How to Keep Winter Decor Simple During a Season of Overwhelming Design

When it comes to winter decor, a pared-down approach can be refreshing when you're flooded with festive design everywhere you go. Deck the halls with welcoming style by creating an environment that is warm and inviting with just natural materials, texture and touch of sparkle. Don't be afraid to keep colors basic and consistent. The season is visually chaotic with everyone displaying their holiday finery at the same time, and a simply decorated Family Room should be a calming refuge when you get home.

CREATING A WARM AND WELCOMING HOME

Pine cones and evergreen branches make a great additions when incorporating winter décor. Try adding fresh flowers and fruits to centerpieces like touches of cinnamon or cranberry, which can still be seasonal without creating an overtly holiday theme. Feathers can add a bit of fancy, too, and cozy faux-fur throws are perfect for lounging and adding in a different texture to your space.

With a natural theme, it's much easier to add a small note of sparkle that really pops. Gold-tone ornaments, bedazzled pillows, silver tone containers these types of light-reflecting pieces can add the right amount of bling to your winterized household without going overboard.

Holiday Decorating Doesn't Stop with Interiors

The world outside our door can also be naturally hushed. Orange slices hung on pine trees actually sparkle nicely in the sun, and add a bright boost of color to the winter landscape. Real Simple suggests designing a wreath with the same citrus element, allowing your main entrance to make an offbeat impression on the rest of the neighborhood. Organic birdseed ornaments will attract the attention of your fine-feathered friends, too.

Here are a few more tips on how to incorporate simple and natural decorating into your home for the holidays:

GATHER SIMILAR OBJECTS FOR GREATER IMPACT

Courtesy of Nicole Yee Interiors

Setting the table with a vintage wooden bowl filled with shiny red and green apples or topping a sideboard with a group of golden ornaments are no-fuss ways to create holiday settings with style.

ADD CHARACTER TO YOUR EVERYDAY DISPLAYS

Woodsy creatures and bits of birch bark set a wintry vignette that adds the perfect touch of nature to a traditional dish cabinet, whereas DIY snow globes with battery-powered tea lights brighten the corners of a bookcase with imaginative whimsy.

THINK OUTSIDE THE HOLIDAY DECORATING BOX

This bright and cheery living room illustrates how a non-traditional approach to holiday decorating can provide a visual twist to winter décor. Warm orange and cool turquoise, coupled with diverse designer patterns, carries a unique visual appeal while keeping the holiday stimulation to a minimum.

Understating the things that are frequently overused can allow a confident rug, beautifully polished hardwood and the best show-stopping pieces to take center stage during such an entertaining season. How do you like to decorate for the holidays?