Style a beautiful wintry space on a $0 budget?! It’s totally possible with winter home decor ideas using things you already have.
It’s January. The Christmas tree is packed away and the holiday bins are back in storage for the year…so now what? What to do with all of the bare space and empty corners? Well, decorating for winter is always a fun option! And, to ease the pocketbook after the expensive holiday season, I want to introduce the idea of ‘shopping your home’- literally going through your house, looking in cupboards and closets, to find tucked away items that you can use to refresh your space without spending a dime. In this post, I’m sharing the notion of a $0 budget with winter home decor ideas using things you already have!
Shop Your Home: 6 Free Winter Home Decor Ideas for a Small Space
So, I thought it would be fun to give you some actionable winter home decor ideas that focus on cozy minimalism and sustainable styling. Here, we are going to focus on six specific ways to decorate for winter that are all free, including re-using holiday greens. Are you up for the challenge? Join me below for all the details!
Why a $0 Budget is the Best Way to Start the Year
Since November and December are such expensive months, January is a really great time to save where we can by using decor or items that we already have. Starting a brand new year off with spending less and saving more is always a good idea, right?
Here are a few other reasons as to why winter decorating for free is wonderful:
- Financial Reset: The ‘holiday hangover’ on our bank accounts is real! It’s good to take time to re-center ourselves as well as our spending habits.
- Sustainable Living: Using items already on hand reduces the need for new, mass-produced decor, which in turn keeps un-needed items out of landfills.
- Allows for Creativity: Giving yourself a limitation, such as not spending any cash on winter decor, actually helps you discover your personal style better than a trip to a big-box store. I think you will surprise yourself with how creative you can get by shopping in your own house!
$0 Budget: Winter Home Decor Ideas Using Things You Already Have
Okay! Let’s get into the art of the winter reset.
1. Focus on High-Texture Neutrals
The idea here to is to swap out bright holiday colors for a palette of creams, whites and wood tones, then complement them with shades of green or deep blue.
Practical Decor Idea: Bring out those milk glass collections! Use the white, “snowy” look of milk glass to provide a crisp, clean winter feel on shelving, mantels, or dining tables. If you want, you can accessorize the collection for the season at hand using winter greenery, vintage linens, or lace ribbon.
How I Used Vintage Milk Glass for Winter Decorating
I wanted to make my milk glass feel, and look, like a wintry landscape, so I kept it super simple. I’ve actually never styled my milk glass this way before…usually I add textures and other elements to it but I truly love how it looks, especially with the winter barn scenes above!
So, take this as your cue to try something new in your decorating-something that you’ve never done before. You may just pleasantly surprise yourself!
Shop Milk Glass for Winter
2. Use Free Items from Nature
Have you gone for a walk in the woods recently? I do all the time, especially in the winter when there aren’t any bugs. And, when I do that, it’s so apparent how winter nature is full of beautiful, free textures.
Practical Decor Idea: Go for a walk in the woods or take a stroll through your yard to see what natural greenery is available for use. Some examples of greenery can include juniper branches, boxwood stems, pine boughs, and cedar stems. Place them in in vintage pitchers, vases, or crocks for a minimal winter look!
Other natural items to use for winter that can be found easily are:
Pinecones- Gather them into a thrifted basket or a rustic bowl for a simple centerpiece.
Fallen Birch Logs or Branches- Use them in a winter floral arrangement, stick them into a large crock, or tie them into a pretty display bundle using ribbon.
Dried Elements- If you have dried hydrangeas or eucalyptus from the fall, use them! They provide beautiful muted tones for winter decorating.
How I Used Natural Elements for Winter Decorating
Pinecones are a decor item that I use for Christmas and that carry me all the way through until March! These pretty and texture-rich natural elements are literally the easiest things to style. I utilize them all over the house!
On the mantel, I filled an ironstone tureen to overflowing with pinecones. Some of them are kept brown, others have been painted with white to mimic the look of snowy pinecones.
Pinecones can be used as bowl or vase fillers and make the most lovely shelf accents when paired with other vintage decor.
3. Styling with Vintage Books and Art
You guys…vintage books are so underrated, especially when it comes to seasonal decorating! I think they are the most underused vintage item and it just shouldn’t be! Old books are AMAZING to style into vignettes or used on their own for a striking, one-of-a-kind display.
Practical Decor Idea for Books: Use a vintage book collection, or any book collection, to set the color mood. Turn your books around so the pages face out for a neutral, textured aesthetic, or group books with blue, green, and white spines.
Another super easy idea for cheap winter decorating is to swap art or pictures around!
Practical Decor Idea for Art: Switch out holiday prints for simple landscape sketches or vintage botanicals you already have in other rooms. Or, if you don’t have any, check out The Graphics Fairy for free printable art that you can easily frame!
How I’m Using Vintage Art for Winter Decorating
I do this ALL THE TIME! I’m constantly swapping out art in other rooms and moving things around. And, I find that, each time I do this, the room has a whole different vibe to it.
Literally by just moving a few pictures around, your space can look, and feel, completely different…and it’s totally free!
Other items that can be used for winter wall art include:
- plates and platters secured with plate hangers
- vintage metal trays
- candelabras
4. Repurpose Ribbon
Ah ribbon. My secret decorating weapon that no one knew about…until now! This is the most genius and totally cheap ways of taking your winter decor up a notch.
Take all those beautiful scraps of ribbon—velvet, satin, lace, or even simple twine—that you saved from your Christmas wrapping and give them a second life as winter decor.
Here are 3 Practical Ideas for Re-using Ribbon:
Book Bundle: Use a small stack of vintage books (neutral, green, or blue tones) and tie them together with a simple lace bow. Place the bundle on a coffee table, mantel, or shelf for instant winter charm.
Embellish Everyday Objects (my all-time favorite way!): Tie a small ribbon around the neck of a milk glass vase or the handle of an ironstone pitcher. Similarly, tie a simple bow at the base of your brass candlesticks for a wintry look that feels intentional.
Hang Art and Wreaths: If you have a small winter wreath or a lightweight piece of framed winter art, use a long, trailing ribbon to hang it from the front of a kitchen cupboard, large mirror, or empty wall. This adds vertical interest and a subdued, soft texture.
Shop Favorite Ribbon for Winter Decor
5. Transition Christmas Florals for Winter
Yet another winter decorating hack that doesn’t cost a thing is to reuse all of your holiday greens! Don’t toss those garlands or stems just because the ornaments are put away, you hear me?! High-quality faux greenery or fresh evergreens can stay through February if they are styled correctly.
And, how easy is that?! I’m all about re-using decor, especially if it’s already out!
Here are a Few Practical Ideas:
De-Christmas It: Remove all holiday-specific elements from your wreaths and garlands. Take off the red bows, the glitzy ornaments, and the faux berries. What you’re left with is a bare evergreen base that feels like a crisp wintry forest rather than a Christmas party.
Refresh the Vessel: Move your cedar or pine stems from the holiday vessel into an ironstone pitcher or a milk glass vase. The white background makes the green pop and exudes a ‘snowy woods’ look.
Snip the Best Bits: If you had a fresh garland that is starting to dry out, don’t throw the whole thing away. Clip off the healthiest looking branches and tuck them into small jars or vintage bottles. You can then use these little decor pieces across a windowsill or on a bathroom counter. 
How I’m Using My Christmas Florals for Winter
One of my favorite ways to re-use Christmas greenery is to take all of my tabletop and bottle brush trees, de-Christmas them, and create a winter forest!
I have so many of these trees that I’ve thrifted over the years and I just love how they look for winter, all packed onto the bottom shelf of my hutch. All sizes, colors of green, and textures go…no tree is off limits! Basically, I placed the larger trees in the back and worked my way forward until I used them all. The vintage wood box I thought reminded me of a fallen tree and there are small trees growing around it now. 🙂
To me, this is what decorating is all about…really getting creative and allowing your decor to tell a story! 
6. Cozy Lighting for a Warm Aesthetic
Since the days are shorter and darker, lighting is the most important part of winter decor. Mood lighting, cozy candles, and twinkle lights all work for this time of year!
Practical Idea: Don’t pack all the twinkle lights away! Tuck a strand of white lights inside a thrifted lantern or create a centerpiece by weaving lights through birch logs.
Another easy way to let more light in the house is to move a mirror across from a window to maximize the winter sunshine.
How I’m Using Cozy Lighting for Winter Decorating
My favorite way to use lighting for winter is through faux candles, either taper or pillar.
Here on the mantel, I’ve styled a pair of thrifted milk glass candlesticks with flickering faux tapers. You guys…I mean it when I say that these candles are the coziest, especially in the evening when most of the house lights are off!
You just can’t go wrong with candlelight. I also have a few faux pillar candles placed on shelving throughout the house, too. They are all on timers to go on the same time each evening and they always light up my heart when they just magically turn on!
Shop Winter Lighting
Winter Decor After Christmas: My Top Tips
Here’s a checklist that I adhere to each year when I’m switching from holiday to winter decor:
- Go room by room, taking down anything that is obviously Christmas (red, holiday ribbon, bows, ornaments, etc…).
- Leave out any decor that can be used for winter (decor that is cream or white, deep green, dark blue, brown).
- I think about how the decor I have can be used in a different way for the season at hand.
- Style little area by little area, pulling from the left out decor to create snowy, wintry vignettes (using vintage books, decor such as ironstone, milk glass, green pottery and the like, and filling in gaps with pinecones and winter greens).
- Go back and soften the edges of displays with linens or lace ribbon.
Closing Tidbits on $0 Budget: Winter Home Decor Ideas Using Things You Already Have
Winter is a season for rest. Your home can reflect that restful feeling by being a peaceful, uncluttered sanctuary. And, you don’t need a big budget to create a beautiful wintry home…simply look at the treasures you already have with fresh eyes.
Be encouraged to move through this season at your own pace, seeing things with a new perspective while giving yourself grace along the way.
Leave me a comment! What is one item you ‘found’ in your home to use for winter? I love hearing from you!
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If you are new here, I’m Rachel, the writer and content creator here at The Antiqued Journey. I’m so happy to have you! I encourage you to stop by the ‘about me’ page to get to know me a little more.
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