Whether you're pleased to de-Christmas your home or desperate to hold on to the magic a little bit longer, there's no denying that the decor can look a little lacklustre once stripped of festive sparkle.
Luckily, as with ways of making a home look expensive on a budget, there are simple styling ideas that can brighten up the decor during the darker winter months to make your home feel cosy and well-dressed and less devoid of decorative touches – all without a bauble or piece of tinsel in sight.
By following these simple styling tips, you too can keep the spirit of Christmas decor alive, without it being obvious that you're struggling to let go. Besides, what better way to cheer up dark winter decor and avoid SAD than using savvy interior design tips?
Ways to decorate a house after Christmas: 10 simple ideas
From adopting a leading biophilic trend by keeping a tree present to hanging ambient fairy lights and scent-scaping, these small touches can make a huge difference when it comes to decorating homes after Christmas.
1. Keeping fairy lights on display
One of the most mesmerising things about festive decorations is the twinkling lights. Whether on the tree, the mantelpiece, or the porch, fairy lights captivate and instantly transform the decor. I'm a big fan of celebrating the humble fairy light at all times of the year to spark joy in any room.
“Don’t take down the fairy lights", agrees Amy Wilson, interior designer for 247 Curtains, so you needn't worry about the best way to store Christmas lights. "With Christmas now behind us, and we begin to box the decorations back up, I’d advise you to keep the fairy lights in place for the remainder of these dark, cold winter months."
"That special, twinkly glow does not need to be kept exclusively for the festive season; instead, let it continue to make your home feel cosy. When taking down your Christmas tree, try draping the lights over window ledges, mantles, or door frames.”
To make them feel less festive, you could opt for alternative fairy lights, such as pom poms or paper lanterns.
2. Welcoming prominent greenery
Talk about the elephant in the room...there's now a great big empty void where a magnificent alpine spruce commanded attention for weeks. This is when styling your home with plants can work wonders.
Not having a tree where one has stood for so long creates a distinct lack of focal point within your living space. A great way to rectify this is to simply get another tree or a statuesque plant that can provide an all-year-round alternative – I have a magnificent monstera that I have elevated onto a side table to make it more prominent in the corner of my living room.
“Dragon Tree is one of the easiest indoor trees to maintain," advises Wendy Rea, an expert florist at Direct2Florist, "making it a good choice for beginners, or those wanting something a little less maintenance, as it can go a long time without being watered."
"The Dragon tree can grow up to six feet tall, filling any space beautifully that may look a little bare - especially now that our Christmas trees have been packed away. It’s an ideal choice for people who prefer a minimalist look and suits any interior space."
3. Dressing the mantel
As the focal point of any living room, the fireplace is the most obvious place to decorate during the holidays, so it's a key area to create a decorative point of interest all year round.
You might not choose to go as a statement as you would at Christmas, so swap the garland for smaller foliage and garnish, but still pair it with candles and decorative trinkets to welcome a glint of sparkle.
4. Hanging a decorative wreath
It's becoming more commonplace to hang seasonal wreaths outside of the Christmas holidays, and for good reason – a decorative wreath on the front door brightens up the exterior of your home with minimal effort. And who says they can only be used on the front door? There are plenty of internal doors that may need cheering up for winter.
You can celebrate seasonal blooms with a fresh floral creation or go for a longer-standing artificial wreath that will last all year round. There's no saying the wreath in question has to be flower-based because, as with the best Christmas wreaths, there are many creative designs to choose from to suit your personal style.
After making my own wreath, I was even more reluctant to take it down this year. Instead, I have removed the obvious nod to Christmas (the red velvet bow and red berries) and refreshed it with fresh eucalyptus. I bought a bunch from a local florist and now also have a few sprigs indoors in a vase.
5. Casting a warm glow with candlelight
Candles are not just for Christmas; in fact, they are ideal for use all year round – but particularly post-holidays to add more ambient lighting. This is even more important during the darker months, generally as we look for ways to make our homes feel cosier.
The best flameless candles are perfect for window ledges to cast a warm glow that can be enjoyed by passersby, something that I personally miss once the decorations come down. They are also ideal for safely dressing mantelpieces, coffee tables, dining tables, and even kitchens – basically, anywhere you would have Christmas candles alight.
While the use of these candles won't necessarily keep your house warm, it goes a long way to making the surroundings feel more comforting and cosy, and will certainly lift the atmosphere. As a result, I now have an LED candle in every room.
You can, of course, also welcome real candles in rooms where they are not left unattended.
Remote or switch: Switch | Battery life: 600 hours | Thanks to the TruGlow innovative technology, which uses hand-poured real wax to create a perfect finish, these LED candles are thoroughly realistic.
Weight: 185g | Burn time: 37.5 hours | Wax: 100% naturally derived wax | Notes: Sandalwood, frankincense & nutmeg | If you're a lover of more masculine woody smells, this fragrance is a great choice.
Weight: 520g | Burn time: 40 hours | Wax: Natural wax | Notes: Cardamom, cinnamon leaf and sandalwood | As part of the Apothecary range, this candle is designed to bring a sense of calm and comfort to your space.
6. Creating a seasonal centrepiece
Christmas centrepiece ideas are a huge deal when decorating for the holidays, but why not use this styling tip to make your dining table feel dressed for all occasions?
Replace the eucalyptus and winter berries with more seasonally appropriate flowers and foliage. You can even forage your garden for greenery that can act as a table display at no cost.
It may be that you don't use the table for everyday meals, but in that instance, why not move the garland to a console table to coffee table to enjoy a flourish of colour and foliage there instead?
7. Adding colour to floors to welcome guests
An area that is often most significantly devoid of colourful Christmas cheer is the entrance to your home, which, without stair garlands, lights, and festive characters adorning console tables, suddenly becomes very drab in comparison.
Adding a simple touch of colour via a decorative doormat is a great start to make it a more receptive and cheerful space. You may well have a Christmas doormat that gets swapped out for a plain coir mat once it's all over – consider a colourful upgrade to make the transition a little bit brighter.
8. Hanging garlands and happy sentiments
Festive decorating always welcome a statement of goodwill and happy sentiments, which your home might miss once the decorations come down. Consider hanging thoughtful bunting or banners in place of Christmas garlands or artwork that declares happy sentiments to bring positive energy to your home and ensure smiles all around.
9. Replacing distinctive Christmas scents
Christmas has a very distinctive smell, one of cloves, cinnamon, and spices. Because this conjures up the scene of festivities, you'll want to look to make your house smell good in other ways, with scents that don't feel Christmassy.
“Interiors are often brought to life when paired perfectly with a complementary scent," explains Amy. "With scent being commonly associated with mood, adding a new fragrance candle or room diffuser is a great and cost-efficient way to elevate the space."
"Opt for fresh and clean smells such as eucalyptus, basil, or lavender, which will work to instantly calm the senses as you enter the room. A good tip is to ensure you have a different scent in your relaxing areas from your working areas if you work at home. This will help to separate the two and encourage true rest in your living spaces.”
Some of the best-scented candle collections include seasonal scents, with some of the best-selling scents at The White Company.
Scent family: Green, earthy | Scent notes: bergamot, blackcurrant, lime, basil, tomato
| Size: 140g Wax: plant-based | Estimated Burn Time: 30 hours
Scent family: Fruity floral | Scent notes: Bergamot, pink pepper, jasmine, fig, cedar, benzoin | Size: 200g | Wax: soy | Estimated Burn Time: 50 hours
Scent family: Green, fresh | Scent notes: lemongrass, ginger, heliotrope | Size: 220g |
Wax: soy | Estimated Burn Time: 50 hours
10. Decorating windows
In recent years, decorating windows for Christmas has become one of the leading trends. I use a collection of reusable stickers to add a simple decorative touch to my windows, and even that little amount goes a long way.
Having taken them down earlier this week, I was already feeling like the view out is missing something, but then, when these new images from Brume arrived in my inbox, I felt inspired to order a scenic sticker to add to my windows all year round.
I already have plain film in place at the front of the house to welcome privacy without blocking any light, so I will simply replace a plain panel to add a decorative element to the room, retaining a touch of seasonal magic.
While the transition of a home filled with decorations to a bare space can sometimes feel a bit sad, it does offer a prime time to reset your home for the new year ahead. It's all about balance and creating a home that feels comforting for the darker, colder winter months ahead.
