When the outside is frightful, there's nothing more delightful than a warm and cozy home. As we are heading into winter, here are a few of our favorite ways to bring a winter aesthetic to your home— no matter what holidays you celebrate each year.
How to Create a Winter Aesthetic
Use a Wintery Color Palette
This holiday season, ditch traditional red and green for a more sophisticated color palette of icy blues, forest greens, snow whites, and glittering metallics. They'll bring the feel of a winter wonderland to your space without feeling kitschy.
Twinkle Lights
Twinkle lights instantly bring a magical feel to your winter aesthetic. Trail them along your headboard, fireplace mantel, or windowsill to light up the night. Though ideal for dark, dreary months, they're cute enough to keep up year-round.
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A Well-Decorated Front Porch
Give your home major curb appeal during winter by adding seasonal decor to your front porch. A wreath, garland, door sign, or pair of decorative topiaries sets the mood before guests even set foot inside. Also, making your house stand out and feel magical for anyone walking by.
Freshly-Baked Cookies
There's nothing better than the scent of freshly-baked Christmas cookies. If you're a home that entertains often, keep a batch of cookie dough on hand in your freezer to impress last-minute guests in a pinch. Whether they're classic chocolate chip cookies or elaborately frosted sugar cookies, your baked goods are sure to lift the mood.
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Display Holiday Cards
The holiday season is all about celebrating those we love. Keep your friends and family close from afar by displaying all the Christmas cards you receive. Stick them to the fridge, or use clothespins to display them along a strand of twine. Don't forget to send out one of your own for everyone else to hang too!
Seasonal Scents
Scent can completely change the mood of your space. Create a winter aesthetic that entices all of your senses by using candles, soaps, and lotions in seasonal scents. Go bold with warm, spicy notes of cinnamon, citrus, clove, and ginger and earthy, woodsy notes of cedarwood, amber, and musk. Save sweet, floral scents for spring and summer.
Winter Foliage
Liven up your home this winter with wreaths, garlands, and bouquets made using seasonal flowers and greenery. Add a pine wreath on your front door, boughs of holly to your fireplace mantel, potted evergreens to your porch, or a vase of evergreen sprigs to your table. And don't forget the mistletoe!
Warm Beverages
This winter, keep your cabinet well-stocked with the supplies for your favorite seasonal beverage. Whether it's spiced coffee, hot chocolate, chai tea, or mulled wine, your guests feel more welcome with a warm drink in hand. Bonus points if it's served in a festive holiday mug.
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Swap Your Sheets
When temperatures drop, swap your regular bedding for something cozy that'll keep you nice and warm at night. Look for sheets made from flannel, fleece or heavyweight cotton jersey that feels soft to the touch. Needless to say, they'll be a hit with your holiday guests too!
Handmade Snowflake Decorations
Snowflake decorations are a timeless winter activity that's fun to do with the kids. Spend an afternoon together snipping white or metallic paper into handmade snowflakes you can stick to your windows or hang as a garland. It'll become a family tradition you'll look forward to each year.
Practical Doormat
A doormat is an absolute must during the winter, welcoming guests into your house while helping keep your carpets clean. Choose something with a seasonal design that'll put guests in a cozy mood before they even walk through the door.
Decorate Gingerbread Houses
Fun for every age, gingerbread houses are a holiday tradition that's not to be missed. Invite friends and extended family over for a night of decorating, then display your masterpiece on a shelf or side table. Make sure everyone poses for a photo with their creation before it's nibbled on.
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Cozy Blankets and Pillows
During the winter months, swap your everyday toss pillows and throw blankets for something with added texture: a chunky knit blanket, a boucle accent pillow, or maybe a faux fur throw. On cold days, you'll be glad to have something soft and cozy to curl up with while you sip cocoa and watch movies on the couch.
Festive Home Accessories
Once the time for Christmas nativity scenes and Hannukah menorahs has passed, decorate your home with traditional symbols of the winter season, such as snow, sledding, plaid prints, and cups of hot cocoa. Whether it's a novelty paperweight, a wintery coffee table book, or patterned napkins, it'll keep your winter aesthetic going until it's time to decorate for Valentine's Day.
Decorate with Pine Cones
Pine cones are a timeless symbol of the winter season. Purchase a bag of cinnamon-scented pinecones or forage your own from a nearby forest. Display them in a decorative bowl as a charming centerpiece for your countertop or kitchen table.
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Fireplace
During the winter months, your hearth should act as the center of your home, creating a warm and cozy atmosphere to enjoy on cold mornings and blustery nights in. Perfect for drinking hot chocolate while wrapping gifts for the holidays. If you don't have a real fireplace, make do with a video of a crackling fire on your TV. Now, all that's left to do is make a mug of hot cocoa to sip as you catch up on the unread books you've been meaning to start.
