By Tedra Schneider
Room 911
Tedra Schneider
To date, winter has been very quiet in these parts of Connecticut. Yet the interior design issue of magazines still plays up creating a winter landscape in your home. Doing so could bring a fresh look to your living or family, room but one must remember that you can’t repaint every quarter according to the season.
Some winter looks can continue into the other seasons that we enjoy in New England. We must remember that like fashion, new styles of furniture and new colors on walls are dictated by decorating gurus whose sole job is to think up innovative ideas on the subject.
According to Décor magazine, a winter look is all the rage. Icy blue painted walls even extend to the ceiling, balanced by snowy whites, creams and (as an accent color) iron red. The wall color is Benjamin Moore Harbor Fog.
Earth tones have been around for a long time. Shades of blue can be refreshing, including on upholstered furniture. So can a white area rug or draperies and lots of accents of iron red in painting frames or table ornaments. But how will this look translate in spring and summer? It could.
What if you wanted to create a room that was still “winter” but could easily slide into other seasons? Then think purple – a smoky purple that has lots of undertones of gray. Mix this with neutral colored upholstered chairs, pieces of furniture that could be made out of steel, or grayish toned woods and accents of gray, green and just a hint of a brighter color such as mustard yellow or coral used sparingly. The brighter color could be a flowerpot, an object on the coffee table or some books in the bookcase.
In an article last year I wrote about “hygge,” the Danish concept of making and creating a sense of warmth in the depths of the winter season. These are things like blankets, a fireplace, hot soups, family gatherings in a den, board games or storytelling. This concept for the winter months is called “gegellig” in Dutch. Here the color of the furniture and the contrast of light woods creates a light-filled contemporary look that has warmth and coziness. The woods are blonde with accents of chocolate, various shades of browns, tans and cinnamon. It’s almost a monochromatic room, but the different textures make it welcoming in winter.
The groundhog has predicted an early spring this year. Maybe it’s too late to paint a winter landscape, but some of the above concepts can bring a bounce to your room any time of year.
Tedra Schneider can be reached at restagebytedra@gmail.com.