Home Decor

Enjoying winter indoors with cozy vibes

Jessica Crawford
Cotton & Co.

(2/2022) Every year, this season rolls around. The one stuck between the holidays and Spring. Where everything can feel a little anticlimactic, after all of the Christmas decorations come down. The days are short, and nights are long. Everything is chilly, and we’re contained indoors for a few months. I always refer to it as the "Awkward Season." It can be a challenging season to find contentment in our homes, but it doesn’t have to be. In our shop, we call it a transition season. While Christmas and the holidays are over, it’s still Winter, so how do we stretch our holiday décor and integrate cozy, comfy vibes to survive the long months ahead?

Our family tends to take down our Christmas tree and all of the overtly Christmas holiday decorations in mid January. We like to enjoy them through the full extent of the holidays. But at some point mid-month, are more than ready to put all the displaced furniture back into place, not having to water the tree regularly, and reclaiming the house from the kid’s new toys and treasures still lingering about under the tree.

Pulling down and packing up the tree and the Christmas decorations, doesn’t necessarily have to mean putting it all away. There are some holiday decorations that are great to keep out to stretch though winter. For instance, while I pack away most of the décor, I always keep out my vintage ceramic trees through the end of February. I have a little forest of them, that I’ve collected through the years. One belonging to the late uncle of my best friend, one belonging to my grandparent’s that I Inherited this year with the passing of my grandmother. Others that I have found out and about at various antique shops. I love that each one is unique in color, shape and size. They feel like winter without being completely Christmas-related.

I also have a vintage inspired blush-pink tinsel tree that I keep up through the end of February. It’s a slender, six-foot tree that transitions perfectly from Christmas through Valentine’s Day. I decorate it in vintage pink and cream ornaments and vintage valentines from the 1930’s. It sits perfectly in an alcove at the top of our staircase in our historic farmhouse, until I’m ready to start decorating the house for Spring in March.

All the glitter on everything is what really feels like Christmas. Perhaps tuck those items away until next season. But winter greenery is perfect to keep around through the winter months. Faux greenery and flowers have come a long way in the last twenty years. So much of it is ultra-realistic and it feels like you’ve brought a little of the outside, inside during the months where we may be feeling disconnected from the outdoors and nature. Kristen, Owner of Misfit Vintage Co, one of the many talented vendors that compose our dream team at Cotton & Co Vintage Boutique, also uses this approach in her home and her space at the shop. She believes that removing the glitter from the equation, showcases all of the evergreen greenery that naturally occurs and thrives in this season.

Bringing natural elements into your home during the long, winter months, can really help with boosting spirits. Or family is full of December birthdays. Each year, my mom visits her local garden center and picks up Narcissus bulbs for all of us with December birthdays. She’s done this for my entire lifetime, as far as my entire memory stretches. Also known as Paper Whites, Narcissus is the birth flower for the month of December, and can be forced to grow and bloom indoors. They take about a month to go from a bulb to blooming. They bloom with clusters of fragrant white flowers, that fill a living space with a soft, delicate floral fragrance. I’m a firm believer in fresh flowers throughout the home, through the entire year. During the Summer months, I tend a cut-flower garden in our back yard so that I have endless access to fresh flowers. But during the winter, it’s a nice pop of brightness to support your local florist, and give your environment a mood boost and treat yourself to fresh flowers.

Houseplants are an amazing way to enjoy nature, indoors. With the huge resurgence in love for indoor tropicals, garden centers and nurseries are brimming this time of year, with a vast selection of fun, unique plants to uplift your winter spirits. There is no such thing as too many plants in my humble little opinion. There is also a large selection of books available, great for double-use as coffee-table books, on tending to your new little house-plant-pets. Check out your local bookstore, they’ll be able to help you find some beautiful guides, that also serve as coffee table décor too.

Filling your home with soft and comfy textiles this time of year, is also a great way to embrace the winter months. I love treating myself to a couple of comfy new throw pillows and blankets each season. For a more traditional winter feel, add oversized and soft, white and cream textiles to your favorite living spaces. I personally decorate with lots of color and texture, so I love an oversized, soft throw or pillows in a deep jewel-tone with a fun texture or pattern. Our furniture is solid colored for the most part, so I like to add throws and pillows with pattern and texture to break up the solid colors of the base furniture.

Winter can be a challenging season to love and embrace. But year after year, from now until forever, it will continue to roll around. So, find a way to make it comfortable and cozy for you. Stretch the holidays a bit by leaving the more winter-like decorations up. Add some comfy accents, move furniture around to refresh a space. Winter is an excellent time of year to tackle a home project. If you ever need help or guidance, our friendly and knowledgeable staff is always happy to help or provide inspiration. Follow our journey on Facebook and Instagram (@CottonandCoVintageBoutique) and stop by the shop in Keymar! Cotton & Co is open weekly, Fridays through Sundays.