In Slovenian, jelka means fir tree, the tree most of us grew up decorating every December. YELKA is our version of it: a Christmas tree you don't cut, don't water and don't throw away. This is how it came about.

The light-bulb moment

We are Hello Yellow House, a small studio in Ljubljana run by two architects and a graphic designer. We love wood, good design and things that are practical, well made and affordable.

YELKA started as a DIY project for our own home. One December we simply couldn't find a Christmas tree we liked. Cut trees ended up on the street in January. Plastic ones looked like plastic. So we did what designers do: we drew one ourselves.

We wanted a tree that doesn't leave needles all over the house, that you can keep for years, and that is made from natural materials. A tree that looks at home in a modern interior, and that you're happy to see again every December.

Designing a tree

The result is deceptively simple: wooden branches that slide onto a steel trunk, standing on a steel cross. Each branch rotates freely, so the same tree can be a spiral, a classic cone or a flat silhouette against a wall. It is stable enough that pets and children can't knock it over, and it takes apart in minutes and goes back into a slim box for the rest of the year.

The details matter to us as much as the idea:

• The wood is oak, walnut or maple from sustainably managed Slovenian forests.
• The finish is natural linseed oil, which brings out the grain and gives the branches a warm feel.
• The stand is powder-coated steel, the most environmentally friendly type of coating and tougher than ordinary paint.
• The packaging is a reusable cardboard box that the tree lives in between seasons.

From Ljubljana to the world

YELKA first went out into the world through Kickstarter, and was soon picked up by design media including Yanko Design, The Gadget Flow and the official I Feel Slovenia site, which featured it as a Christmas tree made of Slovenian wood.

Close to 1,000 trees have since found their way to homes across Europe, North America and beyond, with a 5-star rating from more than 220 reviews on Etsy. Each December we still get photos from customers of their YELKA decorated in their own way, and it never gets old.

The family has grown

What started as one tree is now five:

• Small YELKA, 75 cm, for tables, sideboards and desks
• Medium YELKA, 100 cm, a compact floor tree
• Large YELKA, 150 cm, the full-size living room tree
• Extra Large YELKA, 187 cm, in solid oak or walnut
• Plywood YELKA, 187 cm, with oak or walnut veneer

A gift that comes back every year

Because YELKA is made to last, it makes a meaningful gift: for a first home, a new family, or anyone who has said “never again” to sweeping up needles. It's a present that gets unpacked again every Christmas.

Want to know more? Read how YELKA compares with real and artificial trees, or get ideas for decorating your wooden tree.