I find myself craving two things when decorating my home this time of year. Natural elements and the color blue. I turn to blue after all the reds and greens typically used for Christmas. The desire for natural elements comes from not being able to enjoy them outdoors in our frozen world. So it’s no surprise that winter decorating in my family includes both these things. (This post contains affiliate links.)
Normally the first thing I swap out in the family room when decorating is the pillows. Once I figure out which pillows I’m going to use, the rest of the room follows.
I had a hunch that Home Goods would have pillows on sale following the holidays. Not wanting to spend a lot of money, I limited my selection to clearance items. I found a pair of gorgeous teal pillows by Tommy Hilfiger; both were on sale but they had different prices. One was on sale for $15, the other was $8. I grabbed both and took them to the register.
To find out which price was correct, the store manager looked up the correct sale price in the system. Surprisingly, one pillow had been in stock longer than the other … thus the price difference. But to my surprise, the pillows should have been marked at $10 and $5. Score!!
A cute, plaid pillow was also on sale for $8, so I snatched that one up, too. I bought three pillows for $23. Not too shabby!
Back to my winter decorating quest for natural elements. I added a bird poster in this corner of the room. If you remember, I hung a similar bird poster over my winter mantel.
On the coffee table, I added a basket of wine corks and wood slices. I made a project with wood slices and these are the leftovers. I’ll share that project with you later this week.
A folded birch bark vase holds airy silk flowers. I found this at Cocoon, my current favorite store.
On the end table is another basket; this one is filled with wooden spools. I have a project planned for these, so stay tuned.
My family room has a new rug, but more on that later.
What colors do you like to add to your winter decorating scheme?
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Hi! I'm Jennifer and I'm happy to have you here! I live where the suburbs meet the country, which affords me the best of both worlds. Come along on my journey where I share decorating, cooking, gardening and more as it relates to both city and rural life. 
I absolutely love Cocoon. I’m planning on buying the sectional sofa they have. I’ve had my eye on it for a few years now and am finally able to order it. I’m so excited! I always find something at Cocoon that I love.
You are such an inspiration!! I am off to find my pillows. As you snuggle into winter – here in South Africa we are seeking the cool and airy – I intend dressing my windows with light voiles but need something to lift drab brown leather couches. I shall start with pillows 🙂 thank you I do enjoy your blogs
I LOVE your use of blues in your living room, Jennifer. So so pretty and perfect for this time of year. Lovely inspiration!
Mary Alice
Thank you for sharing your unique approach to winter decorating and the sources for some of your great finds.
I’m inspired!????
I’m a tried and true “blue and white” porcelain gal. When we downsized I scaled back to just those items in my main decorating scheme. Blue and white is classic, timeless and calming. I know the trend is all neutrals; flooring, walls, furniture, decor items BUT I have a small home and family antiques/rugs/silver that must grace the homes of future generations. I love that the blue and white porcelains can tie all that together with grace and style. I LOVE BLUE! You can warm it up in the winter, cool it off in the summer, jazz it up or sparkle it up. Long live blue decorating 🙂
Jennifer, as always, I love your decorating. The birch vase really caught my eye today. Love it! The pillows are so pretty too.
Cyndee
I love your idea of swapping out things for the seasons. I like to do that too, changing out pictures, lamps, rugs and other accessories, but I just downsized and have limited room to store things. I am wondering if you have any tips on how you store items so that you can reuse them at a different time?
Oh, I love the change the new rug makes – and I can only see a piece of it. I’m not a fan of burlap, so light weight curtains or draperies at the window would be so beautiful. I love your family room and I love the blue accents.
Great ideas and it looks lovely! I have many wine corks- saved over many years, and I like your idea of putting some in a basket. Too bad they can’t be recycled! I always enjoy your posts.
Where did you get the wooden poster hanger? Love it.