Where to Put Christmas Tree in Small Living Room

And How MP Chartered Architects Can Help Your Space Work Better

You’ve brought the tree home, the fairy lights are ready… and then the familiar question arrives:

“Where to put a Christmas tree in a small living room without making it feel cramped?”

In many UK homes, living rooms are compact, with radiators under windows, chimney breasts, awkward doors and just enough space for day-to-day life, never mind a full-size Christmas tree.

At MP Chartered Architects, we specialise in residential architecture, house extensions, side return extensions, and house conversions, helping homeowners get more from the space they already have.

This guide will show you:

• practical ideas for where to put a Christmas tree in a small living room or a small apartment this year.
• How MP Chartered Architects’ real services, from house extensions to interior design and planning, can make future Christmases much easier

Look at your living room like a designer

Before you start shuffling furniture, pause and notice:

• How you move: Where do you naturally walk from the door to the sofa?
• Where the light comes from: Bay window, patio doors, rooflights?
• What is the main focal point: TV wall, chimney breast, or window?

Through our residential architect services and interior design services, we look at the same things on every project: focal points, circulation routes and fixed elements like doors, radiators and windows.

Your Christmas tree needs to sit comfortably within that framework, rather than fighting against it.

1. The corner opposite the main doorway

If you have a corner diagonally opposite the door, it’s often the best answer to where to put Christmas tree in small living room?

For this Christmas:

• Tuck the tree into that corner so the base stays out of the natural walkway
• Angle it so you can see the lights from both the sofa and the hall
• Choose a slightly slimmer tree if the space is tight. Many artificial trees are designed with compact, slim profiles perfect for smaller rooms.

How MP Chartered Architects can help longer-term

If that corner doesn’t work at the moment because of a poorly placed door, radiator or nib of wall, our house extension architects and house conversion architects can look at re-planning the space:

• Adjusting door positions as part of a ground-floor reconfiguration or extension
• Integrating radiator moves within a house extension or side return extension design
• Using technical drawing services and feasibility studies to test alternative layouts before you commit

A small layout change, built into a proper design, can unlock a permanent “tree spot” and improve everyday circulation as well.

2. In a bay or feature window

A bay or feature window makes a beautiful backdrop for a Christmas tree, from inside and out.

Right now:

• Place the tree centrally in the bay, leaving room to close curtains or blinds, a simple way to add a touch of festive cheer.
• Avoid blocking your only source of light; a slimmer or slightly shorter tree often works best
• Use lighter Christmas decorations so the room doesn’t feel visually heavy

Where MP Chartered Architects fit in

We frequently design house extensions and side return extensions that rework bays and rear elevations to let in more daylight and connect living spaces to the garden.

As part of this, we can:

• Redesign the window or doors to give you a natural focal point (and an obvious spot for the tree)
• Use sustainable architectural design to maximise natural light, so even winter afternoons feel brighter
• Produce 3D modelling and visualisation so you can see how furniture and a tree might sit in the new space before it’s built

3. Framing the chimney breast or alcove

If you have a chimney breast with alcoves on either side, your living room already has a strong focal point.

For this year:

• Place the tree in one alcove, keeping the other for shelving or a media unit
• Or, if the fireplace is purely decorative, use a small Christmas tree in front of it (never in front of a working fire or stove)

How MP’s services help

Through our residential architect services, listed building architect services (where relevant) and interior design services, we can:

• Design built-in storage and shelving around the chimney to reduce freestanding clutter
• Balance the relationship between the fireplace, TV and seating so a Christmas tree fits without blocking anything
• Respect and enhance original features in listed buildings, ensuring any changes are appropriate and sympathetic

This turns a “busy” wall into a calm, well-planned focal point that welcomes the tree every December.

4. Behind the sofa in an open-plan layout

If your small living room is part of a larger open-plan kitchen/dining room, the area behind the sofa can become your Christmas tree zone.

This Christmas:

• Move the sofa forward slightly to make room
• Place the tree behind it, so the sofa back acts as a gentle screen
• Keep routes between living, dining and kitchen spaces clear

Designed properly with MP Chartered Architects

Many of our residential projects involve extension architect services, especially rear and side return extensions, to create open-plan family spaces.

From the outset, we can:

• Plan clear zones for seating, dining and circulation
• Position sockets and lighting thoughtfully, so you’re not trailing leads to power the Christmas lights
• Use 3D modelling & visualisation to show where a tree could sit within the new layout

That means the open-plan space feels generous at Christmas and practical for everyday life.

5. Using the “dead” space next to the TV

Many living rooms have a TV unit with a narrow, awkward gap next to it.

Short term:

• Slide the TV unit slightly if needed, and use the gap for a slim, pencil-style tree
• Keep cables tidy and make sure plug sockets aren’t overloaded

How MP’s services tie in

As part of house conversion or house extension projects, we often redesign TV walls and storage. Using our interior design and technical drawing services, we can:

• Create built-in media storage that frees up floor space
• Allow for a dedicated area that can become your seasonal “tree spot” or display zone
• Ensure proportions, sight lines and wiring are all considered properly from day one

6. On a console or built-in unit, when floor space is tiny

If your living room is genuinely compact, a table-top tree can still feel festive, an ideal alternative when a full-sized tree simply won’t fit.

For this year:

• Place a smaller tree on a side table, coffee table, window seat or low built-in unit, one of the simplest small Christmas tree ideas for tight spaces.
• Style it with a runner, fairy lights and a few wrapped boxes beneath to mimic a full-sized display

Where MP Chartered Architects help in real life

Through garage conversion architects and house conversion architects services, we often move storage-heavy activities (toys, hobbies, home offices) out of the main lounge and into a converted garage or re-planned room.

Combined with interior design services and well-planned built-in storage, this means:

• Less clutter competing with your tree
• More free wall and floor space in the living room
• Purpose-designed surfaces that work all year and become your tree’s “stage” at Christmas

When the Christmas tree reveals a bigger space problem

If each December you find yourself:

• Moving three bits of furniture just to fit the tree
• Squeezing sideways between the sofa and the branches to reach the door
• Struggling to seat friends and family comfortably

…then the question “where to put a Christmas tree in small spaces” is pointing to a deeper issue: your ground floor may simply not be working for how you live now.

This is where MP Chartered Architects’ full range of residential architect and extension architect services comes in.

We can help you explore:

Re-planning without necessarily extending

Using our feasibility studies, planning services and technical drawings, we can look at options such as:

• Reconfiguring internal walls and openings to improve flow
• Swapping the location of living and dining spaces to better suit your family
• Integrating built-in storage so the living room isn’t carrying everything

Adding carefully designed space

Where more room really is needed, our house extensions, side return extensions and house conversions can make a significant difference:

• A rear extension to create a larger, light-filled living/dining space
• A side return extension in a Victorian or Edwardian home to widen a narrow layout
• A garage conversion to create a playroom, snug or home office, easing pressure on the lounge

Throughout, our planning permission and project management services can guide you from first ideas through to construction, coordinating with your chosen contractors and local authorities.

How MP Chartered Architects can support your next Christmas (and every day)

At MP Chartered Architects, we don’t just look for a temporary fix for where the tree goes this year.

Through our residential architect services, extension architect services, conversion architect services, interior design, feasibility studies, planning permission and 3D modelling, we help homeowners create living rooms that:

• Feel comfortable and well-proportioned all year round
• Have clear, logical places for furniture, and for the Christmas tree
• Make better use of every square metre you already have, with the option to sensitively add more

If you’re tired of the annual “where can we squeeze the tree?” debate, it might be time to look at how your home is designed, not just how you decorate it.

Ready to explore the possibilities?

Get in touch with MP Chartered Architects for a friendly, no-obligation chat about:

• Improving your existing layout
• Extending or converting to gain more living space
• Creating a living room that finally has room for the tree, and everything else that matters to you.