Joyless Christmas trees are all the rage this year

Minimalist Christmas trees have surged in popularity this year - devoid of tinsel, sparkling fairy lights and homemade decorations. 

Designs now proving popular with shoppers include trees with metal branches or skeletal-like wooden frames. 

Ikea's latest product - the Vinterfint - mounts on the wall and is described as a Christmas tree for those with limited floor space.  

Users can even fold the pine decoration away or pull it out to the desired width if space gets too limited.  

The product's designer, Mikael Axelsson, said he was inspired by a 'common knob rack' when coming up with the idea. 

Meanwhile in Asda, shoppers can purchase a five-foot high wooden Christmas tree, complete with a star on top. 

Reviewers boasted of how it was easy to put 'together and decorate', even describing it as 'cat-proof'. 

One person said: 'A modern Christmas Tree that looks fabulous - easy to put together and very versatile as it can be made into a full circle or kept slightly flatter if space is more limited.'

A second added: 'Really easy to put together and once decorated, it looks so cute and festive. Plus, it's environmentally friendly and cat-proof!'

A £95 'black metal cone tree' is also on sale on homeware company Cox&Cox's website. 

The product's description reads: 'An ideal choice for those who are a little short on space, or for those who would like a toned-down, minimalist Christmas, our Black Metal Cone Tree has a simple, elegant silhouette and can be dressed up as much or as little as suits your holiday mood. 

'Try winding it around with fairy lights, or solely hanging it with a selection of co-ordinating baubles.' 

Zoe Horton, a member of the British Institute of Interior Design (BIID) and owner of GBA Designs, said there is a current move towards 'wall-hung Christmas features'.

She told The Telegraph: 'In many modern homes floor space is limited and storage even more so.

'The on-trend solution to this is the use of often neglected wall space – simply fold it away flat, ready for the next Noel festivities.

'Gone are the days of boxes of storage dragged out once a year and the argument with tangled lights and tinsel.'

It comes after research suggested that traditional Christmas decorations are on the decline, with over a third (34%) of Brits saying they're boring and half (50%) saying they want their Christmas tree to reflect their passions.

Instead people are opting for more meaningful decor with more than three-quarters of Brits owning personal baubles that have a special meaning to them.   

At Selfridges, food and drink-themed baubles (think a matcha latte, coffee machine or tin of anchovies – all with glitter) are now the retailers' fastest selling tree decorations.

John Lewis's new 'sugar and spice' range, meanwhile, includes everything from a smiling battenburg slice bauble to a mini dinosaur holding balloons.