If your house feels a bit blah after taking down your tree,
you’re not alone.
No need to fret whenever your house looks alarming in any way, it’s just speaking to you, letting you know what it needs. We simply need to learn how to listen.
If you took your tree down and your house feels empty, cold, or even dead (it’s been said!), here are three ways to perk it back up, by replacing something that your Christmas tree was providing.
Lighting is so important in every room of our home and we don’t usually realize the affect it has on us until we bring in a layer of warm cozy light, then remove it. This is exactly what happens when we remove the Christmas tree.
Maybe you need more lamps, reading lights or add some remote control candles or an electric wood stove for a cozy fire look. Here are some ideas beyond the dreaded overhead light that will instantly cozy up your room.
- Pleated lamp
- Woven table lamp: I have a few of these and even when the light is off, the material visually warms a room
- Pleated sconce with dark wood accents
- Stick candles: My favorite!
- Small touch light: I have 3 of these, choose the brightness and warmth, perfect on a dining table
- Best flameless candles with a remote!
- 4 Wick candle: wood wicks
- Candle sconce
- Flickering flame bulb: I have this on our front porch, so cozy and welcoming
- Plug in wall sconce
- Whipstitch shade lamp
- Electric wood stove: I have this one in my office, it’s tiny but works great
- Edison style lightbulbs for a warm and cozy glow
- White table lamp: less than $100
Besides our sofa, the Christmas tree is one of the largest items in the home. Sometimes, removing it creates a void so large it can only be filled by something substantial.
Playing with scale is a great way to add interest to a room. Large items are risky and have presence which we automatically associate with having style. This doen’t mean you have to replace your tree with something of equal size, but if the room as a whole is filled with smalls, it could feel choppy, cluttered yet still somehow empty.
I believe in getting the most amount of style with the least amount of stuff, and one way to get there is by using less decor but LARGER decor. Amen.
Consider a large rug, a larger piece of art or giant mirror, maybe a live tree with a planter which leads us to the next tip…
Every room of your house needs its greens. Whether that’s in the form of live houseplants, grocery store flowers, yard cuttings or pretend plants, that’s up to you, but a room without greens looks sickly and half dead.
January is the perfect time to add in some green. Consider a fern for your coffee table, or some type of green on a table near a window–bonus points if you use a green and container that have presence and scale.
As a Cozy Minimalist I don’t believe in adding stuff just for the sake of collecting cute items. If your room is missing something take the time to evaluate what you could add that will serve you all year around, while contributing both function and beauty to your home.
