Interior design expert shares how to decorate Christmas tree like a pro for under £22

An interior designer has shared her top tips for decorating your Christmas tree and the rest of your home this December to make it look absolutely magical on a budget

At Christmas time, department stores and shopping malls have the most incredible festive displays that leave many people wondering how on earth they could recreate the look at home, especially on a tight budget, but it turns out it’s possible to do.

Interior design expert Katalin Callahan has shared her top tips for decking the halls this festive season using cheap items and making your own DIY decorations for free.

Katalin, the CEO of DBK decor, has amassed over 103,000 followers on her Instagram account @DesignByKatalin, as people are obsessed with watching her change up her home decor each season, and her house always looks especially magical at Christmas time.

Decorating for the winter holidays is Katalin’s favourite thing to do, adding sparkle in every room from the coffee table to the kitchen windowsills, but the tree is of course her main event and she often has more than one.

Speaking to The Mirror, she explained how she does it: “Creating a beautiful tree is my favourite process of the Holiday season!

“The most important thing is to choose the perfect tree. I love flocked trees. They give such a wonderful feeling. No matter what decorations you choose they will give a lovely pop of colour against a flocked tree.”

She goes on to recommend people opt to buy an unlit tree if they can, as “there is nothing worse than unpacking your pre-lit tree and discovering the lights don’t work”.

Katalin, from Baltimore, adds: “I love using my own lights so I can decide the style and colour and how many I want to use in my tree.

“Every year they bring more beautiful Christmas light and bulb choices to the market so I like having the ability to choose my own style.”

Katalin has previously shared her ‘must-haves’ for creating a show-stopping tree, which included mercury glass ornaments, champagne and gold velvet poinsettia flowers, and a mixture of large and small baubles.

However, this year she’s shaken things up and headed to her local Dollar Tree store which, much like Poundland, sells many items for $1. While there she stocked up on a bunch of decorations for her tree which cost £21.94 ($26.50) to show you don’t need to spend a fortune to go all out.

From the budget store, Katalin’s key purchase was Christmas tree ribbon which is a ‘game-changer’ for getting a professional-looking tree, as you can bend and shape it to use in any gaps.

“It’s a great and inexpensive way to fill in bare spots on your tree,” she explains, adding that she normally uses two rolls of ribbon on her nine-foot tree.

In the UK, wired Christmas tree ribbon can be purchased from the likes of Wilko for £1.75 for 3m, while The Range also has a wide selection of novelty ribbon for £2.69.

Katalin’s decoration haul also included tinsel which, while a controversial decoration for many, looked great on her finished tree, as well as candy canes, hanging snowflake decorations and a star tree topper.

Tinsel can currently be bought for £1 a garland in Poundland and savvy shoppers can also get a pack of 10 silver snowflakes for £1 from George at Asda.

The expert’s beloved Poinsettia flowers also featured on the tree, with Katalin using felt flowers that cost her $1.25 for a pack of six – those wanting to recreate the look can also get decorative Poinsettia flower clips from Poundland, for £1.50 each.

But if you don’t want to spend too much money on decorations for your home, you can always get crafty and DIY some things for yourself.

Katalin created simple ornaments for her tree using pine cones she’d collected during a walk.

She simply brushed a little bit of glue over them and sprinkled glitter over the top to create a snowy effect. These were hung on the tree with a little bit of red ribbon.

“One of my favourite decor ideas is the book tree,” she added. “Never throw away your damaged, ripped books! Recycle it and make a beautiful table decoration.

“Simply fold the pages and style them on a candle holder or just let it sit on the table.”

Katalin also shared how a simple red ribbon can make the biggest difference in your home, making everyday items look incredibly festive.

She tied bows around glass candle holders, adding simple red candles on top, added red ribbon bows around cushions and pillows to jazz up her sofa and also popped ribbon around a mason jar she had filled with evergreen stems and pine cones.

The final tip helps to use up any extra ornaments that might not fit on your tree.

Simply arrange them in a fruit bowl, or any large white bowl you may have and display them in the middle of your kitchen table to add an instant statement piece.

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