What Vintage Skis, Snowshoes, and a Vermont Porch Taught Me About My Winter Decor Style

Winter has quietly arrived here in Vermont. There’s a soft blanket of snow on the porch, and the vintage skis are already leaning against the wall like they’ve been there forever. I haven’t fully stepped into Christmas just yet, but I’ve started bringing out the pieces that speak to my soul this time of year. In today’s post, I’m sharing how vintage skis, snowshoes, sleds, and a Vermont porch helped shape the winter decor style I’ve grown to love. It’s a cozy, collected look inspired by the New England winters I’ve known my whole life, rooted in nostalgia, layered with stories, and always evolving.

My Winter Decor Style Always Begins on the Porch

Every winter, my decorating style begins right here on the porch, before the tree is even put out, before the garlands are even hung. It’s the first space I dress for the season, and for good reason. Our living room looks directly out onto this Vermont porch, which then opens up to the snow-covered Green Mountains. It’s our real-life picture window, and the view inspires everything else I do inside.

Finding Vintage Ski Lodge Decor at Stone House Antique Center

When we first moved to Vermont, I discovered the Stone House Antique Center in Chester, and that was it. I’d found my home base for all things vintage ski lodge decor. From old snowshoes to wooden skis, vintage sleds, skates, and even those iconic woven basket backpacks, they always seem to have the perfect winter piece I didn’t know I needed.

That’s where my love for this cozy, nostalgic winter decor style really began. I’d walk the aisles with the gals, dreaming up ways to bring those small-town ski lodge vibes into our home. You know the kind, retro black-and-white ski photos on the walls, fur-trimmed hats, vintage sweaters, the charm of the local lodge that never tries too hard but always feels just right. And that’s exactly what I want our porch to feel like.

Each year, I lean or mount vintage skis on the porch’s beams, hang old snowshoes on the wall, and start layering in scarves, plaid blankets, ribbons, and pine. Sometimes a sled finds its way on a step, or a pair of vintage ski boots sits tucked by the entry. It’s not about being perfect; it’s about capturing the feeling of New England winters past.

Honestly, I love it so much I’ve even kept my snowshoes on the door through summer (yes, really). If you’d like more ideas on how to style these kinds of finds, I’ve written entire guides you can explore in these favorite posts:

Why I Keep Collecting Vintage Skis, Snowshoes, and Sleds for My Winter Decor Style

I’ve always said you can never have too many vintage skis, snowshoes, or sleds, especially when it comes to curating a cozy winter decor style. Each one tells a story, and every year I seem to uncover something new that adds a little extra nostalgia to our Vermont home.

My adventures usually start close to home, antiquing across New England, or Thrifting with the Gals at places like Stone House Antique Center in Chester or Goodwill Northern New England. Whether it’s a set of old wooden skis tucked behind a barn door or a pair of snowshoes resting in a Goodwill bin, I can’t resist bringing them home to style on the porch or beside the fireplace. These vintage finds add that authentic ski lodge charm I love, and I swap them around each winter for a fresh look.

One year, I stumbled upon a jack jumper sled, a quirky little sled that’s native to Vermont. I didn’t even know what it was at first, but it quickly became one of my favorite pieces to decorate with. Then last year, while antiquing in Paris, I found a vintage ski bob from the French Alps, proof that you truly never know what treasures are waiting out there.

That’s what keeps me coming back, season after season. Whether it’s a jack jumper sled from Vermont or a ski bob from France, a black-and-white ski photo or a retro sweater from a thrift bin, each piece adds another layer to my ever-growing vintage winter decor style collection, and it keeps my home feeling warm, storied, and full of New England charm.

If you’d like to see how I style some of these finds, you can explore more in our readers’ favorite blog series, Thrifting with the Gals, below:

A Cozy Winter Decor Style That Grows with the Seasons

It’s snowing lightly as I write this, just enough to dust the porch steps, coat a few leftover pumpkins, and cover our outdoor table in a soft, early-winter hush. The fall decor has been cleared out, and the porch is quiet now. Waiting. The chairs my friend Bernadette gave me during Vintage Market Days Vermont are tucked into place. A plaid blanket I recently found at Goodwill Northern New England is draped casually over the back of one. I stepped outside this morning and snapped a photo, because this is where the season begins for me.

Right now, I’m in what I like to call “collect and consider” mode. I’ve pulled out a few of my favorite pieces, snowshoes, vintage skis, sleds, but I haven’t decided how it will all come together just yet. I start slow. No full-on garlands or ribbons, just quiet winter layers. It’s part of my process.

Every year, I bring all my vintage winter decor style finds out to the porch and take stock of what I have, often with a mug of hot cocoa in hand and Ella dressed in her scarf, ready to supervise. We call it Christmas preparations.

From there, my winter decor style grows with the seasons. What starts as a cozy, cleared-off porch with a few natural greens and birch logs will slowly evolve into vintage ski lodge decor with festive touches: bows, demijohns, and sometimes a full-size Christmas tree, placed just outside the living room window.

Last year, we placed our only tree outdoors, centered perfectly on the porch. And I absolutely loved it. No mess, no pine needles, and no fuss. Just one simple, beautiful tree that we could enjoy all season long, framed perfectly in the picture window from the warmth of our living room. I think we’ll do the same thing again this year.

After the holidays, I’ll remove the bows and ribbons, but most of the elements will stay. Sheepskins get draped over the chairs again once the snow lets up, and an antique bar cart comes out for an après-ski cocoa station. Our Big Timber pellet stove keeps the space warm enough on sunny days to invite friends over, enjoy a mug of something hot, and take in the mountain views with a little vintage flair.

That’s the rhythm of it. Not fussy, but festive. Not perfect, but purposeful. My vintage pieces come out year after year, styled in new ways, layered with scarves and seasonal color. From porch to picture window, the decor grows and shifts with the weather, and with us.

And of course, no winter porch here would be complete without Ella, all wrapped up in her scarf, ready for whatever the season brings.

How I Decorate for the Senses in My Winter Decor Style

My winter decor style isn’t just about how things look, it’s about how they feel. The scent of fresh evergreens, the hush of snowfall, the texture of sheepskins under wool blankets, and the quiet jingle of brass bells all come together to create a home that feels deeply layered and alive during these cold New England months.

There’s truly nothing like the smell of fresh evergreens, especially when it comes from the garlands and kissing balls I hang on our Vermont porch. Of all the winter greens I’ve used, those kissing balls pack the most fragrance by far. I’ll fill urns with fresh clippings, drape greens over benches, and often bring in my favorite chinoiserie pots filled with pine and cedar to carry that scent right through the front door. Against the snow, those blue and green tones are pure magic.

Winter can be a challenge when it comes to decorating, especially on the porch. The winds, snow, and cold mean everything has to be equal parts cozy, weather-resistant, and easy to move. But even in the elements, I find ways to layer in texture and warmth. A simple hot cocoa bar, a vintage demijohn or two, a stone tabletop fire bowl on a coffee table next to our pellet stove, a few ski-themed pillows, these small details bring softness and style without being complex. And when the weather allows, I’ll toss out wool blankets or bring out the sheepskins to drape over the chairs. These little layers help create the kind of vintage ski lodge feel I love, inviting, nostalgic, and lived-in.

On especially snowy days, I like to set up an après-ski scene with a hot cocoa station and a few nostalgic pieces, like my vintage demijohns with candles, or the Swedish-inspired candles I crafted for a recent DIY using simple bottles, winterberries, and evergreens. It’s an understated nod to mountain lodge style that keeps things feeling relaxed and personal.

Sounds matter, too. We often light the pellet stove out on the porch and settle in for the afternoon. The warmth of the fire, the rustle of trees in the snow, and the faint ring of my mother’s old brass bells hanging from a hook are some of the quiet comforts I now associate with winter. Those bells, in particular, remind me of the holidays, and I love tying them into our seasonal decor.

This is what decorating for the senses looks like for me: layering textures, scents, and moments that reflect the rhythm of Vermont winters.

If you’d like to dive deeper into the seasonal beauty of this style, I shared some of my favorite moments in these posts below:

Because that’s the thing about the vintage ski lodge winter decor style, it isn’t fussy or perfect. It’s built on nostalgia, nature, and pieces that tell a story, season after season.

My Winter Decor Style, Inspired by New England Living

Living between two homes in Vermont and coastal Maine, my winter decor style has become a reflection of New England life itself, layered, seasonal, and full of slow charm. Both homes offer different kinds of inspiration: Vermont with its mountain views and vintage porch moments, and Maine with its coastal Colonial bones and deep-rooted family traditions.

In Maine, I continue a three-wreath front door tradition each Christmas, something inspired by an old photo of my parents’ first holiday in their newly built Raeside-Dame home. In that photo, three small wreaths hang across the front door, simple and perfect. Ever since, it’s become one of those quiet seasonal rituals that says, in its own way, “we’re home for the holidays”. Learn more in my How to Hang Three Christmas Wreaths on Your Front Door: A Timeless Holiday Tradition post.

In Maine, the atmosphere shifts into a quieter kind of winter charm. After Christmas, I’ll hang a pair of vintage white snowshoes on the front door. They stay up long after the holidays pass, a soft nod to the season that still feels right through February. Inside, the coziness continues with small, layered touches: my mother’s antique bells and a pair of L.L. Bean boots tucked near the fireplace, a basket of birch logs, and garland to bring the outside in. These little details add charm without feeling overdone, just simple, timeless reflections of a New England winter.

Explore more winter decor style ideas from our home in coastal Maine in these favorite posts:

Over time, I’ve learned that decorating seasonally doesn’t have to mean rushing into Christmas or completely reinventing a space. It’s more about collecting vintage pieces that tell a story, then letting them shift and evolve as the seasons do. Some years I lean into blue and white, others I might go with natural greens and burgundy bows, but the base is always the same: cozy, nostalgic, and inspired by this New England life.

If you’ve enjoyed this post, I’d love for you to explore my full Vintage Ski Lodge Decor Series. It’s filled with ideas, finds, and stories from years of styling both indoors and out with thrifted, antique, and repurposed charm.

And stay tuned, next weekend I’ll be diving into how I’m styling my lodge-inspired home for the holidays, with new photos, porch scenes, and a look at the pieces I’m bringing out this season.

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