Green and White Rustic Winter Decor Ideas

What colors lend themselves to winter decor? I think that green and white are perfect for a winter palette. I am here to show you how to use some green and white rustic winter decor ideas to help you create a cozy winter environment.

You want to enjoy every bit of Christmas cheer in your home. But, as you anticipate taking down the Christmas decorations, do you think about how to give your home a cozy feel for the rest of the cold winter months?

Think that after Christmas your home will be a bit bare and cold? It doesn’t have to be. Planning for ways to infuse your home with warmth starts before you pack up the baubles and balls.

That’s the time to think about adding a cozy little winter feeling to your home.

It’s easy to transition from a brightly colorful theme to a simple one using green and white as your color palette.

If you save green wreaths and garland after you take down the Christmas decorations, you have a winter decor plan at your fingertips. No shopping is required!

To be honest, until a few years ago, I never thought much about actually decorating our home with a winter theme.

I was just happy to have all the Christmas decorations safely packed away, the house dusted and the pine needles swept away.

But the house felt so cold and bare. It was too early to decorate for Valentine’s Day. Spring was still a few months away. What could I do to bring some warmth and soft color back into our living spaces? Can you relate?

Then I read the term “winter decor” and that was when I started incorporating winter colors and winter elements into our home.

What is Winter Decor?

What does winter decor mean to you?

Winter rustic decor is all about fresh, natural, and soft. Winter is a quiet season and our homes should reflect that feeling.

Winter, to me, is all about simplicity, softness, and warmth. I like natural elements that remind you of a forest on a quiet winter day.

That’s why I’ve chosen a natural green and white rustic winter decor theme for our home.

Green and White Rustic Winter Decor

Green and white are my two favorite winter colors. We may associate green with spring, but green still exists in evergreen trees and shrubs.

Green in winter is just softer and muted. We also see browns in the bark of bare trees and branches.

And if you are lucky enough to have snow, then white is definitely part of your color palette.

Using green and white in your rustic winter decor can even be reused for your St. Patrick’s Day decor.

Although Classic Blue is my favorite decor color (I used it in our winter bedroom last year.), I do love the natural feel of green for general winter decorating. For the living room, I decided that I wanted to focus on green.

When I think of rustic, I think of soft greenery. Lots of wood and natural materials like woven baskets, wicker, and burlap fit in beautifully.

Fortunately, all you have to do to get this winter look is a little “home shopping”.

I only bought one new item for this green and white rustic winter decor theme in our living room. I always start decorating for a season or holiday in the living room and the first areas I focus on are our mantel and our coffee table.

Living Room Winter Decor

Although this tour of our winter living room is from a few years ago, the color scheme I use today is still the same. The tips I share are still applicable to today’s living spaces.

First, I went on a little “winter cleaning spree”.

Don’t you feel like there is a ton of dust and debris (glitter, pieces of greenery, both real and faux) in your house after Christmas? I don’t feel that I can start decorating the house for a winter decor scheme until I’ve dusted, swept, vacuumed, and polished.

TIP: Remember to keep your green garland and wreaths for use in your winter decor. Remove the ribbons, bows and ornaments. Remove any colored lights. I have kept white lights on a plain cypress wreath.

The mantel and fireplace surround is my first space to decorate since it is the largest and most visible area in the living room. Our mantel and the fireplace surround are really large so it needs items that create a sense of weight and substance.

After we took down all the garland and our wreath from the mantle, it really looked like a big blank space. I decided I wanted something with a natural woodsy feel. It has to be big enough to fill in the area on top of the mantel.

Back in the fall, I used the extra teak leaf from our patio table to take the place of our large Tarkay painting and I loved the natural warm look of it. That colorful painting now has a new permanent space.

The only thing we had that might work was the large wood sunburst mirror we bought at Wisteria for above the headboard in our bedroom. This sunburst mirror is another great alternative.

wood sunburst mirror

I had to (sweet) talk Sweet Shark into taking it down and hanging it on the mantel.

It was the perfect beginning to our natural and rustic winter decor.

I love the natural warm feeling of the wood – it’s mango – sunburst mirror on the mantel. It contrasts very well against all the white wood.

Although centered from left to right, it’s a few inches lower than centered top to bottom; we didn’t want to nail any more holes into the wood paneling, so we left it as is. Don’t tell.

white mantel with sunburst mirror

Now I could decorate the mantel. I knew that I would bring in greenery and more natural elements. I wanted simple and warm, but not too many items; just an easy and balanced arrangement.

The first thing to do was bring down a few boxes of decorative items that I put away last fall in our guest rooms (which double as storage places). It really helps to have designated places to store your out-of-season decor.

TIP: I’ve been trying to group items, box them, and label them: spring, summer, fall, winter. Of course, some items can be used all the time except Thanksgiving to Christmas. In the past, I’ve gone crazy trying to find things after the holidays that I’ve put here and there.

I started with the burlap-covered books I made a few years ago. Burlap is a great natural material with great texture.

A small wicker basket with a jute hanger that I bought in Atlanta provided the perfect container to fill with some faux greenery that I cut off a large stem.

The texture of this greenery has more of a winter look than a Christmas one.

greenery in woven basket on stack of burlap covered books

To add more white, greenery and height, I bought in a tall white vintage bottle and filled it will some eucalyptus from Target ($6.99). I moved the books and little basket over to place the white bottle/vase on the outside of the mantel, close to the vertical columns.

green and white winter mantel

As you can see, I placed a strand of garland across the mantel. Some garland looks very Christmasy and some just looks more wintery. I remembered to keep out the wintery garland when we were packing up the decorations.

That’s a TIP for you. Don’t pack all the garland away.

This is my favorite garland for winter decorating. I love the soft and airy feel with the small pinecones.

Cedar, cypress, and eucalyptus garland are also great for winter decor.

green garland on mantel

At the other end of the mantel, I set a wicker basket (a freebie gift basket) on its end for some vertical balance. A battery-operated candle on a timer fits perfectly inside to create a shadow box effect. More faux greenery filled in to contrast with the white candle.

green and white winter mantel

Realizing that I needed more height, more white and more green, I used two more white bottles/vases filled with one piece of greenery each.

green and white winter mantel

The greenery is pieces that came off the garland, so they match in style. I bought all three of these bottles/vases at the same time several years ago at a local flea market. I like the matte finish on them for a more rustic look.

It was that simple to create my green and white rustic winter decor mantel. Nothing fancy, but warm, rustic, and wintery.

Here are more awesome winter mantel ideas that I love.

Don’t Forget the Hearth

It’s important to balance the mantel and fireplace surround by decorating the hearth.

Below the fireplace on the hearth, I filled my vintage Sure Shot box with another garland. This box has been one of the best things I’ve ever bought at an estate sale.

I finally found my two white throws that were AOL over the holidays. I filled an estate sale basket with one and set it on top of my vintage captain’s storage box, a purchase from years and years ago in Jefferson, Texas.

box with white throw

If you need some white or cream throws for winter, here are some great ones.

Now for the coffee table.

Our Simple Winter Coffee Table

Our coffee table is rectangular and I have been looking for a round basket for it for months. Either they were too big or too small or too heavy. I just happened on this one at HomeGoods ($14.99) and grabbed it. It was a perfect size, not too shallow and not too deep and it had an interesting design.

Here is another round basket/tray I found that would be really nice for styling.

Now for the fun of filling it. I had to have something white, something green, and something rustic. I meant to show you the step-by step,-but this vignette came together so quickly, I forgot.

The white was a large white candle that I took out of our tall metal candle stand in the entry.

The green was, of course, a couple of stems of faux greenery, and the green glass bottles I found at a local antique mall.

green bottles and candle on woven tray

These bottles will be great to use for St. Patrick’s Day decor.

The rustic came from the old clay pots that I bought when a few of us bloggers met for lunch and shopping a few years ago. I love those little pots.

Again, this winter vignette seemed to arrange itself.

green and white winter decor with green bottles on woven tray

I needed another element to fill and balance the table. I didn’t have another container or tray that would work with the round basket.

Looking around, I spied one of my favorite large green coffee table books (Bunny Williams’ An Affair with a House – a beautiful book) with green on the cover photo. Could a book be a “tray”? I think so.

Then I used one of my favorite rustic finds, an old grain bucket. I stuck a bunch of greenery stems in and that was that.

greenery in grain scoop

My other white throw is tossed on the sofa, ready for snuggling. I left the white sweater pillows on the sofa, too, because they just feel like winter.

green and white winter decor

The living room is warm and cozy at night. The fireplace glows, surrounded by my green and white rustic decor. The candle comes on and adds sparkle.

green and white winter mantel and night with lights

If you accidentally pack up all your greenery or other winter decor accessory items, then this items will help you create your cozy winter living spaces.

Want more winter decor ideas? Here’s 13 winter decor accessory suggestions.

This green and white rustic winter decro ideas will the the guide for my winter decro this year. I hope they will be inspiration for you, too.

I hope that you’ve gained some inspiration and enjoyed this look at our winter decor. Be sure to share and PIN for your winter decorating inspiration.

pin for later graphic in blue


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27 Comments

  1. MARY-ANN (FROM CANADA) says:

    Carol, I just love how you decorated your mantel and coffee table. Such a great idea to turn the basket on its side! Thanks for all the great recipes, decorating, craft ideas, etc. that you bring to us throughout the year! I appreciate you so much! Glad that you had a great time away! Hope that you and Sweet Shark have a wonderful 2024!

  2. Hi Carol! Oh, your mantel looks so pretty as well as your coffee table. Sometimes I get stuck in knowing how to style my coffee table. I’ll have to remember this! Happy New Year to you.
    Be a sweetie,
    Shelia 😉

  3. I’m good w arranging and tightening up the number of items. Limiting the colors, which give cozy,sophisticated look is my struggle. Thanks for sharing so many areas of your home done well

  4. I love this!! The green and white is perfect for winter, so simple yet so pretty. The burlap wrapped books are incredible…what a great idea!! Thanks for sharing!

    1. Thank you so much, Rachel. I’m so pleased that you liked the color combo. I appreciate you reading and giving me feedback. Keep it coming!

  5. The greens and whites is such a perfect combo! It’s beautiful. I love the burlap wrapped books! What a great idea! All the textures are wonderful!

  6. Green and white is the perfect winter decor! Love your cozy white pillows and throws and that sunburst mirror is the perfect touch! I’m a little jealous of your 30 minutes of snow…we have had a fair bit more than that up in New England and the arctic temps to go with it!

  7. Carol your home is so pretty. Love all the greenery with the white. Very welcoming.

  8. Carol you have probably picked up on how much I love green mixed with neutrals and cottage garden elements so I am loving your winter decor. The styled tray with the little pots is wonderful and the green glass bottles will be great for St. Patrick’s Day!

    Everything just looks so cozy and calm. I hope you enjoy your winter weather while we are having a 70 degree Janurary up here in KY! Not right! I want snow, at least one big one! (Then I am ready to see those paperwhites, snowdrops and daffodils start to pop up!

    Thank you for joining the winter home tours!

    1. Yes, Amber, I do know that you love green!! Even though our home is more blue than green, it is just a natural, cool color anytime of year.

  9. I am in love with your rustic white and green decor! It all works together so well and is so calming! I also love how you look around your house to find items to use. I do the same thing! So well done!

  10. What a beautiful color palette! Thanks for sharing your talent and ideas with us at the Creative Muster. Looking forward to seeing what you’ll be sharing next week. Pinned!
    Robin

  11. Green and white are my “go to” colors when I want to freshen up a space, and I love how you incorporated the colors on your mantel and coffee table. I’m crazy about those rustic looking clay pots stacked on your tray. So many pretty things to look at. Love it all Carol! Pinning!

  12. I love your pretty winter decor and your beautiful fire. I have on the A/C and ceiling fan since I live in Florida and a fire is just too hot, but it looks so cozy.
    Happy New Year,
    Kippi

  13. We were definitely on the same wave length on this one! I love whites, green and rustic woods this time of year; so soothing. Looks beautiful!

  14. Carol, a lovely color palette and mix of elements and textures for the winter season. It all feels so fresh, peaceful and serene after the sometimes hecticness of the holidays.

  15. Carol, I love everything about your rustic green and white decor! That sunburst mirror is gorgeous! I’m going to have to find that one. I love your wispy garland, too. Some garlands are so thick, and I’ve been wanting one that’s more delicate like yours. Beautiful job, my friend!

  16. Carol, I love how you decorated for winter! Your mantel is so pretty with the touches of greenery – and that roaring fire is the perfect touch! Love the vignette in the tray too with those cute clay pots. Great to hop with you again!
    Shelley

  17. Shannon@Belle Bleu Interiors says:

    Carol, you have done a lovely job decorating your home for winter. Your mantel is gorgeous, You have added so many pretty layers, textures and colors perfect for the season. Everything looks beautiful!

  18. Love all your winter touches of evergreen, Carol. That wood sunburst mirror is just amazing, and that captain’s box is so unique and wonderful!

  19. Love love love your mantel and I love that you used sprigs of pine on the mantel and around the room. Perfect transition to winter.

  20. I love your rustic decor! The clay pots are perfect on your coffee table and here I was thinking they’d only work in spring. Pish posh. You made them look great! Love that grain bucket too! I need to find one of those!

  21. Carol,

    Your home is ready for cozy with the use of greens. Pretty vintage boxes and whites.

    Have a great day!

    Cindy

  22. All your winter decor is perfect Carol! I love all the different ways you’ve used greenery, the burlap wrapped books and your chippy containers too. Decluttering and deep cleaning after the holidays is always a top priority at my house as well. I seriously don’t know how glitter can get into so many different nooks and crannies ha ha! Hugs, CoCo

  23. That antique trunk is wonderful. I love all your cozy touches. I recognize that garland as a gift from sweet Laura. It was fun touring with your. I do wish it’d snowed a little longer on Saturday. Our winter weather is too brief.

  24. Your mantel and coffee table decor is perfect for winter. I love your idea of turning a basket on its side to create height and to create a shadow box effect. I hope you and Mr. Sweet Shark enjoy many cozy winter nights enjoying your pretty decor.

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