What's trending for Christmas 2024? We unwrap the top trends
The festive season is a little way off yet, but it's never quite too early for our thoughts to turn to Christmas decor trends.
There's joy in anticipation and forethought, which is why we've spoken to the experts in trend forecasting to help us better understand how we'll be decorating our homes this Christmas — from the front door to the tree.
For Christmas 2024, we can expect an increase in nostalgic decorations, maximalist trees, and Regency-inspired ornaments, as well as a focus on beautiful artisan-made gifts.
Keep reading for the best Christmas decor trends for 2024, plus tips on how to achieve the look at home:
1. Nostalgic decorations
Nostalgia hits hard at Christmas, stirring up memories from the past. From retro ornaments to hand-painted figurines inspired by our grandparents' homes, charming vintage decorations are ready for their comeback.
"This Christmas brings a nostalgic yet fresh aesthetic to homes and gardens. To achieve this feel at home, embrace classic hues of traditional Christmas red with deep, inky blues and heritage brass," Lucy Kirk, Creative & Photography Manager at Lights4fun, tells Country Living.
Vintage nutcracker decorations are also on the up, with retailer The Range seeing Google searches increase by 50% in the last seven days. Meanwhile, Samuel Platt, creative design manager at Homebase, also predicts a rise in nostalgic decor.
"This trend is all about being together with your loved ones and enjoying those cosy winter evenings in the run-up to Christmas," Samuel tells us.
"The overall colour palette is timeless red and green with nostalgic decorations including gingerbread houses and candy canes. We want shoppers to capture precious moments with family and friends."
2. Artisans and craftsmanship
"As we look toward Christmas 2024, the trends are shifting towards a more thoughtful, handcrafted design," says Claire Garner, Director at Claire Garner Interiors, who reminds us of the importance of shopping small.
"Celebrating artisans and craftsmanship will take centre stage this festive season and I expect to see an emphasis on unique, handmade pieces that bring a personal and meaningful touch to Christmas decor.
"Whether it's handwoven ornaments or artisanal wreaths, there's a growing appreciation for the artistry and care that goes into each item, making decorations feel more special."
Instead of purchasing gifts and festive goods from large retailers, try to scour out the best independent businesses by purchasing directly from their websites. The Country Living Marketplace is our go-to place for hand-crafted buys, while Etsy is also home to some wonderful sellers.
Pop along to the Country Living Christmas Market this year to meet the makers, see them at work and buy their beautiful handcrafted pieces.
3. Supersized decorations
Christmas is slowly creeping up on us which means it's time to start planning your all-important Christmas tree. There are so many ways to decorate a tree, but John Lewis says we should make space for supersized baubles and giant decorations.
"This season's oversized decorations are both playful and luxurious, perfect for adding a sense of surprise and delight," says Danielle Le Vaillant, Head of Photography at Cox & Cox.
"Supersized decorations are a great way to echo your Christmas theme from room to room — add giant baubles to the console table in the hall, a giant bow to the newel post at the bottom of the stairs or hang giant paper stars to bring Christmas light into the bedroom."
Meanwhile, Balsam Hill also found that Christmas trees are getting bigger, with the average size of trees purchased in the last year rising from 6.3ft to 6.6ft. They have also seen a 26% increase in customers opting for a tree 7ft or bigger.
"Supersized decorations are a great way to add impact to any room over the festive season," says Jennifer Derry, interior design expert and Chief Merchandising Officer at Balsam Hill.
"When decorating with supersized ornaments, start with your largest decorations first. A top tip to create more depth is to layer your decorations, placing these larger baubles deeper into the foliage and building up around them, filling the gaps with smaller decorations as you go."
4. Nod to the 70s and 80s
Designed for dancing, many retailers are amping up the glitz and glamour for Christmas.
John Lewis has taken inspiration from maximalist interiors, releasing a disco ball wreath for the front door and a large silver mushroom decoration.
Meanwhile, Homebase is also getting ready for the festive with rainbow lighting bold tree decorations and a leopard print bauble.
"With a return to the iconic disco era of the 70s and 80s, this trend celebrates music with a touch of glam, showcasing mirror balls, glitter, sequins, and retro ornaments such as microphones, records, and animal prints," says Samuel.
"Tonal blues and silvers complimented with hot pinks and neon lights bring this joyful collection to life for that nostalgic feel-good mood. To complete the look, don't forget to pick up a drinks trolley to ensure the party vibes continue into the night."
5. Maximalist trees
Colourful Christmas trees are quickly becoming one of the most fun ways to decorate your home for the festive season.
According to Pinterest's trend report, searches for 'red Christmas trees' are up 600%, as more people take on a maximalist decorating scheme. Likely inspired by the 'unexpected red theory', this trend takes a 'more is more' approach.
"As we all know, 2024 has been the year of the unexpected red theory — adding a pop of red to a room to have a contrasting and bold effect. This trend will continue into the festive season, so expect to see even more red making an appearance, perfectly capturing the spirit of Christmas," says Sam Tamlyn, Interior Expert and Managing Director of Shutterly Fabulous.
And it's not just red Christmas trees that are trending: John Lewis has released an unexpected colour for the festive season.
"We've introduced our first-ever pink Christmas tree for Christmas 2024, a hue that can be dressed in a maximalist style with novelty decorations, or more paired back with touches of silver," says Lisa Cherry from the John Lewis Christmas buying team.
If colourful Christmas trees aren't quite up your street, you can still embrace this trend with the use of decorations. Red baubles, pink bows and garlands adorned with ornaments are a great way to bring the hues inside.
6. Festive 'doorscaping'
First impressions are everything when you've got guests on your doorstep. Bring some festive cheer to the exterior of your house with fresh foliage wreaths, potted light-up trees, and a festive doormat.
"Doorscaping is a fun and creative way to dress up your front door and give visitors a joyful welcome," explains Catharina Björkman, scandi lifestyle expert at Contura.
"A wreath, boughs of holly, and other festive foliage are all ideal, but why stop there? Transform the area around your front door with baskets filled with fresh or dried flowers, decorative doormats, seasonal characters that you can reuse year after year, and more.
"To make an even bigger splash, invest in a festive door arch – keep it rustic with lots of greenery but add some Christmas sparkle with twinkling lights."
Meanwhile, Sarah Spence, Habitat Senior Buyer, adds: "A festive front door is a great way to welcome guests and we're seeing the doorscaping trend start earlier each year.
"We've built out our offering of garlands, wreaths, and door ornaments, which are designed to suit a range of styles. Faux wreaths and garlands are ideal for those looking to start the festivities early and can be reused year after year."
7. Regency-inspired Christmas
Inspired by Netflix's Bridgerton, the Regency Christmas trend delivers straight from the 19th century with lashings of colour, luxurious fabrics, decorative gold accessories, and ornate patterns.
British retailer Cox & Cox has released a 'Regency Romance' trend for Christmas 2024, full of romantic frills and lavish layers. Discover gold ribbons, luxury crackers, velvet tree bows, and a bottle-top candle holder to give your dining room a Bridgerton feel.
Speaking about the trend, Ryan McDonough from MyJobQuote.co.uk says: "The Regency Christmas decorating trend mixes deep green trees and garlands and sumptuous red velvet bows and ribbons with lots of warm metallics and intricate designs to bring those ornate Regency vibes into our homes."
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