Ferm Living glass baubles: which sizes, and how many, for your tree?
Hang the 10 cm baubles low and inside, 8 cm in the middle, 4 cm at the tips. One set of each size suits a slim tree; small plus medium suits branches.
Short answer: For a floor-standing tree, buy all three sets of 3 in one finish and hang them by depth: the 10 cm baubles low and inside, the 8 cm in the middle band, the 4 cm at the tips and near the top. For a full tree, add the Mixed Light set of 4. For a tabletop tree or a vase of branches, the small set plus the medium set is enough. If you only buy two sizes, pair small with large or small with medium, because 8 cm and 10 cm read almost the same from across a room.
The Ferm Living glass baubles come in three diameters and four sets, all mouth-blown painted glass on a cream polyester ribbon. The numbers are close enough to confuse, so here they are side by side before we get to placement.
The four sets in numbers
| Set | Diameter | Height | Listed weight | Finishes | Ribbon in the box |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Glass Baubles Small, set of 3 | 4 cm | 4 cm | 0.07 kg | Roseate Translucent or Roseate Opaque | 1.2 m |
| Glass Baubles Medium, set of 3 | 8 cm | 9 cm | 0.1 kg | Roseate Translucent or Roseate Opaque | 1.2 m |
| Glass Baubles Large, set of 3 | 10 cm | 11 cm | 0.2 kg | Roseate Translucent or Roseate Opaque | 1.2 m |
| Glass Baubles Large, set of 4, Mixed Light | 10 cm | 11 cm | 0.2 kg | One of each translucent colourway in the series | 1.6 m |
Two things stand out. First, the jump from small to medium doubles the diameter, from 4 to 8 cm, while medium to large adds only 2 cm. Second, height runs 1 cm above diameter on the medium and large, so those two are a touch taller than they are wide, while the small one is a true 4 by 4 cm sphere.
The ribbon is one length per set, which you cut yourself. A set of 3 on 1.2 m gives 40 cm per bauble; the set of 4 on 1.6 m works out the same. That is generous: you can tie a short loop for a bauble tight against a branch, or leave a long drop so one hangs free in a gap.
Where each size goes on the tree
A tree is widest and deepest at the bottom, so that is where the 10 cm baubles have room. Hang them on the lower third, set back towards the trunk rather than out on the tips. Inside the tree they fill the dark gaps between branches, and a firm inner branch carries the heavier glass better than a springy tip.
The 8 cm medium baubles take the middle band, roughly halfway out along the branch. The 4 cm small ones go where the tree narrows: the outer tips all the way down, and most of the top third. A large bauble near the top makes the tree look as if it is tipping; a small one at the very edge of a lower branch reads as a highlight rather than clutter.
How many sets for which tree
We count by sets rather than by bauble, because each size reads differently from a distance. These are our working combinations, built only from the four sets above.
| Situation | What we would buy | Baubles | Ribbon to cut |
|---|---|---|---|
| Branches in a vase, or a tabletop tree | Small set of 3, plus medium set of 3 | 6 | 2.4 m |
| Slim tree in a corner | Small, medium and large sets of 3 in one finish | 9 | 3.6 m |
| Full tree you want to read from across the room | Small, medium, large sets of 3, plus the Mixed Light set of 4 | 13 | 5.2 m |
| Adding to ornaments you already own | Large set of 3 or the Mixed Light set of 4 for the lower inside branches | 3 or 4 | 1.2 or 1.6 m |
On a full tree, 13 glass baubles will not cover it. They are meant to sit among other ornaments, or to be the only decoration on a sparse tree where each sphere has space around it. If the tree is dense, put the extra effort into the inner placement of the large ones; that is where the light shows.
Translucent, opaque or Mixed Light
Each set of 3 comes in Roseate Translucent or Roseate Opaque. Translucent glass lets light pass through, so it does most for you near tree lights or a window. Opaque reads as a solid dot of colour, which holds up better deep inside dark green branches where little light reaches. Using both finishes in the same tone is a simple way to give a single-colour tree some depth without adding a second colour.
The Mixed Light set of 4 is different: four 10 cm baubles, one of each translucent colourway in the series, so it brings colour variety in a single box. Because they are all large, they belong low on the tree, or off it altogether.
Off the tree is worth considering. Large translucent baubles in a bowl or hung in a window catch daylight in a way they cannot inside branches. Small 4 cm baubles suit bare branches in a vase, where anything bigger would bend the twig; keep the ribbon short so they sit close to the wood.
What to buy first
- Only one set for now: start with the large set of 3. The lower inside branches are the hardest part of a tree to fill, and 10 cm glass does that best.
- A tabletop tree or branches in a vase: the small set of 3. At 4 cm it suits thin twigs, and you can add the medium set later for a second size.
- A graduated tree in one tone: small, medium and large sets in the same finish, hung by depth as described above. Nine baubles in three sizes look planned rather than collected.
- A window or a bowl, not a tree: the Mixed Light set of 4, because translucent colour needs daylight behind it.
If you are combining these with other glass, our piece on Ann-Sofi Romme's glass heart, bell and bird covers shapes that hang well beside round baubles. The rest of the season's ornaments, garlands and tree decorations are in our Christmas collection.
