A place where design, fun finds and family collide
I like to start decorating for Christmas early, so that I can hopefully inspire and show those who also have a love for simple holiday decor how I do it and how it can still be pretty and cozy. Staying true to my love of neutral decor, I usually stick to lots of white, black, natural tones and green. I want my holiday decor to feel like a nice addition to my already existing home decor, not pieces that make me feel like I want to eliminate half my home. I think we can all agree that this image of this years tree just feels like “us.” It is different than last year’s tree, but still has a very similar feel.
I thought I’d share a few options with you all on how you can recreate this look, starting from the ground, up. (Some affiliate links included) I’ve placed our tree in a rope basket that I purchased on clearance at Target over the summer. I’ve linked a few similar baskets for you all here.
Basket, basket, basket, basket
And then I added this sheepskin mat to the basket for some added texture. I found mine at Ikea, but here are two options available online.
The tree I have is from Ikea and I purchased it a few years ago. I loved how it was so simple and worked perfectly in our small space. Placing this tree in a basket allows for me to raise the base of the tree up a bit, so that it appears taller and allows for lots of space for presents under it. Win win for all. I shared last year how I painted the center trunk a lighter brown for a more realistic look.
Target tree, Ikea tree, Balsam Fir tree
I’ve also included two other trees that you can see are super similar to mine. Can we just talk about how that Balsam Fir alpine tree is my dream tree!! I will, I repeat, I will have that one some day.
The lights I used on this year’s tree are from Lights.com and are their copper wired fairy lights in a warm light. They give such a beautiful glow to our tree and I love how dainty the lights are. It’s been my pleasure to partner with Lights.com for this year’s holiday decor. You can see a peek here of a few of their flameless wax pillar candles too.
My ornaments are simple and geometric because we have another tree in the kids’ room where we put alllll the family ornaments that we cherish. The kids love decorating that one themselves and I don’t feel like I want to micro manage it because we have this tree. We started this tradition a few years ago and we all love it. The kids also love falling asleep to the light of their tree. Here are similar ornaments to the ones I found at Target last year and then the paper mache ones I had found at Hobby Lobby.
himmeli ornaments, paper mache ornaments (I painted white)
I made the wood bead garland using the following beads. The quantity you’ll need is determined on how long you want your garland, but I’d say I purchased about 300 beads or so. I should have purchased more.
12mm bead, 20mm bead, 25mm bead, 50mm bead, oval bead
In my next blog post I’ll be sharing how I styled the shelves above our television. I hope this helps for all of you who like to keep the holiday decor to a minimum, but don’t want it lacking in magic and warmth.
Is the Ikea tree you have the same one that is linked, it says it is new?
Hi there….Every year it says its new since it’s a seasonal item, but they do tend to change something each year. A few others who have purchased since seeing my tree on Instagram have shared that the center trunk now has a copper detail which they say is very pretty.
Did you remove the stand of the tree to fit it in that basket? If so how is it standing up straight?
Hi Erin, I kept the tree stand that came with the Ikea tree attached. My stand was 16″ in diameter and my basket is 18″ in diameter. I have been told the new base of the Ikea tree is larger, but readers have found a 16″ tree stand from Target for $10 and they’ve just been using that.