While I love how my home looks and feels when it is decorated for Christmas, I have to admit I look forward to a clean blank slate come January.
This year I had everything packed up and put away by New Year's Ever. I wrote a post about how I organize and store our Christmas decorations for anyone still chipping away at it. I don't know about you, but that first day after I have put the Christmas decorations away, my house feels a little stark in comparison ... just kinda "blah", can you relate?
Even though the holidays are over, winter has just begun. For the next few months we will be spending a good amount of time inside, so it is important to me that our home is an enjoyable place to be! Over the past week I spent some time transitioning my home from Christmas to Winter to make it feel cozy and inviting. I thought I would share some of my decorating strategies with you if your house is also in need of some winter styling.
When it comes to winter decorating, I rely on the following elements to style my home: textiles, greenery, candles and lighting. Read on to learn more about how I use these simple items to decorate my home for winter.
Greenery
One of the most noticeable changes when the holiday decor gets put away is the absence of greenery. At Christmas time we have 2 large trees and two smaller ones, faux garland and faux tree stems decorating most of the surfaces on our main floor living spaces. The banisters, the mantle, the doorways - they all get adorned with faux greenery! Then Christmas season ends and all of the lovely greenery goes away until next year.
Having plants, either real or faux, in different shapes and sizes, can fill that void that we all feel when the Christmas tree gets packed up and put away.
I have a tall-ish fiddle plant that lives in the corner of our living room, where the tree was. It's definitely not as impactful as a beautifully decorated Christmas tree, but it's a good substitution.
I have several pothos plants all around the house. I love the way they drape but most importantly, I seem to be able to keep them alive and well! I would say these are a great beginner plant, and you can buy them at IKEA for a really good price. Here are some of my pothos plants:
Snake plants are another great beginner plant and require almost zero care - I honestly forget to water these guys all the time and they just live and grow.
If you have a black thumb, don't worry! Faux plants have come along way and they are a perfectly acceptable alternative to the real thing. Here are some great options:
Another way to incorporate greenery into your home is by adding some faux stems to a vase. I do this on my living room mantle, dining room sideboard, kitchen island and both coffee tables.
My favorite places to source these stems? Urban Barn, West Elm and Target!
Extending beyond greenery, you can introduce some life into your home with other organic details. I have left some pinecones on display in our Living Room and Kitchen. I think of pinecones as Fall and Winter items, even though some people view them as Christmassy.
Use Textiles to Decorate for Winter
Switching up throw pillows and throw blankets from season to season is an easy and impactful way to style your home.
When it comes to throw blankets, we have collected quite a few over the years. The ones that I consider our winter throw blankets are all cozier and heavier in weight. Knits, boucle and faux fur are all textiles that I look to for winter decorating. If it feels like a giant sweater, mission accomplished!
Pillows are the other textiles that I rely on for winter decorating. Right now I am into warmer moody earth tones with soft texture. Knits and velvet are great for the chilly winter months. I have been re-thinking the throw pillows on our living room sofa and family room sectional. I have been slowly decorating both of these spaces over the last year and while some of the pillows are working, some are not and I have been planning for some new ones. I source from Tonic Living quite often and have been playing around with some swatches.
For winter color schemes, I have been eyeing up warmer earth tones and in particular brown is really speaking to me this winter. Here are some pillows that have been calling my name...
Candles
I have scented candles in almost every room of our home. My teenage daughters are into candles as well, so it's always smelling good around here! Candles can contribute 3 things that can go along way to making your home feel stylish and cozy:
The right candle, in a pretty vessel, looks beautiful and is a go-to styling accessory
They can make your home smell great - like the feeling you get when you walk into Anthropologie!
They literally add warmth and a cozy glow in the dark evenings we have ahead of us
Here are some of the candles I am burning in our home right now:
Candles come in so many options, they are the easiest and most affordable way to create some atmosphere in your home!
Lighting
Lighting is a really important element of home decor and should not be overlooked. Table lamps, floor lamps and sconces are types of lighting that add warmth and style to your home. Here in Vancouver the weather can be so grey and dreary, and the days are so darn short.
In the darker winter months I really appreciate the warm glow of lamps and sconces. For years now, I have two lamps on an old-fashioned plug-in timer and having this lighting come on and off all by itself makes me happy every day! I highly recommend incorporating a timer or two around your home this winter season. While I know there are some very tech savvy "smart" options out there, we have a good old fashioned plug-in timer for our living room lamps and it works just fine!
Something new I have purchased but yet to install is this battery operated picture light. I bought this picture light to incorporate into a gallery wall in our Living Room, and I am still working on that.
I ordered two sconces for our Dining Room from Amazon, but they came missing pieces, so I had to send them back. I am considering these ones:
Shop the Post:
If you are looking to shop for some new decor pieces to style your home for winter, below is a roundup of some great pieces. With the exception of the candles, everything you see if from Wayfair!
Click on the images below to shop each item.
Thanks so much for reading, I hope you have gathered some inspiration for your own home for the coming winter months. If you are looking for some help selecting new furniture or accessories for your home, check out our home consultation services!
xo, Kerri
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