeEtc
Author
Haha!! DEFINITELY not as many needles!! ;)
Loved HomeSense Christmas range. This is a lovely idea, one to save for the future. Thanks.
Author
Thanks Gemma! xx
That is amazing! I remember seeing this on insta and being wowed by it! Such a great idea and i’ll be tempted to try this next year, if I’m allowed by he who holds the drill bits! #homeetc
Author
It was so easy to make Pamela! Our B&Q offers a wood-cutting service, if your husband won’t cut the 4×2 for you!! ;)
That is just gorgeous Caro. So effective, you are very creative. Great pictures too! Your friend must have been delighted #HomeEtc
Author
Thanks so much Nicky — it was so easy to make; the hardest thing was balancing the decorations on the ledges!!
Aw this is so so pretty, very creative! I miss Christmas already, all those sparkly lights :D
#HomeEtc
Author
Thanks so much lovely — me too — I’ve kept a few strings of fairy lights up!! ;)
Caro, this is such a lovely idea and could probably be used all year round … Valentine’s decorations, Easter eggs … it’s so sweet.
Author
Yep — definitely! They’re essentially just makeshift picture ledges — you could display anything!
Absolutely beautiful and so so pretty :) You clever thing! Love the idea and how stunning for any home. Jess xx
#HomeEtc
Author
Thanks chickie!! Slightly inappropriate content for the second week in January but I was so desperate to share it!!! ;)
Love this will be remembering it for next year, maybe for my hallway.
Wow what a fab idea! It looks stunning. I love Homesense, you can always find beautiful things there. xx
#HomeEtc