Making your home decor feel intentional and seasonally festive doesn’t always require a complete overhaul. One of the simplest ways to transition your home decor throughout the year is by swapping out your baskets and their contents on a seasonal basis.
This can be a woven tray on your coffee table (like this round wicker serving tray), a storage basket by the entryway (like this rectangular deep wicker basket), or a decorative basket on your kitchen counter (like this narrow rectangular wicker storage basket). Shifting the contents of your baskets with the season maximizes the impact of your refreshes while requiring minimal effort from you.
Why Seasonal Basket Swaps Can Make a Big Impact
Seasonal swaps keep your home—and, by extension, you and your family—feeling in sync with the natural and cultural rhythms of the year. They give your home environment a sense of novelty and celebration, with no need for a full redesign. Baskets are especially helpful for this purpose because they provide a defined space for their contents (decorative or otherwise) while being endlessly adaptable to virtually any home design aesthetic.
Decorative Basket Swaps by Season
A few thoughtful touches can transform a simple basket into a seasonal statement—here are some of our favorite basket-related decor suggestions for each season:
Spring: Light, Airy, and Fresh
Spring decor should feel like a breath of fresh air, with elements that celebrate the idea of growth and new beginnings. We recommend choosing light-colored baskets, like this petit pole handle wicker storage basket in sandstone.
For instance, florals (whether they’re real or fake) instantly brighten a room. Consider loosely arranging spring blossoms like tulips, daffodils or cherry blossoms in a basket. To give your floral arrangement a more whimsical feel, adding garden accessories and tools like seed packets and gardening gloves is a fun option.
We also love the idea of adding pastel linens to your decorative baskets, like tea towels or cloth napkins—these can soften the hard lines of the baskets and evoke spring freshness. Finally, for a kitchen window or other sunny space, potted herbs like mint and basil add not only greenery but lovely scent, and they’re also useful for cooking.
Summer: Bold, Bright, and Breezy
Summer is a time for bright colors and fun vibes. Your baskets should reflect the warmth and relaxation of the season. Open-top baskets in particular can help to evoke the casual feel of summer.
Adding real or fake citrus fruit to your decorative baskets can be a beautiful touch, as can seashells and driftwood, if you’re going for a more coastal and beachy feel. Add sunglasses, sunscreen, and other beach essentials to remind yourself of your next summer vacation—and if you tend to overheat in the summer, don’t forget woven fans and sunhats that are easy to grab on your way out the door.
Autumn: Cozy, Warm, and Earthy
As summer comes to a close and the air begins to cool, choose texture, warmth, comfort, and natural tones for your fall baskets. Darker-toned baskets that incorporate wood, like this pole handle wicker storage basket in antique walnut brown, can lend richness to your autumn decor.
What to add to your baskets, you may ask? For fall, we love natural elements that evoke the season, like mini pumpkins and gourds, dried leaves, and wheat bundles. For scent and layered depth, candles and cinnamon sticks are an ideal addition. Chunky knit throws, folded and spilling over the edges of wicker storage baskets, are one of the coziest home additions we can imagine and are also highly practical.
Winter: Calm, Festive, and Inviting
Your winter baskets should feel like a hug, with elements like pinecones, evergreen sprigs, and/or faux snow as a woodland-themed base. Just like for fall, we recommend darker-colored baskets that incorporate wood, like this wicker gathering basket, but anything that works with your preferred wintry color palette (such as white, silver, green, gold, etc.) is a good option.
For a soft glow, white pillar candles, gold votives, or flameless options can all be helpful. You can also subtly nod to the holidays with ornaments or bells, if desired. And to soften the feel of your decorative winter baskets, a faux fur or sherpa blanket can be a luxurious touch that adds a cozy feel. Consider placing your winter basket near the fireplace, on bedside tables, or on a living room side table where you and your guests can admire it.
The Best Place to Source Decorative Wicker Baskets
The Basket Lady is run by a mother-daughter team with over 30 years of expertise in designing and sourcing a wide range of wicker baskets handwoven from sustainable rattan by gifted Indonesian artisans. If you’re in need of baskets for seasonal decor, begin searching for your ideal baskets by type, size, or room.
