Christmas staples: Buds, twigs, branches and berries

There's nothing like the real thing for Christmas decorating.  You get to go for a little adventure in the woods with your trusty snippers, and come away with a red nose and a trunk full of inspiration.

Sometimes you just have to go to your backyard, but there's a limit to happy cutting in a small space. That's where I got the materials for my front porch planters, if you don't count the leftovers from my summer planter and feathers I've recycled several times.   

 Hubby made me a trough box for my trunk/ottoman.  I knew what I wanted to put in it, but I couldn't hack away anything else in my yard. My sister came to the rescue.  Remember last year when I posted about her nature inspire Christmas?  She  had already made her yearly trip for bough and twig cutting to complete her planters and agreed to take me to her spot. Bonanza.

Here's her efforts ...

Don't you love that hit of yellow with the red?

Now on to my family affair project..

My son sprayed the box for me with  Krylon Colormaster  in nickel.  Then I taped it off and used gold to create two stripes around the box.  I figured I may as well get with the mixed metal trend.

  I had three LED candles (so safe and they actually flicker- daughter tip from Costco) I wanted to use and went to the dollar store and bought seven square glasses  to put oasis in to keep the boughs fresh. The alder twigs looked a little boring so they got the spray treatment too in a mix of nickel and gold.
Then I began the arrangement.

Fresh flowers are a must anytime of year.

A favourite vase, fluted and textured makes a stunning centerpiece on my coffee table. Nothing else is needed.

And my favourite berry wreath that has been in every room in the house over the years surrounds a vase of baby's breath and white carnations.  You can tell I like my flowers simple and usually white because they work anywhere with anything, especially with red.


I was very lazy with the  dining room  additions....

I'm not a theme driven decorator, but  nature is always a staple in whatever I do.  My new purchase for 2014 was two white carved reindeer.  I always buy a green plant;  this year it is a Norfolk pine in a faux burlap container.  May it live for awhile.

For my dining table  centrepiece I simply added some fresh cranberries to my Boblen vase, and used it as a candle holder, added a string of red wooden beads  (at least 30 years old) and fake red berries  to the well used  vase of twigs.  In honour of the season I changed my tray to my favourite white one with the silver leaf birds and leaves.

And wise silver bird  looks on knowingly because he's seen it all before.

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10 reasons to love Olive Green for 2015

Many shades of olive green 

You may have lived through the avocado phase many years ago, but don't nix olive green automatically because of that.  I am talking about a new updated olive green look.  One that can be both traditional or contemporary.  One that takes on many faces depending on its pairing.  Just think about it this way. It....

1. is more of a neutral, so the combinations you can come up with are almost limitless;
2. can easily push a hint of it into any decor you already have;
3. sits there and lets you manipulate it;
4. references nature, how can it be a bad thing? (mossy rocks, under side of a leaf);
5. mixes with all the warm metals that are now in vogue; 
6. is warm and organic and will make a space look that way;
7. can be mixed with fresh or muddy colours;
8. works well with Pantone's 2014 colour of the year - marsala;
9. won't be a one hit wonder because of its special qualities listed above;
10. just because.

How much of it you want to add to your decor is up to you.  Personally I won't be going out and getting a new green kitchen, but it could be pretty spectacular.... 

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I love olive green with white and black as you can see from my style board.  This green is more vibrant, approaching apple green. Some people refer to it as olive green, but it needs to be "dirtier" to fit my definition of olive green. 

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Yes!  My two favourites with olive green - black and white.  So fresh.   What happens when you start to muddy up olive?  Check out below.  Still an interesting look. 

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Spicing it up with pattern always helps.  A range of greens that have been popular over the last several years are mixed with the olive. in the chairs and pillow .  Note the connection of the brownish green wall with the scheme in the next photo.

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 This is a very different olive green that is approaching greenish brown. If you've mixed paint you know how easily that can happen.   It certainly helps  you see how the colours relate when they are separated out . 

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This room is built around variations on the lightest colour in the photo above.
Now we're talking my idea of a serene olive green.  Everything in this space is understated with just the the merest hint of olive. Love the textures.


Perhaps olive is the answer to my ongoing love hate relationship with the accent colour in my living room.  I'm not living well with my rusty red. It has never sat well in the space. Something to think about.

Stay tuned for other pairings for this interesting colour.  Do you think olive green will feature in any way in your home in 2015?

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Design trend 2015: Move over Ikat and Suzani

It's that time of year again. People are beginning to think about 2015 and what it will bring. When you're a home decor blogger that always means checking out the hot new trends.

So here goes- my first trend snippet for 2015.

Sometimes even patterns we love can lose favour if they are overused.  Chevron comes to mind.  What was once a fantastic pattern that played well with other patterns because of simple, graphic lines has been overused to the point of -dare I say it- nausea.

Ikat                                     Suzani 

I fear that Ikat (chevron is a staple of this traditional Indonesian design) and  Persian Suzani (with it's bold circular motifs ) are not far behind in the over used category.

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 There is chatter that Shibori (Japanese tie dyeing) is the next new pattern to take over in textiles. I can see the appeal of Shibori.  It is geometric (very hot right now), simple on a white background, has multiple patterns possibilities  depending on how it is produced, and has cultural references.  Then there's that indigo blue which feeds into the resurgence of blues and navy in colour trends.

You many not be familiar with this age old Japanese technique. Shibori patterns are usually created on white silk by binding, clamping and wrapping around poles and then dipping into indigo dyes. If you are hankering for the 60's again, or don't remember them and are ready for a new DIY experince, check out this article 

Contemporary Bedding by Brooklyn Furniture & Accessories West Elm

Red was all over High Point Market this fall and just seeing the little hit of red in the lamp tells you traditional indigo shibori would look great with any amount of red. Certainly whites and other blues would also work and why not yellow?

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It is definitely a keeper when it comes to pillows.

Brooklyn Upholstery Rebecca Atwood Designs

This proves that it is possible to have subtle colour ranges using contemporary dyes

Spaces by Vancouver Furniture & Accessories Provide Home

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and different colours...

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used in  different ways .

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I am certainly liking it with very neutral schemes because it is fresh and interesting without too much fuss. 

Only time will tell if shibori will bethe next big thing. Do you think this pattern will have a place in your home?

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Those Canadian Bloggers

The finalists in each category for the Made in Blog (MiB)  Best Canadian Blog awards  as determined by reader voting have been announced.  

This is the first year I participated in the  awards process ( Home Design category).   Thanks to everyone who voted  for this blog because you helped Designing Home make it to the top ten.  A panel of judges will now decide the winners in each category.  Stay tuned for that big announcement. 

One of the advantages of my participation was an introduction to other Canadian blogs that I didn't know. Perhaps there's a blog or two in the list that you might like  to check out or follow.   Click  here see the  top ten  list for home design.

 You might also like to check in on  A Pop of Pretty, another St. John's, Newfoundland & Labrador  blog that's also in the top ten for home design.

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Kerri  of A Pop of Pretty is currently participating in a Canadian Blogger Christmas Home Tour.  There are loads of close up photos of all her decorating efforts for this year's French Inspired Christmas Theme.  As she says in her blog description she loves all things pretty and there's no doubt that comes through in her space.

 If you'd like to see what other Canadian home owners are doing to get their homes ready for the festive season you can begin with Kerri and then link up to other open houses in blogland right across the country.  The link list is at the bottom of her post. 

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As I followed the links myself,  I found another local blog Adventures of the Uncommon Common Law  from St. John's.  I thoroughly enjoyed  seeing Becki's take on a modern Scandinavian  inspired Christmas. And why wouldn't I?  Her space has lots of neutrals, textures, clean lines, and white- a graphic delight.

 After visiting the homes of all these young energetic bloggers here's me- the grandmother blogger-   ill prepared right now for the festive season.

 I have no home tour to offer, but  I will have a Christmas post or two when I get the hang of my fancy new camera.   My decorating efforts,  as you may know from past posts at Christmas, are  a bit understated and usually consist of recycling and rearranging what I currently have.  I've begun to pull things out, and I'm happy to report my husband made me a lovely trough box (from recycled wood, yet to be painted) for an arrangement.

 I'm feeling nostalgic this year and thought my granddaughters would enjoy seeing my collection of wooden Santas I've painted over the years. Until more exciting things happen here,  I'll leave you to enjoy the links above. Have fun.

Am I the only one who needs to get moving on Christmas?

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Choosing a drapery colour

Ah, the dreaded question.  What colour draperies should I have?

Part of being a decorator is making informed decisions about design.  Keeping current with trends  through reading and viewing is a must, but trend knowledge is not enough.  You have to understand what affect your choices will have on a space.

I posted this picture on Designing Home Facebook Page as an example of a style board I create for clients.  I am not one for vivid colour, but I didn't have to live with the colour, a young lady who loves rich colours did.   Should I have argued with her and said you shouldn't have bright draperies. NO!  I have to balance my client's likes with the principles and elements of design.

Vibrant  draperies 

Let's look at what this colour choice  did for this room.

 You can't ignore this window treatment, it's not only the vibrant colour, it's the placement and amount of it. That means a lot of colour jumping forward in the space. The draperies also serve to  frame the artwork and the sofa. The more muted sofa is anchored and held captive, and you need an equally vibrant art work to compete with the windows. When you look at this space blue is primary and everything else is secondary.

The overall effect is focused and the room appears smaller than it actually is.  That's a great tip if you have a large space that you want to appear smaller/cosier.  Go for darker/brighter  window treatments that draw the eye.

 I see this as a lively, energetic scheme that is equally matched to a sparkling, vivacious young lady.


On to number two example....

I removed the vibrant draperies and choose something more in line with my personal taste.  I like my spaces to be expansive, and tone -on tone- window treatments  (keeping the colour of the drapes and the walls very similar) is  one way to achieve that look/feel especially in a smaller space.  

Now the sofa and artwork stand out as they didn't before.  Your eye connects the light colour in the chairs with the draperies and you visually wander the space. 

On to example number three....  

Same window treatments, but I'm tweeking a few other things. Without the blue pillows on the chairs,  and the blue vase on the table, the space is even even more opened up.  The overall effect is fresh and inviting,  reminiscent of a summer garden - always a look I gravitate to.  The wooden tables help that feel too. 

So there is no right answer to the question "What colour draperies  should I have?"  It all depends on how you want your room to look/feel. 

If you wan to find out more about current trends in window treatments check out this post and several others in my side bar. 

What's your preference when buying  window treatments ?  Are you a neutral or a colour lover?

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At Home: Get merry and bright!

 Rituals are an important part of our lives, even if they can be boring at times.  My official marker for winter is an appointment to get the tires changed on our car.  It's happened. Winter is officially here, even if we only had a dusting of snow followed by torrential rain.

 Each year as I  approach the end of November, Christmas creeps into my thoughts.

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 While I love to look at all the seasonal additions other people make to their homes, and I marvel at the time and creativity it takes to decorate, I keep things as simple as possible.  I'm a vicarious decorator,  enthralled by others' efforts and the numerous possibilities without the physical work and outlay of cash.

 Here's a good example.

Every time I visit my daughter's house I am greeted by her inviting red door (now there are boxwoods in the planters) ...

and covered porch large enough to have two tables, a bench (made by her dad) and a chair.  

This space is calling out for Christmas decorations now that the cushions are stored for the winter. 

Don't get me wrong, my daughter  doesn't need my help to decorate, and she's very independent.  For the last several years she's had some great looks for her front door, but this is the first Christmas for the bench on the porch. 

 2013 Wreath made from  her garden shrubs 

2012 Sparkle and glam wreath 

2012 Glowing snowballs and white sparkle twigs

  What I liked about the feather wreath and snowball planter was its longevity into the winter months.  If you are putting effort into a project, you should aim to get the most from it. 

This is a "what if" post... what if I had that porch.  If my daughter is reading this now, she's rolling her eyes. I'm always on about something, and in the end she'll do her own thing as daughters usually do.

Let's start with the boxwood planters on either side of the door.

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I have the cedar and my daughter has lots of silver balls.  Anchoring things because of the high winds is always a challenge.  I use tree ornaments and stick a wooden skewer  through the top and down into the soil.

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Then there's  twigs and berries to add height and colour.  This is a great solution when planters bank a door because the added height and colour would be at eye level. 

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Following the dictate that simple is best, here's an idea to build on. This is an easy look to achieve and it invites modifications.  Not sure where you would ever find  gigantic pinecones in our neck of the woods, but you could certainly carry off the rest of it and make some bright additions.

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How about a plaid blanket or plaid pillows for a nice splash of pattern and colour?  A definite considering plaid is very in this year (so I've been told).  I'm thinking about the  red plaid scarf my daughter just purchased.   It  could be folded around a summer pillow and pinned.  A piece of fabric would achieve the same look.   Presto!  Job complete - one plaid pillow.

Here's a simple idea along those lines I just whipped up.  I know how much my daughter  loves happy little signs!  Not!  

or.....

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 you could make burlap cushion covers with stencilled polka dots (a great kid friendly project)....

or

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 you could use a  plain red blanket and blend it with  the summer white/black cushions for a very graphic look

... and 

Just a few simple changes to pillows 

and add bright arrangements for the table.... 

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Then there's always lanterns and greenery for the tables.   Get the spay paint out if you already have black lanterns.

Lit twig balls are always a big hit, and they could be added to any container depending on the size.  You can also spray paint twig balls and just go with colour and no lights. 

Why not take an idea from my sister Vera's  red bird themed Christmas pot from last year?  It continued to look good for months after Christmas. 

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Love the idea of skates in a swag for the front door.  This would be super easy with a red door and lot of accessible greenery on one's  property.   And I just found my daughter's  little white (now yellowish) skates in the storage room clean out!  Ideas! Ideas!

Or just give in and put a  plain old wreath on the bench. How simple is that?

No pressure!

What are you doing with your entry for Christmas?

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