Tag Archives: Decorating

5 Tips to Creating A Comfy & Cozy Space

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spacesAs the temperatures keep dropping here in New York, I keep cursing myself for not living somewhere that a parka, 7 layers and 2 scarves isn’t needed to step foot out my door. Nevertheless, I’ve been doing my best to try to stay warm and cozy…..my best being me curled up under 3 blankets, drinking too much hot cocoa and attempting to win the lottery so I can quickly jet on out of these frigid temps in to something a little more tropical. But since there’s a greater chance of me turning into an icicle than winning the lottery, I’ve also come up with 5 easy ways to make my home feel more warm and cocoon-like.

CandleLight

1. Candlelight (Dim lighting)- Candlelight not only makes a space feel more intimate and cozy, its glow gives the illusion of sending out heat.

pillows

 2. Pillows- Who doesn’t love jumping into a giant pile of pillows??! They bring life, color, design and comfort to any space and I always make sure to have quite a few on my bed and couch for those very reasons.

curtains3. Curtains- While open spaces are nice in certain circumstances (kitchen, family room, craft room), for other spaces, like a bedroom or sitting room, you want things to be a little more private. Curtains are great for helping to achieve that snuggled up feeling, whether it’s by covering the windows or creating a “hidden” bed.

fur4. Faux Fur- If this doesn’t scream warm and cuddly to you, then I don’t know what does! It’s like cuddling with a bear (minus the claws, teeth and possible death, of course). I personally have some faux fur pillows on my couch, but I also love the ways it is used in the above pictures (ummm, can we discuss that bean bag and how I need it in my life, like now??!)

Personal touches

5. Knick-Knacks- Although people often associate knick-knacks with clutter (myself included), they are absolutely necessary to make a home feel lived in and consequently warm and cozy. If you think about an office or conference room and how they are usually stark and white, and then you think of your grandmother’s living room filled with treasures and history, well, I don’t know about you, but I sure know which one makes me feel like melted better! You don’t need a lot of items, but photos, treasured family heirlooms, books and vintage finds are what will take a room from being just a space to feeling like an inviting and friendly atmosphere.

comfy

Voila!

{All images via Pinterest}

 

Turkey Table Dressing

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Whether I’m having a party of 1 or 100, I always like to get in the spirit of things by playing holiday tunes, dressing up and decorating. Thanksgiving is no exception (I may or may not have dressed as a pilgrim and/or Indian at previous Thanksgivings). Since the focus of the holiday is what your thankful for food, make sure to pay extra special attention to where everything is centered: your belly the table! Here are some ideas to help you set a festive table with ease and affordability:

1. Be creative (with items you already have). For name cards use cinnamon sticks, small twigs, mini pumpkins or leaves. Leave them as is, or spray paint them gold, and attach a name tag with some twine. We all know how much I love my spray paint & glitter, and this is a perfect example of where these items come in handy.

(Image Via)

2. Be natural. Thanksgiving  reminds me of harvest time which reminds me of the “fruit of the earth”. Incorporate items such as corn, large feathers (possibly like these), pumpkins, squash, cabbage heads (the kind that look like big flowers), cranberries, apples, crab-apples, pears, nuts (still in their shells), acorns, eucalyptus leaves and dried flowers (like Cattail, Lotus Pods and Poppy Pods) into your centerpieces. One example of how to do this would be to scatter either a few cabbage heads or squash/pumpkins in the center of the table. Next take a variety of jars and fill them with the smaller items (like acorns, cranberries or corn kernels), then nestle in a votive. Scatter the jars throughout your larger items.

3. Be simple (which goes with keeping it natural). With so much food, lots of people and tons of dishes, you don’t need to overwhelm your space with decor.

4. Be resourceful. Use mason jars tied with twine as glasses (which could also double as place settings if you want to attach a name tag to the twine)

and recycle old paper bags by cutting them (with some fancy-edged scissors) into placemats (which again could double as a place setting by writing the person’s name in one corner).

Supply crayons and let everyone write what their thankful for on their placemats (or just keep the adults kids entertained!).

 

5. Be unique. Mixing and matching dish colors and patterns is another way to decorate your table while adding in some variety (just make sure if you do this to keep your centerpiece really simple, like one large squash, or a variety of squash and pumpkins but all spray painted the same color).

To see my Turkey Table inspiration and get even more ideas make sure to check out my “Be Thankful” board on Lockerz.

Coffee Table Reads

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 It is rare for me to be completely satisfied with anything, especially when it comes to interior decorating. When I was younger (and had more time), in completely not normal 12 year old fashion, you could frequently find me repainting and rearranging the furniture of my bedroom (much to the dismay of my parents). Since I don’t get to arrange and paint as much as I used to, I often daydream and search Pinterest to feed my decorating addiction. Currently I’m craving some new coffee table material, more specifically the 5 fashionable reads below.

Chanel: The Vocabulary of Style (image)

Impact (image)

  Louis Vuitton: 100 Legendary Trunks (image)

    Irreverent (image)

 Dior Couture (image)

 

DIY-Terrarium

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Most days, I think that I’m still pretty young.

And by young I mean I go to bed at 9, wake up at 6, drink my tea while reading, and a wild  night for me consists of a glass of wine while playing scrabble. I live a crazy life, let me tell you!

In keeping with my forever young theme, I have recently realized how much I miss gardening (yes, Mom, that wretched chore you used to make me do!). Being that I live in a concrete jungle, gardening is also a far fetched dream.

And then I remembered the terrarium. Not only is it the cure to the gardening “itch” but it makes a beautiful (and low maintenance) decoration.

Terrarium

What You Need
-Dirt
-Stones (Can be found in craft stores,hardware stores, or Ikea)
-Mini stones/sand (Can be found in craft stores,hardware stores, or Ikea)
-Glass container (mine’s from Ikea…flea markets,craft stores,etc are good places to look too)
-Succulent plants (I got mine at Lowe’s)

 

Gather your supplies.

Remove your plants from the container. (I like to use scissors to gently cut them out so as not to damage the roots or plant leaves.)

Slightly break up the roots and lay your plants out while you go through the remaining steps.

Start layering your “ingredients”. First put either the small stones/sand, or do a mix of both, whichever you choose. Next add a little dirt. Position your plants in the way you like them best then finish covering the roots with dirt.  

Finish with whatever decorative toppings you choose, whether it’s more small rocks, spanish moss or even some small figurines.

 

*While some people recommend that you put charcoal in the bottom rock layer to assist with filtration, my botanist mother said this is not necessary as the sand/small rocks will already be filtering*