A globe is one of the few objects that looks right in December and still belongs in your room in March. That is what makes it such a good starting point for holiday decor: you are not buying something to pack away, you are dressing a piece you already love. Group globes of different sizes, pair them with warm metallics and natural textures, give them room to breathe, and let one of them carry the festive mood.
Below you will find practical ideas for mantels, tables, entryways and bar corners, notes on keeping glass globes and snow globes safe, and our view as makers on why a handcrafted globe earns its place in a seasonal scheme.
TL;DR
- Treat globes as year-round pieces with a seasonal layer on top: add greenery, candles and metallic ornaments, then remove them in January.
- Aim for curation, not clutter. Vary sizes and heights, and keep the palette tight: brass, silver, cream, deep brown, evergreen.
- Keep glass snow globes out of direct sunlight, and do not leave them sealed in dark storage for months.
- A globe bar turns the decor into a host’s tool: it opens for the holiday party and closes into a sculptural object afterward.
- Large floor globes work like furniture. Give them a clear corner and keep the styling around them light.
Table of Contents
- Why globes suit the holidays so well
- Choosing the right globe for the look you want
- Seven ways to place globes in a holiday scheme
- Palette and ornaments: keeping it curated
- Snow globes, glass globes and safety
- A vintage globe collection at Christmas
- Our perspective: why a globe belongs in your holiday home
- Choosing a Zoffoli globe for the season
- Gifting a globe
- After the holidays
- FAQ
- Sources
Why globes suit the holidays so well
Holiday decor usually leans on symbols: stars, pinecones, snowflakes. A globe brings something different. It speaks of travel, of family far away, of the sense that at this time of year the whole world is heading home. That quiet narrative is why a globe feels festive without ever looking themed.
There is a practical argument too. Designers who work with seasonal styling often describe the same challenge: how to move a room from its everyday look to a holiday one without it feeling like a different house. In a Ho-Ho-Kus, New Jersey home featured by DesignNJ, the holiday scheme was built around natural materials and meaningful objects rather than a pile of new purchases. A globe is exactly this kind of object. It already has presence, it already has a story, and it needs only a little help to join the celebration.
The colors help as well. The warm browns of aged wood, the amber of an antique-style map, the soft gleam of brass: these are the tones of candlelight and winter evenings. Place a globe near a lit fireplace or a string of warm white lights and it takes on a glow that no plastic ornament can imitate.
Choosing the right globe for the look you want
Not every globe does the same job in a room. Before you start styling, decide what role the piece will play.
Tabletop globes: the easy seasonal centerpiece
A tabletop globe sits comfortably on a console, a sideboard, a bookshelf or the middle of a dining table. Its scale is small enough to be surrounded by a few holiday elements without being swallowed. If you only want one globe in your holiday scheme, this is the format that is the simplest to place and the simplest to dress.
Floor-standing globes: furniture with a story
A floor globe has the height and weight of a piece of furniture. Designers talk a great deal about scale at the moment: in a Livingetc discussion of the oversized lighting trend, Niki Wright of Lights & Lamps describes products with exaggerated scale that add interest and a sense of fun. The same logic applies to a large globe. In a high-ceilinged room or a wide entryway it grounds the space, and it gives the eye a place to rest among the lighter seasonal decorations.
With a floor globe, resist the urge to decorate the globe itself. Instead, style the area around it: a basket of logs, a small tree, a folded wool throw on a nearby chair.
Globe bars: decor that hosts
The globe bar is where decor and function meet. A world globe opens to reveal a small bar inside, with space for bottles and glasses. According to a 1stDibs answer on its origin, Italo Zoffoli invented the bar globe in the late 1940s in Rimini, Italy. We have been making them ever since, and the holiday season is when they work the hardest.
Think about how a December evening goes. Guests arrive, coats come off, and someone looks for a drink. A globe bar in the corner of the living room gives the host a natural gathering point, and it does so without a bulky cart or a crowded kitchen counter. When the party is over, the lid closes and you are left with a handsome globe again.
A few of our models that suit a festive room:
- Giunone, a floor-standing globe bar, for a living room or study where you want a statement.
- Dedalo, another floor-standing globe bar with its own character.
- Da Vinci in rust, whose warm tone sits naturally with candles and evergreen.
- Giove in rust, a tabletop bar globe for smaller rooms or a sideboard.
Seven ways to place globes in a holiday scheme
On the mantel
A mantel is the first place guests look. Set one medium globe off-center, then balance it with a cluster of candles in different heights and a garland of eucalyptus or fir. Keep the globe clear of the garland so its continents stay readable. Avoid hanging stockings so close that they brush the sphere.
As a dining table centerpiece
A tabletop globe in the middle of a long table, flanked by taper candles and a few sprigs of rosemary or pine, makes a centerpiece that does not block conversation if you choose a modest size. Add a runner in linen or wool. Guests will inevitably spin it and look for the places they have visited, and that is half the charm.
In the entryway
An entry console with a globe, a bowl of ornaments and a lamp tells visitors that the holiday has started. Here, a floor globe near the door can be even better: it greets people at full height.
On a bookshelf
Bookshelves reward the designer’s rule of mixing sizes. In a DesignNJ feature, the guidance on curation rather than clutter is echoed: designers combine vintage finds with statement pieces in varied sizes to create vertical interest. Put a globe at eye level, stack a few books beneath it, and tuck a string of warm lights behind. Leave blank space on the shelf. Emptiness is what makes the objects look chosen.
Beside the tree
A floor globe next to the Christmas tree is a combination that looks almost like a stage set. Keep the tree decorations tonal, so the globe and the tree do not compete. If your tree is in warm white lights and gold, a globe in brown, brass or cream will sit comfortably beside it.
In the bar corner
If you have a globe bar, give it a small holiday moment of its own. A tray with two coupe glasses, a bowl of cranberries or clementines studded with cloves, a single candle. Open the globe before guests arrive so the interior is part of the display.
As a wall piece
Globes are not the only round-world motif. Framed antique maps bring the same feeling to a wall, and they stay in place when the ornaments come down. Our Tele Antiche collection offers antique-style prints on canvas, including the Antique Celestial Globe map and the Antique Italy canvas after Rizzi Zannoni. Hung behind a globe, they extend the same story up the wall.
Palette and ornaments: keeping it curated
The most common mistake with holiday decor is volume. A globe is a complete object, and it does not need ten companions.
Designers writing about neutral holiday styling, such as the author of this guide to elevated minimalist Christmas decor, recommend orb-shaped pieces in brushed brass or matte silver over bright traditional colors, and suggest keeping a collection to roughly 20 to 30 ornaments in varied sizes. That figure is for a whole scheme, not a single shelf, so use it as a ceiling rather than a target.
Here is how that translates around a globe:
- Pick two metals at most. Brass pairs well with the warm tones of wood and aged paper. Silver suits a white or lacquered globe.
- Bring in one natural texture: pinecones, dried orange slices, wool, linen or fresh greenery.
- Choose one accent color, such as deep green or burgundy, and use it three times in the room, not thirty.
- Repeat the sphere. A few round ornaments in a glass bowl beside the globe echo its shape and make the group feel intentional.
When the room is busy, the globe should be the quiet object. When the room is minimal, the globe can be the one bold thing.
Balance, proportion and the room around it
Placement matters as much as the objects. Rooms feel polished when sizes alternate: one tall piece, one medium, one low. The same principle applies to finishes underfoot and on the walls. If you are planning a refresh before the holidays, looking at how a hardwood and tile portfolio handles warm wood tones can help you judge which globe finish will sit best with your floor.
Snow globes, glass globes and safety
If you collect snow globes or glass pieces, a few care rules are worth following. They come from specialist makers and conservation practice, and they are easy to apply.
According to the FAQ of a snow globe manufacturer, a glass sphere filled with liquid can act as a magnifying lens, so it should never sit in direct sunlight, where it poses a fire risk. The same source advises against keeping snow globes permanently in dark, still conditions, because this can lead to microflora and clouding of the liquid. A small air bubble, up to about 2 cm, is normal in many quality-made snow globes, according to the same page.
In practice, this means:
- Do not place a snow globe on a sunny windowsill, even in winter, when the sun sits low and reaches deep into the room.
- Keep globes away from radiators and fireplaces that could heat the liquid unevenly.
- When you pack decorations away, avoid sealing everything into a closed, unventilated box for long stretches. Let the pieces breathe and check them occasionally.
- Candles near paper or canvas should always be in stable holders, never touching the globe or a map.
If a globe develops a persistent problem, such as a growing bubble or cloudy liquid, contact the maker or a specialist restorer rather than opening it yourself.
The same sensible placement applies to a handcrafted globe with a printed map: keep it out of strong direct sun, which fades paper and pigment over years, and dust it gently with a soft dry cloth.
A vintage globe collection at Christmas
If you already own older globes, the season is a lovely excuse to bring them together. Blogger Lora Bloomquist shows in her post on decorating with globes for Christmas how a collection can become the center of a holiday scheme, rather than something to hide behind the tree. The idea is simple: gather the globes in one place, add greenery and light, and let age and patina do the decorating.
Mix, if you like, one newer piece with the older ones. A contemporary globe with updated cartography next to a vintage one shows how maps change, and it keeps the group from looking like a museum shelf.
Our perspective: why a globe belongs in your holiday home
We have made globes in Italy since 1949, and we have watched what people do with them in their homes. The ones that are loved most are rarely the ones treated as ornaments. They are the ones that become part of daily life: spun by children, opened for guests, moved from the study to the living room for the holidays.
That is how we think about seasonal decor. A good holiday scheme should not ask you to buy a new set of things every December. It should work with the objects that already define your room, and a handcrafted globe is built for exactly that. The wood, the metal, the finish and the map are chosen to last, and to look at home next to a fir branch in December and a bowl of lemons in July.
If you want to add a globe this season, we would suggest thinking about function first. Will it stand in a corner, sit on a table, or open as a bar? Then think about tone: rust and brown for warmth, white for a bright Nordic mood, something bolder for a room that already has strong color. The holiday styling follows naturally from there.
— Zoffoli
Choosing a Zoffoli globe for the season
Our globes are designed and made in Italy, and the collection ranges from tabletop globes to floor-standing globe bars and the premium pieces we call Gli iconici. If you are shopping for a gift or for your own living room, you can browse everything on the Zoffoli Living store, or look straight at the Giove tabletop bar globe if you want something compact for a sideboard. Our customers have rated us highly on Trustpilot, and many of them tell us the globe became the center of their holiday gatherings.
The Elegance all-white floor bar globe is worth a look if your holiday palette is pale and quiet, and the Vulcano bar globe suits rooms that favor a vintage, characterful mood.
Gifting a globe
A globe makes a gift that does not disappear after the holiday. It suits a host, a new homeowner, a traveler or someone who already has everything. A bar globe especially feels generous: it is useful, it is beautiful and it invites people to gather.
When choosing, think about the room it is going into. A tabletop model works for most homes. A floor model needs space and a clear spot. If you are unsure, a tabletop globe is the safer choice, and an antique-style canvas map is a lovely companion for someone who prefers wall art.
Wrap it simply. A large globe looks best with a plain paper wrap and a sprig of greenery, or no wrap at all and a ribbon around its stand.
After the holidays
The satisfying part of globe decor is what happens in January. Remove the garland, the candles and the ornaments, and the globe stays exactly where it was, still handsome. Clean it with a soft dry cloth, check that nothing has rubbed against the finish, and return the surrounding objects to their year-round arrangement.
This is also the best argument for choosing a globe over a purely seasonal item: it is the one piece in your holiday scheme that you will not box up.
FAQ
How do I decorate a globe for Christmas without ruining it?
Keep the decoration around the globe rather than on it. Lay a garland on the surface beside it, add a few candles in stable holders and a small bowl of ornaments. Avoid tape, glue or adhesive hooks on the globe’s surface, because they can mark the map or finish.
Can I use a globe as a Christmas centerpiece?
Yes. A tabletop globe works well on a dining table if it is low enough for guests to talk across. Place it in the middle, surround it with taper candles and fresh greenery, and keep the other table items modest so the globe stays the focus.
Is it safe to put a snow globe near a window?
It is better not to. A liquid-filled glass sphere can act as a magnifying lens in direct sunlight, which the manufacturer guidance cited above describes as a fire risk. Choose a spot out of direct sun, such as a bookshelf or a console in the middle of the room.
How many decorations should I put around a globe?
Fewer than you think. Two metals, one natural texture and one accent color are usually enough. Designers recommend limiting an entire holiday collection to roughly 20 to 30 ornaments in varied sizes, so a single shelf needs only a handful.
Sources
- Winter Wonderland, DesignNJ
- Designers explain how to style the oversized lighting trend, Livingetc
- Who invented the bar globe? 1stDibs
- Elevated Minimalist Christmas Decor: A Designer’s Guide to Neutral Holiday Style, Clean Life Obsession
- FAQ & Fachwissen, GLASSGLOBE
- Decorating with Globes for Christmas, Lora Bloomquist
