Decorating with Winter Whites and Woods
Creative ideas for adding warmth and coziness to your home this winter season by decorating with whites and woods.
If your home is feeling bland and boring after packing away the Christmas decor, you're going to love these ideas to bring that cozy feeling back using whites and woods (and a little color too)!
Winter can be such a weird time in the home decor realm. Once all the color
and splendor of the Christmas season is packed away, our homes can feel so
sterile.
One way to banish that feeling is to decorate with white. Sounds crazy, I
know, but keep reading and let me show you some tricks for doing it right!
Tips for decorating with winter whites and woods
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Tip #1: white trees
Rather than pack away all the Christmas decor, I left a few strategic items
out to add a cozy feeling to our winter home. My favorite item to decorate
with for this winter season is my collection of white trees. You can
read my latest post
to see what other Christmas pieces I'm repurposing in my Valentines decor.
Ivory trees were a highlight of my holiday home this year, see more
HERE
and
HERE. My
velvet ribbon loop tree
was a simple DIY, and I added to my creamy white bottle brush tree collection
by shopping dollar stores. You'll notice nothing is bright white, but a
variety of creams and ivories. The variety of tones adds cozy warmth.
I love the snowy look on the bottle brush trees. Set as a grouping on top of
my
countertop pie safe, they make a lovely winter vignette. No other embellishment is needed. The
texture of the trees plays with the smooth finish of the ironstone egg
cup.
Designer tip - set some trees in white vessels like ironstone compotes,
egg cups, etc
I've gotten so much mileage from this little Dollar Tree Christmas tree that I
spray painted with
this ivory color. A soft pink velvet bow adds just a little color and made an easy transition
to Valentines Day. A variety of white ironstone smalls decorates this little
cubby in my kitchen.
A collection of winter white trees decorates the top of my antique white
dresser. I used spray paint to soften the bright white of several small trees.
Textures are an important way to make your home feel cozy - nothing too
perfect, embrace imperfections!
You'll notice several of my trees are sitting inside ironstone bowls, creamers
and sugar bowls. I love the vintage look, and it solves the problem of hiding
the tree stand in a very pleasing way.
Displaying the white trees in front of
wood shutters
allows them to not get lost in a sea of white!
Tip #2: vintage linens
Vintage linens in colors of white, ivory, taupe (and everything in between)
are a wonderful item to display. Get them out of your drawers and cabinets!
Hang them from a ladder, drawers, tucked into baskets, etc.
A vintage doily and handkerchief were tucked around the base of some of the
trees. The linens, all different shades of white, add a layered and cozy
warmth!
Shop the inexpensive dresser runner here.
Insider tip - Don't have any vintage doilies? Give bright white new ones
a little dip in a tea or coffee bath to instantly age them!
A
fuzzy tree pillow
cover adds texture and coziness to a chenille covered chair. Don't
forget to bring out your coziest throw blankets and pillows! No only are they
totally necessary on a cold winter's night, but they'll add neutral cozy
ambiance all winter long!
Please note: If you shop the pillow cover, be sure to use my discount code,
Cindy15, to save 15% on anything from the website!
This is the same company that sells my favorite waffle ruffled blanket that
I show in my
Christmas bedroom. Many of you have asked me about a source for that blanket!
Tip #3: greenery
Whether real or faux, greenery adds life to a space. It works so well with
white and wood decor. I have several pothos ivy plants that are so easy to
propagate. Simply cut several leaves, leaving a stem and pop into a jar of
water. Once roots develop, plant in soil.
Greenery really pops when surrounded by neutral decor. Aww, look at that sweet
puppy face ❤ Someone isn't supposed to be on the sofa, but Millie is in love
with that cozy throw so I can't really blame her lol!
I left up some Christmas greenery in the kitchen for a little spot of color.
You'll also notice that the cabinet isn't completely white...I faux stained
the top with
dark furniture paste wax
to give it a wood look (yep, right over the top of the white paint!)
Insider tip - this wax trick is my favorite way to faux stain
pieces! The wood grain effect is accomplished by swiping the wax in
the same direction! I've used this effect to age new wooden spoons, to
give a
weathered wood look to painted dressers, wood crates, even an inexpensive
metal tray!
I left out a small tabletop Christmas tree in green. It's in a basket on my
coffee bar, where I have lots of white. That little bit of green adds just the
right amount of winter color, and the Christmas ornaments were switched out
with
white embossed tile hearts
I made from a Dollar Tree wall tile.
Tip #4: warmth of wood tones
If you're worried about white looking too stark and sterile, the simplest way
to warm it up is by adding wood tones. This can be in the form of wood pieces,
like the cabinet and shutters you see in my images. But don't forget about
baskets and even pinecones!
Additional tips:
- different shades of white are the most pleasing to the eye, and give warmth when layered
- white bookshelves can be warmed up with wood crates and wicker baskets
- dark bookshelves can be lightened by using white items
- greenery will add life to your space
- paint something white if you have a lot of heavy, dark furniture! Check out my Chalk Paint Informative Posts (this is the only paint I recommend due to little prep, quick dry time and performance!)
I hope these ideas were helpful as you seek to create coziness in your home this winter season! Are you a fan of woods and whites together? I'd love to hear your favorite ways to add decorate your home during the winter months.
Looking for DIY Valentines Day inspo?
bringing beauty to the ordinary,
Is the top blanket on the ladder a vintage find? or where might I find one. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteThanks Pamela, no it only looks vintage. I found it at HomeGoods last year.
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