6 Ways to Keep Your Décor Cosy and Beautiful in January

10 Minute Read

When all the Christmas decorations come down in early January, it is somewhat jarring, and your home can feel a bit bare. When January is traditionally a long, cold, depressing month anyway, removing all the decoration completely can really start to add to the January blues! To keep the whole family’s spirits up, we’ve pulled together some of the ways that you can keep your home feeling cosy and beautiful until the days start to draw out again.

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1 - Seasonal decorations

Although seasonal decorations tend to be associated best with Halloween and Christmas, there really isn’t any reason that you shouldn’t put out decorations for January! While you’re packing the Christmas decorations away, keep the ones out that are more about ice, snowflakes, and cold weather activities. They are all perfectly suited for decorating your home throughout January, and because they’re associated with the elements, rather than December 25th, you’ll get away with keeping them out for longer.

2 - Switch out soft furnishings

January really is the depths of the winter, and often brings snow, ice, and other pretty rubbish weather that we want to avoid. With that in mind, switching curtains, cushions, rugs, and blankets out for thicker, textured styles will help increase the cosiness of your home. Knitted blankets, faux sheepskin rugs, and chunky throws that you can pile on and get really snuggled up under will make all the difference to your comfort during those cold days and nights.

3 - Pick cosy lighting options

Although the shortest day of the year has passed by the time we get into January, our homes are still in darkness by the time we get home from work. Since most of us are looking to save money in January, going out isn’t on the agenda, and curling up in front of the TV, or with a good book on an evening is at the forefront of most of our minds. Getting your lighting options right will help you to feel that lovely cosy feeling.

You don’t have to go buying different lighting just for winter though – you’ve almost certainly got everything you already need. Lighting experts recommend having a blend lighting options that include ambient light (usually the main ceiling light), task lighting (such as table lamps and reading light) and accent lighting, to highlight areas of the room that you want to draw attention to.

In addition to that, we can make our homes even cosier with soft lighting such as scented candles and fairy lights. Those lovely soft white fairy lights that you just took off the tree? Wind them along your mantel, use them in a non-working fireplace, or use them to decorate your house plants.

4 - Bring in flowers

January isn’t one of the best times of year to forage for foliage, but there are always options to be found, even if only in supermarkets. If you’re lucky, you might find some very early daffodils, which will help you to remember that spring days are just around the corner, but dried bouquets are always an option too – as are house plants, and there are no end of choices that will continue to look beautiful throughout January and beyond.

5 - Restyle your shelves

After the busy feeling that all the Christmas decoration can create, getting back into a routine and finding some semblance of order can feel refreshing. If you’ve received ornaments, photos in frames, or books as gifts, then finding a home for them will be a priority. Of course, we’re huge fans of having great shelves at Ben Simpson Furniture – it is quite literally where we started. There’s a certain art to styling your shelf though, and whether you choose bracket shelves, or floating shelves, we’ve included some great tips in this post about styling your perfect #shelfie.

6 - Choose a new home fragrance

Decorating your home for January isn’t just visual – your other senses can come into play too, and your sense of smell is incredibly influential. As the Christmas decorations are put away, so are the traditional Christmas scents of fir, cinnamon, and cloves that we all love. But with every ending comes a new beginning, and January is a great time to bring out a new scent that will make you feel great each time you get home.

Depending on what fragrances you have used over Christmas, you can still have warm, comforting, wintery scents. Orange, vanilla, and sandalwood are all great wintery options that aren’t too Christmassy. Whichever type of fragrance you choose, there’s a variety of ways to bring it in. Scented candles are a great option (and can increase the cosy factor no end!), but essential oil diffusers, reed diffusers and even plug-in fragrances can help to lift your spirits during the cold days of January.

Keep the hot drinks going

If you’ve been enjoying Irish coffees, mulled wine, and spiked cocoa throughout the festive period, you’ll know exactly how amazing they can be for upping your spirits when you’ve come home from a walk in the winter. Even if you’re taking on the challenge of a Dry January after the excesses of Christmas, you can still get that hygge feeling when you get in from the cold.

Set up a hot drinks station in your kitchen with your favourite mugs, and keep an assortment of luxurious drinks on hand. They can take the place of desserts after dinner if you’re on a fitness kick, and even if you’re not, then they’ll help to boost your mood each time you have one.

Final thoughts

For most of us, January might not our favourite time of the year, but with a few tweaks to your home, it doesn’t have to feel like you’re locked up inside while the wind and rain rage on outside. Get your seasonal decorations right, with plenty of soft furnishings, blankets, and lighting, and a delicious new home fragrance, as well as reorganising your shelving, and you’ll love being home through the shorter days until Valentine’s Day rolls around it is time to bring spring flowers into your home.