Accessorize your home to beat the winter blues
Laura amann lamann@pioneerlocal.com January 24, 2012 11:00AM
Pile pillows on a bed to encourage cocooning and relaxing on long winter nights. M Home, Hinsdale | Tamara Bell~Sun Times Media
Consign and
Redesign
35 S. La Grange Road
La Grange
(708) 354-0903
Design Studio
917 Burlington Ave.
Western Springs
(708) 784-9799
Linly Designs
445 W. Ogden Ave.
Clarendon Hills
(630) 769-5099
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Updated: February 2, 2012 4:11PM
These can be dreary days. Come February we’re really hunkered down, The holidays are a distant memory along with the parties and festive clutter which make the short days seem not only bearable but desirable.
Don’t give up yet on making this the perfect time to make your home a refuge. We went to some local shops for their ideas on warming up your home during the gray days.
Rearrange
Sometimes just moving furniture around is all it takes. “Rearranging and redecorating always lifts our spirits during long Chicago winters,” says Carol King of Design Studio in Western Springs.
Shift furniture closer together to encourage conversation. Pull chairs closer to the fireplace and make a cozy, reading corner.
Use lights in unexpected places, such as in the kitchen, on a bookshelf or on the mantle and sprinkle candles throughout the house to add a soft glow.
Toss comfy throw blankets on couches to add some color and literal warmth to a room. Pile on the throw pillows and add down pillows and blankets to the bed.
Surround yourself with items that you love and have meaning for you. Now is the time to display souvenirs from trips, family photos in beautiful picture frames, flowers and pillows with fun sayings.
Add greenery
“Adding some greenery brings life to a table or other space,” says Jennifer Smolik of Linly Designs in Clarendon Hills. Use rich colors to add warmth.
Negeen Masghati of Consign and Redesign in La Grange recommends bringing natural materials inside to add warmth. “When we’re trapped inside all day, it helps to bring the outdoors inside.”
She suggests using items made of wood or faux fur or displaying fruit or pine cones.
Design Studio also uses greens and faux flowers. “For a simple yet dramatic look, fill a tall urn with an arrangement of twig branches, pine and wintergreens. It reminds us of the beauty of winter,” recommends King.
They carry a large variety of simple pottery containers filled with moss balls or leafy branches or just simple green apples.
Warmer days
“We really encourage people to use accessories that work from winter into spring,” says Smolik.
“Tuck some rich colors into an arrangement for winter and lighten it up when spring arrives.”
When the weather finally warms up, move the furniture back, pack up the extra blankets and pillows, declutter and let the fresh air in. There’s nothing like a cold, dark winter to make us appreciate the sweet days of spring and summer.
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