Here’s how to decorate for Winter to transition you from post-Christmas until Spring! Nine easy ideas to incorporate natural decor like evergreens, wood, and winter whites. Plus learn how to reuse some of your Winter decor (not Christmas) to create a cozy and inviting home all Winter long.
Christmas is over. Womp! Womp! (Does anyone else experience post-Christmas letdown or is it just me?). We spent weeks unpacking Christmas decor and decorating our homes for a festive look! But now it’s time to pack it all up and put it away until next year.
But should you put away ALL of your holiday decorations? Well, maybe not…
Some decor can be used all through the Winter season!
The Winter Season
Let’s be honest, Winter is a bleak time of year that goes from December through February (in the northern hemisphere anyway!) The trees are bare, the temperatures are cold, and the sky tends to only fluctuate between various shades of gray.
But let’s think about what else nature shows us during Wintertime! Evergreens are the MVPs of the plant world, pine cones suddenly pop in their surroundings, bare branches add texture, the stars twinkle brightly in the darkness, snow gives a feeling of freshness, and chimneys plume with smoke.
These are the things that should be your inspiration for Winter decorating!
What is Winter Decorating?
Winter decorating is what happens after Christmas and before Spring. Winter decorating can be quite beautiful and cozy, just as it is in nature! There’s no need to run out and buy more stuff. Winter decorating is about scaling back, rearranging, and bringing in warmth and texture.
So if you want to beat the Winter blues and transition your home decor from January to Spring, here are some easy ideas!
Christmas vs Winter Decor
Christmas decor is anything that reflects the holiday itself, like Christmas trees, ornaments, presents, advent calendars, etc. Winter decor reflects the entire season, December through February, and isn’t specific to Christmas or any other Winter holiday.
Can something be both Christmas and Winter? Of course! There is a lot of overlap so you can reuse some items.
Christmas Decor to Use in Winter
Okay, not all of it. Put away your ornaments, anything that says “Merry Christmas” and anything red and green. Put away anything that is specifically Christmas but keep things that are Winter. Things to keep out:
- Branches of greenery (remove red berries)
- Small artificial trees
- Garland (if it’s neutral and not too Christmasy)
- Plain wreaths
- Logs
- Pinecones
- Candles
- Lanterns
- Faux fur anything
I’ll share more about how to reuse these items below.
9 Ways to Decorate for Winter (but not Christmas)
Edit, Edit, Edit
Look outside. Everything is pared back! This is a great time to scale back what’s in your home as well. Editing is most definitely a part of decorating. It’s easy to shop and bring new things in but if we don’t edit, before you know it, your house will be packed!
I put a lot of my everyday decor in bins in order to make room for my Christmas decorations. When I take Christmas down, it’s a great opportunity for me to look and see whether I want/need to put back out everything that was previously there.
Editing a room is the process of removing unnecessary items in order to let the beauty of the design show through. I’ve created a 4 question editing guide to help you decide what to keep and what to store/donate/sell.
Redesign
Shopping your own home is a great {and free} way to freshen up the look and make things seem new again. And what’s not to love learning how to give your home a free makeover? So those candlesticks on the living room mantel? Maybe you move them to the dining table. The basket in the family room? Maybe it becomes a side table.
It’s all about mixing things up to create a new look! You can learn more in my 5 step guide to shopping your own home.
Keep it Cozy
Winter is the season that we spend most of our time indoors. And it’s not just about looking cozy, it’s about feeling cozy too! I’ve identified 8 elements that create a cozy home. You can get all of the details in this post, but here’s an overview:
- Surround Yourself with Things {and people} You Love
- Select a Warm Paint
- Add Texture
- Layer Your Rugs
- Include a Great Throw
- Mix Old and New
- Use Mood Lighting
- Add a Familiar Scent
Use Evergreens
Your evergreen branches are still fair game after Christmas, so don’t put those away just yet! Take those evergreen sprigs you used on your Christmas mantle or in your dough bowl of ornaments and maybe move them to fill a basket or accent your birch logs!
Even those miniature trees you had sprinkled around at Christmas can stay out for a pop of green during Wintertime.
Your wreath hanging on the front door? Try laying it flat on the dining table as part of a centerpiece! I took my Christmas front door wreath, removed the glittery berries, switched out the ribbon, and now have a wonderful Winter wreath!
Included in this list of evergreens are cedar, pine, firs, juniper, magnolia, and even boxwood!
Embrace Wood
Wood adds so much texture and warmth to a room, so it’s a perfect element for Winter decorating! The obvious choice here is a display of firewood, but also consider branches in a decorative vase, rustic bread boards as a foundation for a winter vignette, dough bowls on a table, and more!
Add Light
Keep things warm and glowing with light! It gets dark so early in the winter and somehow, it seems darker at night than in the summer months. But nothing takes away the dark like the glow of a candle or the soft light from an accent lamp!
This is a great time to reuse those little Christmas fairly lights, too!
Focus on the Fireplace
In general, a fireplace is always the focal point of a room. But Winter is your chance to really make this space shine (literally and figuratively)! You can reuse your Christmas garland here, sprinkle candles on the mantel, or even add a mirror to reflect more light.
You’ll be spending plenty of time in front of the fireplace during the Winter months, so really put an effort into what would make this space both practical and pretty!
Add Cozy Textiles
Who doesn’t want to cozy up with a warm blanket or snuggle into a soft throw pillow on a cold Winter day! Faux fur and cable knit are great options for Winter throws and pillows. They visually add a softness to the space, but also look oh so cozy!
So tuck yourself in with a cup of tea and binge Emily in Paris! (If you haven’t watch it, it’s great!)
Don’t just throw your throw! Make it look stylish! Learn How to Style a Throw
Add Winter Whites
You might think this one is a bit of an oddball but stay with me for a minute. The term Winter White exists for a reason and that’s because it’s a reality! It’s about creating a winter wonderland in your own home!
Winter whites are warm whites but I’m adding silver to this category. The best way to decorate with them is to use a mix of items and textures. So think a white faux fur pillow, frosted pinecones, white candles, or even white roses! For silver, you can bring in vintage pieces, candlesticks, vases, or even bowls.
One of my new favorites are these beautiful paperwhites that I placed in an old urn as part of a coffee table display.
Switch Your Art
I rotate my smaller pieces of art quite often. This includes as I move frames from room to room and change things out seasonally! So swapping out a print for something with a Winter theme is an easy, affordable way to decorate for Winter!
I typically remove the glass from my frames because the reflection makes it hard to photograph, but also, hard to see! So I have frames all around my house and I just remove the back and secure a new piece of artwork in front. I never throw away the old artwork, but rather just push it one spot backward. Now I have a stack of images in each frame and then I can just rotate!
I rarely purchase and instead go to the free digital domain to source and resize what I want. If you’re a subscriber, you can find several of my favorite Winter scenes in my Exclusive Library, like the ones shown here.
More Winter Decor Tips
- Winter Decorating: 3 {Free} Ways to Beat the Winter Blues
- Fast Fixes for Winter Funk
- How to Make Your Home Cozy and Warm All Year Round
- How to Put a Throw on a Couch – 8 Stylish Options
- Learn How to Decorate a Mantel in 3 Simple Steps
So while the weather outside may be frightful, your Winter decor can be beautiful! Just remember to look to nature as your inspiration and then create a cozy version of it in your own home. This should get you through Winter and into March!
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Kim,
I love these ideas. I’m always reluctant to take down Christmas since winter is still the season. These are ideas that I can use.
Thank you and Happy New Year.
xo,
Karen B.
You have such style – I love it 😊