Custom creative project for my client

I finally finished my client’s living room mantle after months of collecting all these colored glass pieces.

I would call this maximalist design. It might be too much for some people but it’s perfect for my client and I am so happy with how it turned out.

There is a story behind this…

It all started last year at Christmas  when I surprised my client with a new Christmas decorating theme to go with her newly redesigned colorful living room. I collected bottle brush trees in a rainbow of colors and scattered in some colored glass with battery powered twinkle lights.

Once it was time to take the Christmas decorations down my client said she was sad and didn’t want a mostly empty mantle.

I knew instantly what I wanted to do…

Creative projects like this that are custom tailored to my clients are my absolute favorite thing to do!

I love bringing a creative vision to life! Could your home use some creativity? I’m here to help!

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.

How to elevate your style

Do you look at your home and wardrobe and think… something is missing?  You just can’t put your finger on it.

I truly believe the key to elevating your style is to add accessories. Sometimes a space in your home needs a refresh but you don’t want to do a complete remodel.  You CAN redesign and refresh your space on a budget by accessorizing.

You can completely change the look and vibe of a room by changing out the accessories.

Accessories add color, texture, pattern, depth and so much more.

For your home… Think throw pillows, curtains, rugs, decor, books, art, lighting, candles, plants and flowers.

For your wardrobe.. shop your closet and mix up your looks with jewelry, scarves, shoes, handbags, third layers and hats.

Questions to ask yourself when it comes to interior styling or creating outfits:

Are you not sure how to define your personal style?

Do you know what you like when you see it but have no idea how to put it together?

Do you struggle with how to combine colors and patterns?

I am here to help if you need it!

-Kristina

My favorite Christmas decor this year

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!

Colorful Christmas Living Room

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!

How to add Hygge to your home

What is Hygge?

If I had to describe Hygge in one word I would say “ cozy”.

I have found that over the years my style has evolved and I love the feeling of a cozy home.

The more cozy elements I add the calmer I feel. 

Some of my favorite ways to make a home feel more Hygge are:

-Blankets, pillows and more blankets!

-Battery powered candles and twinkle lights.

-Real candles burning in my favorite scent 

-A warm dog on my lap 

-A cup of tea or coffee 

-A good book or movie 

How does your home feel right now? Could it use some cozy touches for Fall?

A simple way to add warmth to your home

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!

 

How does your home make you feel?

 

 

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!

Living room design for senior clients

 

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

-Curtains in a neutral color

-Display old books and mementos from travel

-Stained glass lamp

-Wooden tray