If you know me, you know that I love copper and I especially love using copper to decorate my home! I have had the vision for this Copper Christmas Tree in my head for months now and I am so excited to finally share it with you! When I was planning out my Christmas decorations this year I walked down my upstairs hallway and realized I hadn’t done anything to it since moving in (3 years ago). Suddenly the hallway went from looking bright and minimalist to dull and boring so I wanted to spruce it up a bit for the Holidays. In this post I will share everything you need to know to make a Copper Christmas Tree of your own along with a quick tutorial on how to make a dried fruit garland. I do want to start by saying, if the nails in the wall scare you, I do plan on transforming this into something that can be up all year long and I will be sharing that as well after Christmas. For now, let’s get into this fun and simple DIY!
What You'll Need
Copper Pipe
Copper Pipe Caps
Copper Pipe Straps
Star Topper
Faux Pine Garland
Dried Orange Garland (Tutorial Below)
Tape Measure
Hammer
Nails
Hand Saw
Pushpins
Level
Notes: I purchased 5 of the 1/2″ 5 ft copper pipes, 2 of the 10 packs of copper pipe caps, and 4 of the 5 packs of copper pipe straps. I got my star topper at At Home but I couldn’t find a link so I linked a similar one I found on Etsy.
All the Steps
Step 1 - Measure & Mark Pipes
Plan out your desired width for the base of your tree. I went with 3 ft to fit the space I planned on hanging it. Once you decide on the width of the base you will measure out the cut lines for the rest of the pipes making each one 4 inches shorter than the previous. Mark each cut line with permanent marker. I started at 3 ft and ended at 6 inches. Also make sure to measure out one piece for the trunk of your tree.
Step 2 - Cut Pipes with Hand Saw
Now you will need to cut each of your pipes. I used a hand saw and the pipes were pretty easy to cut through. (Okay, who am I kidding, my husband did offer to do this part for me! But I do think I could have done it myself if he wasn’t around.)
Step 3 - Add Copper Pipe Caps
Now that your pipes are cut, you will add the copper pipe caps to each end of the pipes. You could definitely skip this step but I do think it cleans it up very nicely. If you choose not to use them, you will just need to sand the ends to smooth them out after cutting them.
Step 4 - Plan Tree Height and Pipe Spacing
You will now need to decide how tall you want your tree to be and that will determine the spacing in between each of your pipes! I wanted mine pretty tall so I spaced each pipe 6 inches apart. If you are unsure on height and spacing, I would recommend laying it out on the floor and seeing what you like before you start hanging.
Step 5 - Hang Pipes on Wall
Now that you have the height and spacing planned out, you are now ready to start hanging each pipe. You will start with the trunk of the tree and work your way up. Simply mark the center of your wall with a pencil, align the center of your pipe to the center of your wall and make sure it is straight using a level. Then hold it steady while you hammer in the each copper pipe strap to secure the pipe. For the trunk and the smallest pipe on the tree, I only used one copper strap in the center and for the rest I used two copper straps, one at each end. You will continue this process until you get all the way to the top, making sure each pipe is level as you go.
Step 6 - Hang Star Topper
Once you have finished securing each pipe to the wall, you will hang your star topper using a hammer and nail. I just eyeballed where I thought it looked best.
Step 7 - Decorate Tree
Now it is time to decorate your tree if you wish to do so! I used faux pine garland to start. I cut stripes the same length as the pipes and attached the garland using flat green push pins. I kept it this simple for about a week but was adamant it needed just a little something more so I decided to make and add a dried orange and grapefruit garland.
To make the garland, slice your fruit and dry them out as much as possible with paper towels. Line your baking sheets with parchment paper, space out the fruit on the baking sheets and cook at 175 degrees for 5-6 hours. Transfer the fruit to a wired drying rack and allow to dry completely for a day or two. Once they are dry you can string them on twine and add wooden beads, cinnamon sticks, anything you wish. Now you have a pretty dried fruit garland to add to your Copper Christmas Tree.
You could also add ornaments, pompoms, anything you want to make it unique! Remember too that it is beautiful completely bare and simple too, it really is totally up to you!
Disclaimer: This DIY is definitely one where you will be putting a lot of holes in your wall. I personally love the modern industrial look of copper so this is something I plan on making a few adjustments to after Christmas to fit my everyday decor. Stay tuned for how I adjust it after Christmas time for wall decor I can have up all year long.
I do have a couple ideas that come to mind if you absolutely will not put holes in your walls. This design could easily be nailed into a piece of plywood instead of your walls. Once you have secured all the pipes to the plywood you could easily just lean the plywood up against the wall you want to display it on without making any holes! The second idea would be to use clear command hooks. I did test that the 1/2 inch copper pipes do fit into a 4 lb command hook. You could secure each pipe to the wall using a command hook on each end instead of the copper straps. The only recommendation I would make if you did it this way would be to buy loser free flowing garland so that you could strategically place it to cover the hooks. Even though they are clear, they still do show so the garland will definitely help to hide them a bit.
There you have it! A simple Copper Christmas Tree DIY to spruce up your walls for the Holidays. This would also be great to do if you are crunched for space in your home and can’t fit an actual Christmas tree as you could easily place presents at the base of the Copper Christmas Tree against the wall. I hope you all love this DIY as much as I do and as always, thank you so much for reading!
