Nothing signals Christmas is here quite like the tradition of decorating the tree.Whether real or faux, the experience of putting up the tree is a magical one for many an excitable family.
As lovely as the real thing looks and smells, thanks to central heating, the winter home is often not a welcome environment for a real tree. And with lots of us putting decorations up in early December or even November these days, a real tree is tested to extremes –how is it expected to last the duration?
Let’s spare the real trees and go faux for Christmas from here on in. Forget vacuuming up pine needles every day, it’s far easier with an artificial with tree. With so many great realistic designs, that can last you for many years to come, we think it’s all the better to fake it.
For inspiration: How to decorate a Christmas tree – Ideal Home’s definitive step-by-step guide
Here at Ideal Home HQ, we have rounded up and tested all the best new artificial tree designs for 2020, alongside a few reigning best-sellers. All are hoping to be the tree of choice for your home for this and many Christmases to come.
Whatever your style, we’ve got it covered with our pick of the best artificial Christmas trees for 2020.
How we test our artificial Christmas trees
John Lewis & Partners
We’ve quite simply assembled each and every one of the trees below. We’ve then looked at the quality and durability, getting hands-on for the best results.
Like little elves we’ve been unboxing and packing away the trees to test how easy they are to assemble and store.
To test the branches and explore how well they withstand all manner of decorations, we’ve hung the heaviest hanging baubles and ornaments and observed what we’ve calling ‘the droop factor’. We’ve also placed tree toppers on each and every one to see if they fit properly. And we’ve been testing the topple-factor by pulling at the decorations, mimicking what excited children or curious pets might do!
We’ve had our noses on red alert to detect if any of the trees carry an unwanted scent. It’s safe to say we know a thing or two about artificial trees so fear not, this lot have been in good hands to ensure we’ve found the best.
As a general rule of thumb it’s best to have at least six inches between the top of your tree and the ceiling – remembering to allow for a topper. Contending for that accolade is the fabulously ‘French Navy’ tree from John Lewis & Partners; the ingenious half tree from Dunelm and the quirky space-saving tree from Argos – all well worthy designs with a difference.
Best artificial Christmas trees 2020
1. B&Q 6ft Smart Natural Looking Christmas Tree – best smart artificial Christmas tree
In a world of smart home solutions why not embrace a smart Christmas tree too. B&Q’s smart tree comes pre-lit with 300 multi-function LED bulbs for a traditional look. The dual coloured bulbs can be changed from warm white to multicoloured lights – taking the tree from calm and serene one minute to disco party vibes the next.
The thoroughly smart design means said lights are compatible with both Google Home and Alexa devices. As with many of our smart home appliances these days the voice control functionality allows us to control the lights with a single spoken command – for an easy and fun way to involve all the family.
In addition to the two different coloured light options there are seven multifunction settings too. This jazzy function allows you to choose your desired look for every occasion. The settings include White, White White; Blink White; Multicolour Fade; Multicolour; Blink Multicolour; Colour Change and Off. With one voice control this tree goes from a traditional looking Christmas tree to a merry and bright Christmas tree ready to party.
We were very pleasantly surprised by how realistic the tree looked, we were mostly focusing on the light element rather than the authentic look of the tree when selecting for testing. The densely populated branches are spread across three hinged sections, all of which are an even mix of moulded PE and traditional PVC tips to emulate the look and feel of a natural spruce. Combined with the more tinsel-like branches, which are there more to add density nearer to the middle.
The stand is very robust, helping to ensure the tree feels very stable. When carrying out the push test this tree barely wavered. Throw in the smart voice control, this is a fab family-friendly Christmas tree.
Ideal Home’s rating: 5 out 5 stars
Dimensions: H182.9cm x Dia97cm
Buy now: 6ft Smart Natural Looking Artificial Christmas Tree, £120, B&Q
2. Hayes Garden World Yukon Snowy Pine Tree – best snowy artificial Christmas tree
The snowy tree is the hero of alternative Christmas trees for 2020. Setting the scene for a white Christmas, whatever the weather, it’s almost as if designers have said ‘you know what, if we know it’s not real let’s embrace that and make it more dreamy than that of a real tree’. That’s where a magical snow-covered pine tree comes into its own.
Our chosen favourite for this year is the Pre-lit Yukon Snowy Pine from Hayes Garden World. This tree wowed from the moment we got it out of the box. Standing at a statuesque 6ft tall this tree is made from a mix of PE/PVC material which creates a life-like illusion. It has a mixture of tapering and bushy branches (1837 tips to be precise), with a smattering of large pine cones beautifully placed throughout to give the feel of a full bodied life-like tree in a snowy wooded forest. Now if that isn’t the Christmas dream, what is?!
The snow coverage is excellent, with a soft textured feel to the touch. The branches are entirely snow-covered, with the dusting heavier on the ends – as you’d expect on a real tree out in the snow. The coverage is more prominent than the images would suggest and yet it’s still beautifully subtle. There was hardly any snow drop from the branches during assembly.
The hinged branches fall into place with almost no need to tease them into a more evenly deserved finish – which helped to lessen the loss of snow coverage. Although the stand is only a basic fold out model the tree felt extremely robust and sturdy when up, it certainly passed the push test.
It comes pre-lit which is a dream. And not with just any lights, these are globe-shaped LED lights which feel more decorative than regular fairy lights. These are woven throughout the tree, warmly illuminating the frosted branches with a soft glow. The lights are long-life, energy-efficient LED lights which will last for years to come and have replaceable bulbs in case of any breakages. While the branches supported even the heaviest of decorations we felt like less is more when it comes to decorations. The globe lights and full branches are enough to leave bare.
Best of all Hayes are so confident with their magnificent trees they also offer a lifetime guarantee and supply free spare bulbs for 15 years from purchase.
Ideal Home’s rating: 4 out 5 stars
Dimensions: H182.9cm x Dia112cm
Buy now: Pre-lit Yukon Snowy Pine Life Like Artificial Christmas Tree, £279.99, Hayes Garden World
3. The White Company pre-lit 1.5ft tree – best artificial Christmas tree in a pot
This mini but marvellous tree is the newest addition to The White Company tree collection for 2019. This tree is small but mighty. Compact in size, but characterful enough to enter into the spirit of the season. This mini potted tree is perfect if you’re not really a fan of having a Christmas tree. And added bonus, it’s not just for Christmas – you could this one out all year round if you so wished.
The slender branches are thoroughly realistic to both sight and touch. Even the base around the bottom of the tree is covered in a life-like moss earth-effect covering, adding to the realism. While the branches would support larger decorations they look a bit out of character, because the tree is so small. We’d recommend dressing with miniature baubles if you wish to add colour. But in all honesty, this tree is magical enough as it is.
Arriving complete, ready to pop straight onto a surface for display – this tree could not be more convenient. The pre-lit 1.5ft tree stands in a decorative willow basket, with a switch to control the lights neatly hidden in a compartment located in the base. The warm fairy lights, on an undetectable green wire, evenly distributed from top to bottom for a perfect finish. There are three settings for the lights On, Off and Timer.
Ideal for a hallway console, coffee table or even a dining table as a festive centrepiece.
Ideal Home’s rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Dimensions: H46cm x Dia37cm
Buy now: Pre-lit Christmas Tree in Willow Basket 1.5ft, £30, The White Company
4. Next Forest Pine Slim – best slim artificial Christmas tree
This is a fabulous design if you’re looking for a space-saving solution to Christmas decorating. This slimline tree proved far more impressive than we anticipated. Who knew such a small tree (in terms of space it takes up) could make such a big impression.
The tree comes in two sections, which join together with ease. It also features an instant lock stand, meaning there are no bolts to be lost over the years. You don’t have to tease the branches down into place, so it’s assemble in minutes. Even more so because this tree comes pre-lit. On that note we have to say the lights are perfectly distributed throughout the branches, from top to bottom, to ensure a pleasingly even coverage.
The slender tree is surprisingly dense with spruce thanks to its 340 tips, so by no means are you short changed by having less tree. The branches feel like imitation fir, and the thick snow coverage helps to give the overall feel of a real tree in a woodland forest. As with all artificial snow-covered trees there’s a certain amount of drop.
Our slim Next Christmas tree was fairly steady on its feet, so to speak, you could have this in a heavy footfall area of the house – such as a hallway or kitchen-diner – no problem.
Being short in length keeps the branches feeling more on the sturdy side. They therefore supported all weight of decorations with ease, only dropping slightly at the ends – as you’d expect from even a real tree. The top was supportive of a tree topper, but as with so many we folded it down slightly to give extra support and structure.
Ideal Home’s rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Dimensions: H180 by Dia58cm
Buy now: Lit Snowy Christmas Tree, £75, Next
5. Christmas Tree World Half Tree – best half artificial Christmas tree
We’ve found the ultimate tree for those on a budget and with smaller spaces! Half the tree and over half the budget, this tree is a complete steal. Plus this half/corner tree design is famous! As seen on ITV’s This Morning. The team at Christmas Tree World say,’The natural silhouette of this Woodland Pine Christmas tree has made it very popular with the celebrities of The Only Way is Essex and many high profile TV shows and venues across the country.’ A bargain, realistic-looking, space-saving, famous Christmas tree – what more could you want?
Where full-sized would be overwhelming, this quirky half-tree design is perfect. Who really needs to see the back of the tree anyway? It’s always the worst baubles that get hung round the back of a full-sized spruce.
This beautifully realistic Woodland Pine Half Tree is the ultimate tree for those on a budget and with smaller spaces. It boasts bushy branches made from a mix of moulded PE and traditional PVC tips to emulate the look and feel of real spruce. The more ‘fake’ looking PVC branches are located on the inner regions of the tree, meaning they act as more as ‘filler’ to make it appear dense. It’s an attractive deep fir green, so in our eyes wins in the style stakes.
You only really need to see the front and offer a place under which to store presents, making this half tree excellent for both budget and space-saving. This quirky tree is actually designed to sit in the corner of a room, which offers extra support for the tree. No wasted floor space or wasted decorations, plus half the tree means half the price – what’s not to love? It’s weird but totally wonderful when you think about it.
The quirky design simply slots together with easy. The branches need pulling into place, which we’d recommend doing once it’s in place against the wall. It will sit flush, unless you have skirting boards (as we did), which makes it sit slightly forwards. You could weigh down the base but given it’s essentially rested against a wall it’s unlikely the tree will waver.
This model is available in a range of sizes from 4ft to 6ft, with the 4ft size being ideal is you’re really looking for a small space solution. The height of each is measured from the floor. There’s a clear space between the bottom branches and the floor, to allow for plenty of present space. The 4ft tree starts from £34.99, making this half design even more of a bargain.
Made for indoor use only, the trees construction will rust in rain so don’t even tempted to pop it outside or in a room with any hint of damp – because it won’t last for years to come.
Ideal Home’s rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Dimensions: H180 x W82cm
Buy now: 5ft Green Half Tree, £84.99, Christmas Tree World
6. Balsam Hill Vermont White Spruce Flip Tree – best luxury artificial Christmas tree
This tree is simply stunning. It’s SO well lit it could happily reside in the lobby of a 5-star hotel. It’s not cheap at all, we acknowledge that entirely, but it is in a completely different league when it come to artificial trees to keep for life.
Balsam Hill are the crème de la crème in the world of artificial Christmas trees. The much-loved tree experts have expanded their range of artisan-designed, highly realistic Christmas trees to more than 250 beautiful designs!
The Flip Tree was an exciting new addition to the extension range last year, and it proved to be a big hit. The design guarantees a super easy set up thanks to an innovative flip design which eliminates the need to lift heavy sections.
This smart tree took under a minute to assemble! The base, on wheels for added easy, has a foot pedal that you press then simply flip the bottom half over, into place. The top part is in one section, this slots into the base with easy. Fix the brakes once it’s in position, so it can’t be moved and plug in the lights.
Founder, Thomas Harman, was inspired to start Balsam Hill by a family member who was allergic to live trees. He struggled to find a true-to-life, premium quality, artificial Christmas tree. So he decided to create his own.
The meticulously hand-craft tree is made using Balsam Hill’s exclusive True Needle technology, beautifully replicating nature, including asymmetrical branches, subtle colour changes, and lifelike texture.
The tree is pre-lit, and the coverage is superb – plus they are on a remote control to adjust the light colour. This magnificent tree is dressed with 850 warm white LED lights – that’s enough to channel National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation vibes!
Being such a premium tree, as you might expect, it comes complete with a repair kit, a spare set of lights, bulbs, heavy-duty canvas storage bags for both sections and even gloves to protect hands from prickly branches during assembly!
This tree is covered by a 3-year warranty, which covers quality of tree frame; foliage; hinges and stand. Plus repair or replacement of lights.
Ideal Home’s rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Dimensions: H198cm x Dia137cm
Buy now: Vermont White Spruce Flip 6.5ft Artificial Tree, £949, Balsam Hill
7. Wilko Mixed Cones and Berries Pre-Lit Artificial Tree – best budget artificial Christmas tree
We were left pleasantly surprised by this tree. The rustic-style 7ft Christmas tree is pre-decorated with lights, cones and berries to make it suitably well-dressed as it stands – before even dressing it with baubles and the like. Given the realistic element it feels dressed to impressed with simple decorations.
Once assembled it’s sturdy enough to withstand a gentle push and not falter. The main bulk of branches are classic faux needles, soft and flat PVC needles that look more tinsel-like than pine needles. Those are mixed with at least three on each that branch that feel more bristle-like – offering an element of realism.
The pine cones and red berries sprigs are evenly distributed throughout the whole tree, and at 7ft it’s a generous feeing tree. These are neatly attached with a fine wire, making them sit comfortably. The branches need separating and fluffing slightly to take them to their full potential.
No elements shed from this tree, meaning it required no clean up. This is an easy tree if you want style on a budget. Thanks to the foliage decorations you could even leave it as it is, if it suited.
Ideal Home’s rating: 4 out 5 stars
Dimensions: H213cm x Dia132cm
Buy now: 7ft Mixed Cones Berries Pre-Lit Artificial Christmas Tree, £95, Wilko
8. Dobbies 6ft Ullswater – best frosted artificial Christmas tree
This tall attractive tree is the garden centre’s best-seller, year in year out. So we put it to the test to see just why. Our first impression is, what a stunning tree. It feels fresh from a woodland scene, thanks to its gentle frosting of snow and thoroughly realistic fir-tree pine cones.
The three sections slot together with ease, with the hinged branches falling into place nicely. We did find the individual branches were tightly bound and required a fair amount of effort to tweak into place. This caused a generous amount of snow loss during the process, so just be prepared to vacuum up the snow.
Once the branches were in place the tree felt sturdy on its feet, passing the gentle push test no problem. The bristly branches supported heavier decorations with ease. We’d recommend using block colours, so the decorations don’t get lost amongst the light dusting of snow.
Given how tightly the branches arrived, it took a length of time to tease them back into place to pack away in the box. We’re not saying this distracts from the tree’s attractive greatness, it’s just worth bearing in mind.
Ideal Home’s rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Dimensions: H182cm
Buy now: Artificial 6ft Ullswater Christmas Tree, £149, Dobbies
9. Argos Parasol tree – best tall artificial Christmas tree
Quirky tall trees are popping up all over the place at the moment! We can totally see why they have become popular, as a clever solution for pet owners wanting a Christmas tree.
The tall tree comes with two poles, with one branch filled section for the top – the parasol if you will. While the base has bolts to keep the main pole in place, the second pole section merely slots in – there is no extra securing element in place. It felt fairly unforgiving when we did the push test, purely because all the weight is is the top section.
The PVC flat bristle branches required minimal tweaking to make them perfectly spaced. The stand pole is tightly wound with a tinsel-like green material.
We used just one set of fairy lights. We avoided using them on the base, as not to draw attention to it, but as demonstrated above it does work well.
While this tree is a brilliant solution to stop pets and young children playing with the decorations, we can’t help but fear the top heavy nature could cause a potential hazard. We’d highly recommend weighing down the base to make it feel more stable and less likely to topple.
If you take these precautions, or don’t have to worry about little ones or pets, then this tree is a fabulous quirky idea to elevate your decor this season.
Ideal Home’s rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Dimensions: H182 x diameter 73cm
Buy now: 6ft Parasol Christmas tree, £45, Argos
10. John Lewis & Partners Gabriel Gold Unlit Christmas Tree – best coloured artificial Christmas tree
Gold is the colour of Christmas this year. This mighty gold tree is the hero of this year’s John Lewis & Partner’s range. ‘This year we have introduced our first gold tree with glitter ends’ explains Jason Billings-Cray, junior buyer Christmas shop. ‘Gold has always been popular at Christmas but we really wanted to up the glamour for Christmas 2020 and the Art Nouveau theme lent itself to this perfectly.’
Last year it was all about navy, with a hint of sparkle. The stunning shade of ‘French Navy’ was accentuated by holographic glitter tips, the same as this year’s gold design. But this year things are lighter, thanks to this glam new shade. The trend for more understated, neutral colours is key for creating harmoniously comforting interiors this season – and it would appear Christmas trees are not exempt.
The best word to initially describe this tree is dense. The bottom tier has a formation of nine; eight; eight and six to offer well-spaced and thoroughly covered branches that mimic real fir. The branches throughout are sturdy and well supportive of all decorations, even the most heavy metal ones.
This weighty tree also passed the push test, it would take a fair amount of pressure to topple over this tree. The top branch requires folding in half in order to comfortably support a tree topper. But once the topper is securely in place, it’s perfectly fine and standing upright.
The middle is very tightly wound with the blue branch material, although it’s hardly even visible due to the dense coverage. It does have an ever-so faint plastic scent, but nothing to deter us from choosing it. A simple hanging scented stick will mask that synthetic scent no problem.
The statuesque 7ft height gives this tree real presence. With the trend for warm neutrals for decorating homes, this tree is our on-trend colour choice for Christmas 2020.
The only enhancement to improve this tree would be if it arrived pre-lit, to save dressing it by hand.
Ideal Home’s rating: 3.5 out of 5
Size dimensions: H210 x diameter 137cm
Buy now: Gabriel Gold Unlit 7ft Christmas Tree, £299, John Lewis & Partners
How do you store an artificial Christmas Tree?
Of course, there’s the original box the tree came in. But will that last year in, year out? There’s also the task of how you get it back into the box – the wrestle is never an easy one. This year we’ve stumbled across this brilliant Christmas tree bag from Dunelm.
The zip up bag makes it more practical for transporting from shed or loft to the front room each year. It measures L120 by D43cm, therefore generous enough to fit all 6ft trees when dismantled. The festive red colour also helps it to be instantly identifiable for the festive purpose – ideal for when it’s hidden in amongst all the other storage in the shed or loft space.
Buy now: Christmas Tree Bag, £9, Dunelm
Buying an artificial Christmas tree – everything you need to know
How do I make my fake Christmas tree smell real?
If you love a real tree larger for it’s glorious scent, fear not because you can emulate the same smell with a touch of trickery. In recent years Scentsicles have become a thing. These magical sticks are soaked in seasonal scents and they cleverly hang from the branches, undetected.
If you want a more subtle hint of scent you can hang pine cones interspersed on the inner branches, attaching them using green gardening twine. A bundle of cinnamon sticks would also do the job if you’re looking for an alternative Christmas scent.
TI Media
How much should I pay for an artificial Christmas tree?
There’s no real answer to this question. It all depends on what you’re looking for. You can pick up a budget tree under £50, from the likes of IKEA and Dunelm, that will do the job perfectly.
At a mid-range price point many of our high street favourites offer realistic 6ft/7ft trees for prices ranging between £120 to £250.
At the other end of the spectrum you have the likes of Balsam Hill who make the most realistic looking faux trees, but these range from anywhere from £100 up to £1000. It all depends on what kind of investment you wish to make.
Generally speaking, with artificial Christmas tress you generally get what you pay for.
What are pre-lit Christmas trees and should I buy one?
Pre-lit Christmas trees are simply trees that already have lights on. The beauty of buying a tree with the lights already on is firstly the saving – as there’s no need to buy extra lights. Secondly, the placement is a real bonus. As the lights are already evenly distributed throughout the whole tree, it saves you the job of fiddling about and potentially getting in a tangle over the perfect arrangement.
Never underestimate the importance of the lights on a tree, as they can anchor your whole decorating scheme – highlighting well-placed decorations and glinting in all the right places.
What colour artificial Christmas trees are on trend in 2019?
The most popular choice is white as the snow-covered tree dominates retailers this year. But in terms of a new on-trend colour we’d have to say navy is the most fashionable colour for 2019 – it’s the new black tree. As blue paint sales soar, the blue colour choice is no real surprise.
Related: Christmas colour schemes to brighten up your home during festivities this season
What’s the best way to store an artificial Christmas tree to keep it looking good?
Quite simply, the best way to store the dismantled tree is in the original box to save on excess packaging. However if you have larger storage boxes or containers these are ideal, to make access easier. As long as you keep the branches flat and un-squashed, your tree should last you for years to come. Store in a cool, dry space to preserve the condition.
The post Best artificial Christmas trees to dress your home for the festive season appeared first on Ideal Home.
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