We had a 6.5' tree for a couple years and it made me claustrophobic. In fact, one year I took the tree down a week before Christmas because I was tired of having it in my space. That said, I live in an apartment. In a house, I would have no issues with a larger tree. Our is 4.5' and it is perfect for us.Pick a color scheme or theme. Or go with a collected/eclectic look. I chose to match the decor in my living room. It's primarily orange, aqua, and plum. Choose ornaments in various sizes (appropriate to the size of the tree), colors, and finishes (shiny/matte/glitter). That adds a lot of interest.
Also, use plenty or ornaments. I don't like naked trees. Nor do I like trees where you can't see any tree at all under the mass of ornaments. I have approximately 75 ornaments ranging from 2-6" on my 4.5" tree. For my own taste, I won't do more than that. I may switch out some of the existing ornaments, but I like concentration of ornaments as they are now.
Attach ornaments to the tree with green florist wire. That allows you to place ornaments exactly where you want them and it controls how they hang. It's also great for people with pets or small children because it's much more difficult to knock the ornaments off the branches.
I prefer a fake tree, but I don't prefer to see areas of the tree that are less full - primarily on the inside of the branches. I bought a cheap fir garland ($4 at Walmart, I believe) and cut it in 3 or 4 pieces and then I strung it between the empty spots on the inside of the tree. It looks like a much more expensive tree now. Very full and lush!
I also like matching the gift wrap to the style of the tree. I used lots of ribbon and paper doilies on mine. Now I just need to finish shopping!
