6 Unique Christmas Decorating Ideas

To make this tableau modern, Stark bypassed the old-fashioned evergreen in favor of these sleek mirrored representations from Jamali Garden. "They're boiled down to the basic geometry of what a holiday tree is," he explains, adding that he varied their heights by cutting them down to size with an X-Acto knife.

"We thought it'd be fun to use the fireplace to add a wink to the overall design," Stark says. The fire is cut from Mylar and the logs are silver ornaments. "It doesn't all have to be so serious."

Fight the temptation to put too much variety in your decorations. This scene's loveliness is due in large part to the simple repetition of these flowers, made from Mylar and silver wrapping paper, foil baking cups, buttons and beads.