Transitioning From Holiday to Winter Decor | An Interview with Wayfair

With the holiday season in full swing, our homes feel extra festive, strung head to toe in lights, and every open space decked in holiday decorations.

When the season ends, it can be a little sad seeing all the decorations go!

However, it’s easy to transition from over-the-top holiday decor to a more understated look that will carry your space through the winter.

Think cozy textures, lush greenery, and warm colors to evoke the perfect vibes for hot cocoa by the fire after a day playing out in the snow.

Check out my recent interview below with Wayfair to see how I transition from holiday to winter decor!

WINTER DECOR TRANSITION: Q&A with Ann of Dabbling and Decorating

Wayfair: How do you incorporate winter decor into your space without it feeling too “holiday”?

Ann: This is an easy one for me. If you’ve been following me for a while, you know that I like to keep things simple around the holidays. Otherwise, I can feel very cluttered. I tend to go with a smaller Christmas tree, simple evergreens, and my favorite, vintage ski lodge decor.

So when the holidays have passed, it’s a simple and easy takedown. I can leave the evergreen arrangements up until they fall onto the floor, then replace them with faux or seasonal flowers like winterberries, pinecones, fresh evergreens, tulips, etc…

You may enjoy this romantic Valentine’s Table Setting where I used winterberries as the centerpiece and these DIY tulip arrangements in the post, Antique Crocks with White Tulips I designed for Saint Patrick’s Day.

Christmas Bows

Next, I remove any bows that I have applied to my decor. For instance, this year’s Christmas theme was around old musical instruments that I found antiquing.

You may see more in the post, How to Decorate with Old Musical Instruments. Each instrument has a blue velvet ribbon, which I will remove after the holidays.

And the instruments instantly become winter home decor.

Vintage Ski Lodge Decorations

My outdoor and indoor vintage ski lodge decor is also very winter-adaptable. Snowshoes, skis, ski boots, sleds, toboggans, and basket backpacks easily transition from Christmas to winter by simply removing the bows.

I love decorating for the holidays and winter with vintage ski lodge decor, so much so that I created an entire blog series around it. You may see more HERE.

Christmas Wreaths

At our home in Coastal Maine, I have a front door 3 Wreath Christmas Tradition, and after the holidays, I remove the Christmas bows, leaving the wreaths on the door, and have added things like coastal bows and ice skates with pink touches for Valentine’s Day.

I chose this reversible quilt set from Wayfair in our guest bedroom for its versatility and effortless transition from Christmas to winter decor.

See more of this guest bedroom decorated for winter in the post, 5 Cozy Cottage Christmas Guest Bedroom Swaps.

Wayfair: Are there any pieces you reuse from your holiday decor collection?

Ann: YES! Almost all of it. For example, this bare pine tree stayed on our porch all winter long. A simple bare tree leaning up on the porch, deck, fence, side of the house, etc., adds rustic winter charm like a country setting from a Hallmark movie.

As I mentioned above, the vintage ski lodge decor I incorporate into our holiday home decor easily transitions into winter. Old sports equipment like vintage snowshoes, skis, sleds, and basket backpacks are a tradition here in New England. I even decorate with them in the off-season; that’s how much I enjoy them.

Blue Tablescape

I created a table setting for the holidays with this fabulous blue and gray stoneware from Wayfair. In the post, 6+ Holiday Pointers for Setting a Coastal Tablescape, you may see more of this coastal holiday-inspired tablescape. A table setting that will transition seamlessly from the holidays straight into winter and beyond.

Christmas Mannequin

This Christmas tree mannequin will also remain up through Valentine’s Day. The pink bow and winter evergreens are stylish, warm, and eclectic, sitting pretty in my craft room space.

Wayfair: What inspires your winter decor? i.e., a cozy log cabin decked in plaid or maybe an icy blue winter wonderland?

Ann: My outdoor surroundings inspire my winter decor. Living in the Green Mountains of Vermont, we are influenced here daily by the natural beauty of the mountains and the outdoors. It’s cold and snowy all winter long. So, having a cozy and comfortable home is essential to me.

I like adding lots of sheepskins, quilts, pillows, and blankets to our chairs, bedding, and seating areas, creating an inviting, comfortable, and casual place to come home to and enjoy after a long day of skiing or snowshoeing.

A place to warm up, cook, dine, watch a movie, and modestly relax. See more of this space in the post, Cozy Winter Dining Room with Ski Lodge Decor | Get the Look.

A big thank you to Wayfair for the inspiration and partnership this holiday season!