37 Charming Ways to Decorate a Small Space for Christmas

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Start With the Front Door

small space christmas decor — Styled by Emily Bowser and Erik Kenneth Staalberg for Emily Henderson Design / Photo by Sara Ligorria-Tramp

In a small space it’s likely that your front entry leads directly into your living space. All the more reason to set a holiday tone as soon as you step in the front door. Emily Henderson Design hung a wreath on the inside of the door and created a Christmas vignette over the landing table that remind you to appreciate the season every time you come or go.

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Shrink the Tree

Sandra Foster‘s white-washed Victorian tiny house in the Catskills of New York is the perfect backdrop for classic Christmas decor. She set a table for two with candles and a white tablecloth, draped antique chairs with white angel wings, and lit a diminutive Christmas tree with real candles (keep an eye on open flames for safety reasons, obviously).

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Use Multi-Functional Decor

small christmas living room decor — Maison de Cinq

This mini Christmas tree from Maison de Cinq doubles as an advent calendar, displayed on a wooden cutting board on a stack of baskets for a vintage farmhouse look. This would work well on a side table, nightstand, coffee table, stool, decorative ladder, or in a large windowsill.

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Keep It Minimal

This living room from Frichic features an understated DIY wood dowel tree hung with simple modern ornaments that doesn’t take up too much space or interfere with the minimalist contemporary style of the room.

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Make It Eclectic

In a small space, it’s not always easy to find a logical focal point for your holiday decor without rearranging the layout. Instead, take inspiration from this effortlessly chic and whimsical Scandinavian home and decorate a random corner with natural greenery and an eclectic assortment of decor like a stuffed swan perched on a piano stand with a star hung around its neck.

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Style a Bar Cart

The bar cart is a multi-purpose small space staple. This gold-toned bar cart from Emily Henderson Design houses Christmas spirits and a mini tree that could serve as a centerpiece in a tiny space. A little bundle of mistletoe hung in the door frame and a black ribbon tied on the metallic wreath adds more detail without impinging on living space.

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Spruce Up the Bathroom

If you don’t want to overload a small space with holiday decor, focus on an unexpected spot. This small bathroom from The Merrythought got an understated holiday refresh with a DIY orange slice garland hung from the top of the mirror over the sink.

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Decorate a Peg Rail

Coco Lapine Design added paper snowflakes and star ornaments to a wall-mounted peg rail to ring in the season without sacrificing any floor space. This is an easy solution if you live in a small place or if you are spending Christmas away from home and don’t plan to put up a tree but want to add a little festivity until you leave for the holidays.

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Mix Gray and Gold

Many small space dwellers choose neutral tones to keep visual clutter at bay. If your home is decorated in shades of gray and white, try choosing neutral-toned Christmas decorations for a cohesive look, and add some subtle holiday sparkle with bronze- or gold-toned accessories, like this little trio of bells from Bria Hammel Interiors.

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Branch Out

small space christmas decor ideas — Most Lovely Things

If your kitchen table is your sole dining table, add a holiday centerpiece that can stay up all season. This cozy corner banquette from Most Lovely Things features a simple centerpiece of foraged bare branches strung with simple ornaments that adds height and has presence but doesn’t block views or take up too much space, and blends well with the neutral tones of the room.

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Make a Mirror Garland

Decorating with mirrors is a small space trick that helps to bounce and reflect light around the room and amplify views and sightlines. The Merrythought upped the ante by creating a DIY metal tree garland to dress up a leaning mirror, adding an extra layer of shine and sparkle.

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Opt for a Table Top Tree

Blogger Liz Marie dressed up a miniature vintage-style Christmas tree with neutral-toned decor, and perched it on a tabletop in the corner beneath a wall-mounted bronze rabbit trophy head to add a festive note to her holiday farmhouse decor.

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Decorate the Windowsill

small space decor ideas — The Merrythought

A simple way to add Christmas cheer to your small space without sacrificing entertaining space is to decorate the windowsill. This seasonal display from The Merrythought includes plenty of greens, gold-toned accents, and a DIY cotton wreath that is neutral enough to be repurposed from year to year or styled for other seasons.

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Hang Your Stockings From the Bookcase

Emily Henderson Design turned the built-ins into a makeshift mantelpiece and hung stockings from a shelf. Then she turned the books around and added neutral accessories in shades of white and green to complete the easy Christmas makeover.

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Focus on the Periphery

how to decorate a small living room for christmas — Design by Brexton Cole Interiors

Brexton Cole Interiors added a running garland around the edges of the room, a small space solution for those who don’t have space for a tree that will add plenty of mood-boosting holiday greenery to your space without adding clutter.

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Decorate the Nightstand

This Christmas bedroom from Lobster and Swan was inspired by the Nutcracker’s Sugar Plum Fairy. The whimsical seasonal decor is embellished with purple-toned flowers and floral prints. A sideways pine branch festooned with twinkle light garlands looks like a miniature tree that floats above the bed while visions of sugar plums dance in your head.

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Say It With Textiles

If you live in a tiny space, the smallest accessories can make a statement. Keep it simple with a Christmas tree pillow cover that you can trot out every December, like this one from Emily Henderson Design, with its embroidery, tassels, and little golden bell tree topper.

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Create a Coffee Table Vignette

This modest-sized living room from Unique Homestays has a small fireplace that makes it extra cozy. Adding warm lighting around the room and creating a coffee table vignette with candles that can serve as a focal point even when the fire isn’t lit ensures that there’s a quick way to set the holiday mood all season. This trick works even if your small space doesn’t come with a fireplace.

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Drape the Headboard

If you live in a studio with the bed on display, consider it a holiday decorating opportunity rather than an eyesore. This Christmas bedroom from Brexton Cole Interiors gets a seasonal refresh with a garland draped across the headboard, a Christmas pillow, and a scented candle on the nightstand.

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Hang the Tree on the Wall

If you don’t have the floor space for a tree, get creative and claim some blank wall space to hang an alternative tree instead. This tree-shaped DIY advent calendar from Most Lovely Things is made from driftwood, greens, and drawstring bags hung with clay tags that is neutral enough to would work in any small space.

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Light the Ground

A gilded antique-style mirror looks instantly Christmassy come December, but blogger Ursula Carmona of Home Made By Carmona went a step further and styled hers with a simple holiday wreath, adding some jars of LED string lights on the floor in front of it to bring home the holiday vibes.

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Layer It Up

In a small space, you can achieve a cozy holiday feel by adding layers of decor to an existing piece of furniture. Inspired By Charm styled a vintage glass-front china cabinet with cold-weather blankets on the inside, a collection of Christmas trees on top, and a DIY gingerbread wreath hanging on the front.

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Ring the Doorbell

A set of gold bells wrapped around a door knob from Bria Hammel Interiors adds metallic brightness and a jingly reminder that it’s the holidays every time you open or close the door.

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Use Vertical Space

If you live in a small space and don’t have room or inclination to decorate a tree, try turning a tall free-standing bookcase into a holiday installation. This living room bookcase from Inspired by Charm is decorated with an assortment of decorative vintage Christmas trees, woodland creatures, and a Merry Christmas sign that celebrates the season without taking up additional floor space.

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Use Metallics

Adding a metallic wreath to the wall in the corner of this living room from Emily Henderson Design adds shine and will reflect light, giving your small space a pleasing holiday glow. Pairing gold with red and plenty of natural greens is a classic combination that works every time and will give your small space a sense of classic seasonal grandeur.

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Decorate Open Shelving

If your small space kitchen has open shelving, you can turn it into a Christmas-themed display by adding a few choice accessories that work with the style of your space. A Beautiful Mess added bottle brush trees, a green-striped teacup, and some red beaded garlands to chunky wood shelving, extending the holiday theme all the way down to the countertops with the addition of a green-handled rolling pin nestled in with the jar of utensils.

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Keep It Simple

This little Christmas tree from The Merrythought is perched on a small rustic wood stool, wrapped in kraft paper from a paper grocery bag, and decorated with simple DIY wooden bead ornaments strung up with jute. A trio of pillar candles and a holiday garland strung on the wall completes the pint-sized vignette.

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Light the Built-Ins

christmas living room ideas — Home Made by Carmona

Blogger Ursula Carmona of Home Made by Carmona likes to decorate her living room built-ins with holiday flair, adding greenery, ornaments, candles, and stacks of books.

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Make a Garland

This Christmas banner from The Merrythought takes up no room at all but sends a loud and clear message.

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Decorate the Kitchen Countertops

A vintage Christmas tree statuette cheers up this kitchen countertop from Inspired By Charm and could substitute for the real thing in a tiny space.

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Add Ambient Light

You can never have too many points of ambient light in a small Christmas living room. Emily Henderson Design included a lighted garland on the built-ins, a scented candle on the side table, a pair of illuminated Christmas tree statuettes on the coffee table, and a convex mirror on the wall that reflects the candlesticks on the other side of the room.

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Create a Centerpiece

Inspired By Charm created a centerpiece for a modest-sized apartment dining area by filling a tray with miniature trees and houses under glass cloches.

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Add a Window Garland

This small living room from Unique Homestays has giant picture windows with an endless coastal view that make it feel larger than it is. A dramatic lighted garland made of preserved flowers and dried greenery confined to one corner makes a big impact with a small footprint that doesn’t mess with the view.

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Use All Available Wall Space

Inspired By Charm added a warm Christmas message over the sink of this apartment kitchen that takes advantage of unused wall space and keeps spirits lifted while you’re cleaning up holiday party dishes.

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Decorate Every Corner

In a small space, use a light touch and spread your holiday decor around the room so that the space will feel full of Christmas cheer without feeling cluttered. Most Lovely Things topped a mirror by the front door with pine cones, berries, and greens that echoes natural decor elements scattered throughout the room.

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Make a Sign

Blogger Liz Marie made a lighthearted wall sign memorializing the names of Santa’s reindeer that adds another layer of holiday decor behind the tabletop tree.

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Decorate a Reading Corner

While we tend to focus on holiday entertaining when thinking about decor, one of the pleasures of the season is having a little down time to enjoy simple pleasures like catching up on a favorite book. Decorating a reading corner will encourage you to take some time for yourself to relax and recharge between social events. Inspired By Charm added Christmas flair to a small reading corner by adding a small wreath to the gallery wall, a red plaid and faux fur pillow to the armchair, and a mini tree and scented candle to the tiny side table.

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37 Charming Ways to Decorate a Small Space for Christmas

Start With the Front Door

Shrink the Tree

Use Multi-Functional Decor

Keep It Minimal

Make It Eclectic

Style a Bar Cart

Spruce Up the Bathroom

Decorate a Peg Rail

Mix Gray and Gold

Branch Out

Make a Mirror Garland

Opt for a Table Top Tree

Decorate the Windowsill

Hang Your Stockings From the Bookcase

Focus on the Periphery

Decorate the Nightstand

Say It With Textiles

Create a Coffee Table Vignette

Drape the Headboard

Hang the Tree on the Wall

Light the Ground

Layer It Up

Ring the Doorbell

Use Vertical Space

Use Metallics

Decorate Open Shelving

Keep It Simple

Light the Built-Ins

Make a Garland

Decorate the Kitchen Countertops

Add Ambient Light

Create a Centerpiece

Add a Window Garland

Use All Available Wall Space

Decorate Every Corner

Make a Sign

Decorate a Reading Corner

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Start With the Front Door

Shrink the Tree

Use Multi-Functional Decor

Keep It Minimal

Make It Eclectic

Style a Bar Cart

Spruce Up the Bathroom

Decorate a Peg Rail

Mix Gray and Gold

Branch Out

Make a Mirror Garland

Opt for a Table Top Tree

Decorate the Windowsill

Hang Your Stockings From the Bookcase

Focus on the Periphery

Decorate the Nightstand

Say It With Textiles

Create a Coffee Table Vignette

Drape the Headboard

Hang the Tree on the Wall

Light the Ground

Layer It Up

Ring the Doorbell

Use Vertical Space

Use Metallics

Decorate Open Shelving

Keep It Simple

Light the Built-Ins

Make a Garland

Decorate the Kitchen Countertops

Add Ambient Light

Create a Centerpiece

Add a Window Garland

Use All Available Wall Space

Decorate Every Corner

Make a Sign

Decorate a Reading Corner

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