Inspiration: Christmas Trees in the Kitchen

We've talked a bit about decorating the kitchen for the holidays. It seems most of us want to introduce some special touch to the room, but fear clutter in a space that's busy and often cramped for space anyway. Might a small tree be the solution?

Here are a few kitchens with Christmas trees incorporated into them. Some ideas we gleaned from this gallery for setting up a kitchen tree without taking up too much space:

Set it up on the floor if you have an out-of-the-way corner.

Contain it, much like a fruit bowl.

Get a small rosemary tree that will be both beautiful and useful in the kitchen, well after the holidays.

Images: Keith Scott Morton/Country Living, Michael Luppino/Country Living, Flickr member Sultry licensed for use under Creative Commons, House Beautiful

Comments (5)

If the space above your cabinets is open, put a small tree on top of the cabinets. I do this every year because my kitchen ceiling is vaulted. It's out of the way and very pretty.

I put mine on top of the fridge and decorate it with old, small cookie cutters.

@sara jane: I like the sound of the cookie cutter touch! Very in keeping with the kitchen.

We've slung a fake evergreen garland over the mantle shelf over the stove and dotted it with some berry type ornaments. We also have a Christmas style chalkboard with notes on foods we'll be making over the festive period.

Growing up, my mom put a Christmas tree in every room... but the kitchen tree was always my favorite. She covered the 5-footer in vintage wooden spoons, cookie cutters, tiny scoops, and gingham, as well as gingerbread ornaments we made as kids. Ahh, nostalgia!

I've had a rosemary tree for years, and decorate it with kitchen-related ornaments and cookie cutters. Now that we're pregnant with our first, I have been gathering ideas for how to make Christmas as special for him through the years as my mother made it for me. @amber77, I am *definitely* keeping your description of your mother's kitchen tree in mind!! Lovely!