One of the best perks to being a homeowner is being able to decorate it however you want. However, assuming you’re no longer in college, throwing up your favorite movie and/or video game posters with wall putty is no longer an acceptable adult decorating technique.
Decorating your home can be especially fun (and important) during the winter season. Why?
Because in most places, winter means inclement weather, unbearable cold, and an overall feeling of vulnerability. Our one true escape is inside our homes. That’s why your winter decor skills need to be at the top of their game.
Not sure where to start? Keep reading for our top 10 tips on decorating your home this winter!
Table of Contents
1. Get Festive
First, although we live in a society that can be sensitive to just about everything, decorate your home how you want. If that means getting festive and decorating for the holidays such as Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hannuka, New Year’s, and/or everything in-between – do it!
For some, that could mean putting up Christmas decorations the day after Thanksgiving. Regardless, festive decorations offer a winter decor option like no other, full of charm, colors, lights, and joy. Don’t be afraid to get into the spirit of the holidays.
2. Keep It Warm
As noted above, when it’s cold outside, one of the loveliest experiences is walking into a warm, cozy house. The actual temperature and thermostat of your home aside, winter decor can go a long way toward making your home feel warm and inviting.
One pro tip is to avoid bare floors in the winter. Hardwood, laminate, tile, linoleum, and other hard floors can send a chill all the way through your body if you’re walking on them barefoot. Where appropriate, place area rugs and carpets around the home.
Another way to keep your home feeling warm is to introduce fabrics into your winter decor. Adding a heavy wool throw over the back of your couch, fluffy pillows on the couch and chair cushions, and cozy window treatments can make a huge difference. For example, Ruffell & Brown Window Fashions offer a myriad of warm window treatments for the best winter decor.
3. Let There Be Light
One of the best ways to literally and figuratively warm your home during the winter is by opening up the blinds and curtains during the day to let the sun pour in. However, you can also mimic this feeling once the sun goes down by adding some extra lighting to the rooms in your house. Just make sure you choose warm colored light bulbs – blue and white bulbs tend to make a room feel cold and unwelcoming.
For an added literal and figurative sense of warmth, you can buy a portable electric fireplace. These add a wonderful ambiance to your winter decor and can help keep colder rooms warm.
4. Pick the Right Theme
Another important tip to perfecting your winter decor is picking a theme and running with it. If you can’t make up your mind or don’t want to fully commit to a single them, feel free to pick different themes for each room. It’ll keep your home interesting and any guests engaged.
For example, if you want to try more organic, minimalistic winter decor, you can opt for natural elements such as bare woods, eucalyptus branches, wreaths, and fairy lights.
However, if you enjoy traditional bright Christmas colors, feel free to go nuts with the reds, greens, silvers, and golds.
5. Don’t Be Afraid to Color-Pop
No matter what style you’re going with, don’t be afraid to add some color. While Christmas is the one time of year where most people enjoy loud decorating styles, if you choose to go off the beaten path, make sure it isn’t too boring.
Color-pop with couch pillows, artwork, and small pieces of decor for a tasteful, yet grabby design.
6. Avoid Too Much Clutter
Common mistakes amateur decorators often make is trying to pack too much winter decor into an area. Studies have shown that too much clutter can cause anxiety. The last thing you want to do is stress out your family members or guests with heavy-handed winter decor.
If you enjoy your Nativity scene, Biblical and/or Christmas figurines, snow globes, and holiday lights, that’s great. However, avoid trying to fill every empty space on your walls and horizontal surfaces with something.
7. You Can Never Go Wrong With Plants
Regardless of if you lean towards a traditional Christmas decor or opt for a more modern look, you can never go wrong with plantlife. Add some seasonal flowers such as poinsettias or a green Christmas wreath.
Alternatively, decorate with stones, branches, pine cones, and twigs. Get creative and make centerpieces for tables, decorations for empty corners of the room, etc.
8. Did Someone Say Textures?
One winter decor tip any expert will tell you is to always incorporate textures. We don’t want rooms to feel flat and redundant. Therefore, add various textures such as the heavy knit blanket we spoke of early.
It also helps to have a myriad of textures such as woods, stone, metals, and more. However, avoid adding too many metals in the winter, which can make a room feel cold.
9. Get Creative
When deciding which style of winter decor you want throughout your home, let loose and get creative. There’s nothing wrong with store-bought decor, but you can also repurpose used items such as glass jars, glass bottles, woods, and more.
Remember also that this is your home and you can impose as much of your own personal taste as you want. Use this time to express your individuality.
10. Don’t Forget the Scents
Finally, the last touch of any excellent winter decor style is the aroma that compliments the design. Candles can add wonderful scents to your home, as well as adding more warmth to the feel of your decor.
Pick seasonal scents such as warm cinnamon, vanilla spice, pumpkin spice, pine, and other wintery smells.
Need More Help With Your Winter Decor?
The best thing about decorating your home is that you can change it whenever you want. It’s totally in your hands. The style you choose this year doesn’t have to carry over to next year.
While winter decor can be a great time to experiment with new designs, it’s not in everyone’s blood. If you need more help decorating your house, check out the rest of our articles about home living!
