Small apartments are great! There’s less to clean, they’re cozy, you save on decorating and furniture, your bills are cheaper, and did we mention less to clean? Hooray for small apartments!
While there’s much to love about your tiny home, there are some drawbacks. You probably don’t have much floor space to spare for a Christmas tree, and little (if any) room to store holiday decorations once the season is over.
But just because space is limited, that doesn’t mean you can’t bring a little holiday cheer into your apartment.
Organizing a Small Living Room for Christmas
If you want a tree, you’ll have to clear some floor space for it. Look around your living room. Is there a piece of furniture or two you could move to another area of your apartment? Whether it’s putting a chair in the bedroom or moving a side table into the dining space, shift your furniture around a little to carve out a spot for the tree.
The tree should be the focal point, so rearrange the furniture as necessary to make sure the tree is the star of the room. If possible, place the tree in front of a window so the lights will be visible to passers-by.
Even though the furniture move is temporary, you still don’t want your living room to appear cluttered, so keep the walkways free and think about the traffic flow through your apartment. If you move furniture into the bedroom, make sure it isn’t in the way of accessing your closet or is placed in such a way that it becomes a hazard (stubbed toes could make you feel downright Grinch-like).
Don't limit yourself to the living room. In a small apartment, you'll probably see the tree from anywhere in your home. If it doesn't fit in the living room, consider a corner in the dining area, near the door, or even in the kitchen.
If you can’t make enough space for a large tree, consider a tabletop tree. Find one with heavy branches rather than flimsy ones if you plan to decorate it. You can set this on an end table, ledge, or shelf, but make sure it’s still the star of the room (albeit a much tinier one).
How To Make a Room Look Festive Without a Tree
If even a small tree would require too much space, there are a variety of alternatives to bring a bit of holiday cheer into your small home. Garland is a terrific item for decorating. You can frame your door with it for a quick, easy, and space-saving nod to the season, or drape it over your fireplace mantel, coffee table, or dining room table. Use it to brighten up your entryway or dress up a mirror in the living or dining area.
Speaking of mirrors, use them to your advantage. Just as mirrors bounce light around a room if you place it opposite a window, they’ll amplify your holiday décor, as well. Position a mirror so your tree or garland is reflected, doubling your décor without taking up any additional floor space.
Stockings are an essential part of holiday decorating, and they take up very little space. Even if you don’t have a fireplace, you can hang stockings from a shelf, bookcase, or table.
Don’t overlook the humble wreath. Whether store-bought or homemade, a wreath might be all you need to make your apartment look festive. You can hang the wreath or lean it against a wall.
Think mini! Tiny holiday figurines are easy to find (just search Christmas miniatures on your favorite shopping website), and you can create a little winter wonderland on a shelf, table, or even on your window ledge. Figurines range from small trees to reindeer to snowmen, they are fun to collect and display every year, and when the season is over, they pack away easily without needing a lot of space. Add some sparkle to your mini display with firefly lights woven throughout.
Small touches go a long way. For example, a throw blanket in a holiday theme draped across the back of your couch can add just enough to your décor to make it feel festive. Accent pillows can be dressed up with seasonal covers, and your kitchen and bath can be spruced up with holiday-themed towels and liquid hand soap in seasonal scents. You can also fill small bowls with Christmas candies and place them around your apartment. When decorating a small space, sometimes less really is more!
Where To Store Holiday Decorations in a Small Apartment
When it’s time to un-deck the halls, you’ll need a place to put all your ornaments and seasonal décor. If you’re wondering where you’ll put it all, here are some suggestions:
- Use under-furniture storage containers and slide them under your bed or couch.
- Hang the wreath in the closet. Cover it with a garment bag or cut a small slit in a garbage bag and slip that over the hanger to protect it.
- Place your holiday décor in a storage ottoman or in decorative containers (vintage suitcases stacked on top of one another make a great end table or TV stand, and you can place all your ornaments in them).
- Put the cabinet above your refrigerator (the one you can’t reach without a stepladder) to good use by housing your seasonal items up there.
- Save your wrapping paper tubes and egg cartons. The tubes are perfect for storing string lights and cords, and the cartons are just the right size to hold delicate decorations.
- Ornaments can be tucked away in shoe boxes, which stack nicely in any small corner.
- If you opted for a fake tree, these usually come apart and can be placed in storage bins. If you can’t find a place to store it, consider leaving it up year-round. Remove the ornaments but keep the lights on (you might even want to decorate seasonally, such as with silk tulips in spring or seashells in summer).
Seasonal Décor You Don’t Have To Store
Disposable items are best if you don’t have a lot of storage space. While you might think a real tree is wasteful, many communities have recycling programs for trees. Even better, according to the Nature Conservancy, real trees are better for the environment and help fight climate change. You can feel good about your real tree — and it’ll make your apartment smell terrific!
Decorate with as much disposable décor as you can. This will not only save on storage space, but it will save you money, as well. Pinecones, cranberries, oranges, cinnamon sticks, and even bare branches make excellent holiday décor, and you can toss all of it when the season ends.
A gingerbread house is a great way to bring some holiday cheer into your apartment, and you might find it’s all the décor you really need. While the kits are great, consider making one from scratch so you can put your personality in it and make it as big (or small) as you want. Start a tradition by inviting friends and family over for a decorating party. Make sure you have some eggnog and hot cocoa to serve and extra candy for sampling. You can display your gingerbread house on your dining table or on a side table and throw it out when the last jingle bell jangles.
No matter what you choose for your holiday decor, keep scale in mind. For example, you probably won’t want to try and cram a 10-foot tree into your 400-square-foot apartment (unless you don’t mind navigating around branches). Be realistic about your ability to store items, as well, and use as much disposable décor as you can. With some planning and a little bit of organizing, decorating your small apartment can be fun and rewarding.
