Hygge Winter Decor with Branches, Birch and Twinkle Lights

As January unfolds, I enjoy transitioning to calm winter decor.  The Scandinavian and Hygge styles lend themselves to this time of year.  White and bright interiors give warmth when the temps outside are frigid, as do cozy blankets, a fire in the chimney, and soft lights. With these styles in mind, I thought I’d share some tips for incorporating the look. Add a warm cup of coffee, tea, or cocoa and you get the height of comfort.

(Speaking of coffee, what do you think of the knitted mug cozy shown above? I have a knit pattern for that available here)

Please note – this post contains affiliate links, which allows me to make a small commission from your purchase via the link without extra cost to you. See my Disclosures page and thank you! 

Branch Word Tree

One of my favorite things to use in winter decor is bare branches. This year I decided to ramp up the cozy factor by wrapping them with battery-operated twinkle fairy lights. I added a ‘branch word tree’ to a corner of the dining room that looked empty after removing a small Christmas tree.

What is a branch word tree, you ask? I made this one with inspirational words stamped onto crinkled and stained tags from Stampington. My intention is for the words to inspire our family during the winter time.

Candles and frosted pine cones were simple additions to the table.

Branch Wall Art

Next, more branches made their way into the living room’s winter decor. During Christmas I had hung an extra large wreath over the couch. I decided to replace it with something equally as dramatic – a large branch wrapped in fairy lights!

One of the best things about this look is that it is (almost) free! I only purchased the fairy twinkle lights, wrapped them around branches found outside, and hung them to the existing nail on the wall. Easy!

Birch Beauty

Another favorite winter decor material is birch. I’ve layered these simple birch wood pieces on top of our book shelf.

The white painted reindeer are styled with small birch circles I had found at a craft store. I stapled twine to the back to tie them on, and stamped the three theological virtues to each – Faith, Hope and Love.

Since we’re often spending this time reading our pile of winter books, I thought it was apropos to surround the family with beautiful words. What’s your favorite way to decorate for winter? How do you cozy it up?

Want to remember these ideas? Post this winter decor article to your favorite Pinterest board!