Ever notice how sometimes it’s so much easier (and seemingly effortless!) to feel gloomy, uninspired or unmotivated? Though at times feeling cheerful, inspired and motivated can require extra effort, going the extra mile to tap into those areas of ourselves are well worth the effort as they help our creativity not just get going, but stay afloat, be more resilient and keep growing out of our comfort zone. After a very exciting weekend, going into our structured schedules and their regularly scheduled demands can start to make us feel a little more weighed down, but this week, we’re choosing to feel FESTIVE. Though much of the holiday celebrations are now over, the rush and the excitement doesn’t have to be. We can choose to hold on to the feeling of FESTIVITY and find ways to carry it into our week.
In terms of interior design, when we hear the word FESTIVE, we often equate it with big Holidays like Christmas, Hanukkah or New Year, however, there’s always a reason to celebrate! When we type the word FESTIVE into google.com, one of the definitions that comes up is “cheerful and jovially celebratory”. FESTIVE is not something that we need to save for the big holidays, it’s something that we can carry into our every days. Here’s a few easy ways to add a little FESTIVE vibe into your week:
SCENTED CANDLES
Likely the first idea that comes to mind when thinking about adding festive touches to your home, scented candles are such a great and easy way to transform the mood in a home. Setting the atmosphere for everything from chill to cozy to cheerful and calm vibes, scented candles provide that extra touch in a room that really, and literally, speaks to your senses. Looking to feel a little more FESTIVE by adding scented candles to your home? Here’s a quick and easy guide for using fragrances to inspire your home throughout the four different seasons of the calendar year:
WINTER: Spices, Warm Drinks + Decadent Desserts
During the colder months warming fragrances like those of homemade treats, cookies, decadent desserts, spices, ciders, vanilla, and honey help to warm the spirits and usher in the wonder of the season. Think nutmeg, clove, vanilla blossom, sugar cookies, chocolate, and mint as you start to think of the wonder and light ushered in by the winter season.
SPRING: Flower Bouquets, Silkiness, + Refreshment
Spring is definitely a long-awaited season. Here in the western hemisphere, after New Year celebrations have come to a close a lot of us go right into dreaming, and purchasing, for the Spring season. As the weather warms up and Mother Nature starts to dress the trees and landscapes all around us, floral fragrances start to liven-up our interiors and bring in a festive and spring air inside our homes. Think silky rose scents, lavender, gardenia, magnolia, and light, refreshing scents to welcome and usher in the spring vibes into your home.
SUMMER: Beach, Citrus, Herbs + Under the Sea
Full of bright, sunny and hot days, the summer is a time where we often want to be a little more laid-back while also feeling the desire to jump in full throttle and soak in the sun. In the summer season, think of fruity blends and citrus infusions like orange, lemon, lime and grapefruit, as well as sandy beaches, clean scents and even seaweed hints for your fragrances. To expand on your summer fragrances, consider adding the scents of homegrown herbs from your kitchen garden. Though sometimes reserved for winter, peppermint is also a great scent for the summer, especially in things like soaps, scrubs and body butters, as it brings a refreshing feeling to hot, tired bodies.
FALL: Earth, Cedar, Woods + Citrus
The season with a more reflective vibe, Fall brings that fresh, crisp air that signals the colder weather ahead. Slowly undressing our trees and landscape, Fall also displays vibrant colors to us here in the Northeast as the trees prepare for the winter ahead. Think warm, cozy fragrances like apple spice and pumpkin spice, as well as cedar, bark, patchouli, tea scents, shea butter, cinnamon, and even violet, lemon, orange and tangerine scents.
TEXTILES
Textiles are such an easy and efficient way to make a quick change in a home. You’ve likely heard us talk about changing the accent pillows in a room each season to add a seasonal touch into a room, and today we want to expand into more ways that textiles can help bring in a little FESTIVITY, a.k.a. seasonality, into our homes. The weight (the thickness or density) of a fabric, as well as the color and pattern, can really help to tell the story of the mood in a room. Here’s a quick and easy guide to choosing textiles for your home based on the season of the year:
FABRICS AND RUGS: Dress it for the season
It’s no secret we love changing fabrics and rugs throughout the season, and small decor items like accent pillows, rugs and curtains don’t take up a lot of room in the closet and are easy to change, set-up and store away throughout the year. Here’s a quick and easy guide to some of the best fabric types by season for the decor of your home:
FLOORS
Wool and “hairy”, plush, thick, carpets will bring in an added feeling of warmth into your rooms during the fall and winter seasons, while leaving the floor uncovered or placing carpets made with natural fabrics like bamboo, jute and sisal in the spring and summer seasons will keep your home feeling lighter and more refreshed.
WINDOWS, WALLS AND UPHOLSTERY
Fall and Winter
Wool, Cotton, Leather (and Faux Leather), Fleece, Fur/Faux Fur and velvet provide softness and warmth to the touch and provide a cozy look and feel to the senses. Jersey knits in bedding and pillowcases also provide that soft touch that we crave as the days get colder in the fall and winter seasons. To add extra softness and warmth, layer on different fabrics on your bedding and living room accessories, use darker colors on your drapery, and/or natural or dark wood finishes on your shades to add more warmth to the room. As you opt for darker finishes on your window treatments, keep in mind that the denser the material (that is, the darker, the thicker, the more opaque,) the less light that will naturally filter through it, so be aware of how much daylight you prefer to naturally make its way into your home before deciding on dark, opaque finishes like a dark wood window blind.
Spring and Summer
Cotton, Linen, Rayon, Denim and Chambray make for great fabrics in the Spring and Summer months on household items like bed sheets, pillowcases and all kinds of upholstery fabrics. Silk is also lightweight and helps provide a look and feel of glamour in a room. Want to keep an airy feel in your home? Opt for transparent, lightweight fabrics or white, soft or bright shades on your window treatments. Shimmery window curtains will also add a vibrant touch on warmer days. Finish the look with lightweight throws on your sofa to keep that open and bright feeling throughout the day.
USEFUL FINISHING TOUCHES: FESTIVE KITCHEN TEA TOWELS
Kitchen tea towels are great ways to showcase personality and style in a kitchen in the same way that accent pillows showcase it in living rooms. Allowing for a fun and easy way to add a FESTIVE or seasonal splash into a room, kitchen towels are already something that we often change, and because of it, we can have more freedom in trying out new colors, patterns and designs that we normally would find more riskier to do at a large scale. Consider stocking-up on different kitchen tea towel designs and colors that correspond to the different events and seasons that you gravitate towards, and be diligent about changing the designs throughout the year to help inspire you and your home in the season ahead.
As you can see, FESTIVITY and SEASONALITY have a lot in common! Whether you’re choosing to be a little more FESTIVE through lighting a new candle scent or adding pillowcases for the next holiday of the season, let us know how you’re harboring a FESTIVE vibe in your home this week in the comments below!
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