A natural center of attention

Choose a theme: Build your tree around one piece. For example, you can start with a large photo of Judy Garland or a pair of ruby slippers. One customer was having a Christmas wedding, and her mother’s wedding gown was the theme piece.

Cast your tree: Debi Staron (the other half of the design team) and I design trees as we would cast a movie. There’s the star — the theme piece. Costars are fabrics and ribbons that enhance the starring piece. Supporting players fill the gaps and can be as simple as plain glass balls.

Fab fabrics: Ribbon, velvet and satin fill up a tree, so you don’t have to go heavy on ornaments. Buy nine yards of bridal satin, then — starting at the top — cascade it round and round, tucking it in and pulling it out, and finally pulling it along the base to create a skirt.

Keep it focused: People tend to overload trees. Every year they add more small ornaments, but nothing stands out, so their tree continually looks the same. Use different-sized items with one large statement piece.

Where to shop: I send people to Cinzia on Montana Avenue in Santa Monica for upscale novelty items. You can find classic Polish glass ornaments in unusual colors and molds at www.varsovia-ornaments.com. Barcana in Whittier has beautiful artificial trees.