January Decor Ideas: Wall Art After the Holidays

What should stay on the wall once the holiday pieces come down?

Keep anything that reads as winter, not as a celebration. Snow, bare branches, frost, mist and low sun stay right through March, while wreaths, red and green palettes and gift motifs read as dated by the first week of January. A wall can lose its seasonal pieces and still look intentional if one winter landscape holds it.

That is the difference between decorating for a holiday and decorating for a season. Our guide to winter wall art as a year round subject explains why a snowy landscape is not festive, and winter symbolism in art covers what snow and stillness mean in painting and photography.

How do you take the holiday decor down without leaving the walls bare?

Work in this order, so the walls are never empty for more than an afternoon.

1. Take down the holiday pieces and leave the hooks and nails where they are.
2. Measure each existing hook from the floor. A hook that sits 57 to 60 inches up is already at the right center height for a new piece.
3. Decide which walls need art and which can rest. In January, one strong piece per room is plenty.
4. Hang the winter landscape first, then add smaller pieces around it.
5. Step back 6 feet and check the center against the furniture below before you drive a new nail.

This matters because most people hang holiday pieces wherever there was space, not at a measured height. Check the old hooks before you reuse them.

Which January decor ideas work in each room?

The table lists six ideas, one per room, with the layout and the size to look for. Each is explained in the sections that follow.

What is the best January idea for the living room?

Hang one pale winter landscape over the sofa, sized to two thirds of the sofa's width. The two thirds rule comes from our sofa wall art size guide, and it works because the art then reads as part of the sofa, not a stray picture above it. Leave 6 to 8 inches between the top of the sofa back and the bottom of the canvas.

Choose a calm scene: a snow field at sunrise, a frosted forest, a misty path. The Winter Season Wall Art collection has all of these. For more on the room, see our living room wall art guide.

How do you decorate a bedroom for January?

A wide, low contrast panorama over the headboard makes a bedroom feel quiet. A single panoramic canvas reaches 60 x 20 inches, which is wide enough to span a queen headboard without a gap on each side. Pick an image with a long horizon, such as pale aspens in light snow under a pink dusk sky, so the eye travels sideways and rests.

Our above the bed guide sets the height and fixings. Browse Panoramic Wall Art for the shape.

What works in an entry or hall in January?

One tall piece suits a narrow wall because it adds height and does not crowd the door. A single vertical canvas runs from 12 x 24 up to 30 x 60 inches, and three stacked vertical panels make a taller column. A lone frosted tree against a deep blue sky is a strong choice: it is simple, it reads as winter, and it has no seasonal props.

On a bare wall, put the center of the piece 57 to 60 inches from the floor, as our 57 and 60 inch hanging guide sets out. On a stair run, the rule changes; see staircase wall art size, layout and height. Vertical Wall Art holds the shapes.

Can a multi panel set work in January?

Yes, and it fits where a single canvas looks small. A three panel set on a long dining wall carries a misty, backlit forest path across three images, so the wall reads as one scene. A five panel star set fills a tall open plan wall up to 82 x 42 inches overall, which is more than any single canvas we list.

Odd numbers of panels are a common design tip because an odd grouping has a clear center, and three and five both give you one. Our multi panel versus single canvas guide explains how the gaps between panels read.

Pro tip: Hang a three panel set with the center panel's middle at 57 to 60 inches, not the whole set's top edge. The eye reads the middle of the group first, so the middle is the number to measure.

What small January change makes the biggest difference?

Replace one holiday piece with one winter piece in the same spot. A 24 x 16 inch canvas at a desk or on a side wall is enough to reset a room, because the nail is already in the wall at a workable height. Pick a scene that stays calm on a screen day: soft light, low contrast, no strong red.

Watch out: Do not reuse a hook just because it is there. Holiday pieces are often hung wherever there was room, so an old hook can sit at 48 inches or at 70. Measure it first, and fill a wrong hole with a new hook at the right height.

The two rules agree here, which is not always true. When the sofa is lower or the canvas taller, the gap above the sofa wins, because the art needs to belong to the furniture.

What should you check before you hang anything?

• The wall space you have, measured in inches and written down.
• The width of the furniture below, then two thirds of it for the art.
• The center height: 57 to 60 inches on a bare wall, or 6 to 8 inches above furniture.
• That the picture reads as winter, not as a holiday, with no wreaths, ribbons or red and green palettes.
• That the nail or hook is secure, with a stud or anchor for a large canvas.