The best Christmas tree for a small space is a slim or pencil tree, which gives you 6 or 7ft of height on a footprint of 50 to 90cm, or a table-top tree of 80cm to 1.5m if the floor is spoken for altogether. The measurement that matters is the girth (the width at the widest point), not the height: a full 7ft tree is 1.3 to 1.5m across, a slim one 0.7 to 0.9m and a pencil tree about 0.56m. Here are the options for a flat, a small living room, a hallway, a bay window and a low ceiling, with the trees we stock at Sapcote Garden Centre and their measurements.

Measure the space, not the tree

Three numbers: the floor space you can give up (width and depth, allowing for the stand and for people walking past), the ceiling height minus 20 to 30cm for the topper, and the width of any alcove, window or corner. Then match the tree’s girth to the floor space and its height to the ceiling. A 2.1m (7ft) tree with a 0.9m girth needs less room than a 1.8m (6ft) tree with a 1.3m girth; height is rarely the problem in a small room, width is. Our tree size guide covers the ceiling sums.

Slim and pencil trees: full height, half the width

A slim tree keeps the shape of a full tree but with shorter branches, so it fits a corner or beside a sofa. The slimmest are called pencil trees. From our range:

• Premier Pencil Pine 2m, £45: 570 tips on a 0.56m girth, the narrowest full-height tree we sell; a 7ft tree that fits where a bookcase would.
• National Tree Company Kingswood Fir 2m, £79: 719 tips, 0.71m girth; also in snowy (£99), 2.28m (7.5ft) and pre-lit (£129, 350 warm white LEDs).
• Premier Slim New Jersey 1.8m, £79, and 2.1m, £109: 468 and 724 tips on 0.80m and 0.90m girths.
• Premier Slim Aspen Fir 1.8m, £89, and 2.1m, £119.
• National Tree Company Carrington Fir 2m, £139: 1,886 tips with PE needles on a 0.86m girth, the realistic slim tree.

All fourteen are in the slim and pencil trees category. Slim trees take fewer lights (a 500 or 750-LED set on a 6ft slim tree) and fewer baubles, which is a saving on top.

Small and table-top trees: for a flat, a windowsill or a second tree

Under 1.5m, the tree goes on a table, a sideboard or a windowsill and the floor stays free:

• Everlands Imperial Pine 1.2m (4ft), £35, and 1.5m (5ft), £49: proper full-shaped pines in small sizes, 0.81m and 0.97m girths, also in snowy.
• Premier Flocked Woodcote Spruce 1.5m, £55: snowy, 412 tips, 0.91m girth.
• Premier fibre optic trees, 80cm to 1.2m, £49 to £89: lit and colour-changing with nothing to decorate, for a child’s room or a hall table.

These are in the small and table-top trees and fibre optic trees categories.

Room by room

• Small living room: a 1.8m or 2m slim tree in the corner furthest from the door, lit with 500 to 750 LEDs; the height makes the room feel bigger, the narrow girth keeps the floor.
• Flat or apartment: a slim 1.8m tree if there is a corner, otherwise a 1.2m Imperial Pine on a table, which packs into a box the size of a suitcase.
• Hallway: a pencil tree (0.56m girth) against the wall, or a pair of 1.2m trees either side of the door; keep the walkway clear of the stand.
• Bay window: a 1.5m or 1.8m tree in the bay with a slim girth so the curtains still draw; the window shows it to the street. A snowy tree looks right in a window.
• Low ceiling (2.2m or less): a 1.8m tree, not 2m, so the topper fits; a slim tree keeps the proportions right in a low room.
• Office or landing: a 1.2m tree pre-lit or fibre optic, no decorating needed.

Decorating a slim tree

Fewer, larger baubles rather than many small ones, hung near the branch tips; one colour plus a metallic; a narrow ribbon rather than a wide garland; and a slim topper. Lights at the full 100 LEDs per foot still apply, but because the branches are short a 750-LED set covers a 7ft slim tree. Our guide to how many lights a tree needs has the numbers.

See the slim trees next to the full ones

The slim, pencil and table-top trees are lit on display next to the full-width trees at Sapcote Garden Centre, Hinckley Road, Sapcote, Leicester LE9 4LG, two minutes from junction 2 of the M69, which is the easiest way to judge how much room a 0.7m girth really takes. All 65 artificial trees are online with live stock and delivered to mainland UK for £10.

Quick answers

What is the best Christmas tree for a small living room?

A slim tree: 6 or 7ft of height on a 0.7 to 0.9m girth, such as the National Tree Company Kingswood Fir 2m (£79) or the Premier Slim New Jersey. It fits a corner and takes fewer lights and baubles.

How wide is a slim Christmas tree?

0.7 to 0.9m at the base, against 1.3 to 1.5m for a full 7ft tree; a pencil tree is about 0.56m.

What size Christmas tree for a flat?

A 1.8m slim tree if there is a free corner, or a 1.2m table-top tree if not. Both pack into a small box for storage.

Can you put a Christmas tree in a bay window?

Yes, with a slim girth so the curtains still close; a 1.5m or 1.8m slim tree fits most bays and shows to the street.

What is the narrowest artificial Christmas tree?

A pencil tree. The Premier Pencil Pine 2m is 0.56m wide at the base for 2m of height, at £45 at Sapcote Garden Centre.

Andrew Porwol

Andrew Porwol is an expert on gardening, plants, garden design, and outdoor furniture. He is the owner of Sapcote Garden Centre, Sharnford Garden Centre, and Garden Centre Shopping. He’s regularly featured in expert publications, like Forbes, MSN, and Better Homes & Gardens.