They say to make a house a home, you have to fill it with all the things you love. And if you’re a lover of the colder months and all the cozy vibes they bring, then we’ve got all the winter home decor ideas you’ll need to spruce up your abode this season.
Truly nothing beats crisp leaves underfoot, warm stews bubbling on the stove, and a fresh blanket of snow in the front yard. There’s just something so irresistible about the winter season. But what about if you want to keep winter going long after the last patch of ice has melted?
In this piece, we’ll take you through a collection of imaginative — yet simple — home decor ideas that have been designed with winter lovers in mind. So, even if it’s 80 degrees outside, you can still nestle up in the winter wonderland behind your front door.
1. Winter Flora
Starting off strong but subtle, our first decor idea involves incorporating winter plants into your living space for an evergreen hint at winter all year round. We’re not suggesting lugging a 7ft pine tree into your kitchen but, rather, adding a few accents that give a green nod to winter. This might look like:
- Hanging evergreen garlands around doorways or over mirrors.
- Incorporating dried fruit and cinnamon sticks into decor like hanging ornaments or in decorative bowls on coffee tables or side tables.
- Incorporating greenery into your table decorations, such as pine needles or subtle holly twists,
- Adding ornamental plants into vases like eucalyptus or mistletoe branches.
These little accents of seasonal greenery avoid leaning too heavily into the holiday season before winter but still bring a little wintry magic to your home — especially if you pair them with ribbons or lights.
If you just can’t seem to keep your plants alive, allow Displate to help. We have an impressive collection of ‘plants’ that — no matter how little you water them — will never die. Our metal plant-themed posters make the perfect, evergreen addition to your winter home decor, especially our pine and frosted plant posters.
2. Nostalgic Winter Is In
Up next, we’re serving a heavy dose of nostalgia to add to your home decor. Remember back before the beige of the 2020s when winters meant bright knitted jumpers, colorful tinsel, and rainbow string lights? Well, vintage winter is back!
Many winter lovers have been adding fun pops of color to their home decor to hearken back to the winters of their childhood. As such, we have seen fun items like old skis, sleds, and signs posts appear in living rooms everywhere. For a fun winter touch, head down to your local thrift store and see what they have that you can repurpose for your own wintry, nostalgic ends!
3. Low Lighting for Maximum Coziness
Regardless of how brightly the sun may be shining outside, nothing beats some cozy low lighting in the living room. In line with society’s rapidly growing aversion to ‘the big light’, winter lovers everywhere have been softening the harsh glow of overhead lighting in recent years.
To create a calmer atmosphere more akin to winter’s hibernation, opt for warmer bulbs and smaller light sources such as side lamps, wall sconces, and fairy lights. Combining multiple soft sources of light creates a cozy ambience that mimics the glow of a winter evening — even if it’s the 4th of July.
4. Frosted Glass Features
Another subtle way to channel your favorite chilly season — even in the warmer months — is with frosted glass accents. Conveniently mimicking that well-loved icy look of winter mornings, frosted glass is an absolute staple for lovers of cooler climates.
Adding vases, candle holders, and even lamp shades made with frosted glass is a surefire way to turn your house into a version of Elsa’s ice palace from Frozen.
5. Blankets & More Blankets
A throw is called a throw because you’re meant to throw it stylishly over all your other throws, right? Same with throw pillows… (don’t hold us to that). But seriously, one of the simplest ways to channel winter in your decor is by layering the soft furnishings in your living spaces. Piling on the pillows and draping a few winter-themed, knitted blankets across the arms of chairs is a quick and easy way to give your place a cozy vibe.
To keep your ever-expanding blanket collection from sitting on the dreaded laundry chair (we all have one), try adding a quaint woven basket in the corner of your room or a blanket shelf ladder to keep them delicately organized.
6. Cool Down with Wintry Color Palettes
Getting a little toasty under all those blankets? Try cooling things down with a winter color palette for your home decor. If you’re really looking to evoke winter year-round, something as subtle as the undertones of the colors on your walls can make a massive difference.
If you live somewhere that gets notoriously warm in the summer months, having cool shades on your walls can do some heavy lifting in terms of how hot you feel inside your home. It’s color psychology, trust us!
Mimic the effect of a winter wonderland by using cool shades and accents of frosty, silver, and glittery colors. To keep your home interior feeling icy cool (metaphorically), opt for the following colors:
- Cold whites
- Light grays
- Midnight blues (as feature walls)
- Sky blues
- Silver accents
- Lighter woods
7. Warm Up with Fall Shades
If wintry palettes make you feel a touch too chilly, why not opt for a warmer, fall-inspired color scheme instead? We know this is a blog about winter, but we simply had to add in a couple of fall features too. Before the depths of winter set in, November still treats us to a selection of oranges, browns, and yellows that homeowners can take inspiration from for their decor.
Be it as a feature wall or in the form of rugs, cushions, and paintings, warmer hues are still very much in keeping with the winter theme — they just won’t bring you out in goosebumps!
8. Rustic Wood Accents
In keeping with the slightly warmer winter theme, wood accents work really well throughout the home to weave in the natural coziness of winter. Picture a log cabin with a roaring fire in the middle of the woods on a dark night. If you want your home to feel like this, consider adding wood in the form of:
- A basket full of logs
- Wooden furniture (think coffee table or side tables)
- A log feature wall
- Some rustic wooden shelves
- Hanging art or mirrors with wooden frames
9. Make Fire the Focal Point
As we mentioned above with the wood accents, a crackling, roaring log fire is the epitome of winter. Smiling faces in blankets clutching hot cocoa and edging closer to a campfire for warmth is a winter image burned into our consciousness (mostly by Hallmark movies and seasonal romcom novels).
So, to achieve the perfect winter vibe in your home, no matter what time of year, emulating the atmosphere of a roaring fire is optimal. If you’re lucky enough to have a fireplace, use it! Clear away the cobwebs, get it swept, and stock up on logs – you never know when a cold snap might occur in August.
If you don’t have a chimney, there are plenty of videos of crackling fires to pop on the TV for the ambient benefit or just use candles. Another option is to Displate it. We’ve got hundreds of different fireplace designs that can feature as a permanent addition to your living room without smoking you out!
10. Soft Furnishings
To counterbalance the wood, don’t forget about your softer elements. We’ve already spoken about blankets being of the utmost importance for winter decor, but rugs are just as crucial if it’s the cozy look you’re going for.
Be prepared to spend hours measuring, matching color palettes, and ordering free samples because finding the right rug is a must. From thick woven threads to fake fur, a well-chosen rug can elevate any room from the ground up by hinting at the snug, comfortable interiors we assemble in winter.
11. Cozy Nooks
Next up, nooks. If you’re a dab hand at DIY and have slightly more time (and budget) to spare, you simply cannot go wrong with a nook. Whether it’s for reading your favorite novel, taking a calming moment with a hot cocoa, or just to watch the snow fall outside, a nook provides a respite from the busy world.
If you’re not able to winterize your whole home, you can at least transform part of it into a wonderland, adding winter decor, soft furnishings, and maybe even winter artwork for your very own frosty-themed safe space.
12. Seasonal Scents
While most of the decor ideas on our list are all about the visual, it’s time to give a little nod to the olfactory too. Albeit subtle, if you really want to tie all your winter decor elements together — from the dried fruit garlands to the faux polar bear rug — your home has to smell the part too.
Some of our favorite wintry scents include:
- Cinnamon
- Mulled wine
- Clove
- Pine
- Vanilla
These scents can be added to electronic diffusers or tealight oil burners to give your home a magical wintry smell. If you’re not one for essential oils, you can also opt for plug-in air fresheners, scented candles, or incense placed in high-traffic places in the home – like hallways or porches – to let that winter scent waft throughout your rooms.
Winterize Your Walls with Displate
If you’re not up for renovating your whole home but still want those winter vibes, we have an impressive collection of winter-themed metal posters — from snowmen to winter wildlife — that make for a simple, effective way to winterize your walls.
If you’re a chionophile (that is, an organism that thrives in wintery conditions and loves snow), browse our winter collection today to find the perfect finishing touch to your winter-themed home decor project. For more home decor inspiration, be sure to keep up to date with the Displate blog.
