Since people have been putting up Christmas trees since November this year, the fact that Stacey Dooley did her grand reveal on the 1st December feels almost restrained. What a spectacle the grand unveiling was, as Stacey Dooley’s tinsel Christmas tree is jaw-droppingly good.
Tinsel is making a major comeback this year as one of the biggest Christmas decor trends, with even the most stylish of people - Stacey Dooley included - choosing to douse their trees and their homes in metallic tinsel and lametta for the festive period. In fact, it’s more about the lametta-style of tinsel rather than the fluffy garlands we’ve become more accustomed to over recent years.
‘The shift to lametta is basically the grown-up version,’ says Sienna Brooks, Flitch interior stylist. ‘Instead of chunky garlands battling your baubles for attention, those fine, foil strands give you that Studio 54 shimmer without tipping into kitsch.’
The Strictly Come Dancing winner is known for her exceptionally good taste and cool style which she expresses through her home. We’ve seen it through Stacey Dooley's dark wood kitchen makeover and now her Christmas tree, covered from top to bottom in silver lametta, topped and surrounded by disco balls in a nod to the dancing competition she and her partner won in 2018, revealed through an Instagram reel.
The combination of the silver lametta and disco ball decorations is reminiscent of the Christmas disco trend that was big a couple of years ago – perhaps this whole tinsel trend is just an evolution of Christmas disco.
‘Full of nostalgia for many who will have festooned the family tree in tinsel as children, it’s lovely to see such a joyful and versatile Christmas decoration as tinsel making a return to even the most stylish homes,’ says Danielle Le Vaillant, head of photography and film at Cox & Cox. ‘We love tinsel as it’s easy to decorate with in a number of ways and brings instant cheer to any setting. Because it’s so flexible and drapes beautifully, it can be used everywhere from the Christmas tree to the staircase.’
Last year, Stacey impressed with her ‘camp’ Christmas tree which involved large organza bows in several different colours with some metallic red lametta also mixed in. Only this year, the documentary maker went all in with the lametta, making a real statement. And according to experts, that’s the best way to embrace this trend.
‘The key is to go heavy with the lametta, making it the strongest element,’ Danielle at Cox & Cox says.
Alternatively, you can pair it with other Christmas decorations and incorporate it into a more varied Christmas decorating scheme. ‘If you want the tree to feel a bit more curated, cluster the lametta near the tips of branches rather than draping it everywhere, so it feels intentional rather than a tinsel explosion,’ Sienna at Flitch says.
Danielle adds, ‘It’s great for filling gaps on sparse real Christmas trees, too.’
Get the look
If you get anything from this list, make it this simple and classic lametta tinsel.
If you want to give your staircase or fireplace a tinsel makeover, a fringe tinsel garland like this one is the way to go.
M&S went hard on the tinsel trend this year. And while many of the decorations are now sold out, this little tabletop tinsel tree decoration is still up for grabs.
A holographic silver tinsel chandelier to inject some sparkly festive spirit into your space? Why not?!
If you want to go all in on the tinsel trend, you can even make your tree base tinsel by opting for a silver tinsel design like this John Lewis one.
These little tinsel pom-pom tree decorations are a fun yet more subtle way to embrace the festive trend. And it even comes in several different colourways.
And the best part is that it’s a really low-cost Christmas trend. So it looks really cool and elevated, covers a lot of surface area and you don’t have to spend a lot of money to adopt the look. It just ticks all the boxes!
