Frank Lloyd Wright Christmas: 15 Geometric Wood Decor Ideas That Look Like a Designer Built Them

Frank Lloyd Wright Christmas decor is the warm, calm look of the famous American architect’s Prairie style homes, with honey toned wood, simple squares and rectangles, natural stone and lots of evergreen. House tours of his Fallingwater home pull well over a million views on YouTube, and people love how his rooms feel both cozy and designed. The good news is that the style is made of plain shapes, so you can copy it with wood blocks, craft paint, kraft paper and greenery from the yard. Below are 15 Frank Lloyd Wright Christmas ideas inspired by his Prairie look, from a stacked wood tree to a porch planter and leaf ornaments, all simple enough for a weekend..

The Frank Lloyd Wright Christmas Living Room Look

Start with the full room in mind, because the Prairie look is about calm lines more than lots of ornaments. Think warm wood beams, a stone wall, a low sofa and a tree made of simple wood shapes. The palette stays earthy: rust, moss green, gold and cream. Keep surfaces open so each piece can shine. If you enjoy design inspired holidays, you will also like this midcentury Christmas look, which shares the same love of clean shapes and warm wood..

You will need: a wood or wood look tree, natural wood ornaments, evergreen sprigs, a throw in rust or moss green, battery LED string lights (optional).

How to make it: 1. Clear the room of extra knickknacks so the lines feel calm. 2. Choose three colors from nature, such as rust, moss green and gold. 3. Place the tree near the window or stone wall and add only a few wood ornaments.

Start With a Pile of Plain Wooden Blocks

As a young boy, Wright played with a set of Froebel blocks, the simple maple cubes and shapes made for early learning. He later said they shaped the way he saw buildings. He went on to become a famous architect who designed more than 1,000 structures over about 70 years. Plain wooden cubes from the craft store are the base for several Frank Lloyd Wright Christmas ideas in this list, so grab a bag before you start. You can also turn extra cubes into handmade wooden gifts for family.

You will need: a bag of unfinished wooden cubes in two or three sizes, fine sandpaper, a soft cloth.

How to make it: 1. Sort the cubes by size on a tray. 2. Sand any rough edges lightly and wipe away the dust. 3. Keep the best looking cubes for the tree and countdown projects that follow.

Frank Lloyd Wright Christmas Tree From Stacked Wood Squares

This tabletop tree is the easiest way to bring the look home. Thin wood squares are stacked from large to small, each one turned a little, so the outline forms a stepped cone. The result looks like a tiny modern building and fits on a sideboard or shelf. Leave the wood natural or stain a few layers darker for contrast. For more simple ideas with leftover boards, try these clever woodworking ideas.

You will need: eight to ten thin wood squares from 6 inches down to 1 inch, a wooden dowel, a drill, wood stain (optional), wood glue, a small wood cube for the top.

How to make it: 1. Drill a center opening in each square. 2. Stand the dowel in a solid base square and slide the squares on from largest to smallest. 3. Turn each layer slightly, add a dab of glue to set it, and top it with a small cube.

Notice the Stone, Beams and Built In Shelves

A real Prairie style room leans on three things: natural stone, exposed wood and long horizontal lines. You do not need to remodel for a Frank Lloyd Wright Christmas feel. Use what you already have, like a stone or brick fireplace, wood shelves or a beam, as the backdrop and keep the decor low and simple around it. A long evergreen runner across a mantel works better than lots of small items. Find more styling tips in these Christmas mantel ideas.

You will need: fresh or faux evergreen garland, natural wood accents, a few pinecones, battery LED fairy lights.

How to make it: 1. Remove small items from the mantel or shelf. 2. Lay a long piece of garland flat so it reads as one horizontal line. 3. Add a few wood accents spaced evenly along the length.

A Frank Lloyd Wright Christmas Countdown Tower

Small wooden boxes stacked in an offset, stepped pattern make a countdown tower that looks like an architect’s model. Each box holds a tiny treat or a note for the day. Keep the wood natural and add one sprig of evergreen at the top for color. Kids love opening a new box each morning, and the tower looks good enough to leave out all season. You will find more ways to count down the days in these DIY advent calendars.

You will need: 24 small unfinished wooden boxes with lids, wood glue, a flat wood base, a fine paint pen, a sprig of faux evergreen.

How to make it: 1. Glue a row of boxes to the base, then stack the next rows offset by half a box. 2. Mark the dates on the lids with a fine paint pen. 3. Fill each box and set the sprig on top.

Choose Earthy Clay Vases and Woven Spheres

Wright’s rooms often used nature as decor, with tall dried stems, autumn leaves and simple pottery. For a Frank Lloyd Wright Christmas, swap bright plastic for earthy clay vases in rust and gold, add dried flowers or seed heads, and set a few woven rattan spheres at the base. The colors bridge fall and winter, so you can leave this display out from November to New Year. For more ways to fill a vase this season, see these Christmas vase fillers.

You will need: two clay or ceramic vases in rust or ochre, dried flowers or seed heads, three woven rattan spheres, a wood tray.

How to make it: 1. Set the vases on the tray at different heights. 2. Arrange the dried stems so they rise above the rim in a loose fan. 3. Tuck the rattan spheres around the base.

A Frank Lloyd Wright Christmas Table Runner

Wright designed complete interiors, including furniture and table settings, and his patterns were built from squares, rectangles and straight lines. A stenciled runner in rust, gold and moss green brings that pattern to your table. Use painter’s tape to mask the shapes, so no special stencil is needed. Add a row of evergreen sprigs and pinecones down the center and you have a table that feels designed. See more setting ideas in these Christmas table ideas.

You will need: a plain cream linen or canvas runner, painter’s tape, fabric paint in rust, gold and moss green, a foam brush, cardboard.

How to make it: 1. Slide cardboard under the runner and tape off a row of squares and rectangles. 2. Dab paint into each shape with the foam brush. 3. Pull the tape while the paint is damp, let it dry, and heat set with an iron.

Hang Simple Wooden Ornaments

A plain wood star or square on a green bough looks fresh and modern, especially when it hangs alone with space around it. That restraint is the heart of a Frank Lloyd Wright Christmas. Mix a few natural wood shapes with one accent color, like red or rust, and resist the urge to fill every gap. Wood ornaments are also easy to make with kids using craft store shapes and cord. For more ideas you can make by hand, browse these handmade Christmas ornaments.

You will need: unfinished wood stars, squares and circles, jute cord, a small hand drill or pre drilled shapes, light wood stain (optional).

How to make it: 1. Stain a few shapes and leave the rest natural. 2. Thread a loop of jute cord through each top opening. 3. Hang them spaced out on the tree with one accent color between.

Set the Tree in a Low Copper Planter

Wright loved warm metals, and copper urns and planters appear in many of his homes. A wide, low copper bowl makes a stylish stand for a small tree and hides the plastic base. Look for a copper look planter or paint a thrifted metal bowl with copper finish paint. Fill the gaps with moss or pinecones so the base looks natural. If you want more ways to cover a tree stand, see these Christmas tree collar ideas.

You will need: a wide low metal bowl or planter, copper metallic paint (if needed), a small tree in its stand, sheet moss, pinecones.

How to make it: 1. Paint the bowl with copper paint and let it dry. 2. Set the tree stand inside the bowl. 3. Cover the stand with sheet moss and pinecones until no plastic shows.

Take a Cue From the Waterfall House

Fallingwater, built in Pennsylvania in the 1930s, sits right over a stream and a small waterfall, and its rooms bring the outdoors in. That idea is a great guide for Frank Lloyd Wright Christmas decor. Look to the forest for color and texture: moss green, wet stone gray, bark brown and the soft white of water. Use those colors in your ribbons, throws and greenery. For more ideas built around the outdoors, check out this woodland Christmas decor.

You will need: ribbon in moss green and stone gray, a cream or bark brown throw, natural greenery, river stones.

How to make it: 1. Pick four colors from a forest photo you like. 2. Use them in ribbons, throws and pillows around the tree. 3. Add a bowl of river stones or moss to repeat the outdoor feel.

A Frank Lloyd Wright Christmas Porch Planter

Prairie homes often had long, low planters built into the porch walls, which gives a great idea for front door decor. Fill a long rectangular planter with evergreen boughs laid flat so they spread sideways rather than up. Add pinecones and a few red berries for color. The horizontal shape mirrors the low roofs Wright loved and looks great on a step or bench. For more outdoor ideas, see these Christmas porch planters.

You will need: a long rectangular planter or wood box, floral foam or soil, evergreen boughs, pinecones, faux red berry stems.

How to make it: 1. Fill the planter with damp foam or soil. 2. Push the boughs in at a low angle so they reach out to the sides. 3. Tuck in pinecones and berry stems along the length.

Style a Shelf With Handmade Pottery

Wright believed a home should be filled with honest, handmade things. A shelf of simple pottery in earthy glazes fits that idea perfectly. Group cups, bowls and small vases by color, and leave space between each group so the shelf feels calm rather than crowded. A sprig of evergreen in one small cup is all the Frank Lloyd Wright Christmas touch it needs. If you would like to try making your own pieces, read about handmade pottery making.

You will need: a wood shelf, handmade or thrifted pottery in earthy colors, evergreen sprigs, a small wood block or two.

How to make it: 1. Clear the shelf and wipe it down. 2. Place pottery in groups of three by color, leaving open space between. 3. Add evergreen to one cup and a wood block as a riser.

Wrap Gifts With Geometric Tape Lines

Plain kraft paper becomes designer wrap when you add straight lines of washi tape in rust, moss green and gold. Make squares, offset rectangles and long parallel lines inspired by Prairie window designs. No two gifts need to match, but keep the same three colors so the pile under the tree looks planned. It is cheap, fast and kids can help. For more simple wrapping ideas, try these gift wrapping tricks.

You will need: kraft paper, double sided tape, washi tape in rust, moss green and gold, a ruler, jute cord.

How to make it: 1. Wrap each gift neatly in kraft paper. 2. Use the ruler to lay straight lines of washi tape into squares and rectangles. 3. Finish with a simple jute cord bow.

Stack Smooth Stones for a Nature Centerpiece

Stone is one of the core materials of the Prairie look, and a small stack of smooth stones makes a calm centerpiece. Balance four or five flat stones on a bed of moss and set it on a wood tray for a simple Frank Lloyd Wright Christmas accent. Add a few evergreen sprigs or pinecones around the base for the season. It costs almost nothing if you collect the stones yourself, and it looks lovely on a coffee table. For more ideas, see these Christmas coffee table decor picks.

You will need: four or five smooth flat stones, sheet moss, a wood tray, a dab of museum putty, evergreen sprigs.

How to make it: 1. Lay sheet moss on the tray. 2. Stack the stones largest to smallest, using a dab of putty between each. 3. Tuck evergreen sprigs around the base.

Frank Lloyd Wright Christmas Oak Leaf Ornaments

Oak leaves and acorns were among the nature shapes Wright and his studio used in their designs. Cut them from thin craft plywood with a coping saw, or buy precut wood leaves. Mark the veins with a wood burning pen or a fine brown paint pen, then add a light stain. They look lovely hung with jute cord and make a thoughtful set to give as a gift. For more ideas with a wood burning tool, see this wood burning art.

You will need: thin craft plywood or precut wood leaves, a coping saw, sandpaper, a wood burning pen or brown paint pen, light wood stain, jute cord.

How to make it: 1. Trace oak leaf and acorn shapes on the plywood and cut them out. 2. Sand the edges and mark the veins with the pen. 3. Stain lightly, drill a small opening at the top and add a cord loop.