Decor | Lifestyle | Design
I have fallen in love with bottle brush trees. I know they’ve been around for awhile now, but I feel like this year they have exploded! And yes, I know that they’ve actually been around for longer than “awhile” – the vintage ones anyway. But the reproductions are a more recent thing and they seem to be everywhere now. I’ve seen them at TJ Maxx and Home Goods, as well as my local antique stores and some boutiques.
For many years when I was younger and my husband and I were first married, I put out a lot of Christmas decor. I usually bought new items every year, and even worse, I started some sort of “collection” every few years as well! I had “Santa” collections, and “Snowman” collections, “Mr. and Mrs. Claus” collections… well, you get the picture. Then, about 10 years ago I decided all of it was just a little too busy. My tastes had changed. I was older, had had several children, and my taste had grown up (or I like to think so!) So I got rid of some of the collections, and things I wasn’t crazy about anymore and purchased some new items and changed things up a bit. Well, this year is like that year those many years ago – I feel a need to change up my Christmas decor! Not dramatically, just a little “refreshening.” The main thing I want to do is take all the red from the living room and dining room decor. I don’t have a lot as I’ve been weeding it out the past couple of years anyway, but there is still some. These rooms are slightly dressier than the family room/kitchen area, so I like the Christmas decor to be a little dressier as well. I’m looking for a natural mix; mostly greens, with some creams, tan, silver and gold in there as well. I love that this mix is a little more sophisticated, yet it still says Christmas.
I know green has not been the hottest color in the decor world as of late, but I’ve noticed it is slowly having a re-awakening. And I have to say, I for one am thrilled! I don’t know if it is because I love the outdoors and plants so much, or if it’s for some other reason, but a little green in a room really speaks to me.
Usually I’m pretty sure of what direction I want to go when it comes to decorating. However, I am having a bit of a dilemma when it comes to re-decorating my living room mantel. To give you the back story, until recently I had a tall topiary in a black tole container on each side, and then next to those, a a pair of antique candlesticks. Anyway, I’ve always loved my topiaries but I wasn’t loving the black containers anymore. I bought them years ago and at that time, I had more black accessories in the room and they really worked. So at first, I thought I would just look for two vintage urns or something more interesting to put the topiaries in. I haven’t had any luck with that and now I’m unsure about keeping them at all. For one, I was thinking maybe they are a little dated, and secondly, I already have topiaries in the dining room which is right next to the living area. I’m not sure I should have them in both rooms. Since I wasn’t really sure what direction I wanted to go, I’ve been scouring all my Pins on Pinterest to look back and see the mantels that have spoken to me the most. Much to my surprise, many of my favorite rooms have very empty (or very layered) mantels. There seems to be not much in between!
I’ve been collecting vintage and antique silver for a quite a few years now. It all began when my mother-in-law gave us quite a bit of hers (including a full Tiffany tea set!) After that, I started to notice it in antique stores and flea markets – I guess before that I never did. I mean, obviously, silver had been in those places all along, but I just never gravitated to it. I must’ve thought it was too dressy or old fashioned. I don’t know. What I do know, is now I love it! I love the beauty, of course, but what I really love is the sense of history it carries. Families used these bowls, ate off of these plates, served themselves from these spoons and platters, and poured tea from these pots. I love the formality. I love that there was a special utensil for literally everything! I can’t imagine how these women not only kept everything polished, but had room to store it all! Having said that, I don’t collect everything. I have some utensils and a few tea sets, but what I really love are the bowls and any and all kinds of platters. I use them to display items on tables or buffets, or to serve food at parties. I love that they are usable and practical, as well as being beautiful.
I love pale interiors. I gravitate toward the light, faded, and predominantly neutral interiors that are so prevalent today. However, I have discovered that I like them better when there is some dark, or medium wood, mixed in with all the light.