Fabulously Festive Christmas Trees

The trick to keeping this graphic look punchy, not ho-hum, is choosing the right shade of green. "This crisp apple hue pops perfectly—anything darker or lighter would fade into the tree," Lindsey says. To keep the holiday look fresh and bright, she chose all-white ornaments for their modern feel and bold contrast. A playful paper lantern tops the tree, and the trailing garland and ribbons echo the colors of the rug's chevron stripes.

• Our favorite tree decorating ideas

Buy It: Easton Chair (1215) in Tribal Pear (1213) by crlaine.com

Banish the red this year! This fresh but restrained palette allows you to mix several graphic patterns and textures without the look becoming too busy.

Play off the abundance of round ornaments with a large paper lantern on top. Float the lantern by hanging it from a bow attached to the ceiling, letting the ribbon cascade down the tree for effect.

Buy It: White Paper Lanterns, set of three, from partycity.com

Give traditional ornaments a monochromatic look by spray-painting them all white. It's an easy way to update old ornaments or create an instant collection that feels familiar and loved. And go up and down, not round and round, with your garlands. Drape them vertically to emphasize the tree's height, and finish off with swags at the bottom rather than letting the ends hang straight.

Buy It: Wooden nutcracker (painted white) from hobbylobby.com; 9-foot Bead Garland from gardenridge.com

Buy It: Green Seersucker Stripe Gift Wrap Roll by casparionline.com and Beth Ellis Designs gift tags from table-matters.com

"Once, I painted my living room pink to match my pink-and-red tree," says Lindsey. "This year, I let the white walls direct my motif. I found a tree that looks like it's been dusted with fresh snow." To coordinate with the peachy pink curtains (Island Ikat by China Seas; quadrillefabrics.com), she used candy-colored ornaments and garlands that look like jewelry. In lieu of a traditional skirt or stand, the tree is placed in a sculptural garden urn.

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Go high fashion for the holidays. Bold prints such as these are chic when paired with a sparkly white tree.

Tie an oversize apricot bow with the ends cascading down the tree for extra drama. No bow-tying skills? Have a local florist make one for minimal cost.

Buy It: 2 3/8" (464) Lyon French Wired Ribbon in Peach by Morex Corp. from ribbonsunlimitedinc.com

Choose simple round ornaments in glossy peach and aqua that stand out just enough from the white branches. "Any shade darker than pastel would look too harsh," says Lindsey. And try a glitzy garland such as this metallic beaded variety that coordinates with all the other sherbet shades in the room. What a statement piece!

Buy It: Shale Green Ball Ornament in Pearl finish from christmaslightsetc.com; Vintage Striped Glass Ball Garland (GL-018) by Cody Foster & Co.; 800/595-5907 for retailers

Buy It: Enjoy Gift Tags by empiredelicious.com and A Tree for Me! Snow & Ice owl ornaments from hobbylobby.com

Many of us love to decorate with blue, so why not incorporate it into a holiday palette? "The gorgeous shade of this wallpaper (Jute Grasscloth in Dungaree by Twenty2; twenty2.net) inspired this shimmery tree," says Lindsey. "To offset the rich colors with plenty of sparkle, I piled on the silver—glass ornaments, disco ball-esque garlands, and a quirky topper."

Buy It: Oxus in Blues (2303-2) by Carleton V Ltd. (carletonvltd.com), available through DCOTA; 954/921-7575

Put a twist on tradition. Blue-and-white combos can get too sweet fast, so throw in a fabric in a suzani-inspired pattern to kick things up a notch.

Don't let the look get too serious! To make your own funky tree topper, bundle together a group of curly silver sticks, and wire it to the top of the tree.

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Load on the trimmings. Use several different shapes in shades of blue, cranberry, and silver. To truly light up the season, make sure they all sparkle! Then, drape on the shine. Find the glitziest beads you can (we used silver mica foam balls), and string them together with a needle and monofilament (fishing line).

Buy It: Raspberry and Baby Blue Ball Ornaments in Shiny and Pearl finishes from christmaslightsetc.com; Itsy-Bead-Sies from The Christmas Shoppe; hobbylobby.com

Buy It: Gift Tags in Trio of Teal from etsy.com/shop/morrelldecor with custom calligraphy by memedavis.com