This year I may have a little bit of a bottle brush tree obsession. It all started when I saw a mantle on Pinterest with a beautiful rainbow of bottle brush trees. And then my client mentioned she might like to do a theme this year with some of her holiday decorations instead of being traditional as usual.
And visions of bottle brush trees and brightly colored ornaments and ribbons danced in my head….
And this is how a brightly colored Christmas living room was designed! Keep reading for the full reveal!
The past several years I have done different variations of this peppermint themed Christmas display on my client’s kitchen island. It is such a fun easy way to create a festive display that is edible too! Because who doesn’t love some chocolate during the holidays? I use anything that is peppermint themed, red or white. My only rule with the candy is I try to find something with either a red wrapper or peppermint themed. You can get creative and use what you have on had to hold the candy and chocolate. I grabbed some stuff from the bar and used a crystal ice bucket, martini glasses, cocktail glasses and vases. I even use a white cake stand she already had on hand because it adds another layer of height.
I added some greenery and lights to make it fun and festive. It is a big hit with family and friends who come for the holidays. Just make sure you have some spare chocolate to replenish your display as it gets eaten. Chocolate covered pretzel sticks are one of my favorite things to add. They look great in a glass and taste delicious too! Would your family like this for the holidays?? Go get creative…
My client recently redecorated her living room in some fun bright colors. This year for Christmas I wanted to tie in the fun bright colors that reflect her new space and her style and personality!
I had so much fun designing this mantle display with lots of colored bottle brush trees. I added colored ornaments in clear glasses and vases. Of course twinkle lights are a the finishing touch to bring it all together.
I even found those fun bright colored gift boxes in pink, green and cobalt. I embellished them with ribbons and ornaments to add some extra sparkle. I love the way it all came together! Target had a great line of holiday decor this year so I found most of the decorations there! Bright colored ornaments in small packs by color, an assorted box of the perfect bright color palette of large ornaments and assorted bottle brush trees by color too. These gift boxes sold out almost immediately so I was lucky to grab them before Thanksgiving. Shopping early does have its perks!
Do you ever feel like your home is missing something? Maybe it just doesn’t feel warm and inviting?
A really easy and inexpensive way to add warmth to your home is by adding texture. There are so many ways to do this without running out and buying a bunch of stuff. You can repurpose things from other areas of your house that aren’t being used or appreciated. Texture can instantly elevate a space and add those finishing touches that were missing.
Here are a few easy ways to add texture to your space:
– Plants, flowers, vases
– Decorative boxes and trays
-Baskets
– Pottery
-Throw pillows and blankets
-Art
-Rugs or tapestries
-Books
Search your home to see what you can use in a more creative way!
Do you know what one of the easiest ways to refresh your home is? Take away some of the excess clutter and only display things you love. Be a ruthless editor of what you allow in your space.
These days we see so many influencers on social media redesigning their spaces every few months with all new things. This makes me crazy. Not only do most of us not have the budget for that but it also sends the wrong message that things are disposable and something shiny and new is always better.
My favorite thing to do for my clients and at my own house is to first shop your home. Look at all of your decorative items and collections and see if there is anything you can display or use in a new way. I find that one overlooked area can be the kitchen or china cabinet with small decorative bowls or other interesting objects. Mementos from travel or family members can also be great to incorporate into your design.
Be very selective and take away anything that doesn’t add to the space or make you happy. Less is more. If you want to add a few new things then consider small changes like a new throw pillow, vase or picture frame.
My 3 main tips would be:
-Calm down the space by de cluttering and removing the excess.
-Create a cohesive color palette.
-Display old items in new creative ways and mix old with new. Make sure to add texture and color.
Is there an area in your home you can tackle today? You will be surprised at the impact even the smallest changes can have.
If you need some inspiration here are 2 of my favorite books on simplifying and styling:
Guess what my client’s first thoughts were on this wallpaper that was already in her office space when they moved in?
This is going to give me a headache. I cannot work in here and this is really not my style. We debated removing the wallpaper but the rest of the office had bold patterned wallpaper and I did not want her office to feel like it wasn’t even part of the same space. So we worked with the wallpaper and let me say it was definitely a design challenge. I needed to add some traditional elements to make the client happy and calm down the overall space. However, I wanted her office to still feel like it could flow with the rest of the other work spaces around her. I love the way it turned out and the client was happy which is the most important thing!
So what did we do to calm down the overall space?
Here are some of our design tricks and tips:
-We added some ivory into the color palette with chairs and a rug to soften things.
-We added some greenery and florals to add contrast against the busy wallpaper.
-We added a mirror to reflect light and the beautiful view.
-We added pops of teal with furniture and artwork so it still felt modern and bold and brought in the wallpaper.
-We chose a natural wood color for her desk so that she could keep the traditional feel she wanted.
Does your home feel like a sanctuary or is it a source of stress and anxiety?
I had an interesting conversation with a longtime client last week. She commented that she loved her powder room and it made her happy. It was recently redesigned with a new bold patterned wallpaper and a textured tile backsplash. Along with a new beautiful navy vanity and a fun piece of artwork.
Before my client even said anything I had been thinking how much the powder room represented her fun bold and colorful style. And how streamlined and clutter free it was compared to other parts of her house. So I asked her “What if your whole house could feel as good as this powder room?”
You don’t have to tackle your whole house at once. Just take one space at a time. Walk around your house and take inventory of what spaces and things you truly love. Less is more..you can create the home you have always wanted.
Take one room at a time and be a ruthless editor. De clutter, organize and style it so it represents your current lifestyle. And your style right now. Not the you from 5 years ago, not your ex-husband’s style and not the hand me downs from your family and friends you are keeping out of guilt. Keep only the things that feel like you and make YOU happy. (Of course, you do have to be mindful and respectful of other family members and their spaces.) But start with what you can change and you and everyone else will notice a difference I promise!
I got a call from some clients that I have worked with for years. They are a sweet older couple in their late seventies and wanted to convert one of their guest bedrooms into a cozy den. I was so excited to help with this project! The only things they really had in the room were 2 new recliners and a TV stand that had a fireplace insert. (Which they said they absolutely loved the coziness the fireplace added so that right there gave me some ideas.) So the design was a clean slate!
I suggested we do a cozy library feel with lots of browns and oranges. Soft glow of candles and fireplace.
They had an eclectic mix of artwork so we discussed that 3 different types of art would not work in the room. Southwest, Thai dancers and a barn. We decided to use some beautiful prints we had discovered while de cluttering my client’s office. They were beautiful brown sketches with an old world feel and would definitely go with the vibe of the room. We redistributed the other pieces of art to different areas of the house.
We started with a Pinterest board to narrow down color palette and general aesthetic. I encouraged them to order a low bookcase to go on an empty wall to add some warmth. I suggested we style it with some mementos from their travels, old books and a few new accessories. It would also be a good place for my client to keep his lap top and any reading materials he wanted near his recliner.
I took them shopping and it took us a little over an hour to find everything left on our list!
It really is amazing how a cohesive color palette and accessories can completely transform a room.
We still have a few tweaks and things to add but I love the way it turned out. It is such a cozy relaxing room. And the best part… the dog agrees!
Things I envisioned for the room:
-Low bookshelf in a dark wood to match TV stand
-Vintage sketches framed above bookcase
-Panoramic picture on long wall above recliners
-Faux plant to bring outdoors in (they did not want maintenance of a live plant and very little light comes in room).
-Battery powered candles in metal votive holders to create a cozy relaxing vibe
-Rug with warm colors like brown, orange and green
I recently worked with one of my longtime clients on designing her office. She is a doctor who was moving to a new office space and wanted to make it colorful, fun and inviting. Because I know her style and personality I had a vision in my head and I knew it would embrace her personal style! The office was pretty drab to start with so we really wanted to add some blues and pinks to give it some pop.
We started with a Pinterest board and narrowed down some of the options I presented to her. Things that were on the list:
-Cabinet for storage but not too big
-Bar cart to use for extra storage and add some glam
-Round rug to add color and warmth but not get in the way of the door opening
-Colorful fun art- I chose a few alcohol ink paintings because I thought they would be a bold fun look.
-2 cozy chairs for patients to sit in
-Standing desk positioned so she could see out the window
