Now that the holiday season is over, I’m kind of dreading taking down my holiday decor. I love the holidays, but winter? Not so much. One way I’ve found to cope is to go all-out with creating a nest of a sort to stay warm and comfortable in. This year, we’re all dealing with isolation and distance on top of a lack of sunlight and good weather. Cozy winter home decor is something I’ve gotten very much into as I get older as it seems to get harder and harder to deal with the cold and dark. Winter decorating often gets lumped in with decorating for the holidays, but there are some specific ways to make decorating for winter just as fun and create a more calming home in the process.

Read on for some easy and cozy winter decor ideas!

cozy textures

This one sounds like a no-brainer but I sometimes forget about the importance of texture when considering cozy home decor ideas, especially a living room or bedroom. Blankets, pillows and all the cozy things have so much potential to bring warmth to a space. I think we can take the winter “nesting” thing literally and make sure we have all the cozy items to wrap up in when we inevitably stare out the window at snow fall.

warm lighting

Candles and twinkly lights are inherently cozy touches, right? I love holiday lights or fairy lights. Especially in a smaller space, they give such a cozy cottage decor feel. If you get the wire kind, they’re such an understated home decor option and they blend in with the background when turned off. I use these battery-powered copper wire fairy lights from Home Depot.

Candles are also a must and thanks to places like Target, we have endless options that don’t just fit every scent preference, but every shape, size and aesthetic preference too. I love to buy candles at TJ Maxx to find all sorts of scents and candles that can truly be used as decor items first. If you’re stuck in a dorm room or another space where you’re unable to burn candles, flickering tea lights can still give some of the same effect with the light they give off, especially at night.

A tea or coffee station

Warm winter drinks are obviously a must for the season. I love earl grey tea, chai or hot chocolate after being out in the cold. I drink about 3-4 cups of tea on any given day, but I honestly think that number increases once the weather gets colder. I’ve pretty much decided that I need a tea or coffee station in all of my future homes, because I dream of a dedicated tea station organizer and taking part in the necessity that are cozy drinks to warm you up. Do you drink your coffee black? You still need a specific place to brew it or to sit down and savor it (or gulp it down, we all have those mornings).

natural decor

Bringing the outdoors indoors is one of my favorite ways to decorate for the holidays but natural decor ideas work all year-round. If you’re a home decor minimalist, this is also an affordable and easy option. I love to put pine branches in a vase or display pinecones in places to give a rustic home decor feel. DIY is also an option when working with natural items—I love these simple twig wreaths that can be changed up through the year.

a home for winter clothing

Part of a calming space is having your items organized efficiently so you can function at your best. All of the snow boots, coats, scarves and hats can create clutter in places like entryways and closets. Taking the time to source some baskets for your mittens or a new shoe rack can help to reduce the amount of stuff laying around and make peeling off all of your winter layers a faster process. Try and think about your daily routines—do you have tons of winter activity ideas and brave the snow often? Better to have your winter clothing items close to the exit.

I hope these ideas are helpful to you when gearing up (or slowing down) for the rest of the winter, which, if you’re a Minnesota girl like me, is LONG. But have no fear, you can survive it! Just hunker down and get toasty.

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