Subterms
It’s the little things that turn a house into a home. Adding a few simple touches can bring warmth and create a cozy, inviting space you’ll love spending time in. Whether you’re refreshing a room or just looking for easy ways to add comfort, these five ideas are simple ways to make any room feel instantly welcoming! More
This Post May Contain Affiliate Links. Please Read Our Disclosure Policy here
This post is in partnership with Wayfair
It’s the little things that turn a house into a home. Adding a few simple touches can bring warmth and create a cozy, inviting space you’ll love spending time in. Whether you’re refreshing a room or just looking for easy ways to add comfort, these five ideas are simple ways to make any room feel instantly welcoming.
I’ve discovered so many cozy cottage-style treasures at Wayfair that blend effortlessly with the pieces I already love in my home. You’ll find many of my favorite Wayfair finds featured throughout this post, along with some of my latest finds at the end!
Click here for above sources
Turn on your JavaScript to view content
5 Simple Touches That Make A Room Feel More Inviting
1. Soft Lighting
Swap harsh overhead lights for warm table lamps, sconces, or even a pretty floor lamp. Layering light makes every corner feel cozier.
In My Home:
2. Layers of Texture
Mix woven baskets, chunky knit throws, and soft linen pillows for a relaxed, collected feel.
In My Home:
I have been loving this woven planter in our home styled with different plants/flowers inside in each season!
This woven rattan trunk is a wonderful storage piece in our bedroom for extra blankets or pillows (but could also be used as a laundry hamper or storage in a living room!).
I’ve used this wicker tray as a tray on our guest bed, and also for entertaining inside and out! It would be cute on a coffee table, too.
3. Stylish Storage Solutions
Adding purposeful storage pieces not only can provide function and organization to your space, but also can help contribute to that warm welcoming feeling!
In My Home:
4. A Cozy Rug
A soft, generously sized rug can make a room feel instantly more grounded and inviting. In a living room, aim for one that’s large enough for at least the front legs of your seating to rest on it—it ties everything together beautifully.
In My Home:
5. Layers of Pretty Details
Layers of decorative accents can make such a difference in how a room feels. These carefully chosen touches add charm and personality, and invite the eye to linger a little longer.
In My Home:
With well-chosen pieces, you can layer in warmth, personality, and charm to any space…transforming it into a sanctuary you love spending time in!
Wayfair Items in My Home:
9 Cozy Pieces in my Home from Wayfair
4 Favorite Rugs from Wayfair
Favorite Mugs from Wayfair
More Wayfair Favorites (click images below for details): More
A “get the look” mood board for a charming mudroom in a cottage by the sea. More
Beautiful inspiration for decorating an antique hutch More
@missmustardseed
Sunday Strolls + Scrolls is a series inspired by the interiors and exterior spaces I fell in love with while scrolling the internet. I particularly enjoy finding spaces and ideas that reflect a sense of sanctuary! I hope this series will feel as relaxing and enjoyable to you as a leisurely walk down a charming street, a peaceful stroll through a garden or finally getting to peek inside a lovely neighborhood home during a Sunday open house.
Browse all past Sunday Strolls & Scrolls inspiration posts here.
Antique Hutch Decorating
@mollyinmaine
@southernshorevintage
@mycambridgefairytale
@amycwhyte
Vintage Nightstands, Wicker Mirror + More Updates In Our Coastal Cottage Bedroom
My Vintage Blue and White Platters
A Vintage Washstand for a Table in Our Living Room
My Vintage Staffordshire Dogs & Collections That Tell Your Story
Cottage Style Etsy Home Decor Finds (Antiques, Blue + White, Coastal!)
Collections that Add Soul to a Home
Our Vintage Swan + Latest Cottage Etsy Finds
Listen to Your Heart and Decorate with What You Love More
It’s been awhile since I’ve talked about how to hang plates on the wall. Since I get this question often (and I keep hanging more plates!) I thought I would share an update!
I’ve tried various methods over the many decades I’ve been hanging plates on our walls, but the best way I’ve found to hang most plates and bowls are with these hangers.
They are easy to apply and haven’t failed me yet! It’s important that you apply them according to directions and let the glue dry over night to make sure it’s secure.
Click here for above sources
Some of the reasons I like these hangers (besides how well they hold) are because they are mostly invisible and don’t damage the plates or the walls. I used to use wire plate hangers but they would make the plate stick out from the wall, the metal would often scratch the wall, the wire clamps showed around the perimeter and it would be easy to break a plate trying to make them fit.
The way I apply these plate hangers, you can’t see them at all from the front.
To make sure the plate or bowl lays flat on the wall, I apply the hanger on the disc like this below:
Plate Hangers
Sources: Rattan Cart // Floral Rug (color options) // More Sources
I’ve always thought plates on a wall were so charming. I think of plates as affordable art because you can often find them inexpensively at secondhand or thrift stores. You can mix them with framed art, too. Even if you just have one decorative plate or bowl it will add interest and contrast to rectangular frames.
Mix and match a variety of colors and patterns or even hang a whole set of plates and bowls to create a plate wall. It’s also a fun way to “use what you have” to decorate if you inherited a set of china you don’t need!
Have you tried hanging plates on the wall?
Pin this post for later ^ More
This Post May Contain Affiliate Links. Please Read Our Disclosure Policy here
Today, I’m excited to share some of my favorite realistic faux tulips and compare different stem options. I’ll also show you how various sets look together and share a few tips to help you create lovely arrangements!
First, if you don’t want to sift through the tips in the post to find the links, here are my favorite Amazon tulips and a few others similar options if you are looking for a particular color or price point (and sometimes they have coupons!).
These are the three types I ordered that look the most realistic:
White Tulips
Latex Coral Tulips (some of them on this link are a little different, these are latex, so be sure to double check what you order)
Light Pink Tulips
A couple more to consider:
Tulips I don’t have yet but look similar to mine (and may come in other colors and bouquet sizes)
Bigger set
These white tulips (most realistic) mixed with these cream tulips (original set I bought years ago)
I will begin by saying there is no comparison between real flowers and faux. Whenever it’s possible to have real, they will always be infinitely more beautiful. Real plants and flowers bring more joy and health benefits, too. :). But I do think there are reasons you may want consider having faux!
We live in Washington state which is the tulip capital of the United States, so I feel a little guilty talking about faux when the tulip farms all around us are about to burst into bloom. 🙂 But, let’s talk about them anyway!
Over the past few years I’ve been growing in my appreciation for having some seasonal faux stems and blooms around the house for a few reasons (not to mention faux blooms are getting so much more realistic!).
Above: Light Pink Tulips // Latex Coral Tulips (some of them on this link are a little different, these are latex, so be sure to double check what you order)
Here are a few of the reasons I have come to appreciate having faux blooms:
They are available for a bouquet whenever I want them.I can have more than one bouquet at a time all year round.Buying real flowers often can get expensive.I don’t always have flowers in my yard and we’re just getting started with landscaping.I can put a seasonal bouquet anywhere in the house and don’t have to worry that our puppy Finnegan will sneak off to eat them.It’s nice to invest once and be able to keep them for a long time.I enjoy seeing pretty bouquets around the house more often.and best of all, I like that they are EASY CARE!
I will share more about my definition of an easy care house sometime 🙂 but today let me show you some of my faux tulips!
Tulips on the left // Tulips on the right
I don’t know if you’ve looked for faux tulips lately, but they don’t all look the same.
You can see the tulips on the left in the photo above look so much more realistic than the ones on the right–look at the difference in the leaves and stems (even though both of these tulips sets are very pretty).
There are several distinctions that make the ones on the left look more realistic (and tips for what to look for when selecting faux tulips):
The tulips are made of different materials that make them even feel like real tulips!
The leaves and stems look more realistic
The coloring on each bloom is more unique
Some of the tulips in the set are closed and some are opening up — which I think is more like a real bouquet
The more realistic blooms can be more expensive per stem, but it’s nice that you can find bouquets with fewer stems if you want to keep the cost down.
Of course you can always collect more over time, or mix several types together!
One way to stretch the budget is to mix new and old, or more expensive and less expensive, together.
TIP: if you’re mixing more realistic stems with less realistic, try putting the more realistic leaves on the outer part of the bouquet.
Let me show you a couple of tulip combinations I’ve used for my bouquets:
Here is what this realistic bouquet of 10 tulips looks like in my pitcher.
I love how simple, airy and natural just ten tulips look with a few flopping over the side of the pitcher.
This is another set I considered as well — they look to be very similar. Be sure to check what they are made of when you shop if that matters to you, as well as compare what the leaves and stems look like (and the length of the stems).
Sometimes one set is more expensive because it’s better quality or because of how many blooms are included (and that often makes the price per stem less, something to consider!).
You can mix different types of tulips to stretch your budget but also the variation can give it a more realistic look. Or mix real with faux, no one needs to know :).
Here is is what my pitcher looks like with 20 mixed stems —this has 10 stems that have the more realistic leaves (two bundles of five come in this one set — and you can get different colors) plus I added 10 stems of the less realistic leaves in a champagne color.
This is what the champagne color tulips look like up close.
Here’s a little bouquet of several colors with the more realistic tulips, wouldn’t these make a pretty bouquet? They come in different colors as well.
Light pink
Latex coral
White
These are the three types I ordered that look the most realistic:
White
Latex coral (some of them are a little different, these are latex, so be sure to double check what you order)
Light pink
I almost ordered these, they look very similar (they have more stems, but the cost per stem was less).
And here is my original set of light pink tulips, my original set of coral tulips, mixed with a few of the newer realistic ones! I love coral so the pop of color on these is a joy-bringer….and they are holding me over until I can get to the tulip farms and buy the real deal!
Want to watch videos where I compare these tulips and share tips on how to arrange them? Here are 3 you can check out:
A comparison of my new coral tulips mixed with my original pink and coral sets.
A close-up video of the realistic white tulip bundle.
A comparison of my new white tulips with my original set, plus tips on how to arrange them together in a vase.
Other sources in this post:
Yellow cafe curtains and bunny mug — both temporarily out of stock sadly, but you can join the waitlist to be notified when they are back!
Scalloped shade lamp in top kitchen photo More
This Post May Contain Affiliate Links. Please Read Our Disclosure Policy here
After much research, I finally bought a new couch (actually, it’s a loveseat!) we’re excited about. I know many of you have been on the hunt for one, too. It’s not always easy to make a decision, so I thought I would share a little of my thought process and which one we chose in case it helps someone else.
If you missed the backstory on why I needed a new sofa, you can read what happened in this post.
Sofa Source
Here is the couch we chose (in the mist performance double stripe fabric).
We had several requirements and preferences that made finding the right sofa a little extra challenging. 🙂
Here are some questions and considerations I look for and what helped us to make our sofa decision (I’ll share more later, too!):
Quality: This is our forever home and the first thing you see when you walk in, so it was worth it to me to find one we will love. I prefer to buy quality furniture that we can keep for a long time. For health reasons I hoped to find one that was Greenguard certified (tested to be free of a lot of chemicals).
New or Secondhand: I was open to buying one secondhand if I had found one that met our requirements in the short period of time I had to look. I did see a lovely one on FB marketplace but alas, it was much too big for our little space. It’s always worth looking though!
In Person or Online Shopping: It was far more convenient for me to shop online. I wish we lived where there are lots of in person places to look for new or secondhand. It is a risk to buy online, so I carefully read reviews and felt even better if I had a positive past experience with the brand. And I carefully looked at every detail of dimensions and fabric etc to be sure it would be what we expected.
Size: The couch needed to be 61 inches wide (to be able to walk all around it comfortably in the small space we had for it). That’s not a very common size, but anything else would’ve been way too big!
Sofa We Chose (click here for details)
Focal Point or Supporting Role: Some couches look good sitting against a wall or will be in supportive role, but in our space, the couch floats in the middle of the whole main floor. That makes it feel more like a focal point, so the style matters even more.
Style and Shape: Because of where it sits as well as my own style preferences, I wanted it to have an interesting but classic shape and exposed legs. I felt that would feel less like a barrier in the middle of the room and more of a style setter. It needed to look good from all sides.
Fabric and Color: I haven’t bought any furniture that it had to coordinate with, but it did need to look good with our paint colors since we just painted and we love the colors. As much as I’ve loved my past neutral or white couches in the past, I felt like a print or soft color would work better in this space and still fit with my style.
I thought about various fabrics, even some lovely velvets that would make a room extra cozy, but I decided to go with one that felt like a summer beach house (since this is a beach house!). In the fall and winter I’ll pair it will cozy colors and textures. It’ll be fun to play around with new combinations and moods in every season!
Also I wanted it to be a fairly easy to care for durable fabric because of puppies and babies. No fabric lasts forever but I think slipcovers are nice! I knew I could always have some made years down the road, so I decided that wasn’t a deal breaker for me.
Sofa We Chose (click here for details)
Cushion Styles: I looked at all options. I wasn’t going to be as picky about this because we had so many other must-haves, but there are different style preferences. Do you want down filled cushions / foam or no cushions, back cushions or solid back, removable or two sided cushions, one bench seat or two/three seat cushions? There are pros and cons for all of them! A plus of no back cushions is dogs can’t squish them or throw them on the floor. 🙂 The down filled are so comfy, but they will flatten out and you have to fluff them periodically. We chose a bench style cushion with down and I’m sure we’ll be happy with that! I really love a sink in cozy couch.
Price: Quality and customizable couches can be very expensive, so if you are going to get one, you will want to love everything about them. I found options I liked under $3,000 (like this one) but in the end with the size, style, specifications and exact customizations I wanted, it became clear I was going to spend more. Fortunately I was getting a smaller sofa and not a sectional ha, plus we don’t need a lot of furniture in this house so this one investment felt worth it. I have a trade discount at some places, so that gave me a buffer to extend my budget, which helped.
I can’t wait for it to arrive! It’ll unfortunately be a long wait. But in the meantime, I am excited to think about what else we may want to use in the room. I’ll share some mood boards for my overall inspiration soon, too.
I’ll also do a round up post of the other sofas I considered, there were quite a few top contenders!
Subscribe to my newsletter here to make sure you don’t miss my posts, and follow on Instagram here.
Introducing my new step by step decorating course Room Recipe Method! Click for details. More
This Post May Contain Affiliate Links. Please Read Our Disclosure Policy here
Blue and White Lamp // Botanical Art // Rug // End Table Cabinet
This post is in partnership with Wayfair
Lamps and lights are my favorite ways to make my home instantly feel more personal, cozy and stylish. I always opt for classic styles and even timeless statement lamps that can set the tone how I want our home to feel. Lamps can bring so much personality to a room, why choose boring styles?
Did you know Wayfair has stylish lighting? I have been updating the lighting around our home and have found so many pretty fixtures and lamps I love.
Today I’ll show you many of my most recent additions! It’s a great time to refresh your home not only for the winter months but for a fresh start to the new year. You can shop for so many home essentials during Wayfair’s End of Year Clearance sale to get big savings, including up to 60% off and fast shipping!
I’ll share some tips throughout along with a round up of the lighting I have in my home and favorite sale items from Wayfair at the end of this post, too.
Source: Semi Flush Mount Light
This little hall had a builder basic ceiling light that we recently replaced with this classic beauty. I love the traditional look! It never fails to amaze me how a lighting change can update the feel of a home.
Checkered Shade Navy Lamp
We needed a table lamp for our puzzle table in this book nook. This darling one has a fun style with a timeless shape.
Lamp
It’s a perfect size and height — it doesn’t get in the way of doing puzzles! Form and function in a room is essential in a personal decorating style and in a cozy home.
This classic blue and white chinoiserie lamp is a beauty! I fell in love with the birds on it. It’s the little things.
Chinoiserie Lamp
I prefer to mix and match timeless pieces in my home for many reasons but I love that it results in an inviting, charming, collected over time feel. That is applicable to our lighting as well!
Lamp
This little cutie fits everywhere, I love it so much I bought three in two different shapes and colors. How many of these lamps would be too many? Asking for a friend.
You really can’t have too many lamps this time of year. Am I right? Lamps are an investment in our personal well-being as well as in our home.
Floor Lamp // Botanical Art
I suggest considering a floor lamp in every seating area. Task lighting has been wonderful for cozy winter nights reading in the snug! Pharmacy lamps are a classic style.
One of the many design principles I teach in my HomeBody community is to use lighting effectively, not only to set the style of the space but to make people comfortable in the room.
It’s my philosophy that our home should be our sanctuary. Everything we choose to include in a room is opportunity to make a difference in how we feel! It’s not about spending a lot of money or following design rules, but choosing elements with intention. If you need help making decisions for your home, join us for the new year in HomeBody Gathering Place and I’d be happy to help answer your questions.
Click here for above sources
New year, new you? Start by making your home your sanctuary. Save up to 60% off and get fast shipping when you shop during Wayfair’s End of Year Clearance event.
Below are some recent decor finds I love from Wayfair, many of which are on sale. Click each image below for details. More
