Brown and Gold Christmas Tree Ideas for Small Apartments

Brown and gold is the warmest Christmas tree palette you can pick for a small apartment. The brown grounds the tree, the gold catches the light, and together they make a slim tree in a corner look intentional instead of squeezed in. It works with wood furniture, beige sofas, and rental walls that are already some shade of cream. These 12 ideas show how to build the look without buying a whole new set of ornaments, and without the tree taking over the room.

1. Start with warm white lights, not cool white

Warm white lights are the base of the whole brown and gold look. Cool white lights turn gold ornaments brassy and make brown ribbon look grey. Use 100 lights per foot of tree height, so a 5 foot slim tree needs about 500 lights, and wrap them from the trunk outward so the glow comes from inside the branches. A strand of warm white LEDs costs about 8 to 12 dollars at Target or Amazon, and it is the single cheapest upgrade on this list.

2. Mix three browns, not one flat brown

One shade of brown looks flat. Mix a deep chocolate, a mid caramel, and a light tan across your ornaments and ribbon, and the tree gains depth even before you add gold. Matte brown baubles in the 2 inch size read as the base, glossy caramel baubles catch the light, and a few tan velvet ornaments soften the edges. A 12 pack of mixed brown baubles runs about 10 to 15 dollars at Michaels or Hobby Lobby.

3. Use gold as the accent, about one third of the ornaments

Gold should be the sparkle, not the majority. Aim for roughly one gold ornament for every two brown ones, so the gold reads as highlights instead of a solid metallic wall. Mix gold finishes too: shiny gold balls, matte gold stars, and a few brushed gold pinecones. If you already own gold ornaments from past years, you only need to buy the brown ones, which keeps the budget under 20 dollars.

4. Wrap a wide brown velvet ribbon in a spiral

A 2.5 inch wide brown velvet ribbon, spiralled loosely from top to bottom, gives a slim tree instant structure. Tuck the ribbon into the branches every 12 inches so it looks draped, not glued on. You need about 3 yards for a 5 foot tree, and velvet ribbon costs around 6 dollars a roll at a craft store. The velvet texture is what makes the brown look rich instead of muddy, so skip shiny satin ribbon for this palette.

5. Add natural wood ornaments for texture

Wood ornaments are the cheapest way to make brown and gold feel organic instead of store bought. Unfinished wood stars, small wooden beads strung as garland, and thin wood slice ornaments with a gold painted edge all work. A bag of 24 unfinished wood ornaments costs about 7 dollars, and you can leave them plain or paint the edges gold with a 3 dollar metallic paint pen. They are light, so they hang well on thin slim tree branches that cannot hold heavy glass.

6. Pick a gold star or angel topper, keep it small

On a slim tree, the topper should be proportional. A 6 to 8 inch gold star or a small gold angel is right for a 5 to 6 foot slim tree, while anything over 10 inches makes the tree look top heavy. A simple gold wire star costs about 5 dollars and lets the lights show through, which suits a small room better than a solid topper that blocks the corner. For more topper options that fit small trees, see our Christmas tree topper ideas.

7. Lay a brown faux fur tree skirt, or skip the skirt entirely

A brown faux fur tree skirt adds warmth at the base and hides the tree stand, which matters in a small room where the base is at eye level from the sofa. A 36 inch faux fur skirt costs about 15 dollars. If the budget is tight, skip the skirt and wrap the stand in a length of brown burlap instead, about 4 dollars a yard. Either way, keep the base tidy, because a messy tree stand is the first thing people notice in a small space.

8. Hang gold bells on the outer branches

Gold bells on the outer tips of the branches add sound and movement, and they catch the light every time someone walks past. Use small 1 inch bells, three or four per branch tip, tied with thin brown twine so the string disappears. A pack of 24 mini gold bells costs about 5 dollars. Keep them on the outer branches only, so the inner branches stay free for the brown ornaments that give the tree its depth.

9. Add dried orange slices for a warm, edible accent

Dried orange slices are brown, gold, and orange all at once, and they cost almost nothing. Slice oranges 1/4 inch thick, bake at 200 F for 2 to 3 hours until dry, and hang them with brown twine. Four oranges make about 20 slices, enough for a whole slim tree. They last the full season if the room is dry, and they add a natural scent that no ornament can match. Pair them with cinnamon sticks tied in small bundles for the same warm palette.

10. Use a slim or pencil tree and let the wall do the work

A pencil tree, 24 to 30 inches wide at the base, is the right tree for a small apartment, and brown and gold suits it because the palette is calm enough that a narrow tree still looks full. Place it against a warm toned wall if you have one, or hang a large piece of brown kraft paper behind it as a backdrop for about 3 dollars. The backdrop makes the gold pop and stops the tree from disappearing against a white wall. For more slim tree ideas, see our Christmas tree ideas for small apartments.

11. Drape a gold bead garland, not a tinsel garland

Tinsel garland fights with brown, it is too shiny and too thin. A gold bead garland, with 1/2 inch wooden beads painted gold or plain gold plastic beads, has weight and texture that matches the brown. Drape it in loose swags, about 6 feet of garland for a 5 foot tree, and let it dip between branches instead of wrapping it tight. A 6 foot strand costs about 8 dollars, and you can reuse it for years because beads do not tangle the way tinsel does.

12. Finish with a few gold fairy lights in glass jars beside the tree

The tree does not have to carry all the light. Put a string of gold fairy lights in two or three glass jars on the floor beside the tree, or on the windowsill next to it. The jars reflect the gold and extend the palette into the room without adding more ornaments. A 6 foot battery fairy light string costs about 4 dollars, and the jars can be any old jam jars. For the rest of the room, see our small apartment Christmas decor ideas, and for light placement that flatters a small space, see our Christmas lights ideas.

Styling tips

Build the tree in layers: lights first, then ribbon, then the large brown ornaments, then the gold accents, then the small natural pieces like dried oranges and wood ornaments last. Step back after each layer and look from the sofa, not from two inches away, because that is the distance you will actually see it from. If one side looks thin, turn the tree so the fullest side faces the room and the thin side faces the wall. A brown and gold tree looks best with the room lights dimmed and only the tree lights on, so test it at night before you call it done.

What to avoid

• Do not mix cool white lights with gold ornaments, the gold turns brassy and the brown looks grey.
• Do not use more than three shades of gold, too many metallic finishes make the tree look like a discount bin.
• Do not hang heavy glass ornaments on a slim tree, thin branches bend and the ornaments slide off.
• Do not add red or green into the palette, even one red bauble breaks the warm brown and gold calm and pulls the eye away from the whole tree.

Frequently asked questions

Does brown and gold work on a green tree or do I need a flocked tree? It works on a standard green tree. The green reads as a dark neutral behind the brown and gold, and it actually makes the gold look richer. A flocked tree works too, but it is not required, and the white flocking can wash out the tan ornaments.

How much should I budget for a brown and gold tree in a small apartment? About 40 to 60 dollars if you buy everything new: lights, brown baubles, gold accents, ribbon, and a topper. If you already own gold ornaments, the cost drops to about 25 dollars for the brown pieces and ribbon. Buy the brown baubles in one mixed pack instead of individually, it is always cheaper.

Will brown and gold look too dark in a small, dim apartment? Not if the gold ratio is right. Keep gold at about one third of the ornaments and use warm white lights generously, 100 lights per foot of tree. The gold reflects the light and brightens the tree, and the brown reads as cozy rather than dark when the lights are on.

Can I mix brown and gold with the red ornaments I already own? You can, but it changes the palette. A few deep red ornaments with brown and gold reads as a warm traditional look, and our red Christmas tree ideas show how red pairs with gold. If you want a pure brown and gold tree, keep the red ornaments in the box for this year.