Essentially EmmaMarie

We have reached the time of year when we can fall into a little decorating slump- at least I know that this is the case for me! It seems the summer has peaked, the 4th of July is over and before we know it school will be starting up again and all the summer fun that we didn’t get to this year, will have to wait until the next year. 

I find myself getting a little stuck in my decor at about this time- it’s wayyy to early to pull out stuff for fall but things need a little freshening up now that summer is halfway through! Here are  three things to ask yourself when you’re feeling a little stuck in your summer decor. 

1 Is Your Decor Stale? 

If you tend towards Americana themed decor for Memorial Day and Independence Day, then you may just need to take a look around and take down a few things. Yes, Labor is still coming but you can always pull out a few Americana pieces as a mini refresh. In the meantime, tuck away some of the flags and red,white, and blue pieces, and instead try bringing in some fresh cut flowers- either gathered from the garden or store bought to brighten things up!

2 Has Your Decor Gotten Cluttered? 

One major perk of freshening up your decor frequently is you are better able to keep tabs on clutter that may be appearing around the edges or worse- on the coffee table! Are someone’s keys starting to always appear on the kitchen island instead of the entry table? Have you been meaning to tackle that pile of miscellaneous stuff by the front door? Take a good look around and then- attack! 

Along these same lines keep an eye open for any new items that you haven’t found a permanent home for yet and thus, stay perched in a less than optimal spot. If you haven’t found the right spot for that really cool vase you found at the flea market yet- its ok! Just tuck it away until the moment when the right spot jumps out at you and you wonder why you never saw it sooner!

3 Move Things!

It may not even be changing your decor that you need to do as much as moving it! If you decorate with greenery, flowers, and relatively season neutral decor, the secret may lie in rotating a select piece or two from one room to another room. Get creative! Try swapping pieces out of two vignettes with each other! Go through your house and try switching one of the pictures or items that you have on the mantle with an item in your entryway, and swap the picture in your entryway for the one on your dresser that you would like to see more. Just mixing up the decor you already have will make things feel fresh!

Lastly curate your decor that you have out. Was there something that you did when you were pulling out the summer decor that you weren’t crazy about but left it because you thought you might need to get used to it? If it hasn’t grown on you yet, then it’s time to change it. Sometimes it pays to walk away from a tough decorating area for a couple hours or a day. But when it’s been weeks on end and it’s still not working- it simply isn’t going to. This can be key for a situation. I think it is true both for myself and others that we have a tendency to over decorate. I even heard of one decorator who after working on a shelf or vignette would then step back and take away at least 2 items. Try it- I know doing this has helped me out of many a difficult decorating spot before! And it’s also okay not to have all of our favorite items out at one time; putting them away and rediscovering them later will bring a joy of its own!

I hope these tips help inspire you to get creative, play and above all, have fun with your decor! I’d love to hear from you, see pictures of what you tried and hear other tips you may have! Email me at EssentiallyEmmaMarie@gmail.com, or meet me on instagram- I look forward to hearing from you!