MANILA, Philippines?This may ruffle the feathers of certain ?traditionalists,? but the Christmas tree need not be the focal point of holiday décor.

Depending on your house?s layout and other design features, play up other areas such as grand staircases, huge doors, French windows and even gardens.

?If you decide to make the tree your focal point, it doesn?t always have to be a perfect cone,? says interior designer Letty Ruiz. ?I know some people who feel that their tree is incomplete without placing a star on top. Not necessarily.?

For nearly two decades now, Ruiz (0917-2476896) has been decorating homes at Christmas, initially as favor to friends, even before she had an Interior Design degree at the Philippine School of Interior Design.

She sold her house early this year, and moved to a smaller condo unit. Due to space limitations, she opted for an irregularly shaped ?inverted? tree adorned with crystal bells and acrylic red balls in the living room.

?Most of these pieces have been with me since 1981,? she says. ?I bought them in this huge Christmas fair in Houston. I was with my husband who was undergoing medical treatment.?

It was an epiphany of sorts for the now widowed Ruiz. She discovered a new passion, which led her to attend annual arts and crafts seminars conducted by professional designers in the West Coast.

?I used to get the bulk of my Christmas supplies from them,? she says. ?But since I discovered Flora Silk (tel. 8003807) a few years later, I don?t attend seminars abroad anymore. Everything can now be sourced here.?

Space saver

Apart from the visual interest her unique tree draws?it spreads out and touches the ceiling, it leads the eye upward?it?s also proving to be a space saver. Ruiz and her staff can move around with ease.

Indeed, it would have been inconceivable to put a tall, lush tree in such a small space. Ruiz?s medium-size tree, however, would have looked puny in a huge, high-ceiling living room.

?As long as you?re mindful of proportions, textures and color schemes, there?s no such thing as going overboard,? she says. ?It?s important, however, to limit your efforts to a focal point or two.?

As far as trimmings go, there?s no way to go wrong with the classic red, gold and silver on a green Christmas tree. Ruiz also considers copper as perfect alternative to gold and silver.

Blue looks great with white and silver, but, unless Christmas starts falling on Independence Day, it doesn?t look as good with red. Green trimmings don?t offer much visual impact on a green tree.

She doesn?t discourage clients from tapping more offbeat and trendy colors as long as it?s done with care. Brown and purple seem to be in this year, she says. There was one Christmas where she combined purple with blue, green and fuchsia a la ?Moulin Rouge.?

There was one instance, however, when she had to step in before her virtually color-blind client wreaked havoc. The clueless fellow had this crazy idea of combining artificial poinsettias in red, peach, fuchsia and blue in several huge floral arrangements.

?I have nothing against artificial flowers,? says Ruiz, ?but the way they were combined was a bit unpleasant. If you?re a bit unsure about a certain strong color, it?s better to combine it with neutrals.?

Classic choices

Avid decorators should also consider their budgets. Unless they?re willing to spend on Yuletide trimmings every time the ?ber? months roll in, it?s best to keep their choices classic and simple.

?Trendy color combinations are so distinct that they usually end up looking dated the next year,? she says. ?Unless you have the budget to buy new pieces, it?s best you stick to classic colors, which you can beef up or replace gradually over the years.?

She also emphasizes the importance of ?texturizing.? The right combination of matte and shiny, smooth and tactile (often lost on eager amateurs) on a tree or garland makes for a more interesting arrangement.

Finally, as the Christmas season comes to an end, Ruiz reminds her clients to make sure every piece in their collection is cleaned either with a soft, damp rag or (for delicate objects) dusted off with soft brush before it?s put back in its box.

It?s one of the most basic ways, she says, of warding off stubborn stains that might accumulate and lessen the sheen of their precious holiday décor. The glitter and tinsel of future Christmases are thus assured.