Want to Make Your Christmas Tree Look More Expensive? Here Are 8 Easy Tricks

The Christmas tree is undeniably the heart of your holiday decor, but making it look truly luxurious can be trickier than it seems. While high-end trees may exude an expensive look straight out of the box, you don’t need to break the bank on a pricey tree, whether real or artificial, to achieve that upscale feel — there are plenty of other ways to do this.

In fact, when it comes to creating an expensive-looking tree, the secret often lies in the styling — rather than the price tag. A tree’s luxe factor is more about thoughtful design choices and attention to detail. With a little planning, you can elevate the look of any tree.

To help you achieve that high-end look, we've talked to experts who have provided their favorite Christmas tree ideas to make your tree look more expensive this year.

1. Fill any gaps in the foliage

A tree with uneven foliage and noticeable gaps can look cheap, because decorating it will become about hiding bald spots and covering up imperfections rather than creating a beautifully styled look. Making a Christmas tree look fuller by filling any gaps before adding your favorite ornaments will make your tree look more expensive by creating a better foundation and the perfect canvas.

"One of the easiest ways to make an inexpensive Christmas tree look more high-end is to supplement bare spots with pine garland in a similar tone as the tree," advises Andy Weier, principal designer at Rockledge Design and Architecture.

You can find artificial pine garlands online, such as this DearHouse Norfolk pine garland from Amazon. However, it's crucial to match the garland’s color and texture to your tree's branches for a natural, seamless look. If the garland doesn't blend well, it can detract from the tree’s overall appearance. To ensure a perfect match, consider taking a branch clipping from your tree to a local store to find a garland that complements it perfectly.

"Two key areas that can make a tree look cheap are the very top and very bottom," Andy says. "To combat this, add extra pine picks near the top to fill in the space and give the tree more structural integrity — this way, your topper won’t lean or look off-balance.

"At the base, invest in a nice tree skirt to hide whatever foot or stand your artificial tree came with. This can be especially helpful at the tree's 'trunk' where you're trying to disguise any visible metal. For something unique, try positioning your tree inside an oversized seagrass floor basket!"

If you want to make the tree look more expensive still, consider making a garland from dehydrated orange slices and cranberries for a timeless look. Use these, along with wide ribbons, bows, which can be layered with lights and other Christmas decorating ideas to mask bare spots. These small, thoughtful details can transform any tree into a high-end-looking centerpiece.

Andy Weier

Andy Weier is Principal and Co-Owner of Rockledge Design + Architecture, located in Pittsburgh, PA. He runs the multi-disciplinary design firm along with his husband, Patrick Rakszawski, who is a licensed Architect. After more than a decade as a creative brand and content marketer for startups, Andy made the move into the world of interior design. He studied Interior Architecture at UC Berkeley and has worked locally in the residential interiors space for the last several years.

From conceptual design and 3D rendering, to sourcing furniture, materials and finishes, trade coordination, and final install, Andy loves working closely with his clients each step of the way to bring the project’s vision to life. He believes in leveraging thoughtful and meaningful design to help make the everyday exceptional! By incorporating a mix of new, vintage, and custom elements, his designs bring out the “Genius Loci,” or true spirit of each space he transforms.

2. Keep it classic

While you might be tempted by modern Christmas decorating trends, any schemes that are a little bit quirkier or more novel are likely to not look quite as expensive as sticking to the classics will.

"I love using simple greenery throughout our home and I try to avoid filling the greenery with too many artificial, decorative items," echoes Washington DC-based designer Josh Young of Josh Young Design House.

"A simple touch of holly, or dried oranges always feels classic, and helps elevate the space," he adds.

3. Light the tree thoughtfully

Lighting your tree can be a delicate balance — get it right, and it can enhance the beauty of your tree, but get it wrong, and it can highlight its flaws. "Too much light can actually accentuate a tree's bare spots, or, in the case of fake trees, highlight any synthetic appearance of the tree's needles," warns Andy Weier.

"To achieve the best effect, focus on positioning your lights towards the middle to ends of the branches, rather than tightly around the trunk. That way some of the areas you're trying to beef up will be more obscured.

"Also, stick to warm temperature lights which offer more of an ambient glow compared to cool LED options," he says. Don't go for the colorful lights. This is another factor that really cheapens the space with too much color drawing the eye and together with a plastic tree — giving a garish toy town vibe. Pick soft white or gold when putting the lights on.

The density of lights is also one of the key features that can make a Christmas tree look more expensive, but if you're working with a real tree — or one that’s a little lacking in the lighting department — adding in more lights is a relatively inexpensive way to upgrade your decor. For example, these 1040cm LED string lights from Wayfair are a great option to add extra depth and fill any gaps, giving your tree a more polished, high-end appearance.

The secret is getting a dense, even spread — which is not always easy when you've not got a pre-lit tree. However, there are some clever Christmas tree light hacks including the "zig zag method" and wrapping lights are the "trunk" of your tree that can all make the lighting look a little more luxe.

4. Layer in foliage

Using foliage, whether real or a spare Christmas garland, is a clever way to not only bulk out a Christmas tree, but make it feel more elegant and expensive-looking.

"Layering is a core part of our design philosophy, and for the holidays that manifests in stringing garlands into the tree itself," Aly Morford and Leigh Lincoln, co-founders of Pure Salt Interiors, say. "The added depth and variety of the leaves brings added warmth and organic interest to this traditional staple, and really ups the cozy and festive factor!"

Inexpensive pine floral picks from your local craft store can be tucked into the branches. In the tree pictured above, gypsophila stems have been attached to branches. These beautiful florals dry as the festive season progresses, giving an elegant frosted-tip appearance.

"You can also add more on-theme elements like pine cones, berry sprigs, feathers, or clip-in birds in colors that coordinate with your other holiday decorations," recommends Andy Weier.

5. Place ornaments thoughtfully for a luxe look

When it comes to creating a luxe, high-end look for your Christmas tree, ornament placement is key.

"Don't skimp on decorations, and pay attention to scale," advises Andy. "Larger ornaments look great from a distance — with an added bonus of helping to camouflage a tree with a lower number of tips — while tiny ornaments will draw your eye in."

To create depth, begin by placing the largest ornaments first, typically closer to the trunk of the tree. This will add weight to the center and provide a solid foundation for the rest of your decorations. Large ornaments should be distributed evenly throughout the tree's inner branches, keeping them balanced and spaced out. This ensures that your tree doesn't appear too sparse in the middle and gives it a fuller, more cohesive appearance.

While larger ornaments go in the center, try to create balance by placing smaller ornaments near the tips of branches. This contrast in scale will help to add a sense of dimension.

To keep the tree from looking overly “matchy”, distribute the smaller pieces evenly throughout the tree for a more organic appearance, but avoid clustering them all in one area. A good rule of thumb is to alternate the size of the ornaments so the tree feels balanced from top to bottom.

Courtney Batten, an NCIDQ-certified interior designer and owner of Paige Studio adds: "On the subject of ornaments, while I think it's fine to use the standard ornament packs you find at big box stores, layering higher-end or more personal ornaments can also help to elevate the look of the tree."

6. Choose an expensive-looking color scheme

In our homes, there are undoubtedly color trends that can make a space feel more expensive — and this doesn't necessarily equate to having to actually spend more.

"I think contrast brings a luxe look, if you have lots of whites, add in dark brown and black," Thomas Trust, a digital creator and Christmas decor enthusiast at @rustandtrust tells me. "A deep, dark brown to me is the ultimate luxurious color."

In this scheme, created by interior designer Lindye Galloway, it's this minimal neutral color palette that gives his Christmas scheme a rich, elevated feel.

7. Stick to a theme 

I get it, the idea of collecting a variety of fun, mismatched ornaments over the years may feel like a way to truly embrace the Christmas spirit, but it isn't necessarily going to work in your favor when it comes to making a Christmas tree look more expensive. The best thing to do to make your cheap Christmas tree look expensive is to first establish a theme.

"Staying true to a specific theme for your decorations is key for an elevated and well-designed Christmas tree," says Lindye Galloway. "There are so many themes you can choose from whether traditional or modern monochromatic, keeping a cohesive design makes it truly visually appealing."

If you're going all out with homemade ornaments gathered after years of kids' Christmases, you could end up with an overly colorful look that might be too much on the eye. Pick your colors and stick to them. Sumptuous browns and plum colors can help make your tree look rich and give it some depth.

8. Embrace texture

To add variety to your Christmas tree that will elevate the look, think about introducing textures that feel more expensive. Flocked ornaments, antiqued finishes, and natural materials — think metallics, matte finishes, glass, velvet — will all help to make a tree look more luxe, giving the tree a sophisticated, multi-dimensional look.

Shaun Green, interior designer and director of The Furniture Shack recommends layering textures and incorporating unexpected materials. "Instead of traditional tinsel, try adding textured ribbons like velvet or even hand-stitched pieces of burlap for a natural luxe feel. Add pinecones dusted with faux snow or fur garlands to create a sense of richness."

Investing in your ornaments is important in making sure your scheme is clean and luxurious looking. It's tempting to buy a bargain box of eight, but Christmas should be a time for tradition. Each year, make a day of your bauble purchasing. Head into town and make the buying process part of a tradition. You'll soon gather together a beautiful collection.

FAQs

How can you make a fake Christmas tree look more expensive?

Tricking the eye into thinking that your Christmas tree is expensive or real is not about taking the time to "fluff up" your tree right from the box before you put any lights or decorations on.

"Spend some time positioning each tip so it doesn't lay too flat against the branch," advises Andy Weier. "This step can be a bit tedious, but it's crucial in filling out the branches and achieving a more high-end look. Just be sure not to overdo this step, or worse, undo the wiring on the manufactured clusters! That will lead to the tree looking even more unnatural."

If you are still wondering why your tree doesn't look as luxurious as it should after following these steps, ask yourself: have you got your Christmas tree in the wrong place?

Andy Weier points out: "A sparse tree will look more full against a dark wall compared to a light one. And dimly lit cozy corners, further away from natural window light can also help. If you've always placed your tree in a window, consider a new spot in your home and see if that makes a difference. After all, your Christmas tree is for you to enjoy, not just for your neighbors to admire!"

By focusing on textures, lights, and a cohesive color palette, you can make your tree appear like a designer creation without spending big.