By now, you’ve probably decked the halls with all sorts of holiday decorations after careful planning. I just wanted to make one point about decorating for the holidays…make it your own! You don’t have to go over the top to bring holiday cheer to your family, friends, & even co-workers.

View fullsize

Holiday cheer to the max!

Depending on your religious beliefs and personality, you may want to take a more minimal approach. Or just focus on the nature that we associate with the holidays like evergreens, cones, and berries, which will work whether you live in a cold or warm weather location. If you’re not crazy about the complimentary colors of red and green or the traditional blue, you can create a unique representation of the symbols of the holiday instead of being so literal. As always, incorporate your personal touch on everything and have fun with your décor! Happy Holidays!!

After 2 or 3 international trips, I realized that I couldn’t bring back another knick knack or my home would become a cluttered mess, especially in a New York City apartment.  So, I started framing local art that I bought from artisans on the street or art from museum gift shops.  Don’t feel limited to art that will lay flat.  You can buy rugs or lighting or ceramics.  Anything that captures the culture and brings you joy.  It’s incredibly affordable and brings back sweet memories from each locale.

On your next trip, plan to spend some time searching for good quality souvenirs that can be displayed around your home.  Maybe you can spend half a day or just take your time at each opportunity you come across to find an item that you would love to see on a daily basis.

For example, I recently visited Egypt, Israel, & Jordan with my family.  Visiting the historic cities and towns in each of these countries was a dream come true and I wanted to bring back reminders of the fun and wonder we experienced.  While visiting Khan el-Khalili in Cairo, we purchased wooden jewelry boxes. Now that we’re back, I already know what I’m going to use them for. It’s a great way to have more authentic décor piece in your home that have a meaningful story that you connect to. Styling your home is about creating an environment that you love and want to share.  Happy hunting!!

Above: 1. Framed museum photo of Nike of Samothrace from the Louvre; 2. Image of Nike of Samothrace; 3. Framed museum poster of Henri Edmond Cross painting from Musée d’Orsay; 4. Image of Henri Edmond Cross painting; 5. Watercolor by artist from Puerto Rico; 6. Copy of canvas painting by artist from New Orleans; 7. Wooden Jewelry boxes from Egypt.

Being comfortable with your choices takes getting used to, at first.  You may ask everyone from your mom to your grocery store cashier for their advice or opinion on a subject, but ultimately, it comes down to what you believe is right for you given your circumstances and the information that you know at that moment.  The only way to make decisions is to take the time to really think about and identify how you feel about a particular subject and about whether or not you want to live with the possible outcomes of each decision.  I think that’s the part that makes decision making distressing.  It’s the many possible outcomes that you can and can’t foresee.  With so many possibilities, sometimes it’s useful to get advice or help from an experienced person who has a great deal of knowledge in the area that you have to make a decision on, such as speaking with an accountant about taxes.

Making decisions about how to style your home is no less daunting than any other decision since the consequences will affect how you and your family will experience your home and live life there for many years to come.  If you struggle with feelings of overwhelm when you’re deciding on how to style your home, here are a few important considerations and tips to think about:

• think about how you want to feel in each space

• think about your lifestyle and how you use each space every day and during special occasions

• look through design décor magazines (see examples below) and tear out images that excite you – images that you can see yourself living in (you’ll probably start to see a pattern in the styles that you like)

• think about how you can holistically apply the style you like into your space (sometimes you’re looking for harmony or contrast)

Be confident in how you feel and what you like! It’s good enough for your home.  Own it and move forward with making your style decisions.  Good luck!