The Post-Christmas Home Playbook: 8 Steps to Cozy and Comfortable

If your post-Christmas home is feeling a little cold, bare, and unwelcoming, you’re not alone. Luckily, I have the solution with these 8 easy decorating steps to make your home feel cozy and comfortable for winter.

One things we can all relate to is the mixed feelings that come with taking down the Christmas decor at the end of the holiday season. You’re happy to have your home feeling tidy and ready for regular routines again, but at the same time, you miss the coziness of the greenery and the joy of the twinkle lights. Our homes can feel a little empty when all the decorations are put away, and the long, dark nights and chilly days can definitely leave us feeling in need of comfort and warmth in the spaces we spend the most time in. I’ve put together a little step-by-step plan for those of us who know exactly what I’m talking about, that will help to bring a cozy feeling back to your home that will last through winter and beyond. Try these ideas for 8 different areas of home decor to help you enjoy having your home back to normal after the holidays.

Start With Art

Pictured Above: Floral print | Waves print | Hand print | Boat print | 8×10 vintage style frame | 16×20 Vintage style frame | Washable vintage style rug

One of the great things about taking down the Christmas decor, is that it can really help us gain a new perspective on how things look around our home. Empty walls that we may have previously overlooked can suddenly become obvious locations for a new large-scale art piece or a gallery wall.

Updating your wall art doesn’t have to be expensive or complicated. It can be as simple as taking a trip to your local antique market to find a painting that speaks to you, purchasing a small painting to support a local artist, or you can buy new prints to fill picture frames that you choose yourself to match your decor. You can even use printable art downloaded from Etsy that you can add to your own existing frames for an instant update. If you haven’t changed your wall art out in a while, try giving yourself a fresh view for the new year with a few new prints.

Decorative Greenery Brings Much Needed Life to Your Space

We don’t realize how much our spaces need greenery to feel complete until we add it and see what a difference it makes. The human eye naturally searches for greenery, plant-life, and natural elements to rest on, so adding houseplants, vases of dried floral arrangements, and even faux greenery stems can really change the whole atmosphere in a space and the way you experience your environment.

This is especially true in the winter months when things outdoor can look a little bleak. Adding some foliage indoors can really go a long way towards boosting your mood, and although real houseplants are always best, faux greenery is maintenance-free and incredibly effective.

I recently added this tall faux olive tree to our bedroom, and it’s amazing how life-like it is in person. Truly the prettiest one I’ve seen. I also added these camellia leaf stems to my collection and I love how full and graceful they are when I place them in a large vase. If you’d like to get into growing your own houseplants, I highly recommend starting with a Hoya plant. The deep green of the foliage looks so good with any decor style, they’re easy to grow, and they put out new leaves frequently, which is so fun to watch.

Light up the Dark Nights

Pictured above: Lamp | Affordable horse print

Lighting is so important in our homes to help us create an inviting atmosphere during the darkest days of winter. You may have seen people celebrating “Lamp O’Clock” on social media, and that’s because layered lighting truly is another great mood booster that can make you feel more comforted and even more energetic on nights when 6 pm can feel more light midnight. Add lamps, twinkle lights, and candles throughout your home to make dusk feel a little more like something to look forward to.

Add Softness With Pillows and Throws

Pictured Above: Stripe Linen Curtains | Matching Stripe Pillow Cover (use code CH12 for 26% off at Curtarra)

There’s something so irresistible about a sofa accented with a collection of throw cushions in a variety of patterns and colors. I know my family will often sit right on top of mine because the extra softness just looks so inviting. I don’t mind at all; they’re there to be used and to provide comfort and joy for our family. Make sure to have a cozy throw blanket or two available as well for movie nights, afternoon reading, or if you’re like me and like to cozy up with a blanket while you work on your laptop in the winter.

I like to search thrift store for the best vintage throw blankets, and every once in awhile I find a really good one. For beautiful pillow covers, you can’t beat Etsy for the best selection of custom pillows in every pattern and color you can think of.

Favorite Mix-and-Match Etsy Pillow Finds Here

Favorite Down Pillow Inserts Here

Instant Home Update: Curtains Transform Like Nothing Else

If you really want to make a big impact, new curtains are definitely the way to go. Semi-custom curtains make it easy with a curated selection of fabric options and a few tried-and-true header styles to choose from, taking the guesswork out of adding beautiful draperies to your home.

These toile curtains from Curtarra that I added to one of our upstairs bedrooms bring so much elegance to this space. I love that I was able to order them to the exact length that I needed for a truly polished look. This is so helpful in an old house like ours where standard measurements often don’t apply. You can use my code CH12 for 26% off any custom curtain or custom pillow cover order from Curtarra, so don’t forget to enter that code in at the checkout!

I also added these botanical print curtains from Two Pages to our bedroom recently, and I’m still a little in awe at how beautiful they look in here. Two Pages has the most amazing collection of patterned fabrics of any curtain retailer that I’ve come across, and you’re sure to find something that will look amazing in your space. Use my code CREEKLINEHOUSE for 26% off your order.

I should also mention that it’s worthwhile to check the lengths of your existing curtains that you already own and love. If two rooms have curtain rods hung at the same height, simply switching the curtains between the two rooms can give your spaces a free room makeover.

Decorate Your Home From the Ground Up With Rugs

Pictured Above: Our living room rug

Rugs add visual warmth to a space in a big way, but they can also add physical warmth by helping to keep you feeling cozy and toasty, protecting you from cold, hard flooring materials. Tuck a rug under a grouping of furnishings like a reading chair and side table, or using them in hallways and main traffic zones. Rugs don’t always have to be large to make a space feel more comfortable. I recently added a runner to the kitchen, and it has made my cooking and baking time so much more comfy. I also added an authentic vintage wool runner (more on that soon!) to our front hall, and I never realized what I was missing until now.

Just like with curtains, switching your rugs around from room to room can give you a new view without any additional spending. Consider this decorating idea when buying new rugs, so you’ll be able to switch them around in the future when you need a little change.

Baskets and Woven Textures Are Your Secret Decorating Weapon

I will be telling you to add more baskets and woven textures like wicker, rattan, seagrass, and water hyacinth to your space until the end of time, so you’ll just have to get used to it. 🙂 Every room needs at least a few woven elements to make it feel complete. Baskets are a grounding, natural element in a space, and they make it feel like home in a way that nothing else can. If you don’t need baskets for storage, look at adding accents like a rattan tray on a coffee table, a wicker lampshade on a lamp, houseplants in basket planters, or even wicker counter stools. I recently shared a round up of some of my favorite woven finds, and these wicker vases were such a big reader favorite.

What is a Home Without Books?

There’s just something about being surrounded by books that makes you feel like you could cozy up and get lost in another world at any moment. This is one of the things that I see missing the most in the homes that I visit to style and photograph. A home just feels like it’s unfinished without a collection of books on the shelf or a stack of books on a table. Preferably, a space will have both, if the surfaces are available and it makes sense.

If you’re just starting your collection, aim to pick up a mix of new books and old for a bookshelf that is both affordable to fill and interesting to look at. Thrift stores and used book retailers can help find some great classics and beautiful coffee table books without overspending. A few new titles mixed in will help your displays feel current, and give you a fresh source of inspiration and entertainment.

A cozy post-Christmas home really comes down to adding layers of pattern, texture, and color to your space to help it feel a little more complete, and a little more like home. Has your home been feeling like something’s missing since you took down the Christmas decor?

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