Zoe Saldana uses 2024's most talked-about holiday accessory to ensure her Christmas tree is a feast for the eyes – experts say it's easily replicable

Saldana adorned her classic green Christmas tree with red and white bows, ornaments, and (most importantly) ribbons – for a delightfully festive look

Zoe Saldana in Christian Dior at Paris Fashion Week
(Image credit: Getty - Pascal Le Segretain)

With Christmas just days away, most of us have laid out our decor in preparation for the big holiday. However, we are partial to adding finishing touches as we continue to get inspiration, and Zoe Saldana's tree has us seeing red.

The Emilia Perez star recently shared a snap of her festive living space, and we love the red-and-white color palette that has decked out her classic green Christmas tree. It just so happens to complement her white sofa, which is adorned with red throw pillows, but this color scheme practically acts as a neutral and would look fantastic in any living space.

To maintain visual interest, Saldana has layered voluminous ornaments alongside ribbons, bows, and twinkling lights. The traditional accessories can easily be personalized with iconography, such as candy canes, which fit seamlessly into the color scheme, or a star topper. However, Saldana makes the ultimate statement with 2024's biggest Christmas decor trend: bows.

Shop the look

Saldana's Christmas tree makes a case for bows, but these pieces were already trending prior to the actress's unintentional endorsement.

'Bows have been appearing on Christmas trees for centuries, usually in a glorious multitude of colors and lengths,' comments Ann Marie Cousins, an interior designer and owner of AMC Design. To stay right on trend for this year, she recommends opting for thinner velvet bows that bring a sophisticated aesthetic.

'Thin velvet bows, in particular, are emerging as the decoration of 2024; these delicate additions to a tree can create real sophistication with minimal effort,' she says. 'The bows lend a haphazard, colorful luxury to Christmas trees and are really inexpensive; you could even use any ribbons you have collected over the years. Lean into whichever color you like to suit the style of your property or the theme of your decorations. I really like how there are so many textures available, from grosgrain and satin to luxury velvet.'

When it comes to adding bows to the tree, Cousins says we should use different textures, widths, and lengths of bows to create variation and depth.

'Think about a color scheme and what you are drawn to. Black, burgundy, and rich berry reds are very current and look fabulous in all the different textures, particularly velvet,' she comments. 'Combine with metallic baubles or coordinating velvet baubles and twinkling lights for balance. You can easily take a more minimalist approach by sticking to one color; black is extremely effective when combined with dark navy and gold, for example.'


Hannah Ziegler
News Editor

Hannah is Homes & Gardens’ News Editor, with a focus on celebrity style and entertainment content. She got her start in media as a digital editorial assistant at ELLE Canada, and has since written about lifestyle and culture for publications such as Nylon and i-D.

Her love of film is rivalled only by one with a great soundtrack, and she hopes to someday decorate a Nancy Meyers-worthy kitchen.