34 Unique Christmas Tree Alternatives That Will Make a Statement in Any Space

We get it: not all of us live in a cool climate where fresh Christmas trees are readily available (here’s looking at you, Floridians). Instead, try taking festive regional foliage and displaying it on a plinth. In this chic scheme, designer and event planner Gregory Blake Sams arranged unusual specimens in a towering array and warped the pedestal in luxurious, tasseled braid.

If you’re short on space, try incorporating bite-sized references to traditional holiday decor throughout your home. We love this vignette, courtesy of Shea McGee. In place of a tree, she piled neutral-toned ornaments (the best part of holiday decorating, anyway!) in a ribbon-like marble bowl. The teeniest wreath, meanwhile, graces a similarly diminutive mirror.

Who needs a tree when an outsize wreath will do? In this space, also courtesy of Bradley Odom, the large evergreen circlet becomes the natural focal point of the living room, much like a mirror or painting would—but without taking up an inch of space for that pile of presents Santa will bring you. Bonus points for the bows that coordinate with the sofa pillows.

Embrace Barbiecore everything with a pink Christmas tree this year. With blushing boughs, you can either lean into the retro-glam vibes (like this idea here, which features fuchsia, gold, and silver baubles) or create a look that is soft and feminine, with frosted boughs and all-white ornaments. Don’t feel like investing in an artificial tree? Try festooning your tree in pink tinsel, ribbons, and ornaments instead to get the Dreamhouse look.

Orange boughs and a leopard-print tree skirt? Now that’s a refreshingly different holiday spirit! This bold scheme, courtesy of interior designer Michel Smith Boyd, riffs on the room’s turmeric-tinged decor. After all, he points out: “You only get to decorate a tree once a year, so why not go all out?”

Why go with a real tree when a smaller, more minimal one can look just as chic? Martin Cooper and Karen Suen-Cooper of the Punctilious Mr. P’s Place Card Co. set up a prelit, bare mini tree in their living room and festooned it with old-fashioned touches. “We use rust-colored glass ornaments, in addition to our Mr. P gift tags as ornaments,” Cooper tells us. “The tree sits on a plinth box with dried pine cones to cover the base.”

Kelly Wearstler turned the idea of a traditional tree on its head—literally!—by hanging a snaking evergreen garland from the ceiling of her grand, double-height entryway. The abstract twist is perfectly in line with the space’s contemporary furnishings and accessories, and the disco ball cushion just begs to get the party started. Pass the eggnog, please!

If it’s romance you seek this holiday season, take a page out of Martyn Lawrence Bullard’s yuletide playbook. “I always love to incorporate as many natural elements as I can in my Christmas decor,” the designer shares. “One of my favorite things to do is to fill the Christmas tree with either live flowers, which are attached to small plastic water holders on their stems, or dried flowers.” In this case, he covered the entire Christmas tree in voluptuous amaryllis and hydrangea blooms. Just as enticing? The telltale orange packages tied up with strings beneath.

This perfectly pretty vignette, also sourced from Martin Cooper and Karen Suen-Cooper’s greatest holiday hits, can be achieved with a store-bought centerpiece (this one purchased from One Kings Lane years ago), or one that you DIY. Simply cover a conical form with pine cones, artificial fruits, and other nature-inspired finds et voilà—you have yourself a standout (and Tannenbaum-esque) tower! Bonus: Move it over to your dinner table for a glamorous topper when guests arrive.

Small-space dwellers rejoice! John Derian proves that even a tiny tree can make a style statement. Here, he placed the charming, scrawny plant in an antique urn and festooned it with old time-y tinsel and timeworn ornaments. The vintage print, bust, and seashell complete this wistful mantel vignette.

Another untraditional-yet-stylish way to approach your tree this year? Try a group in a coordinating shade. This theatrical look, also courtesy of Ghislaine Viñas, bunched a trio of blue-tinged beauties to create an ombré effect. The blue curtain, meanwhile, sets the stage.

According to German-American tradition, a pickle is hidden among the Christmas tree boughs, and the guest lucky enough to find it receives an extra present from Santa. We’re far too impatient for that, which is why this maximalist pickle-bedazzled mini tree, also courtesy of John Derian, has so much appeal. Pucker up!

Want to embrace your green thumb without succumbing to the played-out pine tree? Add a succulent arrangement to your home. Australia-based company Living Bunch topped this succulent tree with a sparkling star to make it extra festive.

Looking to flex your DIY muscle? Lifestyle blog Aww Sam enlisted plush pom poms to make a tree that’s equal parts stylish and soft.

Or, if you want to turn your living room into a winter wonderland, create an alternative Christmas tree with remnants from Mother Nature herself. Cox & Cox gave this deconstructed setup a woodsy edge with branches and berry-clad twigs.

Why settle for red and green when you can enjoy all the colors of the rainbow? Martha Roberts of The Colour File strayed from the norm by covering her plant in an array of vibrant hues. The result? A Christmas tree alternative that can make you smile all year long.