Decorating for Winter Guide

Winter decor automatically correlates to specific holidays during the winter months. The holidays are only a few days out of the entire winter, so why decorate that way because of three or four days? Unless you enjoy having Christmas décor or running turkeys in your home all winter; there's no reason to. Small decorating changes can winterize your home without an entire overhaul.

Put away winter white, seasonal items

Winter whites are popular, but put some of these seasonal items aside to help create the winter setting you want. Replace these items with neutral wool throws or pillows, or lay a small hound's tooth rug over your carpet. Angle the rug to create a layered look, and to breaks up the lines of the room.

Change your bedding

During the winter months I like to change my bedding to match the season change. Summer and fall bedding in brights and whites are alternated with burgundies, deep greens and chocolate. Although the colors are dark I add very light shades of pillows and throws to break up the lines and to brighten the room.

Add slip covers to change the decor

Use slip covers on furniture during the winter if your furniture is light or made of summer materials such as cottons or rattan. Slip covers give the furniture a big facelift, and salvage it at the same time. Since my kids are young I like to use thick slip covers in festive Jacquard for my dining room chairs. The Jacquard offers camouflage for stains, and has simple ties or tie backs to keep the slip covers in place. I prefer tie backs so I don't have to get on my hands and knees to tie the slip cover from the bottom.

Drape the drapery

Winter is a good time to display your windows with curtains or drapes even if you're not keen on draperies. They do not need to be heavy, or have thermal insulation unless you need it. Choose rods in wood or metal so you can use them all year long.

Change your wall decor

Update your photos and paintings with winter photos. After living in Chicago I have several photos taken of us while in the snow. I line the walls with them when the weather turns cold. Even if you're not too creative with photos there are temporary wall decals and appliqués for the winter season. Wall decals can come in slogans or pictures, and are easily applied and removed.