When I get my Christmas and holiday decor taken down, my house can feel pretty empty. This year I did things a little differently and I want to show you some winter decorating ideas I came up with to help you keep that warm and cozy feeling even after your Christmas decor is gone.
Rearrange Your Furniture for Winter
The great thing about putting all that Christmas stuff away is you basically have a blank slate. Take advantage of that blank slate and put things together differently than they were before Christmas. Is there another furniture arrangement you have wanted to try? A new furniture arrangement has a way of making everything feel new. It gives you new and different perspectives and can make you fall in love with a piece of furniture or a room you may be tired of at the moment.
Here’s a look at my living room at Christmas in 2019. You can’t see everything, but you can tell the sectional is on the left and the smaller couch is on the right. There is no chair by the fireplace and my large round table is on this end of the couch.
Since I placed my big tree in the living room and not the entryway for the first time this year, I had to rearrange my living room to accommodate the tree. Here’s a look at my living room this year at Christmas.
When the tree came down, a different furniture arrangement presented itself and really I had no choice but to listen. There was room for the section to go on the right side of the room since I was using the large round table in the entryway. This meant I could keep the chair by the fireplace and the couch on the left side of the room. I added some pieces to the side of the sectional to fill in the corners and viola! I am enjoying the different perspective it offers and I am liking my sectional again.
Winter Decorating Calls for Lighting
One of the first things that is missing when you take down all that Christmas decor is lighting. I didn’t even count how many lights I had up on all my trees and mantels, but it was a ton. When all that light is gone, you have to think about your lighting.
Think about your lamps and where they are placed. Do you have enough lighting in the corners of your rooms? Do you have a pair of lamps that you love that might look good in a different place or room? It might be time for a lamp shuffle or a lamp shade shuffle. We lost a lamp at Christmas (thank you Oculus), so I did have to do a lamp and lamp shade shuffle. Pretty sure I’m not done moving lamps around.
Another great way to keep some warm lighting around is with flameless candles. I have a bunch that I keep in a group and they really warm up the space. You can put them anywhere. I put these in my living room on the mantel.
Mantel Bows Work for Winter
I really worked on filling up my mantels this Christmas, so I didn’t want them to feel naked when I took all that garland down. I tried to be sure they were still covered with something.
I used bows on two of my mantels. Both ribbons I had used in my Christmas decor, but they are not Christmas ribbons per se. In my bedroom, I tied a very large five loop bow with this gray plaid ribbon and used some of the greenery I had used in my garland. It fills the space so nicely. Honestly, it’s one of my favorite things right now.
In the living room I used this linen/burlap ribbon and tied a slightly different style of bow with four loops and a small middle loop. I attached it to the giant snowy pinecones I bought after Christmas. To see what to buy after Christmas read Mom’s Favorite Things To Buy After Christmas.
Add Snuggly Textures When Winter Decorating
Adding snuggly blankets and pillows bring in texture and warmth. Faux fur blankets can take it to the next level. We received this faux fur blanket as a gift and we have enjoyed it so much on our bed. The humans, the dogs, the cats – we all think it’s the best snuggle spot in the house. In this house, we have to think about snuggle spots!
Add Color With Valentine’s Decor
If you have been here lately, you know that I put up Valentine’s decorations this year for the first time. I didn’t plan on it. It just happened. What can I say, I hate taking down Christmas and this year I just couldn’t face that empty house feeling. I was ready to take down my big trees just to get that job off my plate, but I left out and redecorated my smaller trees. I repurposed my Christmas decor into Valentine’s decor.
This turned out to be a great way to keep some color around. I remember one year a few years ago we had taken down all the Christmas decor and we just realized we were blah. I decided it was because we had deleted so much color from our home and I bought some red heart ornaments and Target and put them in vases. It wasn’t much, but it made us feel better for some reason.
This year I did the Valentine’s decor while I was taking down Christmas. The house was a mess for quite some time, but it wasn’t empty and blah when I was finished. So, that’s my first idea for winter decorating – keep the color in your home and decorate for Valentine’s Day.
Winter Floral for the Win
Here’s another first for me – winter floral arrangements. This year I simply took the flowers from my Christmas decor and changed them into arrangements. Here’s a look at one. I am planning a post about this, so stay tuned. I am loving having these floral arrangements in the house. It really helps fill the space without being heavy. Even in neutral colors, winter florals just add softness, texture, and interest to your space.
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