When the temperature drops and the snow falls, many people think of their homes as prisons instead of cozy refuges from the elements. The idea of spending months on end cooped up inside when you’d rather be outside exploring can feel stifling and depressing.
The great thing about interior design is that no matter how small your space or how big your budget is, you can transform your home into a cozy winter wonderland at a low cost. With just a few inexpensive materials and time spent scouring thrift stores, online auctions, and secondhand stores for hidden gems waiting to be discovered, you, too, can create an inviting atmosphere in which to spend your winter evenings.
Rather than dreading the coming cold weather, embrace it with these tips and tricks on decorating for winter without spending a fortune. Without further ado, here are some top winter decorating ideas just for you!
Decorating for winter on a budget
If you’re on a tight budget, you may be tempted to avoid decorating, but that’s not the way to go. While you should prioritise your spending on the essentials, there are many ways to create a beautiful winter wonderland on the cheap.
Here are a few tips to help you decorate for winter on a budget:
- Find your decorations in the closet: You might be surprised by what you can find if you look hard enough. Long-forgotten sweaters, scarves, and hats can be repurposed for a winter theme. Hats can be used as decoration and as a source of warmth too. Scarves can be hung from the wall as a decoration or tied around the legs or arms of tables or chairs as a visual and tactile element. Sweaters can be creatively folded, placed on chairs, or draped over lamps for a rustic touch.
- Swap out your light bulbs: Changing the light bulbs in your home to warmer tones can instantly change the atmosphere and cost almost nothing. By replacing your regular light bulbs with incandescent bulbs, you’ll bask in a warm and cozy glow, and those bulbs can cost less than $1 each. Or, if you prefer a cooler, more modern look, opt for LED bulbs, which are more efficient and durable than incandescent bulbs, with prices ranging from $5 to $20 per bulb.
Winter Decorating Ideas
Light it up
Ensure your home is well-lit during the winter by adding an extra lamp or two and changing the bulbs in your existing lamps to warmer-coloured ones. Touches of fairy lights or decorative string lights will add a warm glow to your home. The extra warmth and glow will make it inviting for guests. Don’t have the budget to light your home in this way or live in an area without power? Invest in a few battery-operated lamps. This way, you’ll have light whenever you need it without worrying about power outages. Using string lights indoors can also give your space an outdoor feel. While these won’t provide much light, they’ll still help create a warm ambience.
Decorating with candles is a great way to add lighting to any room in your home. They can create a warm, romantic atmosphere or a playful, celebratory mood. You can use candles to decorate a table or mantlepiece during the holidays. Make sure they’re properly placed and out of reach of children and pets. Take advantage of natural light.
Close the curtains during the day and open them when the sun goes down. If you have the option, orientate your furniture to face the direction where the light comes into your home. If you have a fireplace or wood-burning stove, open the curtains during the day. That way the light from the flames can add natural illumination to the room.
Blankets for warmth and comfort
Don’t already have a few blankets hanging around? Now would be a good time to start collecting them. You can find blankets in all shapes, sizes, and colours, but the most important thing is that they’re soft and cozy.
To decorate your home while providing warmth and comfort, you’ll want to have blankets on hand. Blankets can be used to decorate your furniture. Toss them on the backs of chairs, drape them over lamps, across the backs of sofas, or comfy chairs. When guests come over, ensure they have a blanket to snuggle under.
Winter decorating also calls for you to invest in a throw rug. A throw rug will help to bring warmth to your indoor space. You can use it to cover a stained or dirty floor or to add a splash of colour to a room. Rugs come in all shapes and sizes; you can even find tiny ones for the coffee table or a child’s play area.
Another thing you can do is blanket your walls. If you have bare walls, you can easily remedy the situation by hanging a few blankets or tapestries. Opt for large, colourful pieces or more subtle, neutral-coloured blankets.
Decorating with small touches
While you want to avoid turning your home into a snow globe, adding white elements to your space can help create a winter wonderland and keep your home feeling warm and cozy. Select white decorations and accents instead of colourful ones. Choose white tablecloths, napkins, or even silverware instead of your normal colours. Change the central focus of your home’s decorations to white, and you’ll have a winter wonderland in no time. You can also use white to decorate your windows. Cut out pieces of white paper or fabric and place them on your windows to reflect light and create a warm ambience.
If you’re feeling creative and have the time, you can use items you already have at home to add some warmth to your space. If you have plants, you can use the leaves as decorations. You can also use food as decoration, such as oranges and lemons. You can also use cheese, such as cheddar, to decorate. Other things you can use are pinecones, candles, and spices. Another decoration you can use is yarn. Knit different patterns to decorate your home. You can also use your kids’ toys and books as decoration. Or perhaps, you can also use your old shoes as decorations. If you want to use old clothing, you can cut it, tear it up, or sew it to decorate your home.
Final Words on Winter Decorating Ideas
When the weather starts to cool down, many people find it hard to motivate themselves to decorate their homes for winter. Don’t let this happen to you. With just a few inexpensive materials and some time spent scouring thrift stores, online auctions, and secondhand stores for hidden gems waiting to be discovered, you, too, can create an inviting atmosphere in which to spend your winter evenings.
Hopefully, these tips and tricks can help you decorate for winter without spending a fortune.
So, what are you waiting for? Grab those decorations and get to work!
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