There’s something so magical about winter, beginning with the holidays. The holidays have a huge influence on our homes and how we decorate for the season. But what about once the holidays have passed us by? Or even before the official start of the holiday season. We’ve moved away from fall leaves and pumpkins and our homes can look and feel a little sparse.
I always prefer to decorate my own home for winter and then find ways to incorporate holiday decorating into that. If you’re not familiar with winter decorating I want to show you how you can create a cozy, warm shelter within your space that will bring good vibes to your home all winter long. You can add in your holiday decorating and even when you remove it, your home will still feel interesting and warm.
WHAT IS WINTER DECOR?
Winter decor isn’t about any holiday or tradition but rather it’s about embracing the season. This will look different depending on where you live so use this as inspiration.
Start by looking around outdoors. What elements in nature are you drawn to? Look for ways to bring some of the outdoors into your home and create a textural, natural environment that feels like you brought winter indoors, minus the cold weather.
While there can be an overlap between our winter decorating and holiday decorating, I like to focus on things that will outlast the holiday season. When the tree and all the holiday decorations are removed I want to be left with enough decor that my home still feels like a reflection of the season outside my door.
MY FAVOURITE WINTER DECOR
Here are a few of my favourite ways to incorporate winter into my home. I’d love to hear from you about ways you bring winter into your home.
1/ Branches and Berries
I love the colour and texture of both branches and berries. These can be found in nature if you live near the countryside or have trees that you can source from. Otherwise, garden centres are filled with potted trees, branches and sprigs of berries. The best part of creating these florals is that they are long lasting and will give you weeks of enjoyment.
2/ Elements of Light
This can be a room lit with candles or a space that’s been strung with mini lights (not colourful, Christmas lights). Remember that you want to create a backdrop that will work for the entirety of the winter and not just for December so think long term.
If you don’t already have dimmer switches installed in your home, this is a perfect time to do so. The advantage of dimmer switches is that you can easily create a moody ambience just by lowering the lighting in your space. I don’t like my space to be too brightly lit during the winter months so I rely on dimmer switches.
3/ Adding Textural Elements
This one is probably the easiest for us because it’s not just decor. These are the pieces that create warmth and add utility as well. I love to curl up on the sofa with a big chunky blanket and a soft velvet pillow. These are pieces that we rely on to get us through the cold winter. And since these blankets take up so much space, invest in a beautiful basket that can hold them all and add to the texture in the room.
I also like to consider textural elements when I’m setting my table for decorating throughout the winter months. Need tips on how to decorate for entertaining? Read this post.
4/ Flowers and Bulbs
When I think of flowers I immediately think about pale yellow tulips or white peonies but we need to embrace the beauty of winter florals. The striking red of a poinsettia will definitely announce the season. Winter cactus can offer an array of pink during the coldest season and potted paperwhites are a tranquil combination of white and green which can be enhanced with your favourite pottery. We don’t need to be deprived of beautiful florals just because it’s winter.
5/ Don’t Overlook Scent
What are your favourite winter scents? A lot of us overlook scent when it comes to decorating. While it’s not technically decor it does lend itself to creating a cozy environment. Consider the options and go with the scent that makes you feel most at home. Do you prefer fruit scents like mandarin orange, spiced scents like nutmeg and cinnamon or do you prefer those elements of nature like pine and cedar branches?
And always consider the vessel when purchasing candles. I love to use dark glass, mercury glass or something with lots of texture. These are the elements that can add some extra winter vibes to our space.
6/ Music to Create Ambience
We may like the sounds of the holidays and for each of us that will differ. If you have young kids you’ve probably got a lot of holiday songs playing on repeat. For others it’s the sound of Mozart while decorating your tree. We tend to wrap it up after the holidays and forget how important sound can be to our sense of well being. Think about creating a playlist of your favourite music that can be played on repeat throughout the winter when you need a little mood boost.
7/ Planning a Colour Palette
One thing most of us are trying to avoid throughout winter is a chaotic environment that feels too stimulating. This is a season of hibernation, peace and rest and our colours should be selected accordingly. I like to opt for a palette of 2 or 3 colours and repeat those throughout my home. I prefer a neutral colour palette of warm white or ivory, green and brown. This means it will be a neutral backdrop that isn’t overwhelming to the sense of peace I like to create throughout winter.
I hope this helps you organize your decor both before and after the holidays. If you need help decorating your own home, reach out to me. I’d love to help you with your decorating needs using my Decor to Go service.
