Home Decor, Formula for decorating

the Painted Apron

11 years ago

With all the holidays so bunched up this year decorating is challenging! Of course we are all anxious for Spring, and want to put away the snowmen and winter decor. With Spring decorating and 2 holidays upcoming, St. Patrick’s Day with Easter right around the corner, it’s hard to decide what to do first!

I have to be careful when it comes to holiday decorating. If I do too much too soon, I get tired of it. I prefer to keep everything in my house as uncluttered as possible. I rotate pieces in and out and keep displays and accessories simple.

I have a decorating formula or method that is tried and true, never fail for me:

1. LAYER 2. SPECIFY 3. TWEAK!

#1. LAYERING. Whether it’s a centerpiece, a tablescape, or a room, start with a base. It can be a tablecloth, a tray, a color palette, but it is important to have a starting point that you can build from. You don’t even have to have a whole idea in mind or a visual image. If you start slowly and build, your effort will develop over time into a creation you can really enjoy and be proud of in your space. Be PATIENT and go slow. Start early and let your project develop over several days or weeks.

#2. BE SPECIFIC. Just because you have 40 Easter bunnies doesn’t mean you have to use them all. Most of the time less is more. Start with a few, and add. When it starts to look like too much, it probably is, so STOP. Easier said than done. This is why I always try to start slow and layer until it is just right to my eye. Give yourself time to live with it and walk through the room a few times. Walking away and returning later is a great technique for seeing your arrangement with fresh eyes. Plus you are liable to think of new ideas or objects that you hadn’t considered before!

Also, if you are decorating for several things at once, like Mardi Gras and Valentines Day, don’t do both in the same area. It’s too much, it’s confusing and it looks a mess. Specify the theme in a room or area and keep that space in just that theme. Below you will see that I have kept St. Pat’s Day in the kitchen and bar, with Spring emerging in the family room and the beginnings of Easter in the foyer and dining room.

#3. TWEAK! Don’t be afraid to change something if it’s not quite right. Add, subtract, try different arrangements.

The other day I shared the story of my new little bird in the family room. You can see that post by clicking here. He kicked off the start of my Spring decor.

Let me show you how the formula works in some other areas where Spring is starting to arrive…

On the center of the kitchen island a favorite iron topped jar was filled with some sparkly green and gold, and set on an earthy rattan tray. A green and white ceramic frog sits ready to dispense shamrock napkins and a “Lucky” goblet awaits filling. The base for this arrangement was the jar filled with St. Pat’s stuff, this is what I wanted to build around. I want the kitchen to be SPECIFICALLY St. Patrick’s Day.

A few days later the tray was gone, replaced by a white wooden charger. A TWEAK. Some dragonflies flew in for the frog. A LAYER.

I added the mini cloche and glass tier with plans to fill it with some Irish goodies. Layering!

This is likely to change again, as I tweak and shift things around, depending on what’s going on…

This baker’s rack is my “pretend butler’s pantry.” It sits in a niche between the kitchen and the dining room and I use it to hold and display seasonal things and serving pieces as I rotate things around.

The centerpiece in the dining room began with a simple floral arrangement that floats around the house landing in different spots as need arises. It was a Mother’s Day gift from DD years ago and it is one of my very FAVORITE things. I almost always use my tall pewter candlesticks on the table. This was a fresh start and I knew I would be back to modify it. The floral arrangement is my base in here, and the room is SPECIFIC to spring right now, but can easily be transformed into Easter later.

Before long a sheet of moss arrived under the faux arrangement of white hydrangeas and grass. A LAYER. I love how the curly twigs reach into the chandelier.

The a parade of candle sticks on either side are topped with fat white candles, paper flowers, and fat short green votives.

These ceramic green candlesticks remind me so much of a flower stem that I couldn’t resist topping them with white paper blooms. ANOTHER LAYER. I know in my mind how I am going to transform this into a lavish Easter tablescape, but I have to be patient and wait until mid March. This is exactly what I want right now, fresh and simple, symbolizing the new growth Spring brings.

In the foyer I started with an over-sized, and I do mean over-sized, chartreuse ceramic platter. This thing is so big and heavy is just about has to be either on this foyer table or on the kitchen island. Another one of my FAVORITE pieces, I generally always have it in use somewhere. I topped it with a white wooden lantern and filled it with some birds nests and a small baby bird. The lantern is my base here, this is what I knew I wanted in this space.

I must admit I was late to get on the lantern train, I bought this only last fall, and it is my one and only. I have enjoyed using it so much, it has been filled with apples, pumpkins, popourri, silver balls and baubles for a baby shower and Christmas, and now birds nests! Just click on the word and you will go straight to these posts to see some more ideas. This is a great accessory to have. Hobby Lobby often has them on sale, and check Home Goods too.

Before long I brought in a natural straw bunny, a moss ball and twig basket to keep my little bird company, LAYERS.

I wonder how long it will take Super Boy to spot that little marble egg?

From the foyer you arrive in the family room and on through to the bar area. The shelves have been refreshed with crystal and green

with a few nods to the upcoming St. Patrick’s Day. The bar area is SPECIFIC to St. Pat’s right now, and later it will morph into Easter.

The spring floral glasses work because of the white and cool colors and they are overshadowed by the more obvious greens. They will become more of a feature later when St. Pat’s has past.