It is that time of year again, the time of year I think of as the lonely season… because when I take down my Christmas tree(s) it just feels so lonely in my home! Not to mention the festivities have calmed down, and I have a week or two to catch my breath. As I am in Pennsylvania I look around and think, “Gee, how many more months of this till we get to summer?” However, that’s really not all this season has to offer—I love the fresh start of the new year and I enjoy doing what I can to reflect some of that freshness in my home. Usually, I leave up as much of my wintery decor as possible: sparkly branches, winter trees, every greens—whatever reflects what is going on in nature. This year I was ready for more bareness. The holidays seemed more rushed and chaotic than normal and I just felt like I needed more room to breathe after the holidays. Can you relate? I don’t want my home to feel depressing though; I want it to feel cozy! Here are some things I am doing to refresh my home for winter and to enjoy this new time of year!
Purge
Nothing says new year like a good purge! Usually, I do an audit of our home the week in between Christmas and the New Year and do a quick purge. Seeing as our family was sick that week this year, I am carving out a little bit of time each weekend to do a purge and reorganize. It’s funny, every year I think I’ve paired down as much as I can bare, only to come across something the next year and wonder why I ever kept it!
Organize
You really can’t organize without having first purged so don’t skip that step. After you’ve done a light purge, take a step back and think about what I call the hot spots in your home—what areas are you always scolding your spouse for cluttering? What problem are you habitually having to deal with? Look at these problem areas and think about how you can solve them once and for all! For me this was getting a rack to hold the lids to my pots and pans. While my kitchen isn’t crowded for storage, these big lids weren’t as accessible as they could be, making it a pain to move all of them when I needed one for cooking. Moving all these glass and metal lids didn’t seem to be too much of a problem—till I had a napping baby in the other room and then the noise seemed major! Getting a lid rack solved this problem.
Here is the link to the lid holder I am currently very thankful for!
Missing Your Tree?
Are you missing your Christmas tree? While this could be because of all the fun the tree represents, it could also be the other elements that your room is missing. Does the room seem dark and bare? Does your room now seem boring? Does your room seem lifeless? Here are some possible remedies.
Add Light
Your Christmas tree can provide a lot of light. If your room feels dark, try adding a new lamp, candles, or a lantern. You could try incorporating a strand of fairy lights into a winter vignette to get a cozy glow going!
Add Scale
There is no doubt about it—your Christmas tree is a big statement piece in your home! If your home is feeling a little dull without it, closely look at your room and see if you have any statement pieces in your home. Do you have a large statement lamp? A show-stopping plant? A large mirror or piece of artwork? Your room needs a little drama! If you have been wanting to add a statement piece but just haven’t gotten there yet, this would be a good project to work on in these slower months!
Add Life
As I mentioned above, plants can add life to a dead-feeling space. If you don’t have any green in your room it really is time to add some. If you are not one for keeping plants alive, I hear you! Check out my post, Plants That Even I Have Kept Alive, or go for faux, but you’ll be amazed at how much style a little plant can add!
Cozy Up!
We already talked about adding candles and lights to your home, but don’t stop there! Pull out your warm, fuzzy throws! If you’ve packed up any throw pillows, pull them out. They will add warmth to your home and provide more comfort for the times when you are hopefully playing games, reading, or doing a puzzle.
Bedding
Most of us in the north have different bedding for our home for winter and for summer. Pull out your flannel sheets, swap out your lightweight comforter for a heavier one, and layer your throw blankets onto your bed.
Brighten Up
If you live in an area where winter can just be gray, try to brighten up the inside of your house by adding some touches of white. Treat yourself to a few white flowers—either as a plant or a bouquet.
To brighten up other rooms of your home try swapping dark drapery for white.
Enjoy!
So now you have refreshed your home with a purge and added any organization that you might need, you’ve pulled out your throws and your pillows, added lights and candles, and added some touches of white, if your home was lacking. Now it is time to enjoy your home! Here are a few ideas of how to enjoy your home this winter:
Make some soup. Nothing tastes better than hot soup on a cold day! Check out soups to warm you up! Play board games Do a puzzle Read Work on a craft Relax with an adult coloring book I hope this helps to give you some ideas of how you can enjoy this winter!
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Do you set time aside each year to reflect on the year? I have to admit that sitting and reflecting is something I love the idea of… but rarely something that I put into practice! I think it’s important though to think through the year past and think about what we can do to improve our upcoming year. There are lots of suggestions for things to think about sprinkled all over the internet but here are a few of the questions that I have found helpful to ask myself when thinking about what I want from the days and months ahead.
What Were the Life-Giving Moments of 2022?
What were the moments that really made you come alive in 2022? What was something you were doing that caused you to lose all track of time because you were so immersed in that thing? I realized that in 2022 I did not have nearly as many of these moments as I would like—it was a busy year—having a baby eats up a lot of time! However, when I looked back I realized I really enjoyed a day spent with my husband walking around the town of Ligonier and visiting the locally-owned shops within the town. I enjoyed the time spent hiking with my husband and little baby, and I enjoyed the time I spent working on some of my various craft projects.
What Worked in 2022?
I did not come up with the phrasing of this question; check out Anne Bogel of the Modern Mrs. Darcy website, but think about what worked in 2022. What made life run more smoothly? What habits made life easier? For me, in 2022 we started using some of the grocery pick-up features from our local grocery stores, not all the time, but definitely some of the time! While I still find value in physically making a trip to the grocery store, there were many times this past year when placing an order for pick-up saved time and hassle that I either didn’t have or wasn’t up for. It can be a slippery slope with the time vs. money equation and you can start to go broke automating everything in your life but here and there I think it is money well spent!
What Didn’t Work in 2022?
Were there habits that stopped working in 2022? For me, this was changing my cleaning schedule halfway through the year with the arrival of our little one. While I would still love to get all the weekly chores done on one day of the week, it simply isn’t working with the time I have available to me at this time, unless I want to only do chores all day on either Saturday or Sunday—which I don’t! I started doing all of the laundry midweek in order to recoup some of the time on the weekend. What pain points are you experiencing that you need to re-evaluate? How could restructuring your week solve some of life’s problems? Are you doing too many little chores every day that are eating into valuable time? Or are you not doing enough and then running out of time so that laundry is never getting folded and you are always stressed out wishing you had gotten to that “one thing” this past weekend?
What do you want more of in 2023?
Similar to our first question of what was life-giving in 2022, what did you not do in 2022 that you wish you would have? What have you found life-giving in the past that wasn’t this year? Normally I find great pleasure in reading at the lake at our local state park. This year, however, with a baby in tow it simply wasn’t easy and didn’t usually end up being that relaxing. What I found to replace that relaxation was having more campfires in our fire pit where there was not a need to lug a bunch of baby gear and where generally my baby was happy to be held and to doze off throughout the evening. Things change from year to year, and while I would generally rather everything stay the same, I have realized that when I adapt to the changes rather than fighting them things end up being a lot more enjoyable!
Do You Need to Restructure Your Priorities?
There isn’t space to care about everything, all the time. In the past exercise has been a big priority for me, but this past year I held it more loosely. I tried to exercise 2-3 times a week, but if it didn’t happen I didn’t stress. I have a job that keeps me physically active and in shape so I let formal exercising drop down a rung on my priority hierarchy. Depending on how this next year goes exercise may need to be moved to the top of the ladder in years to come! But for now, it’s really okay if I’m not training for my next half marathon.
Did You Make a Little Bit of Progress on the Things that Matter Most to You?
We want to see big leaps and bounds in the areas that matter to us each year, but that doesn’t usually happen year after year. What we want to be careful about is saying we want to work on the same thing every year and then not work on it. It’s defeating. If you have a big goal that you are putting on your list of goals to work on simply because it’s a habit, pause—do you really want to do that thing this year? So many of the things we fail to accomplish we fail in part because achieving the thing takes more effort than the amount of joy we will achieve from the results. Re-evaluate to make sure you are really putting effort into the things that matter. Changing goals is okay! Never making progress on what matters most to you isn’t okay so I encourage you to take time and decide what really matters most to you. What will the future you be glad that you did? And how can you change things to enjoy life even just 10% more this year than you did in past years?
I hope this helps you to think through how you can tweak your day-to-day rhythms and routines to end up finding a little more joy, a little more ease, and your goals a little closer when we arrive at the end of yet another year!
Have you gotten yourself a scheduler yet? This is my current scheduler!
Other Schedulers I like:
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New year—new trends! Some of these I love, and others… not so much. There are some interesting things going on in the world of color—some of the trends are continuing, and some hot things of last year are out. Here are some of the trending items for 2023.
Sanctuary
After 2020 with everyone spending large amounts of time in their homes, we saw an emergence of turning our homes into sanctuaries. This is what they should have been all along! We started seeing people remodeling their homes to use them in the way that makes the most sense for them—sometimes a good home office is needed more than a formal dining room! We also saw people adding sunrooms and utilizing more of their house than before. Anything added to make your home more of a retreat sanctuary rather than just a place to live continues to be a trend in 2023.
Color
Color is kind of all over the place this year. Several of the color companies produced calming neutral colors for the color of the year for 2023, others did magenta. Clearly, they did not consult with each other before choosing their picks! The two overarching themes that we are seeing this year in the color world are:
Neutrals for creating a sanctuary-like home, and
Strong colors—we have had whites and grays for so long that people are now desperate for color!
Deep moody colors are in, which is good news for me since I just painted my living room a deep teal-tinted navy blue! If you have a room that doesn’t get a lot of light (as was my case), try going dark for a cozy feel rather than trying to lighten it up with white which can just appear dingy in a dark room. Trends for 2023, in addition to neutrals and deep, moody tones, teals, magentas, and purples are on the rise this year as well.
Now for the colors of the year:
Pantone
Each year Pantone releases their color of the year; this year the color is Viva Magenta.
Just like the name says, this is a bold Magenta color.
Behr
Behr’s color of the year is called Blank Canvas. This is off-white—somewhat grayish in tone; a good backdrop for a wall color that could then be offset using some of the other colors of the year.
Benjamin Moore
Benjamin Moore Paints has picked Raspberry Blush as their color of the year. They are calling it Raspberry Blush but I am calling it Dusty Rusty because it is definitely a rust color—there’s not too much that is soft and blush about it!
Sherwin Williams
Sherwin Williams has declared their color of 2023 to be Redend Point. Redend Point is a very, warm, strong beige. It is not my favorite color (it kind of looks like it was regurgitated from one of the previous decades) however it pairs really well with other neutrals that I love—sage green, warm creams, and dark maroons.
Neutral and Vintage Furniture
Shortages and shipping delays have helped rush in the trend of using vintage furniture in your home. Using vintage pieces in your home is a great way to give your home a collected feel, but it is also a way to reduce waste and, in many cases, you are getting a better quality piece of furniture than you would be able to purchase for the same price brand new.
Textured Furniture
While we are still talking about furniture, textured furniture is big right now. Sued, leather, rattan, wicker, velvet, and any other texture you come across is on trend for 2023! We feel the texture with our eyes as well as our hands, and adding texture throughout your home is another good way to give your home a collected designer feel.
Kitchens
I love my all-white kitchen, and white kitchens will always be a classic but… color has made its way back into the kitchen as well. While you may have to take your chances with staying power, for now, bold colors in the form of cabinets are in and I wager they will be for several years. Two-toned cabinets continue to be on trend, as does a different color kitchen island.
Wallpaper
Wallpaper isn’t going anywhere—quite possibly because everyone is scared of trying to take it off their walls! Wallpaper has come a long way over the years and is a great way to make a big statement that you don’t have to live with forever. Over the past few years, we have seen a lot of accent walls done in wallpaper and, while this is still a thing, we are seeing a lot more full rooms done in wallpaper. I am still trying to talk my husband into letting me wallpaper the guest bathroom! But in the meantime I am still in love with the dresser I redid last year, using wallpaper on the drawer fronts to add some personality to the dresser. (See my post here for the step-by-step guide to how I redid this dresser.) All that to say—get creative! If you want to incorporate wallpaper but aren’t sure about actually putting it on the walls, you can put it in a picture frame—have fun with it!
Vintage Art
Vintage art continues to be in—won’t all the Van Gogh lovers be happy to hear that? However, for those of us of more moderate means, we can happily pick up the painting that catches our eye at our local thrift store or flea market, and rest assured that we will be on trend too!
These are just a few of the home decor trends this year, but as always I want to encourage you to remember it’s your house! If you love something, do it! And if you don’t love it—please don’t add anything just because you think you should! Also if you want to try a trend but you aren’t sure about committing to it on a grand scale, try just adding touches of it here and there: wallpaper in a large picture frame; a magenta throw pillow; start small and see what you think. If you still love it after living with the trend on a small scale then go for it on a large scale if you so desire!
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Christmas isn’t quite here yet but it is close enough to start thinking about! If you have been reading this blog for any length of time, you know hardly anything gets quite as exciting as talking about Christmas decorating! Since I can hardly contain myself and have been counting down the days until I can start playing Christmas music, I have done a little looking to see what the trends are for Christmas in the year 2022. One of my favorite things about decorating is choosing a color palette and there are some really fun options this year.
An Overview
As far as an overview of the trends goes I am seeing three main categories:
A return to traditional Super classy and simple Cutting edge with crazy colors A Return to Traditional
This is one of the first years in a long time that I am seeing a return of the traditional Christmas color palette in a big way. Yes, red and green are traditional colors and by definition never completely go out of style but you haven’t seen these colors being featured as the main attraction. This year there is a resurgence of bright red in the Christmas color palettes—especially when paired with golds and champagnes. If you are a red fan, you can go all-out with it this year and be totally on-trend.
Super Classy and Simple
If you aren’t a big red person and don’t want the traditional Christmas feel in your Christmas decor this year, then another option we are seeing a lot of this year is green with whites, creams, champagnes, and light gold. This is a super classy look and can be paired down quite elegantly to keep things simple this holiday season.
Cutting Edge with Crazy Colors
I am not a trendsetter who enjoys being the one to push the limits but even I can enjoy some fun Christmas decorating this year in the form of neon Christmas colors. Fuchsia pink, electric blue, and bright purple are fun options that are showcasing this Christmas. I think this is a super-fun option for a child’s room!
Christmas Color Palettes That Are on Trend in 2022
So those are the main pockets of Christmas color trends but what about actual Christmas color palettes? In the traditional bucket of Christmas color palettes, I am seeing:
Red, gold, and, of course, green. Royal blue, silvers, and, of course, green. For simple color palettes:
Greens, beige, gold. Green, white, silver Green, white, gold Or basically any combination of the above colors!
For the Cutting Edge with Crazy Colors
Neon as mentioned above:
Fuchsia pink, electric blue, and bright purple Greens, silver, and lilac. I am seeing a lot of taking one main color, like lilac, royal blue, or red and running with it. The traditional colors are back, but this time they’re separated. Pick one classic and run with it!
What Else is Trending?
We are seeing a big return to pine greens this year. In the past few years, there have been lots of eucalyptus and non-traditional greens and that’s great! But traditional pine is coming back in a big way. Speaking of pine, that leads to the next trend.
Botanicals
Imagine having a Christmas greenhouse explode in your home and you’ll get the idea for the botanical trend we are seeing this year. Pine greenery, all other greenery, organic wood, and pinecones are hot this Christmas!
Velvet
Velvet has been making a comeback for a while now and, just like we are seeing lots of velvet pumpkins in the fall, we are seeing velvet Christmas bulbs this Christmas!
Go Simple by Adding a Big Bang
While Christmas vignettes sprinkled throughout your home are always lovely, try simplifying your decor with a few big “wow pieces” rather than several small vignettes. Try creating one big focal point for each room. Can you add a huge garland to your mantle and hang a big star ornament above it and call it a day? What about adding a pine garland someplace you might not usually add it—like your headboard?
Group Your Decor
If you have a collection, be it Christmas trees, a ceramic Christmas village, or candles, try grouping them all together to make a statement. This is always a good rule of thumb but it is also on trend for Christmas 2022.
I hope this helps to inspire you and get your creativity flowing for how to decorate your home for Christmas this year. Christmas is such a special time of year. I hope you can enjoy decorating your home—and then are able to slow down enough to enjoy it with the ones you love most and remember the reason for the season.
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Can you believe that Thanksgiving is less than a month away! I wrote my posts on Fall Decorating Trends 2022, and Fall Decorating Ideas 2022 to give you some ideas for fall decorating but, if you are hosting, you might like a few ideas of how to tweak things so your decor looks a little more … Thanksgiving-ish. Sometimes it is nice to just give a nod to the fact that by Thanksgiving a lot of the leaves have fallen, and while it’s not quite Christmas time yet, it is definitely starting to look more like winter—particularly if you live in the north! Here are a few ideas to tweak your fall decorations to welcome in the Thanksgiving season. Say goodbye to spooky and hello to the time of year to be especially thankful and remembering our blessings.
First Thing First
You know what I always say is the first step before decorating—purging and tidying up! Time to put away any of those jack-o-lanterns and anything of the spooky nature. For fall, including Halloween, I like to stick to more of a harvest theme: pumpkins, branches, cornstalks, that sort of thing, rather than anything spooky. If you are someone who likes to decorate with ghosts and skeletons, now is time to pack them up.
Your Color Palette
If you do more of a traditional decor color palette for fall that consists of yellow, orange, and red, try editing down your colors. I would take out anything yellow and anything that is a super bright, fall color. By the time Thanksgiving rolls around, the colors in nature have started to fade considerably. I did a neutral fall decor this year consisting of white, creams, green, and browns and I love how this naturally lends itself to fall decor!
Mirror Nature
Another thing I always say is to mirror nature. As I mentioned before, Thanksgiving isn’t quite winter—but almost! I think mixing in a few red berries into a centerpiece is totally within reason. Items like twine balls, pinecones, and real or faux branches are perfect filler decor for this time of year. Now is also a great time to incorporate deer antlers into your décor. Antlers, also known as sheds, fall off of the male deer every winter so take a walk—you just might find some!
You can also try adding frosted greenery, or a spray of frosted berries to your decor. Play with adding these to your centerpiece or to a fall vignette. I love adding some sprays of evergreens (dried, real, or faux) to my late-fall centerpieces.
Warm It Up
This is the perfect time to pull out your white candles—be they pillar candles, votive candles, or a traditional candlestick. Remember, all of these come in battery options too, if you aren’t crazy about an open flame in your home. If you want to dress it up even more, you can place votive candles in mercury glass votive holders and thereby add some sparkle.
Also if you were waiting, I am giving you permission to pull out all the warmest throws you have packed away! Pull out those chunky knits, faux furs, and plaid throws and enjoy them!
I hope this helps inspire you to play with your decor this Thanksgiving and helps you to create a cozy home that you and your family can curl up in and enjoy as we enter this holiday season!
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Ready or not, here fall comes! I love summer so much but I have to say fall is one of my absolute favorites when it comes to decorating! I’m not sure why—I guess in my mind the season conjures up pictures of cozy comfort, coupled with the fall scents, and adorable mini pumpkins that make a decorating season that can’t be beat! Here is a sneak peek at what is trending this fall.
Tons of Texture!
Texture it always in vogue, especially in fall but this fall in particular we are seeing lots and lots of texture. We are seeing terracotta pots, braided jute, chunky throws, fuzzy pumpkins; if it appeals to the tactile senses it is in!
How to Apply This Trend in Your Home
If you have a smooth vase vs a textured one opt for the texture!
Colors
I love color! The past few falls we have seen lots of neutrals in the fall décor. Last year we started to see pastels in muted shades of greens, blues, and even purples. This year the colors are coming in with a bang! We are seeing lots of super saturated colors—think mustard yellow, wine red, emerald green, and burnt orange—lots and lots of burnt orange! Additionally, we are also seeing navy blue (I like to call it denim blue because it has a touch more indigo to it than a traditional navy blue would), plum purple and browns. Yes, browns are starting to make an appearance again. We are also seeing dashes of washed-out pinks, dusty rose, and blush this fall—again paired with neutrals and wheat tones.
How to Use This Color Trend in Your Home?
We are seeing a lot of these color trends mixed with some lighter neutrals. Mix in these saturated tones with white, cream, and beige.
Naturals
We are seeing a lot of natural materials this year: wheat, dried grasses, preserved flowers (preserved flowers are my favorite). See my post A Third Option here to read more about ways to use dried flowers, feathers, wood and terracotta.
How to Incorporate This Trend into Your décor
Loop a strand of wooden beads over a pitcher that contains your preserved flowers or your gathered flowers. Add some feathers that you found to a vignette (see my post about fall vignettes here), or pull one of your terracotta pots from outside and use it inside this autumn.
Boho
We are seeing lots of boho-inspired décor this fall. If you love boho and have always wanted to add a little bit of this style to your home’s décor, try it this fall. Try adding a macramé wall hanging or a macramé hanging plant holder to your home and see what you think.
Landscapes
We are seeing more landscapes added into the décor this fall. I have always been a fan of landscape paintings and this might just be the year I make it a point to find one. Landscapes are always a timeless element and can be found very inexpensively in thrift shops or a yard sale so, if you, like me, have always loved a good landscape, don’t hold yourself back any longer!
Odd and Ends
In summary, we are seeing lots of saturated color in all of the burnt and darker shades of orange and yellow, and all of the neutral shades from white to deep brown. Texture is huge so try adding some form of it—you could even use a brick as a riser in a vignette! Terracotta, both as a material and as a color, is hot this fall. And, saturated colors mixed with the neutrals of the past few years is what you’ll be seeing all over Pinterest! Try adding in texture with a knit throw, or a fuzzy pumpkin pillow. This fall looks to be a very cozy one so jump in and get cozy this fall!
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