How to decorate with candles

Have you ever looked around and thought your home might be missing something?

Maybe it just doesn’t feel warm and inviting. It lacks that calm and cozy feeling?

One of my favorite ways to add a calming cozy vibe to your home is by decorating with candles.

My husband and I suffer from allergies and live in a small space so I try to limit my real candles to one lightly scented candle.

I might be a little obsessed with adding battery powered candles around our home though! The soft amber glow reminds me of a fireplace and has an instant calming effect on me. I set my battery powered candles on timer mode and they come on at night after dinner and are perfect for setting a relaxing mood.

I am picky about the quality of my fake candles and like them to flicker and look realistic. Battery powered candles are definitely not all the same.

Another way you can elevate the look is by placing the battery powered candles in glass or metal votive. I love the way the light reflects through the metal cut outs or off the glass. I mix my real and fake candles on the same tray so its hard to tell they are not real.

How do you feel about candles? Do you have certain nightly rituals and routines that you follow in your home?

How to style your home with faux flowers

 

I love decorating with real and fake flowers. They can add so much color and life to a space.

It doesn’t matter what season we are in…flowers can be changed out for spring, summer, fall and winter.

You can reuse some of the stems and alternate others depending on the time of year.

I like to choose vases that can pretty much work year round so I don’t have to store too many extras.

Flowers are perfect for decorating an entryway table, bathroom counter, dark corner… the possibilities are endless.

I truly believe if you add these extra details to your home it will make you more accountable in keeping your home organized and de cluttered. Do you really want to create a drop zone next to a beautiful arrangement of flowers?

Adding extra finishing touches to your home will help you be more intentional about maintaining your newly styled space.

I am very picky about the flowers I choose looking real. These roses are a favorite and have fooled many people from a distance! They are a little more on the expensive side but totally worth it! I get them at Michaels believe it or not.

Some tips I use when decorating with flowers and creating vignettes:

-Choose stems and flowers that look more realistic.

-Create a cohesive color palette with other decorative items. This will create a “vignette” and make things really stand out and flow.

-Selecting flowers with texture adds another layer of interest and warmth to your space.

-You are not limited by a small space. There are so many cute bud vases you can use on bathroom counters and places where space is limited.

-Get creative and play with some arrangements and you will be surprised how flowers can brighten up your space and instantly lift your mood.

Styling and Simplifying your home

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:

I highly recommend them both!