New Year decor ideas – 11 ways to make your home feel magical and cozy

Whether you're having a quiet celebration or a lavish end-of-year party, New Year decor ideas are a wonderful way to create a cozy and magical setting for a celebration.

At Christmas, many of us have our annual decorating traditions, but New Year is a chance to experiment with different themes. If you're hosting then it's a great opportunity to go all out and impress guests with dazzling displays, but if you are pressed for time, just a few updates to your Christmas decor may be enough to breathe new life into your space.

To help get you inspired we've rounded up an array of decorating ideas from beautiful table settings to fabulous entryway styling.

New Year decor ideas

It can be tricky planning New Year decor ideas during the busy period of Christmas. The first thing to do is to establish the formality of the event. Are you having a sit-down dinner, a themed New Year's Eve party, or simply a relaxed family meal on New Year's Day? This will help determine your decor scheme. 

If you're planning a sit-down meal it's an opportunity to go to town on beautiful table decor ideas. Alternatively, if you are hosting a New Year's Eve drink or cocktail party then why not go for the wow factor?

'The final celebration of the festive season, New Year’s Eve is always such a special time for me, 'says Sam Hood, creative director, Amara. 'When it comes to decorating my home, I always love to embrace glitz and glamor. From extravagant garlands and gold-toned balloons to those sparkling finishing touches, opt for a decadent theme to set the scene. If you really want to impress your guests, a home bar is perfect for keeping the bubbles flowing as you party into the night.' 

1. Style up a home bar area

For those that love to entertain a home bar is well worth investing in, alternatively, consider a portable bar cart or create a small home bar or cocktail station by styling up a console table.

'Gather together champagne glasses, balloon glasses, whisky tumblers, martini glasses, tongues, a measuring cup, cocktail sticks,' says Simon Temprell, interior design Manager at Neptune. 'You'll also need premium spirits and mixers, a large ice bucket, small bowls of sliced lemon, orange and grapefruit, olives, napkins and fresh rosemary.'

'You can prop a mirror against the wall to create reflection which helps the bar looks impressively stocked,' Simon adds. To make it look fit for a celebration dot about plenty of candles and style up the tabletop with bowls of baubles, potted cyclamen or bulbs and bunches of fresh eucalyptus. 

2. Fill your home with foliage and flowers

New Year is a time to look forward to the year ahead and there's nothing like fresh fragrant greenery to breathe new life into the home and help put a spring in your step. 

If your Christmas garlands and Christmas foliage ideas are still looking fresh, consider switching out traditional Christmas embellishments like baubles and berries for roses and hellebore, or sprucing them up with extra foliage for a simpler look. Alternatively, if you have time, you could create a fresh arrangement in a hallway to welcome guests.

Build a stunning entrance with an abundant floral arrangement ascending the stairs. To ring the changes, design your display so the flowers rise from the steps, in contrast to a more traditional garland that runs along the handrail. Simple paper-wheel decorations are a quick way to bring a bold decorative touch to a staircase wall. 

3. Decorate with with winter bouquets 

Alternatively, if you don't have time to create a garland adorn your home with a few beautiful winter bouquets.

'Soon spring will be in the air, and there’s nothing like seeing the first flowers of the season after a long, cold winter. When I think of New Years' celebrations, glittering gold decorations come to mind. Amid sparkling confetti and gold accessories, add a bouquet of flowers to your entryway and other tabletops around your house for an elegant, organic touch that grounds the scheme,' says florist Ronny Colbie.

'For your New Years' bouquet, consider a collection of mink roses and fragrant tuberose, with touches of pampas grass and burnt beech foliage or even simpler – a full bunch of white hydrangeas in a gold vase.’

4. Lay a table full of sparkle

For a beautiful New Year table decor idea that's distinct from traditional Christmas decor why not pair pretty pastels with metallics? Build the scheme by mixing and matching napkins, linen and glassware in amber and soft pink and introduce gold touches in ceramics and tableware to add extra luster.

5. Keep it simple

After the frenzy of Christmas, we often crave calm at New Year. For a beautiful New year table, there's no need to go all out says Ottalie Stride, creative director of interior design studio Albion Nord. 'The use of simple, white or off-white linens on the table contrasted with a festive bouquet, deep greens from the garden, and brass or silver accents in candlesticks and cutlery is all you need,' Stride advises. 'Refrain from man-made and new, bright colors where possible.' 

6. Think sustainably 

For a sustainable and pared-back approach to New Year decor why not switch plastic decorations, glitz and glamor for simple paper pinwheels and sculptural foliage sprayed gold for a touch of sparkle? 

Hanging paper decorations of different sizes and varying heights will create a wonderful Christmas wall decor idea perfect for hanging about a sideboard ready to be turned into a home bar station.

7. Welcome guests with a beautifully styled entry table

Get guests in the party mood as soon as they enter by styling up a dazzling display in a hallway.

'Add a touch of drama to your décor with our shimmering oversized baubles,' suggests Chrissie Rucker, founder of The White Company. 'Complete with their own plush ribbon, they look most impactful when styled in a group. Tie a couple to the window, hang over mirrors, or combine them with a garland across a sideboard. In a beautiful, mirrored finish, they’re an elegant addition that will really bring any festive scheme to life.'

8. Decorate with spring bulbs

For a sustainable and pared-back approach to New Year decor why not switch plastic decorations for simple paper pinwheels and sculptural foliage sprayed gold for a touch of sparkle? 

Hanging paper decorations of different sizes and varying heights will create a wonderful Christmas wall decor idea perfect for hanging above a sideboard ready to be turned into a home bar station, or as a New Year backdrop idea for photos and celebrations.

9. Let there be light

Whether you're planning a glitzy 1920s-style dinner or embracing hygge with a relaxed Nordic celebration, candles are a must for making it magical.

'Candles are not only a useful investment in view of possible power cuts, but they are also a great way to bring in atmosphere and ambiance with ease,' says Interior designer Emma Deterding of Kelling Designs. 

'The key is to combine both real wax candles and the battery-powered LED ones - they blend perfectly and you can hardly tell the ones which are not real. You can affordably pick up LED and real wax candles, and again they can be used time and time again. Whether you place them in votives and old jam jars or intersperse them into your table or mantel decor, they'll add that finishing touch.'

10. Create a fiesta feel

Take inspiration from fabric designer Molly Mahon's joyful home and team a vibrant, patterned tablecloth with candles and paper chains for a fun fiesta feel to your New Year table. Not only are paper chains sustainable, but they're also a fun way to keep kids entertained during the holiday period.

11. Channel a winter woodland theme

For many New Year is a time for reflection and renewal, so where better to look for inspiration than nature? For a beautiful but understated New Year tablescape idea why not opt for a simple woodland scheme? Layer linens in earthy and green shades with simple crockery paired with a wooden charger. Finish with a woodland-inspired cracker and for a simple centerpiece try potted winter heathers dotted with tealights.

How can I decorate my house for New Years?

Exactly how you choose to decorate will depend on what kind of celebrations you are planning – a New Year's cocktail party will call for different styling and decorating ideas for a quiet, cozy night in.

If you're planning a New Year's party try embracing a theme of sparkle and color suggests Speronella Marsh founder of Hare’s Tail Printing. 'This time of year is all about decorating with lots of colors to create a fun tablescape that signifies celebration.'

'It’s important to have the right light to create an atmosphere – lots of little candles of varying heights work well, accompanied with a strongly colored tablecloth and/or tablemats – deep greens and blues greens look good at this time of year,' adds Speronella Marsh. 'Flower wise there isn’t a huge amount to choose from so I would go for indoor bulbs such as hyacinths and narcissi, along with colorful glasses and napkins.' 

For a relaxed, quiet gathering decorating your home with fresh foliage, winter floral bouquets and plenty of candles is a lovely way to revitalize your home after Christmas but will also make it feel magical and cozy. 

'New Year is a very twinkly time falling as it does between Christmas and Epiphany, so keep the festive magic going with lots of cream/white tea lights in clear glass holders clustered at the center of your table,' says Sarah Davies-Bennion, senior designer at Kate Guinness. 'The secret is a mix of different shapes and sizes and plentifulness. This will give a feeling of abundance and warmth appropriate for New year but will also be an antidote to the riot of color that is Christmas.'

Prepare to hunker down for cozy nights in throughout wintery January by updating cushions and making sure you have plenty of throws. Plus, to make your home smell nice try winter diffusers or fragrant candles.