How To: Holiday to Cozy

The holidays are one of my favorite times of the year. Filled with precious family moments, laughter, memories and traditions, the season becomes more meaningful to me each year. It can be time consuming decorating with all the hustle and bustle the season brings. Being that I rent an apartment, I don't have a ton of additional storage for holiday decor. I also like to keep things more simplistic and cozy, instead of the traditional red and green all over.

With that, my holiday decor makes for an easy post-Christmas transition. The focal piece is the tree, which is something my parents passed down to me. It might not be a real tree, but having a piece from my family that I grew up with adds that extra personal touch I love. I spruce up my space with touches of winter scented candles, warm fabrics, and various wood & metallic accents for the perfect cozy space. Here's how I go from holiday to cozy in a few simple steps...

HOLIDAY FOCAL POINT: THE TREE - to me, the tree is the focal point and statement piece to all holiday decor. From elaborate to simplistic, themed to basic, the possibilities are endless when it comes to the tree decor. Along with the tree itself, some of the ornaments have been passed down to me from my family. With my simplistic approach, I keep the color scheme neutral with different shades, textures and accents of gold. Gold sparkly snowflakes, pears [had to have a food element on the tree!], and traditional round ornaments in various sparkly and matte gold finishes, the tree is also adorned with a swirl of gold ribbon around. Bright, white lights are a must and the more the merrier; you can never have too many lights! My favorite pastime that I still do today is sitting at night with just the tree lights on while listening to Christmas music. There is something about that that just sets the tone for the holiday or calms me down after a busy day. Add a warm cup of hot chocolate and you've got the perfect holiday night!

After Christmas, the tree gets packed up and stored until next year but the rest of my decor is there to stay throughout the winter season. These accents make the transition from holiday to cozy a breeze and don't scream Christmas. I'm simplistic with decor in general so these pieces stay put from December until spring.

THE SCENTS: CANDLES - I may or may not have a sliiiiiight obsession with candles...anyone else with me?! I'm guilty of smelling each and every candle in the store before getting one; nothing to floraly or strongly scented for me. I liked Bath & Body Works seasonal candles for a while but sometimes feel the scent can be overpowering at times. For the past couple of years, Target has been my go-to for candles. They aren't too strong and have great cozy, winter scents. Most recently I've fallen in love with the Hearth & Hand by Magnolia winter candles - they are the perfect balance for me! My favorites are the sugared birch and the balsam & spice - a match made in heaven of holiday and cozy vibes.

THE FEELS: FABRICS - fabric and patterns help to easily set the tone for any room. When I think of holiday or cozy decor, I think fuzzy blankets, plaid patterns and shades of white and cream. Most of my decor in general is neutral so these cozy fabrics fit right in and make my space feel even more like home. I swapped my regular grey throw pillows on the couch for splash of black, white and a touch of gold. On one end, a faux fur chevron pillow in black and cream [I got this from Target a few years ago so it's no longer available; similar and other faux fur options: here, here and here. The other end of the couch is dressed with a plaid throw pillow and an embroidered X patterned throw pillow - both from the Hearth & Hand by Magnolia collection at Target. I love the mix of patterns but the cohesiveness of the same color palette. The faux fur and the plaid pattern [which features a hint of gold thread throughout for the extra special touch] add the perfect coziness to the couch.

To finish things off, no couch is complete without a cozy throw. I use a golden/mustard yellow throw blanket as a subtle pop of color [it's also my go-to blanket] but I recently scored this uhhhhhh-mazing oversized faux fur blanket from Pottery Barn and my life has forever changed...this blanket is the epitome of cozy and you definitely need to grab yourself one!

I also like to add touches of cozy throughout different corners of my apartment. In my bedroom, I keep a spare accent pillow that I made myself and a smaller faux fur blanket from Target in a cute black and tan wicker basket from Ikea [similar here]. They are the perfect additions and must-haves for weekend #netflixandchill in bed or going through emails at my desk. No matter what, cozy is a must during the winter at all times possible!

I'm typically a table runner type of girl but this season, I decided to change things up and went with woven plaid placemats, again from the Hearth & Hand by Magnolia collection at Target. The print is similar to that of the pillow linked above which makes my open-concept apartment flow together seamlessly. I love the woven texture and they add the perfect amount of warmth to my dark dining table. 

THE SIGHTS: ACCENT DECOR PIECES - Adding little specs of holiday, cozy charm throughout my apartment is like the frosting on a cake - it's the best part! I have some decor pieces I pull out just during the winter season, while others I'll rotate to different places and spaces. Wood and metallic accents are key for me at this stage of my holiday to cozy decor. I'll swap out brightly colored artwork for a wooden piece, or a plain decorative tray for a metallic gold one [similar options here, here, here and here]. The wooden art piece I got from the as-is section at Ikea about 4-5 years ago. I'm not actually sure what it's meant for - definitely not art - but is was $1 and I couldn't say no!

For additional accent pieces, I'll swap in any metallic or mercury decor items to shelves or on top of storage pieces like this silver tree jewelry holder [similar here and here] or a mercury candle holder [similar here]. I scored the most perfect marble colorblock coasters with gold trim from Target and am in love with them! They were a bit "pricier" than other options but 1000000% worth it! [similar less expensive options here, here and here]. I also use some of my "fancier" chandelier earrings as decor on the jewelry tray [similar here] on my dresser. It's a fun, girly addition that isn't really decor. I sometimes like to swap out pictures in frames with photos from prior holidays in black and white. It's quick and simple and adds such a personal touch to any space.

And that my friends, is my how to: holiday to cozy decor! It's pretty simple and straightforward but knowing there are many twenty-something year olds renting an apartment with limited storage just like me, I hope you found it helpful!

*NOTE: this post is not sponsored; all opinions and items used are my own.