Welcome to Tumbleweed Tidings!  Today I’m talking about those creamy, dreamy Winter whites.  Often, after taking down our Christmas decorations, I tend to put everything back in the same exact place. The exception to that would be when I received decorative home pieces as Christmas presents, which those who know me well know, are some my favorite gifts. I can’t wait to find a place for these treasures after the holidays.

All of that stopped after I opened a home décor store in Hawaii in 2006 and suddenly had, at my fingertips, access to almost anything for the home that I could ever need or want. At cost, no less. At that point, I think people realized that unless it was homemade, I was pretty hard to buy for in the décor department. After we returned to Washington for my husaband’s job 10 years ago, I began to reduce my collection, but still love having enough decorative items on hand to allow for seasonal changes.

This year, after all of the color, sparkling lights and the shiny, glittered items of Christmas were packed away, I found myself needing a break from the cacophony. This is unusual for me.  I’m the girl who used to own a lime green couch and loveseat.  I’m the one who uses teal, rusty orange, and green pillows.  All at once.  I love color!

But this year, I needed some white space in my décor, literally. So instead of putting back all of my normal kitchen, living and dining room décor, I changed out most of the accessories with items of white, cream and beige, accented with natural elements of wood and greenery. The end result is creamy and dreamy, and just the calm I was craving.

Because our sofas are in a light brown herringbone tweed, they are the perfect backdrop for this scheme. And while an all white room can feel cold (the last thing we need more of in eastern Washington right now) when you temper it with all shades of cream and beige, it is far from chilly.

To go along with the winter white palette, I also incorporated some crystal candlestick holders I had on hand, in a nod to the icicles that can drip from the eaves of the house this time of year. (As I’m posting this, we are having unseasonably warm, sunny weather, so no icicles!)

The only purchase I made were two pillows in a cream and beige geometric that really tied the entire look together. I mean, really, is there any problem that can’t be solved with a new pillow? They are hands down the quickest way to reinforce a theme or change a look for the least amount of cha-ching.

Other than the pillows, all of the other accessories were things I had on hand. It’s funny, but when you start to curate like-colored items from around the house, either from closets or other rooms, it is not difficult to create an entirely different mood for little or no money.

So, if this long month of January finds you staying close to home, maybe a palette of lighter colors  will create a soothing, cocoon of warmth that will get you through it.  Soon, the promise of spring will arrive and I will most likely be craving color again.  But until then, winter white feels just right.

Good tidings,

Diane