A friend texted me this week with a case of decorating desperation! The Christmas decor was gone and her home was bare naked! What should she do now, since spring is still a couple months away (at least in our neck of the woods)? How do you make a winter home beautiful and cozy? Help is on the way! Here are 10 Winter Neutral Items to Style Your Home with Now.
We’ll be looking out at snow and will have cold temps for awhile; these accessories will ensure our homes will be cozy and filled with interesting, subtle textures. Winter can be a fun season to decorate for, too!
Gather your vintage or new accessories that have good architecture.
Here’s where you begin. Gather any of your accessories that have inherently good architecture. Old scales, cameras, clocks, drawers, suitcases, metronomes, globes, typewriters; classic good junk is the perfect foundation for your vignettes.
Supporting items can include vessels with subtle textures, such as pottery, glassware, and textured metal.
Check out your local thrift store for an assortment of cheap Candlesticks.
Once you’ve got your large items assembled from all corners, make sure you have some foundational vintage books to bring height and texture to your groupings.
I like to use the subtle-colored covers with greys, blues, browns and black.
Since you’ve got your old books out, cut some up and create some art. Shred some through your shredder for extra texture, create some bunting, or cut some leaves and staple or glue them to a length of yarn, like I did. Vintage music can be lovely used this way, too.
Now for some more texture…
All season foliage in a variety of gray-greens or blue-toned greens set off all your hard surfaces.
Combine different types of greens for added interest. Use evergreens with succulents and add any type of leafy greens.
Use rough organic materials such as bark, wood slices and pinecones.
Scrounge your yard or a neighbors for sticks, pinecones and fallen branches to cut up. These organic textures bring a natural element to your vignettes that just can’t be beat.
Incorporate soft, warm fabric materials such as yarn, fleece, and felt.
Use an old scarf as a runner on your buffet, sew up an old sweater for a pillow cover, or wrap some styro balls in yarn. Just seeing these warm textures will make you feel warmer!
Use textural fillers for interest in bowls, wood containers and glass vessels.
Vintage hoarders rejoice! Whatever bits and bobs you can scrounge up can be elevated to art when grouped together. Old spools, clothespins, buttons, rulers, paintbrushes, letters-corral it all and enjoy it’s visual interest!
The last two elements are intended to bring some “life” to your vignettes:
Woodland animals can add a touch of whimsy and life to your home’s style.
Whether they’re older ceramic figures, softer craft-store varieties or textural versions, seeing a little face peeking out can add some fun to your accessorizing (and can make for a fun “I spy” game with the littles).
Last, but definitely not least…
Fight away the darkness of winter with plenty of light features.
Real candles flickering, fake ones, or little strings of glimmer lights make the dark nights more bearable. The nights become a special part of wintertime, rather than a time to be endured.
If you need some more tips on how to style accessories, check out these posts:
Winter doesn’t have to be a ho-hum time of decorating! There are so many wonderful, textural accessories you can use to make winter a special and cozy time in your home. Darker evenings can be welcomed! Hope you enjoyed this 10 Winter Neutral Items to Decorate Your Home and you’re inspired to fill your home with wintertime beauty!
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Thank you for all of the helpful tips! I love changing from Christmas to Winter, and I’m always looking for new ideas!
Thanks, Cherryl! So glad you found it helpful! Happy decorating:)
This is loaded with helpful tips for beautiful and interesting winter vignettes! Pinned
That was my goal, Marie! Inspiration for the after-holiday burn-out!
Thanks, Amber! Glad you enjoyed it!
This is such a great post! Pinning and featuring tomorrow at TFT!
Great list. I like all of these suggestions. Now I feel the need to visit some thrift stores. Thanks for sharing.
Glad you enjoyed it, Donna! Any day I can go to a thrift store is a good day;)
I really like all of your ideas. I find I am leaning towards the neutrals after all of the holiday color and glitz. I will be using your ideas around my house.
Wonderful, Debra! The subtle colors help my eyes & my brain rest a little after the holidays! They also feel cozier, since we’re still very much in the depths of winter!
Wonderful decor elements! Thanks for sharing at Vintage Charm!
Thanks, Cecilia! Your welcome!
Oh I love this round up of such wonderful ideas! I ADORE the vintage light shade turned candle holder!
Glad you enjoyed it, Laurie! I have a couple old light fixtures that look beautiful with a glimmering candle inside-especially in the winter:)
Love the woodland animals. I just redid my bookshelves and relined the backs with new paper since I had to take down the Christmas design. It was really sad how empty everything looked but once I started rearranging and added some live plants it brighten up the room. Our little potted Christmas tree is out in the garden now, I hope it survives the year so we can use it next year. Always love visiting your site, you have fun ideas, thanks for sharing.
You’re so welcome! Thanks for your sweet compliments:) I love the idea of swapping out the backdrop paper seasonally-I bet it gives you a whole new look instantly! We used to do the same thing with fabric at my store; such a great way to get a whole new look.
Great ideas!
Thanks, Michelle! Have fun decorating with those new chairs!