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You are here: Home / Decorating / Early Winter Living Room

Early Winter Living Room

February 9, 2020 by Kristine 2 Comments

This Early Winter Living Room includes two different coffee table vignettes, rich colors on the couch, and a simply dressed fireplace and hearth. www.redshuttercottage.com

It seems that a lot of people struggle with decorating their home at this time of the year… this transitional time between Christmas and springtime.  I call this time Early Winter, and firmly believe it is a season unto itself.   And in many ways, this Early Winter season is a great opportunity.  Here is a chance to bring in color, or no color, and decorate your home using texture, patterns, color and elements that you love.  There is no specific color palette to follow like spring or fall.  This is the time to share what truly speaks to you, what lifts your heart.  And with the cold winter weather in so many areas, here is a wonderful opportunity to put together rooms that feel warm, cozy, inviting, and calm.

This Early Winter Living Room focuses on greenery and neutral colors to create a sense of welcome and warmth. www.redshuttercottage.com

At this time of year, we see a lot of white in January living rooms, kitchens and dining rooms.  And I think it looks beautiful.  It’s very peaceful and still conveys warmth and a sense of welcome.  Texture and subtle tonal differences help contribute to that, and I have seen some really beautiful white winter rooms.

And as much as I would like to take a swing at that, all I have to do is look at my deep gold walls, and I stop in my tracks.  I’m just not sure it would look right, and it would take me way out of my comfort zone to work with a single color palette.  Do I have the right furniture for it? How many new pillow covers would I have to sew?  As you can see, I talk myself out of it pretty quickly.

A side view of the fireplace and hearth, simply dressed in natural accessories for the Early Winter Living Room. www.redshuttercottage.com

Happily, this winter I have a new thrift store find that is the jump start for my 2020 Early Winter Living Room.

That’s right. A pitcher. But not just any pitcher. A rooster pitcher.  Right out of the ‘90s.

This thrift shop pitcher conveys a warmth to help welcome an Early Winter Living Room. www.redshuttercottage.com

In the blogging world, roosters seem to have lost their status as a timeless, classic, adored ornamentation.  Even with the whole farmhouse rage, roosters never really regained their ‘perch’ if you will!   But I do come across them in blogs from time to time (Belle Bleu Interiors and Our Southern Home both seem to share my affection), and I have read comments on other blogs from women who mourn the absence of roosters and their cheery, quirky presence. (I even have a Pinterest board named “Rooster Fun”.)

 

A rooster pitcher flanked by candles and ivy welcome you to the Early Winter Living Room, www.redshuttercottage.com

Consequently, I have decided to publicly embrace my love of roosters. Up until now, I have downplayed them, even though they dominate my kitchen.  But I am growing more bold. Even so far as to bring a rooster into my living room.  Shocking. Groundbreaking.  I know!

I bought this runner years ago, and have only used it occasionally.  But one of my mantras is if you collect what you truly love, your pieces will begin to work together to create a cohesive, effortless look.  I was truly delighted that the colors of the runner and the rooster pitcher coordinated so well.  It was easy to just add in a couple of candle holders, and a spray of ivy atop a book.  I tried putting a dark wood tray on the coffee table, but I felt like blocked the synergy of the colors working together, so I removed the tray and just left the vignette on the runner.

 

A brightly colored runner is a perfect match to a thrift shop rooster pitcher as part of Early Winter Living Room. www.redshuttercottage.com

These colors also all play well with the black floral print, and buffalo check pillows on the couch.  Remember what I said above about working with colors and elements that speak to you?  These are the colors that speak to me, and provide me with a sense of welcome and comfort especially in winter.  They are rich, dark, neutral and lend towards an autumnal tone.

For the mantel, I kept it mostly simple.  A couple of boxwood topiaries on one side.

A simple fireplace helps create a warm and welcoming feel in the Early Winter Living Room. www.redshuttercottage.com

And a trio made up of an orchid, a corbel and a shell-on-a-stick on the left side.

On the left hand side of an Early Winter Living Room mantel, a spray of orchids, shell on stick and a thrift shop corbel. www.redshuttercottage.com

On the hearth, a lantern placed in my little Home Goods “nautical basket”.

And on the right-hand side, a garage sale magazine holder flipped over holding a thrift shop metal basket and Pottery Barn pears.

Pottery Barn pears, nestled in a thrift shop basket, atop a garage sale magazine holder, all part of the Early Winter Living Room. www.redshuttercottage.com

I left the Christmas wreath hanging, minus it’s cheerful red plaid bow.  But that’s just another reason I love winter decorating.  We can pull in wreaths, pine cones, shells, and greenery, and they all fit in together!  No rules.  No guidelines.  Just freestyling!

 

The mantle for an Early Winter Living room is lightly accessorized with neutral ivory and greens. www.redshuttercottage.com

 

Pottery Barn pears, nestled in a thrift shop basket, atop a garage sale magazine holder, all part of the Early Winter Living Room. www.redshuttercottage.com

On the bar, I have pine cones mixed in with stacked candles on a cake plate on the bar.

Some very simple accessorizing, one of the benefits of decorating an Early Winter Living Room. www.redshuttercottage.com

 

Pine cones, a classic winter accessory on the bar of the Early Winter Living Room. www.redshuttercottage.com

The hydrangeas in a French flower bucket have resumed their rightful place on my Grandmother’s tilt-table.  They are accompanied here by a garage sale chippy candleholder and a Salvation Army thrift shop finial.

A simple arrangement, including hydrangeas, on the tilt-table in the Early Winter Living Room. www.redshuttercottage.com

Back to the coffee table.  I know I made a big speech above about how bold I feel by confessing to my adoration appreciation of roosters.  Still and all, I am a bit reluctant to come forward and share that I ALSO bought THIS rooster.  I couldn’t help it!  She is stunning.

This ceramic rooster is right at home amidst candleholders, an ivy plant and pillow ticking runner, all part of Early Winter Living Room. www.redshuttercottage.com

So, acting on a whim, I removed her from her ‘perch’ on the bakers rack in the back corner of our house, brought her out to the living room and placed her where the rooster pitcher had been.   I was first struck by how her black and white feathers played so nicely with the black and white buffalo check pillows. But then, I wasn’t struck by how her colors didn’t play nicely with the blue, red and gold tones in the runner.   (For all you grammarians out there…I know roosters are male. I am just making a personal choice to use the female pronoun!)

This rooster with his back and white feathers fits in perfectly with the black and white runner and buffalo check pillow in the Early Winter Living Room. www.redshuttercottage.com

Well, that was an easy fix.  I pulled off the blue, red and gold runner, and grabbed the ‘valance-turned-table-runner’ made of black & white pillow ticking.

This rooster with his back and white feathers fits in perfectly with the black and white runner and buffalo check pillow in the Early Winter Living Room. www.redshuttercottage.com

Like they were made for each other. (Well, they did come from the same thrift shop, a few months from each other.)  This little vignette has prevailed. I love walking through my living room and taking it all in.  Which is exactly the point of decorating your home, NOT JUST for the Winter season, but for any time of the year.

Here are some ideas for creating a warm, inviting feel in your Winter home:

  • As always, keep the color spectrum within 2 or 3 colors.
  • And use your favorite colors; blue and yellow; neutrals and wood tones; black and white; autumnal tones; pretty pastels.
  • Use live plants – they provide a sense of life and freshness.
  • Use natural elements from other seasons:  shells, pine cones, gourds (well, maybe not pumpkins!), fruit, branches, greenery, berries – real or faux.
  • Bring out the books, runners, pillow covers and throws that aren’t seasonal in nature.
  • Candles. This goes for all year round, but ESPECIALLY  at this time of the year where days may be cold, gray and overcast, and late afternoons get dark quickly.

Here are a few previous posts about Early Winter decorating:  2018 Winter Living Room and Buffalo Check Pillows in the Living Room.

And, as a fitting end, my photo-bombing cats Lucy & Max:

Our cat Lucy, trying to decide if she wants to make friends with the rooster, in the Early Winter Living Room. www.redshuttercottage.com

 

Our cat Max, surveying his domain in our Early Winter Living Room. www.redshuttercottage.com

From our home to yours!
Kristine, Max and Lucy

 

I am sharing at these Link Parties:

A Stroll Thru Life   //  A Pinch of Joy   // Home Stories A – Z   // Hearth & Soul   // Of Faeries & Fauna   //  Calypso in the Country   //   French Ethereal   //

Filed Under: Decorating, Early Winter, Fireplace, Furniture, Living Room, Vignettes

Previous Post: « 2019 Bright & Airy Fall Living Room
Next Post: The Joy of Treasure Finds by Thrift Shopping »

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Comments

  1. Cheree Hull says

    February 13, 2020 at 10:29 am

    All so beautiful. Yes, I always struggle this time of year with decor. Fall and holiday decor makes our home so inviting but then it gets put away and….nothing! (beautiful cats, too, btw. I have a black and a calico) . New subscriber visiting from the link-up.

    Reply
    • Kristine says

      April 6, 2020 at 7:38 am

      I think what helps me get inspired about decorating after fall and Christmas is the idea that anything goes! It’s the opportunity to mix things up and try a few creative experiments. And, of course, where would our homes be without our cats? Thank you so much for stopping by-and for subscribing!

      Reply

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