Okay, I can't really say that these are mine alone. Because all you have to do is take a look on Pinterest to see that there are a bunch of bloggers who follow these same tips to change up their Christmas décor to a cozy, comfy, feeling of winter.
So instead of reinventing the seasonal décor wheel I thought I'd share in pics how I do the same. I know many people are already firmly into January and are enjoying their clean "winter" home, but are you still sitting there with a houseful of Santas and Gingerbread houses wishing you had some motivation and a plan to get from A to B? Some people love to keep up their Christmas decor and trees till the end of January, but I've just never been one of that group. I usually can be found putting Christmas goodies away the week after Christmas. Although my dad dragged his feet till the needles were a fire hazard and the cats had knocked off all the ornaments off the trees.
So, here we go with a few thoughts on the change up. Just having a plan helps us make decisions to get us moving.
1. Remove the obvious RED and all Christmas related items.
I know that sounds like a "duh" statement, but I've often felt sad at packing away all those cute santas, elves, and Christmas snowmen. But no sooner did I leave them out and put boxes and tubs away, that I wished I had gone ahead and made the commitment to make a clean sweep of Christmas. By mid-January I'm ready to be back to normal decor. I often use red as an accent color, so I don't ditch it all. Just obvious Christmas red.
2.Remove all the real greenery and multitudes of red berries, then gather the faux greenery into groupings in boxes, baskets or vases. Take down the miscellaneous greenery, garlands, and floral picks (especially on the mantel) that are fussy and that scream Christmas. Keep out the bare greenery wreaths, and even your trees, but remove anything obvious, such as red ribbon, ornaments or accessories.
3. Bring in natural elements such as fresh evergreens, twigs, logs, pinecones, branches, winter fruit such as pears, pomegranates, etc. Pinecones make great bowl and vase fillers. Bare branches and sticks can add some texture to simple arrangements and a nature feel to your more pared down spaces. White flowers such as paperwhites, hydrangeas, and amaryllis, make a beautiful calm setting.
4. Replace the Christmas colors of red and green to more neutrals, earth tones, and whites. This is where I tread lightly because all white can often feel cold and clinical especially if you're going for a minimal clean look. Some people are experts, but I just end up having a house that looks like the inside of an igloo. Neutrals and lighter colors can be beautiful this time of year if you mix small patterns and vary your shades of white with warmer creams and grays.
5. Rely on Texture for fabrics. Grab those wooly blankets, throws, fuzzy and furry pillows, and heavier linens. Especially if you're using neutrals, be sure and have varied and textured fabrics around. I love Scottish wool blankets and throws, but I put away the red Tartan until next year and just use other colors like the brown above and my Burberry plaid.
6. Cozy Mood Lighting and Candlelight will go a long way to warm up a room or area. Nothing like cozying up in a comfy chair with a book and lighting a candle with a warm glow to send those chilly vibes away! And be sure to keep up those twinkle lights for a warm, homey feel.
7. Choosing a new color accent for pillows and accessories works great to liven up your space and make you instantly feel optimistic and looking forward to Spring. Since I love using a woodsy, natural theme, I love to bring out my brown and black needlepoint pillows and mix browns throughout my décor.
I love decorating for Christmas, but I also enjoy getting my house back to normal cozy winter décor. Right now we're having really cold temps and I'm in no man's land with boxes of Christmas décor yet to be stored in the garage. How are you all coming along? Some people are already talking Valentine's Day, but I'm still trying to get a handle on putting away Christmas... Can anyone identify?
Great ideas, Debra, and the house still looks warm and inviting. I've got everything put away, both at home and at the antique mall, and am now in full organizational mode in January (paperwork). Have a great Sunday. Hope you're in good health with no bugs that caught you.
ReplyDeleteThanks Rita, no bugs from the holidays but I had a horrible reaction to a new medication that I dealt with all fall and Christmas. That has been a huge downer, but better now that I'm off of it. It really slowed me down this year. Now I'm having to pace myself with clean up.
DeleteGood Morning. Love that little lamb pillow. Adorable. I have all my Christmas put away and move things around to fill in the open spots too. Have a great new week. Hugs. Kris
ReplyDeleteKris, you're the expert on white that I mentioned. You can do white and make it warm and inviting, and full of whatever season you're in!
DeleteMy house will be filled with Christmas until my basement is finished and put back together. Right now I can't put anything downstairs anywhere near the walls. I can't even get to the Christmas boxes to put things away! I fear it will be up until the spring equinox! I do love the lights (and leave up several of the not-especially-Christmas trees through the winter for the lights.) But these are wonderful ideas and if I ever can get things down, may well return to this post!
ReplyDeleteJeanie, might as well enjoy all the fun Christmas goodies. Hopefully you'll get that basement back together soon. Happy Sunday!
DeleteHi Debra. I am on your same page but since we haven't had our family celebration yet I am leaving the tree up and that is where the majority of my Christmas red is. As much as I look forward to putting it all out in November, I do get antsy on New Year's to start putting it all away. Change is good and I love the natural look of winter..HAPPY New Year..xxoJudy
ReplyDeleteLike Judy, we haven't had our fmily Christms yet. So we won't
ReplyDeletebe taking anything for a few more weeks. Love the ticking, plaid and lamb
Hi, Debra, You always have good decorating ideas and arrangements that spark some ideas of my own of how to do something similar. I love seeing how you change up your white French style vase with the medallion filled with faux paperwhites. You do amazing things with ribbons to change how the vase looks! The bare twiggy vine around the vase in this post also inspires me.
ReplyDeleteHappy new year.
Judith
Such beautiful winter decorating ideas, Debra! I am happy to feature your post at this week's Tuesday Turn About Link Party. Thank you so much for sharing! Happy New Year!
ReplyDelete