How to make a minimalist Christmas garland

A minimalist Christmas garland can help add a simple festive flourish to a home with minimal effort and maximum reward. There’s just something about fresh, fragrant foliage, instantly lifting any corner where it is displayed. Maybe it’s the sight of nature indoors, or perhaps it’s the pine scent that manages to capture this magical time of year, but there’s nothing that says Christmas to me more than natural forest greenery.

This minimalist Christmas garland is super easy to make and will create a beautiful, eye catching display, whether hung up on the mantelpiece, draped around the banister of the stairs, or lain across the dinner table. And it’s completely natural and mostly compostable – there’s no plastic, fake greenery or florist’s oasis – meaning it’s pretty eco-friendly too!

To make one garland, you will need:
– a ball of green twine or string
– flexible or bendy wire
– three or four bushy branches of fir
– a generous bunch of foraged greenery (anything evergreen will last fairly well, otherwise look for varieties that will still look good even when a little dry, such as heather, eucalyptus and berry branches. Dried flowers are also a good option. Basically use anything you can get your hands on!)
– some good scissors

Here’s how to make your minimalist Christmas garland:

– Cut your foliage down into small stems – you can have a mix of single stems and beefier branches if you want to create a slightly wild look.

– Trim any leaves from the base of the stems to create clean ends, which can be more easily tied together.

– Create small bunches or bouquets with your stems, layering eucalyptus and dried flowers on bushier pieces of fir. You want to have about 3-4 stems per little bunch. Each bunch can be a little different, it helps give a more natural look. Trim the ends to better align them together.

– Measure your twine out – if you’re putting this on a mantlepiece, for example, you’ll want to measure the width of the mantlepiece then add about 50cm either side.

– Lay your twine out on your table. Take your first bunch and hold over the twine with one hand. Make sure you have some length of twine beyond your hand and the first bunch, don’t start your garland right at the end of your twine (so there’s some length to hang it above the fireplace for example).

– Secure your first bunch of foliage to the twine with flexible wire. Tie it as tight as you can get it. It doesn’t matter what it will look like as the wire will be covered with another little bunch of foliage and you’ll never see it. Don’t cut your wire, you want to keep it going for the entire length of the garland.

– Lay your second bunch of foliage slightly on top of your first, so the wired stems are hidden from view. As with the first, wrap the stems in flexible wire to secure it to the first bunch and the long piece of twine.

– Keep going, adding bunch by bunch, until you end up with a long, generous garland of natural foliage.

– Simply tie the wire tightly around the last bunch and cut to complete your garland.

For the full tutorial, watch my IGTV video and see the step by step process in action! 

As this is a completely natural garland without any access to water, it’s best made near to the big day or any event where you wish to show it off. To help prolong its lifespan, you can also tie moss first to the twine and keep spritzing the garland with water every now and then. It will last best in cooler spaces, where central heating or fires can’t dry it out.

Even though it may not last as long as a fake garland, I think it will still look good dried, especially if you integrate some dried flowers into the arrangement from the beginning. You can always take out a few of the dead stems and tie fresh ones on if it’s starting to look a bit lack lustre before Christmas.

But what it lacks in longevity, it makes up for in scent and fragrance, this garland really will fill your room with the smell of Christmas!

I strung my minimalist Christmas garland above my fireplace for a shoot. We don’t have a mantlepiece but I think it doesn’t need one, I love the simple flourish the garland gives to the monochrome tiles and wood burner.

I’ve also used the garland as a centrepiece for the table, using pine cones to add another festive touch. Light a few candles and pair with sleek black plates for a contemporary, natural look.

Have you tried making a Christmas garland before? I have to say it was a lot easier than I thought it would be, and I loved putting some Christmas tunes on while I got completely involved in the creative process. I’d love to see yours if you decide to make one!

Featured products: 
Napkins: GoScandi [press product]
Plates: Arket
Tablecloth: Arket
Candleholder: ByLassen [press product]