Forgo a traditional pine or artificial Christmas tree for these creative alternatives
Getting twiggy with it
Arrange twisted willow (or similar) in a large jar. Twist battery-operated seed lights around branches. Thread on dried or fresh flowers (we used ‘Chinese Snowball’ viburnum). Add decorations.
Get the look: White stool, $85, from Flotsam & Jetsam; hanging star bell decorations, $3 each, from Father Rabbit. Jar and lights, stylist’s own.
A good yarn
Make a light mark on the wall where you want the apex of the tree to go and hammer in a small nail. Tie a long piece of wool to the nail and let it drop to the ground. Mark the base point of the tree where the wool falls (pull the wool taut and make sure it is perpendicular to the floor) then hammer in a small nail. Pull wool taut and tie to nail. From this point, use a ruler to mark even spaces along base in both directions. Put nails into each point. Tie wool from top nail down to each point, making sure wool is taut. Trim ends of wool and add a decorative star.
Get the look: Cane basket, $79, from Weekend Trader; large baubles, set of four $60, from The Christmas Store; white linen waffle towel, $149, from Thread Design; wool from Spotlight. Star, stylist’s own.
Next level
Cut lengths of balsa wood into as many pieces as you’d like, varying the size to create the shape of a tree. Stick greenery to balsa wood with a hot glue gun (we used asparagus fern; rosemary is another good option). Fill any gaps with smaller pieces of greenery. For a seamless look, glue greenery to slightly overhang the edges of the wood. Once glue has dried, attach balsa to the wall with Blu-Tack.
Get the look: Loop vase, $44.90, Indie Home Collective; concrete stool, $159, Thread Design.
Created by: Tanya Wong and Sam Smith
Photography by: Wendy Fenwick
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