preferred home styles... ;-)

[chilli]

My mum and I talked lately about home decorating and home styles for the whole year. So we noticed that we have both similar ideas:
during spring/summer we prefer a kind of "Hippie-Style": colorful, flowers, plants etc
during fall/winter we prefer a home with lot of wood, a fireplace, fleecy carpets, etc and our main colors would be dark green, dark red, and other "earth tones"...

I know - these are just dreams (I can't redecorate my home twice a year completely ;-) )
but it is funny to talk about it...

Chilli

 

[Terrylee5151]

chilli,
It would be great to decorate your home different twice a year.......but isn't it great that you and your mum both have the same taste? My daughter and I both like the same colors in our homes, in fact we switch things back and forth all the time. One of us will get tired of something and the other uses it for awhile.

 

[Lana]

Wouldn't that be great to decorate with each season! I keep telling my DH that I am going to do curtains for Christmas for the front room windows and the dining room sliding doors and he says we will have to get a tote to store curtains for the season. He loves it tho. Like me. It is quite a chore because I remove so much from the house and walls and replace with holiday stuff. Gets tiring taking in and out but ....... He goes WAY overboard with the outside decorating!!!!!!!!! Neighbors say we lead them home with the bright lights glowing . We are in the country and draw ALOT of people out to see the lights!!!!

 

[FrostyShimmer]

I wish I could decorate more for every season. I love forest greens and burgundies. My husband says its just because I want everything to look like Christmas.....and maybe there's a little truth to that. Lol. In the summer I prefer cooler blues and greens.

My husband and I went to a restaurant we really liked. The whole place was done in deep green and burgundy and we kept saying how nice we thought it looked. Later his parents mentioned how much they liked the restaurant....except for its awful decor. lol. We didn't say a thing.

 

[starflake]

I love to embrace each season and our décor reflects that. My favorite part involves two mini wreaths we keep on the mantle around a family picture. Each season, we change the wreaths. In the warmer seasons, they're hydrangea and ivy wreaths (made with supplies from craft store), in autumn, they're cranberry and twig wreaths (bought from craft store), and in winter, they're a snowman/snowflake wreath and an angel/star wreath (bought from Lakeside a few years ago). I hope to make another two wreaths so we can have a separate spring and summer (perhaps sunflowers or daisies).

Our "color scheme" is generally smoky blue, sage green, and taupe. They blend well with each season. In autumn, the shades are warmed by adding more earth tones to the taupe, and in the winter months, touches of plum, navy, and burgundy bring out the cozy smoky blue. We just combine what we love and out comes more love.

Changing around the décor has been a great encouragement to deep-clean the house every season. It's a reward of sorts. :flower:

 

[Cathymac]

I like to decorate for the seasons, as well. I use a sandy gold, red and green in my living room. I have way too much furniture in there, but I'm not willing to part with any of it, so I call it "country cottage" style! I love the way it looks in the spring, with yellow roses and berries on the mantle, a clear glass vase of (silk) tulips, hyacinths, and daffodils on one coffee table and Easter bunnies, crosses and more spring flowers on the year round tree. The walls are red, and we have cream colored leather furniture, along with a slipcovered couch that is actually denim underneath, but now is covered in a fabric that cooridinates with the drapes. They are a sandy-gold colored background with red peonies and green leaves on them...I love the way the light looks coming through them. I have cream colored sheers behind them, and we have wood blinds to block out the heat because the house faces east.

In the summer, I put patriotic decorations on the year round tree, and remove the spring flower arrangements, replacing them with vintage baskets with summery flowers. Candles in the fireplace make it feel homey and cozy without adding heat.

In the fall, the pumpkins and mums come out, as well as the fleecy throws, cozy afghans and more throw pillows to lounge on. I put a basket of pinecones and kindling, tied up with a fall ribbon, beside the fireplace, and start collecting fall leaves to display. I also bring in some fall scented candles to make it smell "autumny", usually apple pie or apples and cinnamon.

In the winter, the snowmen stay out long after the other Christmas decor is put away...and usually the lighted snow village stays out, as well. I love the look of the lighted houses on cold winter nights, even after Christmas.

One constant in my living room-spring, summer, fall and winter-is my red, green and cream quilt that my BFF gave me for my birthday a few years ago. I put it over the back of love seat, and am always surprised how often it's used, even in summer! Of course, my kids say we live in an igloo, so maybe that explains it!! :santalol:

I love hearing how everyone decorates! By the way, I've always used some form of cranberry red and green since we moved in here 10 years ago! We must all have the same tastes!!

 

[starflake]

I do the same with the pumpkins and wintery décor, Cathymac. I have a general seasonal theme that remains when the holiday touches are removed. I used to get the post-holiday blues until I realized I was really mourning the loss of my beautiful festive ambience. Now the celebration never ends. :flower:

 

[hollybow]

Most of my indoor decoration is washed white and light wood colours... so every season I can bring up my favorite coulour for the season with cushions..tablecloths placemats and some decoration items... in spring it´s lime green..yellow and rose going along with the easter deco.. for the summer it will be all shades of blue with shells.. autumn of course orange, dark red with pumpkins around and for the winter it´s white and burgundy...
I just love it to change the colours around the year..

 

[SparkleNana]

Our house is small. The main public areas are the living room and the dining room/family room. The living room has two long couches, forming a square with the fireplace as one side and the front window as the fourth side. Three black square ottomans sit on the floor in front of the window. (Extra seating and portable tables.) Lots of art everywhere. Bookcases. The dining room has a big table and chairs, two more long couches, a big TV in a credenza, and a tiny desk and chair in the corner. Lots more art and bookcases.

There is not much room for seasonal decoration. (A big wreath on the front door, which changes with the seasons. And, of course, the front garden has seasonal flowers from February to November.)

In summer, the weather makes us really suffer. The decor is stripped down. Clear surfaces help make it soothing. Polished wood. A dark, peaceful escape is what you want. Clutter is irritating, and nobody needs more irritation in the summer. Peaceful and soothing is the feeling you need.

Winter is easy. Lots of lamps make warm pools of light. Cozy black fleece throws, neatly folded on the ends of every couch, and plenty of pillows in black and brown, invite you to snuggle in. Everyone is happy to be warm, and be safely inside. Cozy is the feeling you need.

 

[AuntJamelle]

I also like to change things out with the seasons. The main areas that I touch are the mantles, and the wreaths and/or wooden signs that are hung on the outside of our doors (both side and front entrances).

I am still very much "working" on the decor style of our home. I want to end up with a casual elegance, if that makes any sense. A country look, but mixed with more classic touches.

I really like the French Country look - but have yet to really duplicate it anywhere in the house. At least, I don't think I have.



There is just SO much decor advice out there now - everyone has an opinion - and it is hard sometimes to decide what I actually like, let alone make sure it is something DH won't object to.

I will say that I go for a much more streamlined look in the summer time months - and try to make everything more cozy in the fall and winter.

The majority of my seasonal decorating is done during that time of the year - spring and summer are very lightly represented in the house.

I try to force bulbs or use flowering houseplants to bring the outdoors in - I have a violet that has been blooming for months now - it is so pretty!

Okay - I think I have rambled enough now....

 

[coffeenut]

Catching up on back posts. I am a seasonal decorator.
Fall- pumpkins, leaves, scarecrows, village, and fall flowers. I do add touches for Halloween and Then redecorate for Thanksgiving.
Winter- Christmas for December, I keep my snowman colors up til the end of January then I change to red.
Spring is yellow and white. I have a decorator table that I change the seasons on, so a yellow tablecloth goes on there.
Summer is lavender, white, seashells and light blue pale accents.
I guess white is the one color I use year round.
For the middle of August to the end of August I do a back to school theme.
For the beginning of August I do a coffee theme. This year I am doing a Chinese color theme with black and red and some gold.
I did do an American theme for the beginning of July :flower:
I have discovered that the top of my entertainment center is a great place to add seasonal touches.

 

[HouseElf]

I live in a century home, so I have a traditional decorating style.

My sun porch gets a colour change with the season - cushions and decor.

Inside I change the boys rooms with the seasons, in the spring/summer their rooms are light blues and whites, in the fall/winter I bring out the printed flannel sheets and denim duvets, with red/blue/white patch quilts.

The entrance changes its look depending on the season with flowers and candles.

Everything else is the same (besides the holiday decor).

In my ideal world I could have a summer lake cottage with it's shabby chic decor for the summer months. :flower:

 

[chilli]

Catching up on back posts. I am a seasonal decorator.
Fall- pumpkins, leaves, scarecrows, village, and fall flowers. I do add touches for Halloween and Then redecorate for Thanksgiving.
Winter- Christmas for December, I keep my snowman colors up til the end of February then I change to red.
Spring is yellow and white. I have a decorator table that I change the seasons on, so a yellow tablecloth goes on there.
Summer is lavender, white, seashells and light blue pale accents.
I guess white is the one color I use year round.
For the middle of August to the end of August I do a back to school theme.
For the beginning of August I do a coffee theme. This year I am doing a Chinese color theme with black and red and some gold.
I did do an American theme for the beginning of July :flower:
I have discovered that the top of my entertainment center is a great place to add seasonal touches.

Coffeenut: Your ideas are great! Especially I love your ideas for winter (after christmas) and summer, as it is hard to find something for these seasons...

:applause:

Chilli

 

[cmerth]

I am in the midst of redecorating... it is so much fun. The house was super outdated (with icky floral wallpaper) and kind of embarrassing to have people over. We are changing from country to something I call "Pottery Barn". We are doing red, browns, black and touches of green. The only rooms that are different are the master bedroom (blue) and my son's room (will be blue and green). I have repurposed and repainted tons of things in each room. My favorite is the new paint on the walls.

With each season I up out different things--

Valentine's-- red (reuse alot of Christmas stuff)
Easter/Spring-- bunnies.
4th of July-- Americana decor in various places (especially outside)
Fall/Halloween-- Mums, pumpkins, burgundy and green towels and linens with fall details
Thanksgiving-- I have pilgrim bears and mini pilgrim ornaments that I use around the house
Christmas- all my Christmas bear stuff and lots of red and green

I am excited about entertaining a little bit more this fall/winter now that we are on the home stretch in the redecorating process (3 rooms left).