Seasonal Inspiration

Find Your Spring

Emerging flower buds. Pleasant sunshine. Tiny nests with even tinier eggs. Springtime embodies hope year after year. This spring, however, adds the significant layer of hope for humanity, as vaccines become available and the return to so much of what we’ve missed is within reach!

This spring reminds me of a springtime tea last year, in honor of my friend Heidi.

These pictures are bittersweet because it was the last time this house hosted anything remotely resembling a party, and I miss those! Just a week or so after this event, we were all quarantined.

And then hope–hope became a lifeline. That which we craved, sought out, and spread like wildfire wherever it was found. (Anyone else love John Krasinski’s ‘Some Good News’ on YouTube? Seriously. Gathered the whole family. New Yorkers simultaneously applauding frontline workers each night at 7? Cried. Every. Time.)

Because hope is so beautifully powerful and powerfully beautiful.

Enter: S-P-R-I-N-G

Signs of spring remind us that gray seasons end, and change is possible. And that’s a message our pandemic-weary souls need right now.

“Wait, I thought this site was about home and design???”

Yes! I promise they relate:

Homes thrive on hope!

(With or without a pandemic.) –And we can manifest hope through the environment we create around us. Our surroundings are visual cues to our hearts and minds about what is true and possible. It’s worth considering then, what our most influential spaces are saying to us–and more importantly, what they could say.

So, what represents spring and hope to you?

Find it! Rummage through boxes, forage the backyard, brave the wilds of Amazon–just get it, and make that hope visible this spring.

Flowers?

Daffodils don’t know any other disposition but cheerful!

The promise of new life?

Blooming teacups?

Lovely teacups represent slowing down, sharing secrets with a friend, or fondly remembering the giver of this tiny treasure.

Picnic supplies ready for the perfect spring day?

Maybe a collection of recipes or ideas for that much-needed gathering of friends would represent a hopeful spring to you. Just looking at these pictures and the happy memories they represent offer me inspiration for future time with friends.

Let spring inspire hopeful moments in your home. It doesn’t have to be enormous, and it doesn’t have to be a permanent fixture. But tangible reminders of the good, possible, and redemptive in this world, help us access that part of the brain (and soul) where hope can really be transformative.

So, find your spring.

(And consider a tea party. It’s always a happy place to be!)

Photo Credits: Featured Image (pink flowers)–  TOMOKO UJI; Picnic Basket– Evangelina Silina (Both from Unsplash.com)

Autumn, Seasonal Inspiration

A Subtle Fall

A subtle fall. Just a smidge, please . . .

Are you intrigued by the minimalist movement, but don’t want to give up seasonal touches altogether? Maybe you’ve done the full Hobby Lobby-type display in years past but are Just. Not. Feelin’ it. This year? Right there with ya.

But simple doesn’t just mean using less. It takes some intentionality to make your seasonal decorations look pulled together –and not like a lone pumpkin just fell out of someone’s pocket! (I know. No one carries a pumpkin in their pocket. But for me, it captures the idea of something left behind and out of place.)

Here are some ideas for achieving a subtle seasonal look:

(And BTW: these principles work for all the seasons –even that really big one people can go super crazy over, . . . sometime in December 😉 )

Concentrate on a single type of seasonal object.

For example, decorate with only pumpkins, or acorns, or leaves, etc. (or bells, stockings, angels, etc. for Christmas.)

By picking one element, you create a cohesive theme that isn’t overwhelming. Use similar pieces for ultimate simplicity or a variety of textures for a little more “umph.”

Use a simple color palette.

Consider colors next to each other on the color wheel (like greens and blues). Even softer, use neutrals (like grays or tans) or whites and creams, for a super clean look. Want a cohesive and simplified look with a little more drama? Use golds and silvers. (Spray paint is your friend here.)

Much of what makes traditional fall displays feel “in your face” is the contrast: a bright orange pumpkin with black and white buffalo check ribbon is high on visual contrast. And that’s a legitimate look. Some people really enjoy the striking impact such schemes have. I am often one of them. But for those who prefer a subtler approach, a simple color palette offers cohesiveness while dialing back the visual statement.

Match your seasonal decor to the existing colors in your home.

My Aunt Dianne had beautiful “decorator Christmas trees” before decorator trees were a thing. Every holiday decoration coordinated with the color scheme of each room. Oh, what a happy place it was for this little budding designer’s heart.

Visual harmony is very calming and naturally pleasing to the eye–and therefore, contributes positively to how we feel in a space. So, if traditional seasonal decor feels garish to you, focus on just a few elements that coordinate with your existing color palette.

With the retail industry taking full advantage of the seasonal decorating hype, you’d be surprised how many different colors you can find on a pumpkin these days.

This principle is similar to the one above in that it seeks to reduce contrast, but it does so from a different angle.

If you can’t find your preferred color, paint it! A little painters tape on the stem, a 50 cent bottle of acrylic paint, and voila: this dollar store pumpkin looks custom made for it’s surroundings.

Finally, what are the most visually prominent places in your home (like the front door, a mantle, etc.) or most used spaces (like the kitchen sink area, that hall table everyone passes, the most used bathroom, etc.)? Focus your subtle–but intentional–seasonal genius in these places, so it looks like the whole house got the memo (without actually having to decorate the whole house.)

* If you’d like a wreath kit similar to one I used above, check out @eyesofanowlaz on IG!

Top Photo: Carmen Gonzalez on Unsplash

Home Life

Hope at Home

4 Simple Tips–

The video featured in this post was inspired by the quarantine of 2020–when this place we used to long for and take refuge in (home) became a place of confinement and dread. However, creating a home that generates hope is fundamental to life, with or without a worldwide pandemic. So, check out my YouTube video for 4 simple ways to foster hope right where you are.

A summary for referral: (see video for explanation)

1. Simply Say It

2. Find the Funny

3. Nurture Nature

4. Paint a Picture of Future Joy

“May mercy, peace, and love be yours in abundance.” Jude 2