This Floating Spiral Tree Is All We Want for Christmas

Marco Zamora knows a thing or two about decorating a viral Christmas tree. Last year, the Los Angeles–based DIYer adorned his tree with strands of silver tinsel—we know, the simplicity!—and TikTok was enamored. So this holiday, Zamora knew he wanted to do something bigger. “I initially had the idea of doing a floating tree that was based around florals,” he says. “I wanted it to be architectural and minimal yet create a sense of magic.” This time around, he didn’t act alone. Zamora reached out to florist Juan Renteria, better known as el Creativo. Together, they set out to build a spiral “tree” that is suspended from Zamora’s living room ceiling. 

Not forgetting the fact that he lives in a rental apartment, Zamora mounted three tension rods between his ceiling beams to avoid any drilling. Then the pair rolled up lightweight chicken wire into their desired spiral shape and tied it to the rods using nearly invisible fishing line—the key to creating the floating illusion.

The fun part came next: Renteria and Zamora filled the structure with layers of live greenery sourced from the Los Angeles Flower Market, including for different varieties of pine, anthurium, amaranth, peppercorn, and red flocked branches. And for the finishing touch, Zamora added a sprinkle of biodegradable faux snow from Anthropologie. 

Naturally, Zamora has been getting a lot of questions from people about how long his tree will last. “How will the flowers stay hydrated?!” one concerned Instagram follower asked. But so far, it’s holding up just fine. “The tree is doing great. I have been misting it daily to keep it alive and preserve its splendor,” he tells Domino.

If you want to try something similar but don’t have the budget or time to source all the fresh greenery, Zamora suggests combining garlands you already own and dressing it up with ornaments or bows. “It’s all about keeping a monochromatic look to achieve an elevated and elegant piece,” he notes.