Minimalist wreath

These minimalist holiday wreaths are quick to make and lovely to look at. With fresh greenery, they’re festive on a doorway, grouped together on a plain wall, or hung from the ceiling. Make a few of these simple timeless wreaths to decorate your home for the holidays. No hot glue necessary!

The minimalist wreaths in this tutorial are made in a homemade wreath form rather than a store-bought wreath form. A simple double wrap of industrial tie wire will support the greenery on these wreaths. This keeps the wreath “skinny”, creating a minimalist wreath completely from scratch with no hot glue.

Making your own wire wreath form

The forms are made from rebar tie wire, a thick charcoal-coloured wire available at the hardware store. The wire can be a bit tough to work with if you haven’t used it before, but once you get used to it, you’ll love how versatile it is. Two loops of wire are twisted around each other to create a thin circle to hold the greenery. It’s quick, easy, and cute.

Once you’ve made your wire wreath form, attaching the greenery is simple. Given that the tie wire is thick and a bit tough, it’s easier to use a thinner floral wire to attach the greenery. You could also use floral tape, but it looks a bit bulky.

I really prefer the thin floral wire for attaching the foliage. Use dark green floral wire if you’d like it to blend in, or choose a bright metallic silver wire or even gold wire to add a subtle touch of holiday glamour.

Supplies for making minimalist greenery wreaths

Collect these supplies for making a minimalist wreath:

• Gloves (tie wire can leave residue)
• Apron
• Rebar Tie Wire (or Haywire)
• Wire Cutters & Needle Nose Pliers, or a Multitool (I love my Leatherman)
• Fresh Evergreen Foliage, such as Boxwood, Pine, Cedar or Fir
• Floral Scissors or Pruning Shears
• Thin Floral Wire (I have used 22 to 30 gauge wire)

How to make a DIY form for a minimalist “skinny” wreath

1. Wearing gloves and possibly an apron is a good idea when working with rebar tie wire. It can be a bit greasy/rusty, as well as generally unruly.
2. Consider how big you’d like your wreath to be. Measure your space if you’d like to be exact.
3. Pull off enough tie wire from the spool to create just over two loops the size of your desired wreath. For the wreaths pictured in this tutorial, I pulled off 4 to 6 loops of tie wire to get the 2 required wraps.
4. Use the wire cutters to cut the length of wire you’ll need.
5. Maneuver the wire into the desired shape of your minimalist wreath. This is easiest if you straighten it bit by bit before trying to make two circles. When you’re done, there should be 2 loose loops of wire in a circular shape. It’s best if there is a little bit of overlap of the two cut ends.
6. Starting with one end of the cut wire, twist one layer of wire over the other. This will join the two loops together so they don’t split apart.
7. Continue twisting the wire around itself to bind the two circles together.
8. Once you’ve twisted the loose wire around the whole circle, use the multitool or pliers to bend in the sharp ends of the wire so they don’t stick out.

How to make a minimalist wreath with fresh greenery

1. Gloves and an apron can be handy when working with fresh greenery, as the foliage can leave sap on your hands and clothes.
2. Cut small sprigs of greenery using floral scissors or pruning shears. For these wreaths, the sprigs should be between 10-20 cm long (4-8″). Sprigs that measure about the length of your hand will do just fine.
3. Remove the needles/leaves off the bottom few centimetres (about one inch) of each sprig.
4. Place the first sprig of greenery on the tie wire form. Wrap the thin floral wire around the lower branch part of the sprig where the needles/leaves have been removed.
5. Once the first sprig is securely attached to the form with the floral wire, place another sprig on top of the first sprig. For these minimalist wreaths, each sprig is placed a few centimetres (an inch or so) further down the wire form than the one before it.
6. Wrap the second sprig with the floral wire to attach it to the form. It’s easiest not to cut the floral wire between sprigs. The wire can be continuously twisted around the length of the wreath form without cutting it.
7. Continue adding sprigs to the wreath by wrapping the bottom of each sprig with the floral wire. Add more sprigs for a full wreath, and less for a skinny one.
8. Pause throughout to look at the wreath. Make sure that the greenery is even, or is uneven in a way you like. It’s easier to adjust as you go than it is to change/add greenery once the wrap is complete.
9. When the last sprig is attached, use the wire cutters to trim the wire.
10. Use the pliers to bend at the end of the wire so it doesn’t stick out.

Hanging your minimalist wreath

My dad showed me the neatest way to hang these wreaths “invisibly” on bricks, windows, and other hard-to-attach places. He ties the fishing line onto the wreath, complete with a barbless fishing hook at the top end of the line. Once the line is attached, it’s easy to hang the wreaths by gently pushing the fish hook into the top ledge of moldings or window frames (see photo below). That being said, this is not a safe solution for a home with kids/pets, et cetera.

In situations where fishing hooks are not safe, wreaths can be hung instead on a loop of thin floral wire, plain ribbon, pretty twine, or string as long it’s safe to do so. Temporary command hooks are another invisible option (sometimes, I use a few around the wreath). Lastly, you could make a long string with a fishing line and hang your wreath on a door or mirror and then tape the fishing line to the back of the door/mirror, out of sight. We have a permanent hook on the inside of the top of our exterior door for this purpose!

Keeping your greenery wreath fresh

Your wreath will keep fresh for several weeks if hung outdoors. If you hang your wreath indoors, it will begin to dry out in a few days due to the heat/low humidity (especially if you hang it over the fireplace!). Just like the needles on Christmas trees, the foliage in your wreath will dry out in the weeks before Christmas.

If you would like to keep your wreath looking fresh, even indoors, soak it in cool water for 20 minutes every few days or whenever you notice it’s starting to look a little dry. Alternatively, you can spritz it with water. The water will help keep the greenery fresh.

If the greenery is already dry, however, soaking it will not revive it. The water may just knock off the remaining leaves/needles. Only soak the wreath if it’s still looking alive and will absorb water. Also, note that water can cause the wire to rust, so take care if you do choose to spritz/soak your wreath.

I don’t mind having dried foliage…so I just leave my simple minimalist wreaths to dry when hung inside. If you do choose to dry the foliage rather than fussing with it, just remember not to touch the wreath too much after it’s hung. The more you touch it, the more needles/leaves will fall off.