How to Create a Ralph Lauren-Inspired Christmas Tree: The Equestrian Christmas Edit
- Erica Williams
- 3 hours ago
- 4 min read
There’s something about a Ralph Lauren-inspired Christmas that feels timeless. Deep forest greens, rich brown leather, heritage plaid, antique gold and equestrian details create a holiday look that feels warm, collected and sophisticated rather than overly decorated.
For this Kewnique Christmas Edit, I wanted to capture that classic equestrian aesthetic while creating a tree that still felt distinctive and unexpected. The result is a layered Christmas tree filled with velvet, plaid, leather, warm metallics and horse-inspired accents—including an unconventional topper that brings the entire design together.
If you love traditional Christmas decor, Ralph Lauren-inspired interiors, English country style and equestrian design, here's how to recreate the look.
The Inspiration: Ralph Lauren Meets Equestrian Christmas
The inspiration started with the unmistakable Ralph Lauren aesthetic: classic patterns, natural materials, deep saturated colors and pieces that look as though they have been collected over time.
Instead of relying on traditional red and green, I built the tree around a more sophisticated palette of forest green, chocolate brown, camel, black, cream and antique gold.
The equestrian influence comes through in smaller details rather than turning the entire tree into a theme. Gold horse ornaments, leather textures and the horse-and-horseshoe topper give just enough of a nod to classic horse-country style.
The goal is equestrian elegance—not novelty Christmas decor.
The Christmas Color Palette
The palette is what gives this tree its rich, tailored appearance.
Forest Green creates the foundation through oversized velvet ornaments and deep green accents.
Chocolate Brown & Cognac bring warmth and help introduce the leather elements.
Antique Gold adds just enough shine while complementing the warmer tones.
Black & Cream appear primarily through the plaid ribbon, adding contrast and giving the tree its heritage-inspired character.
The combination feels luxurious without relying on excessive glitter or sparkle.
The Secret Is Mixing Textures
One of the easiest ways to make a Christmas tree look professionally styled is to think beyond color.
For this tree, I combined:
Plush velvet
Supple brown leather
Woven plaid
Aged and polished gold
Glossy glass
Natural evergreen branches
The contrast is intentional.
Soft velvet next to leather. Polished gold against natural greenery. Structured plaid beside oversized round ornaments.
It's this mixture of textures that gives the tree depth.
Layering the Plaid and Leather Ribbon
The ribbon is one of the most important elements of this design.
Rather than wrapping one continuous ribbon around the outside of the tree, I wanted the ribbon to feel woven through the branches.
The plaid and brown leather ribbons are distributed throughout the entire tree, moving from the upper branches down toward the base.
The plaid introduces pattern and contrast, while the leather adds warmth and reinforces the equestrian influence.
For a similar look, allow sections of ribbon to disappear into the branches and reappear rather than sitting completely on top of the tree.
And don't make every section identical.
A little variation makes the finished tree feel more natural and collected.
Start With the Largest Ornaments
The oversized brown and forest green velvet ornaments act almost like anchors.
I place these first, distributing them around the tree before adding smaller ornaments.
This helps establish balance.
Some should sit slightly deeper inside the branches while others remain closer to the surface. That variation creates the illusion of a much fuller tree.
Once the largest ornaments are positioned, medium and smaller ornaments can fill the spaces around them.
Add the Equestrian Details
This is where the personality comes in.
The gold horse ornaments are distributed throughout the tree rather than clustered together.
Because they're distinctive, you don't need one on every branch. Giving each horse ornament some breathing room makes it feel more special when you notice it among the traditional ornaments.
The antique-gold finish also works beautifully against the dark greenery, brown velvet and plaid.
Think of these ornaments almost like jewelry.
They're the finishing accents—not the entire outfit.
The Unexpected Tree Topper
My favorite detail may be the topper.
Instead of using a traditional star, angel or oversized bow, I chose a gold horse-and-horseshoe door knocker.
Yes—a door knocker.
Nestled directly into the upper branches rather than perched high above them, it looks almost like an antique equestrian treasure that was repurposed for Christmas.
And that's exactly the point.
Great decorating doesn't always mean using an object exactly as it was intended.
Sometimes the piece that wasn't designed to be Christmas decor becomes the detail that makes the entire design memorable.
Don't Forget the Base
The bottom of the tree deserves just as much attention as the top.
A deep forest green velvet tree skirt continues the color story all the way to the floor while allowing the plaid, brown and antique-gold details above it to remain the focus.
Once gifts are added, I would continue the same palette with kraft paper, deep green, chocolate brown, cream and heritage plaid ribbon.
Avoid introducing too many additional colors.
Keeping the wrapping coordinated will make the entire tree look even more intentional.
How to Get the Ralph Lauren-Inspired Christmas Look
You don't need identical ornaments to recreate this aesthetic.
Instead, focus on the design formula:
Start with a traditional evergreen tree and warm white lights.
Add oversized velvet ornaments.
Layer in plaid ribbon.
Introduce brown leather ribbon throughout the tree.
Fill in with green, brown and antique-gold ornaments.
Then add a handful of distinctive equestrian pieces.
The secret isn't having more decorations.
It's choosing decorations that tell the same visual story.
Shop The Equestrian Christmas Edit
Love this look?
I've gathered the ornaments, ribbons and equestrian-inspired details used to create this Christmas tree so you can recreate the aesthetic in your own home.
The Kewnique Edit
Beautiful rooms—and beautiful holiday decorating—aren't created by buying everything from one collection.
They're created through coordination.
Color, scale, texture, pattern and placement all work together to transform individual pieces into a complete look.
That's the philosophy behind The Kewnique Edit: taking inspiration and breaking it down into ideas you can actually use in your own home.
Save this look for Christmas inspiration, explore the curated edit, and follow the Kewnique blog for more designer-inspired spaces, decorating ideas and curated finds.
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