A full artificial tree wants a base around four feet across. A slim one wants about 28 to 30 inches. Measure the gap you actually have, from the wall to the path you walk, and buy the tree that fits inside it.
Under about 20 inches, skip the floor. A 2-foot tabletop tree (on Amazon) sits on a sideboard or the top of a bookcase. With 28 to 30 inches and an ordinary ceiling, shop a 6 or 6.5 foot pencil. Go to 7.5 feet only when a topper will not touch the ceiling. November is when the narrow sizes go first, so measure before you browse.
| Height | Base to look for | Where it goes |
|---|---|---|
| 2 ft | about 18 in. | Sideboard, shelf, desk |
| 4.5 ft | about 24 in. | The gap beside a bookshelf |
| 6 to 6.5 ft | 28 to 30 in. | The usual apartment corner |
| 7.5 ft | about 30 in. | A tall ceiling only |
For half trees, potted trees and how a corner eats floor space, the small-tree footprint notes already cover that. This is the short list of slim trees worth opening.
The 6.5 foot that fits most corners
The National Tree Company 6.5 ft Kingswood Fir slim (on Amazon) is 6.5 feet tall with a 28 inch base and 250 multicolor lights already on it. Hinged branches, a metal stand, incandescent bulbs. It is the straightforward pencil: tall enough to read as a tree, narrow enough for the strip beside a sofa or a TV.
Plug it in before you spend an hour shaping it. On a slim tree a dark section shows, and a short extra strand of warm lights fills the gap without making the tree wider.
If 6.5 feet is still too tall for the room, the same shape exists as a 4.5 foot pencil (on Amazon). It belongs in the gap beside a bookcase, not in the middle of the floor.
When the cheap green looks like plastic
The 6.5 ft Downswept Douglas Fir pencil (on Amazon) is the step up at the same height. The base is 30 inches. The tips mix PE and PVC, which is what keeps the needles from looking like one flat shade of green. It comes with 300 dual-color LEDs, a foot pedal with ten light modes, and sections that stack without a plug between them. Give the branches about half an hour. This is the one to choose when you sit three feet from the tree, which is most studios.
A flocked pencil
A 6 ft flocked pencil (on Amazon) is the snowy option that still fits a corner. This one is about 29 inches across and 6 feet tall, pre-lit with warm white lights. Fluff it where you can sweep. Loose flocking comes off while you shape the branches, and a dark rug will show it. Fewer ornaments, not more: the white is already doing the decorating. More on shedding and storage is in the flocked tree notes.
Only if the ceiling is tall
The 7.5 ft Kingswood Fir slim (on Amazon) keeps a 30 inch base and adds a foot of height, with 350 multicolor lights. In an 8 foot room that extra foot hits the ceiling once a topper goes on. In a room with 9 feet or more, it is the pencil that finally looks in proportion. Same shaping time as the shorter Kingswood, and the same habit: plug it in before you commit to a corner.
No floor at all
The 2 ft Majestic Fir (on Amazon) is 24 inches tall and about 18 inches across, with a cloth bag at the base. The lights are battery powered and have a timer, so it can sit on a shelf with no outlet behind it. Use tiny ornaments. A full-size ball looks like a bowling ball on a tree this size. In a studio, this plus a wreath on the door is a complete Christmas.
Putting it away
A pencil’s box is long and narrow. It stands in a closet more easily than it slides under a bed. If the box is gone, an upright tree bag (on Amazon) keeps the branches from being crushed flat, which matters more on a flocked tree than on a plain green one. Label the bag with the height. Next November you will not want to guess.