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My Winter Living Room & Mantel

Embrace winter and decorate your home to reflect this cozy season!  I’m sharing some simple ideas to decorate A Winter Living Room and Mantel.

Well here we are, it’s January and the temperatures are hovering between -25 and -35 degrees C. It’s SO cold. I personally don’t mind a few days of this weather because it also usually means that the sun is shining and the snow sparkles…it’s beautiful.

But this time can also be kind of a weird lull…the extreme cold keeps us indoors, we’re all trying to get back into a routine after the holidays, Christmas has been all cleaned up and now the house feels bare. That’s the worst part, the coziness of the holiday season has all been packed up into boxes and I wasn’t quite ready to let it go, but it was time. So I decided to embrace our winter season. I want to embrace it. All of it. The snow, the ice, the cold, the skating, the tobogganing, the slush, the grey, the sunshine. Winter in Canada.

And embrace it I am, and that includes indoors. I decided to make our home a cozy winter retreat. So come on in and embrace winter with me!

a white couch with green plaid pillows, navy blue pillows and white pillows with elk on them. in the background is a stone fireplace and white shelves filled with wood

Make it Cozy.

My biggest goal for decorating my living room for winter was to make it cozy. And that means ALL the pillows and throws…cozy blankets and cushions are a must because our nights are chiiiiiillllly and we need the extra warmth! I found these 2 green plaid pillows at Winners in December and had to have them…with their cottage vibe I knew they would be PERFECT for our sofa in our winter living room! They’re soft, comfy and add such a nice pop of colour.

a white couch with green plaid pillows, navy blue pillows and white pillows with elk on them. in the background is a stone fireplace and white shelves. the mantel has a tiny house village and twinkly lights. the shelves are filled with wood, baskets and pictures
a white couch with green plaid pillows, navy blue pillows and white pillows with elk on them. in the background is a stone fireplace and white shelves filled with wood, baskets and pictures

I also really love the stacks of wood and decided to leave them on my shelves…natural elements always make things feel cozy. The colour and texture that they add to my living room is perfect! I also kept some greenery here to add more pops of colour.

a shelf filled with stacks of wood and evergreen sprigs

Christmas Decor turned into Winter Decor

You probably noticed that I kept my little village up on my mantel from Christmas. I couldn’t bear to put these little houses away just yet, and since they are neutral in colour, I thought they would be perfect for winter decorating. Not only that, they’re the perfect focal point for a string of twinkly lights…twinkly lights are a must in these colder months!

a stone fireplace and white shelves. there is a fire in the fireplace. the mantel has a tiny house village and twinkly lights. the shelves are filled with wood, baskets and pictures. on the left is a wicker egg chair with a navy blue pillow

Candles are a must too! I try to burn candles in the darkness of winter as much as I can, so I gather all of my candle holders together and scatter them around my living room and even into our dining area.

a top down view of three white candles in wooden candle holders, a small lit candle in a glass jar and faux evergreen sprigs

Shop around your home.

As always, I try to ‘shop’ around my home when I decorate. I shuffled a few pieces of furniture, brought in one of my egg chairs for a cozy reading nook. Added some faux winter greens for colour. Brought in my birch sticks from the front porch. You’d be surprised at how much you already have at home that you can decorate with.

a stone fireplace and white shelves. there is a fire in the fireplace. the mantel has a tiny house village and twinkly lights. the shelves are filled with wood, baskets and pictures. on the left is a wicker egg chair with a navy blue pillow. in the foreground is a wooden coffee table with books and candles.
a wicker egg chair with a navy blue pillow sits next to a stone fireplace with a fire going

All the winter vibes! I’m loving how it all came together. This space makes me happy, and I don’t miss my Christmas decorations anymore! Between the twinkly lights, a roaring fire in the fireplace, candles, blankets and pillows, everything feels sooooo cozy.

a fluffy black and white dog sits in a wicker egg chair
a stone fireplace and white shelves. there is a fire in the fireplace. the mantel has a tiny house village and twinkly lights. the shelves are filled with wood, baskets and pictures. on the left is a wicker egg chair with a navy blue pillow. in the foreground is a wooden coffee table with books and candles.

Time to sit back, pop some popcorn and watch a movie! Happy Winter!

a stone fireplace and white shelves. there is a fire in the fireplace. the mantel has a tiny house village and twinkly lights. the shelves are filled with wood, baskets and pictures. on the left is a wicker egg chair with a navy blue pillow. in the foreground is a wooden coffee table with books and candles.
a white couch with green plaid pillows, navy blue pillows and white pillows with elk on them. in the background is a stone fireplace and white shelves filled with wood

PIN IT for later!

I hope you enjoyed your visit here and leave feeling inspired to decorate your own home for winter! Have an inspired day!

Note: This post was originally published in 2013. I have since updated it with new images and tips!

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35 Comments

  1. Your living room is adorable. I am also trying to stick with more seasonal decorations. I have a lot of bowls of pine cones and candles lying around. 🙂

  2. Very pretty Jo-Anna! I really love all of it. Your couch looks really comfy too. Enjoy our last day or two of warmer temps before it gets chilly again for a few days. Hope you’re having a great weekend! =)

    ~ Catie

    1. Hi Kathryn!
      We bought our couch at LazyBoy. We’ve had it for over 6 years now and it’s really held up well – we love it!
      Thank you for stopping by!

  3. Tell you what…I’ll let you embrace winter all you want. You can have my share. 🙂 Your decor is beautiful. I love shades of blue mixed in with browns and beiges. That’s what I’ve been doing in my living room, too.

    1. Thank you Diane!
      We bought our table at IKEA a couple of years ago, but they still have them. I think the style is called LIATORP.
      Happy Decorating!

  4. Love it! We share the same winter! So far it has been quite mild except for during teh Christmas vacation. What a wonderful idea to bring it inside! So enjoy your writing style, photographs and inspirations. ~Thea

  5. Cozy and rustic – just like every Canadian home should be this time of year. I love the little pops of shimmer you added, too. A little candlelight goes a long way!

  6. You have a beautiful fireplace and you have accented it nicely. I was planning on having a nice fire tonight but now it’s going to get warm again where I am (also in suburbia Canada). Enjoy your pretty mantel!

  7. A beautiful winter mantel (and great room), indeed! I love the winter details you added … your bookcase is styled wonderfully (big fan of IKEA, too)! And, your couch looks so inviting (fabulous tray on your table, too)! Glad to have spotted you over at My Uncommon Slice!

  8. I love distressed furniture, Difficult to find. Your end table is exactly what I am looking for. Where can I find furniture like this.

    1. Hi Joanne!
      Funny story – I found that table at a garage sale, and at the time they were using it as a table to hold their items for sale…they didn’t think anyone would want it, so they were more than happy to sell it to me! I LOVE this table!

  9. Your mantle is oh so pretty!! Also I love the stone on your fireplace surround. We have been mulling over options for a fireplace redo and I can’t wait to show yours to my husband. I know we can get stone veneer and apply it right over the brick that we have – it would make such a difference. Thank you for sharing your lovely room – I am inspired!

  10. I live in Texas. It’s 70 degrees outside right now, so I try try bring some winter into my home to remind my family what season it’s “supposed” to be!! Your is absolutely beautiful!!!

  11. We are in the process of redoing our living room, including fireplace and have been *scouring* the web for inspirations. My daughter hit on yours today – and that is IT – just what we have been looking for. Can you identify for us the stone – what is it called and where can I get it. I assume it is a stone facade?

    1. Hi Debbie! Our home builder made the fireplace (we’re actually the second set of home owners so I don’t know much about it). I’m not 100% sure what the stone is, but it appears to be a man-made moulded limestone of some sort. It’s not real stone, but it sure looks like it! I’m sure if you mentioned that to a builder/fireplace expert they would know exactly what direction to point you. Good luck!