I’m sure you’ve heard of the capsule wardrobe, it has been around for many years, and has one again become popular over the past few years. This theory teaches the principle that you have a small core wardrobe in which all items are interchangeable and small accents can be added to give more pop or flair to an outfit. This same principle applies to décor.
While generally it is the rule to build your decorating style off several different looks, rather than buying pieces that are all the exact same style,(think all rustic farmhouse themed, or all mid century modern), this is not something we always apply to seasonal décor- but we can and often should. Imposing this filter on our décor will help to simplify our lives immensely!
If you read my post How To Create A Cohesive Color Pallet, you may already be familiar with and utilizing these principles but as a quick refresher it is a good idea to create a color pallet for your home of about 5-12 different colors, having 1 or 2 main colors, about 3 accent colors, and 2 or 3 colors that you use vary sparingly. Now you may already be doing this but do you follow these guidelines when it comes to seasonal decor?
If you have a neutral color scheme in your home, with a very small color pallet, then you have a lot of room to play when it comes to adding seasonal decor. However, you may have more colors in your home; you may like pastels or yellows and oranges which can make for challenging decorating when it comes to certain seasons. Enter capsule decorating.
If you have a home that is decorated in pastel purples, blues, and greens then you may not want to plunk down a bunch of orange pumpkins in the fall. But what you can do is plunk down a bunch of white ones. You build your base of white pumpkins, and then add a few soft brown twine balls, maybe a pair of deer antlers, and some eucalyptus greenery sprinkled about. Then the next year you build off of this base. This gives you a framework for your decor; when you can’t decide between an orange and brown welcome fall sign, and one that is designed of beiges, grays, and creams you can easily make a decision to go with a neutral sign and therefore simplify your decorating.
My base for the decor elements in my home are white, wood, and vintage. The white keeps things clean and modern, the wood keeps things rustic, and the vintage is all me- an expression of my personal style and what I like. When I cull through my decor and find the pieces that I use every season I see a theme, which I can then follow to help in the selection of new decor pieces. I picture the decor that I love the most and ask myself if this new item will find a home among my other pieces. I sometimes stray from this rule but it’s very helpful when I’m under a lot of shopping pressure!
Capsule decorating is an easy formula to follow to add seasonal touches to your décor without feeling like you have to do a huge overhaul of all of your décor. Capsule decorating isn’t about hard and fast restrictions that you can never stray from; rather capsule decorating is a tool to simplify your life. Who among us doesn’t need a little more simplicity these days? I hope this helps to simplify and give you more freedom in your decorating!
Vignettes are the secret to up leveling your decor! Learning how to create a beautiful vignette will take your decor from looking like a bunch of things plopped down on a tray to a curated collection, purposefully put together. They can also be a great way to add seasonal elements to your decor, for more on adding seasonal elements to your vignette check out my post:
A Vignette is a collection of items, or furniture, that are styled together. That’s it in a nutshell but let’s dive a little deeper! You will typically use a vignette to gather items that you want to display together, styled in a way that makes sense and is pleasing to the eye, and one that tells a story. As I mentioned above a vignette can be as simple as hand soap and lotion placed on a dish, a collection of cutting boards, an herb plant, a pretty container holding your favorite kitchen utensils, and a lemon or lime stuck in for a pop of color. A vignette can also be as large as a floor lamp, a chair, and a stack of books on the floor; a vignette such as this tells the story of a lazy Saturday morning spent reading, or cozy evenings with your favorite books. There is so much room for variation in a vignette, and they are the perfect time to have fun and express your individual style!
Where to do a Vignette?
The great thing about vignettes is they work almost anywhere! I love to use a vignette to corral odds and ends in my kitchen example: I use a tray to hold a decorative hot plate that I use all the time, my pour over coffee maker, my basil plant that I haven’t yet killed, a utensil holder, my salt and pepper shaker, and other odds and ends.
Other places that are ideal for vignettes are: Mantels, end tables, coffee tables, dressers, shelving, countertops and anywhere in between!
Where to Start When it Comes to Creating a Vignette?
I like books and therefore I like to think of my vignettes as a story. The height of different objects acts as the emotional ups and downs that a good book will take you on, the varying textures in a vignette are the different colorful characters. Just like the setting in a book might be strongly textured and central to the books plot you may have a tray, box or bowl that is your vignette’s foundation, or you may not have your items on a tray and instead have the grouped together using colors to pull your vignette together just as many books have strong characters that pull the plot together.
The other thing you want to make sure you are doing in a vignette is layering! Simple vignettes are great but sometimes, (like on a coffee table), there are items that are necessary to the functionality of the room. For example; you might have a large book with a vase, candle and small sculptural object on top of it. Then you have 2 stacks of smaller books next to it, making the shape of a large rectangle. That’s cute! But what about the remote for the tv? And where did you put those matches to light the candle? Save yourself the trouble and replace one stack of the smaller books with a tray that will hold a small box of matches and the remote- your husband will be happy and you’ll use your candle more!
Or maybe you just have more to display! If you love art and have lots of it to display you might start with a large painting on your mantle, then by layering smaller pieces of art in front of it, you’ll gain a more collected look.
What are the Rules for Creating a Vignette?
There really are no rules when it comes to creating a vignette, but I know that isn’t helpful so here are a few things to keep in mind:
Pick an odd number of items: Usually my small vignettes end up with 5 or 7 items. You can go with more or pair down to 3, but generally the smaller the items the more you can get away with. Our minds like to group things together, and are always looking for shapes that it can group together. One of the most pleasing shapes for our mind to spot in a group is a triangle. For this reason you will typically want to include at least 3 items, and generally always an odd number of items. However, in case you can over analyze the situation as I have been known to do, this doesn’t mean that you can’t have 8 items- if the items read to your minds eye as more like 7 items. Example: If you have a stack of 2 books of the same size your mind will see this as 1 item, not 2 items. Create a little tension. My natural tendency is to make everything absolutely perfect and lined up, but when it comes to styling it’s often better for something to look slightly lived in. You want your eye to travel through the peaks and valleys of your vignette and then slowly be led off to the other decor in the room. Making things too perfect will keep your eye recirculating on your vignette and not let it wander to take in the rest of your beautiful room! Vary the heights of the objects in your vignette. Take your viewer on a tour of your vignette- and make it an interesting one! Vary textures! If you add only things that are smooth, shiny, or rough, it will be like reading a magazine in black and white. Companies add color to their magazines to grab your attention, and that is what adding texture will do for your vignette! Add personality! Books, decor items, pictures, coasters- these are all great but also toss in something unexpected. Like any decor you want to add just a little bit of visual tension to your decor- think plot twists in a book! So here is the place to drop in any odd keepsake you’ve been wanting to display but haven’t known where or how to!
On what should you display your vignette?
Just when you thought you couldn’t have anymore fun with a vignette the options once again opened up! A tray is probably the most common way to showcase a vignette, but a wooden box, a large bowl, a round slice of wood, a blanket, a mirror, a mantel, or a large book are all possibilities. A small end table or accent table will automatically act as a tray for grouping items. Get creative! What do you have around your house that you are under utilizing? Use that thing!
All Done?
It can be hard to know when to stop when it comes to vignettes! Sometimes analyzing all the details and tweaking so many things, so many times it can start to feel like nothing is working. When this happens it’s time to stop, and walk away for a while. Come back several hours later or the next day and take another look, oftentimes you will think it looks great, and if not the answer will most likely be much clearer! Walking away for a bit will save you so much time and frustration so don’t hesitate to try it!
A Vignette is a collection of items, or furniture, that are arranged together.. That’s it in a nutshell but let’s dive a little deeper! You will typically use a vignette to gather items that you want to display together, styled in a way that makes sense and is pleasing to the eye, and one that tells a story. As I mentioned above a vignette can be as simple as hand soap and lotion placed on a dish, a collection of cutting boards, an herb plant, a pretty container holding your favorite kitchen utensils, and a lemon or lime stuck in for a pop of color. A vignette can also be as large as a floor lamp, a chair, and a stack of books on the floor; a vignette such as this tells the story of a lazy Saturday morning spent reading, or cozy evenings with your favorite books. There is so much room for variation in a vignette, and they are the perfect time to have fun and express your individual style!
What should you include in your vignette?
Have I mentioned that there really are no rules when it comes to vignette? I know- no help! So here are a few guidelines to follow!
Pick an odd number of items: Usually my small vignettes end up with 5 or 7 items. You can go with more or pair down to 3, but generally the smaller the items the more you can get away with.
Objects of Varying heights. If you thought of each object as something in nature, what landscape would make for the best views? A vase or larger picture will add height, a small sculpture will bring interest to the details, a stack of 2 or 3 books will act as a bridge.
Vary textures! If you add only things that are smooth, shiny, or rough, it will be like reading a magazine in black and white. Companies add color to their magazines to grab your attention, and that is what adding texture will do for your vignette!
Add personality! Books, decor items, pictures, coasters- these are all great but also toss in something unexpected. Like any decor you want to add just a little bit of visual tension to your decor- think plot twists in a book! So here is the place to drop in any odd keepsake you’ve been wanting to display but haven’t known where or how to!
On what should you display your vignette?
Just when you thought you couldn’t have anymore fun with a vignette the options once again opened up! A tray is probably the most common way to showcase a vignette, but a wooden box, a large bowl, a round slice of wood, a blanket, a mirror, or a large book are all possibilities; what do you have around your house that you are under utilizing? Use that thing!
Add a Touch of the Season
Vignettes are probably the thing I change up most season to season. I have a wooden bowl that my uncle made on my entryway table. I love to add different touches of the season to this bowl, it helps to set the tone for the rest of my house from the start.
For fall I love, Love the little baby pumpkins. I love the orange ones, white ones, and the ones that are a combination of both! But there are soo many options such as:
Pine cones
Twine Balls
Cotton Bolls
Antlers- Faux or Real
Bottles
Strands of faux berry branches
Feathers
Leaves- you can spray paint faux ones to match your decor!
So many options, and still this list isn’t all inclusive!
Not Sure if Your Vignette is Working?
I don’t think I’m the only who after putting together a vignette, will step back and think, “Does that even look like anything?” Sometimes isn’t doesn’t and I have to tweak it or start over, but many times I walk away and when I come back a short while later I either love it, or can easily spot what needs to be changed.
I hope this inspires you to have fun with your decor! Vignettes are so much fun and fall is a great time to play around- so play! Have fun and enjoy making your home even more beautiful. And after you are finished creating vignettes of your own, I hope you will tag me over on Instagram so I can see what lovely creations you have made in your home. And for more pictures and inspiration from me come follow me on Pinterest at: EssentiallyEmmaMarie.
Isn’t fall the best of all? I admit I love every season for different reasons- except for March, I just can’t make myself love the endless gray days that are too warm for snow and too cold for anything else. Besides that I can honestly say that I love every season. I love fall, I love the colors in nature, I love the crisp evenings that are perfect for having campfires, and most of all I love the coziness associated with this season- give me that cup of hot Chai tea, pass the blanket and let me curl up with my book!
Below I have a few ideas, ones that I do and that you may enjoy for fall, but I would like to put in my two cents for those thinking- Why bother? To make life more enjoyable! I love Christmas, so does my husband and we really make an effort to go out of our way and enjoy the season. The sounds, the scents, the decor, time with family and friends, and special events, all contribute to making Christmas a special time of year. But. We still have to make the effort to do them! The same is true with all the other seasons. There are special and fun things about every season and while we may not be able to make every season as special as Christmas, we can emphasize the things that we love about each season and thereby add that much extra joy and happiness to our everyday life! Here are several things I do around my home to welcome the season and make my home that much cozier and more inviting for Fall.
Out with the Old, in with the New!
Every season change is a good chance todo a little audit and do any necessary purging! I know it may not sound like fun, but this is a relatively easy way to stay on top of and developing clutter! Along those same lines make sure that you remove anything that is too summery, and pack away a few items that you know you will not need again until the following year.
Fall Flowers
We usually start to get a few frosts here in PA by the time the beginning of October rolls around. That means that it’s usually safe to get rid of any flowers I’ve had in pots, on my porch or patio. To help things not feel as stark I usually like to get a few mums or pumpkins, or if you don’t want to invest annually, a cute fall sign can help to warm up an empty entry way or porch.
Candles
The first thing I think of when I think of fall is cozy, warm lighting; fires in the fireplaces,candles, candles in lanterns, and of course jack-o-lanterns! I love a big lantern. I think they look great almost anywhere; beside a fireplace, next to an accents chair, a medium lantern as a focal point in a vinette, and of course they are very welcoming outside a front door. If you have a lantern and have had different decor elements inside try pulling all that out and add a candle, I usually do battery operated.
Scents
Speaking of candles- the scents of fall can’t be beat! There are delicious sweet smells; pumpkin latte, apple tart, and cinnamon roll. If you aren’t someone who likes sweet smells filling your home,(no judgement!) then there are candles and essential oils that invoke scents of campfires and falling leaves.
One of my favorite candle companies is the Chestnut Hill Candle Co. They have a variety of scents-all of them delicious- and the scent really permeates your home. I dislike when a candle smells good burning but can only be smelled if you are within six inches of it! Some of our favorite candle scents for fall are from this company are: White Pumpkin, Farmstead, and Coffee.
Cozy Up!
It is officially time to pack away the lighter throw blankets up here in the north! Time to pull out the softer throws: flannel, knit, or even some plush blankets! This is also one of my favorite ways to work in some fall color into my decor. There are really cute fall plaids in a variety of color combinations. Just adding colors in a plaid, even if they aren’t traditional fall colors, is enough to add a touch of fall!
The other comfy, cozy touch is to switch out decorative pillows, for a cute fall pillows! If you don’t want to store a bunch of bulky pillows you can get pillow covers,(look on Etsy or Overstock), and that way you just have a slim cover to pack away instead of a pillow!
Music
Again, at Christmas time we play Christmas music to get us in the mood. In summer I hear a lot more country being played. So why not play fall music for fall? I do think this is very subjective, I like me some Michael Buble, or Sinatra, but others like banjo music. Regardless of what kind of music you like, I would like to challenge you to find something that feels special to you, and to the season, and embrace it as your own special playlist to get you in the fall spirit!
Lights
Little twinkle lights are often saved for Christmas but as the days shorten I like to add a little additional brightness to my life. I’ll toss in a strip of lights in my fall centerpiece, intertwine a strand with fall twine woven throughout my mantle or the top of my piano. Many of these have a timer setting that wil come on automatically everyday. I get all warm and fuzzy inside when I come home after dark-and forgot to leave any lights on- only to see my little lights are all ready for me. It feels like my house is welcoming me home!
I have always wanted a well done home. One that feels cozy and inviting, that is well kept and fun to live in! I want this not only so that people feel welcomed and comfortable in my home- I want them to come over and feel welcomed by the wreath on the door, to be able to settle in on the couch with the pillows, and to have a throw blanket handy if they start getting chilly. I want to be intentional in my decor to have a home that is not only styled to my tastes, but also one that is liveable. While there is still so much out there that I can learn, and so many ways that I can grow in my decorating skills, I do believe that I have come along way from where I started. One of the tools that have helped me along the way are decorating books- I love them! Below I have listed three of my favorite decorating books, each one focuses on different elements of creating a well planned home, that I feel have given me the most tangible tools for laying the groundwork to a well done home.
Quick reminder that this post contains affiliate links; that means if you click on the link I will make a small commission at no extra cost to you- it’s a way to support my blog! I will only ever share an affiliate link if I love the product and think that you just might love it too!
HomeBody by Joanna Gaines
If you are into decorating then you have undoubtedly heard of the Gaines family and Joann’s signature farmhouse style. However, even if you aren’t a farmhouse style fan I would still urge you to pick up this book! This is a great book for a foundational look at building your home decor. Johanna walks you through a variety of different homes room by room, highlighting the functionality of each one. What is the purpose of your entry way and what elements do you need to add for it to function effectively? Do you need a table with a tray for keys? A runner or welcome mat? What about a light as soon as you step inside the door? Joanna walks you through several different examples discusses each, and then includes a troubleshooting guide at the end of each section. At the end of the book she includes a design template so that you can sketch out your room, and make a plan for how you will tackle decorating it. While a lot of the houses featured in this book have a farmhouse or rustic feel I don’t think the tools thought in it are limited to a a specific style. Homebody is great guideline of what things to consider and other helpful information that will help simplify the process of decorating your home.
Domino- Your Guide to a Stylish Home by Jessica Romm Perez and Shani Silver
This is such a fun book! The pictures are beautiful and there are a variety of different styles showcased in this book focusing mainly on, Glam, Eclectic, and a Midcentury Modern feel- but you can find examples of just about every type of style in this book. The book starts by helping you to identify your own style and then moves to different aspects of your home tackling decorating by topic; tables, lighting, etc., rather than by room or style. This book help you to identify what kind of decor you like and then shows you how to incorporate elements of that style into the decor you already have. Every chapter ends with a short interview with someone in the decorating/styling community sharing tips that they’ve learned along the way, in their respective area of expertise. I found this book very helpful as a way to up your decorating game after you have the foundational pieces of your decor selected, as a tool to help you transition from one decor style to another, or just as a guideline for incorporating elements of a new style!
This book isn’t as much about starting to build your decor from ground zero as it is about how to style and work with what you already own. In the beginning of the book, Emily includes a quiz on how to identify your personal style and taste, shopping tips and then she launches into the huge difference tiny styling tweaks can make in your decor! She covers all basics like making sure your room has good flow, making sure that you aren’t over decorating part of a room and neglecting another part, and how to tell if your decor is competing with itself. She also throws in fun sections like how to style a sofa in 4 different ways based of your preferences. A lot of the styles featured are not quite my style- many of the photos featured feel very mid century modern/eclectic, but that didn’t stop me from getting a TON out of this book. What I also loved about this book it that unlike so many of the decor books out there that make you feel like you need to run out and buy new things, this book emphasizes on working with what you already have, and that is where true decorating skill is learned.
So often our decor is in need of a little “umpf”. I mean, all the decor staples are great: moss balls, twine balls, books, vases, etc., but sometimes our decor needs some life to bring it to life, as it were. It needs something real. Something like flowers! Flowers help to add color, bring life so our decor doesn’t look so staid, and add interest by filling out vases we may be using in our decor. But, there’s a dilemma—do we use fresh or fake?!
Fake Flowers
Fake flowers (or faux flowers if we want to sound fancy and up a scale) are nice because there are some gorgeous, very realistic ones on the market. The downside is that nice faux flowers can be quite pricey and if you aren’t sure they are something you want to use for years it might be better not to splurge on them. On the other hand, fresh flowers can be found quite affordably, they last for a while, and can even lend a pleasant aroma to the room. The downside is they don’t last forever and, therefore, every 7-10 days will require switching out. For me this can become a bit of a chore and, quite frankly, I don’t want to have to do that much upkeep all the time.
Third option
There is, however, a third option that I do not hear talked about nearly enough—dried flowers! Dried or preserved flowers are a great way to, ironically enough, add life to your decor. Since they have been preserved, you can typically count on them lasting you 1-3 years so you don’t have to worry about looking over, 15 minutes before guests arrive for that dinner party, and realize that you have a vase full of dead, drooping flowers! And, you won’t have to have that conversation with yourself of whether your fake flowers look fake.
Preserved Flowers
Another reason to love preserved flowers—they are so versatile. A bunch of dried lavender lends itself well to a midcentury modern feel. Some dried flowers in a milk pitcher affects a country farmhouse air. Add any colorful dried flower and watch your bohemian/eclectic decor crackle and pop with life!
There are many different ways to incorporate dried flowers and the other nice thing about them is that no two are exactly alike! Since these are real flowers, grown, cut and dried, they include all the abnormalities and inconsistencies found in nature, which to my mind, makes them even better!
I have talked about using preserved flowers in vases, but get creative! I have an old window that has dried flowers preserved inside. You could also scatter a few blooms on a tray containing a vignette. (Unless you have cats—in that case skip this unless you want to have dried petals floating throughout your house. Not that I would know from personal experience. . . .) The point is that the possibilities are endless! What a fun, but uncommon element to add to your decor.
Where to find these flowers that will transform your decor? I found mine at a local specialty store called, “Roxanne’s Dried Flowers;” so do a little research, see if you have a store near you, and make a little field trip out of visiting it! If all else fails, like everything these days, there are a lot of options online, and on Etsy too.
