Designer Lauren Oviatt joins us with five tips to cozy up any space all winter long.
1. Use Natural Elements
Fresh cut greenery like Cedar garland, pine boughs or other evergreen cuttings can instantly infuse that holiday feeling into any space. Hang garland on your mantle or over a doorway, buy an extra fresh wreath to lay on your dining table with your centerpiece, make a mistletoe or ‘kissing’ ball to hang in a visible spot for unexpected holiday ambiance.
2. Think Red
Along with green, red is the most recognizable holiday color. Accents of red throughout the home are an easy way to create high impact with simple swaps. Exchange your throw pillows with red ones or hang red ornaments from ribbon in a creative way. For super inexpensive high impact – fill glass canisters or vases with cranberries, holly berries or even red confetti balls. Make a display from gifts wrapped with red paper and bows. Buy an inexpensive potted poinsettia for great holiday color that will last throughout the season.
3. Throw in a throw
There’s no better way to say ‘cozy’ than to get snuggled up with a warm blanket. Make sure you invite your family and guests to get cozy by having throw blankets at the ready. Place a folded blanket over your sofa arm or the back of a chair or bring in a basket filled with neatly arranged blankets into your family room for easy access. In bedrooms, place a blanket at the end of the bed for an added layer of texture and winter-weather comfort.
4. Dim the Lights
In my opinion – you don’t have to wait until the holiday season to employ dimmer switches, however, it is a perfect time of year to use them. Lighting control is key to controlling the mood in your home. The warm glow of your fireplace or Christmas tree lights shouldn’t be washed away by glaring overhead lights. Use dimmer switches to dim the lights or turn on lamps instead. Also, get cozy by lighting candles in the evening. Holiday scented candles do double duty – but simple white unscented candles placed in a grouping on a kitchen island or other visual space create a cozy ambiance as well.
5. Bake Cookies
According to a recent survey, nearly 80 percent of U.S. households think scent is extremely important to set the ambiance in home design. This can be easily achieved by simply baking a batch of your favorite Christmas cookies or other favorite holiday recipe.
Those scents instantly create a lingering seasonal ambiance and can evoke memories from our childhood.
Lauren Stimpson Oviatt
Oviatt-Pratt & Associates
Interiors & Design
lauren@oviattpratt.com
www.oviattpratt.com
801.451.4531
Lauren has always had a love for interior and landscape design, floral décor, and all things beautiful! Having lived in the South and also on the west coast before settling in Utah, her design instinct is to combine traditional elements and furniture with updated style and current color palettes. She is constantly looking for ways to infuse glamour into her projects while bringing a fresh perspective and an eye for tasteful, classic design.
Oviatt – Pratt is a full-service design firm in business for over 25 years, specializing in high-end residential and commercial design. The scope of their projects ranges from simple home renovations to large scale construction projects where design is implemented from the first wall color choice to the final finishing touches. With direct access to over 50 upholstery, accessory and furniture lines, Oviatt-Pratt’s designers are able to provide each client with pieces that are particular to his or her taste and style. Their showroom in Farmington is open to the public Monday through Friday.
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