How to Create a Beautiful and Welcoming Home for the Holidays

Soothing. Welcoming. Warm. Like one of grandma’s best hugs. While also being chic. Are you wondering how to combine all these elements into your own home after seeing them so brilliantly executed in our stunning rental homes in Asheville, NC? Then let us help you! Even if you are not a big DIYer, there are a few simple things you can do to create a peaceful, soothing, and warm home that is perfect for the holidays.

Calming Colors

Have you ever walked into someone’s home and instantly breathed a sigh of relief as a wave of stress just rolled off of you and slithered away? Or stepped into a beautiful park on a brilliantly sunny day where the blue sky sparkled above you and felt your spirit soar no matter how crumby of a day you were having?

This is all because of color! That’s right. Besides clearing away mess, carefully choosing your color is the single most important thing you can do to create a calm and soothing atmosphere in your home. Studies have shown that colors in shades of green are the most restorative while colors in the blue hues are the most calming and relaxing. Especially if they are dusty greens and blues. If you are looking to be both restored and calmed, combine the two colors and paint with a dusty greenish-blue! Check out this article from Huffington Post if you would like some more inspiration for calming choices of color for you home.

While the color of your walls is supremely important, so is the color of your decor! For one, you don’t want the colors you decorate with to clash with your walls (though it is really hard for anything to clash with green and blue!). Second, you want to make sure that you are using colors on your sofas and beds that contribute to the atmosphere you are working to create in your home. If you are a fan of reds and other vibrant colors, remember that you can minimize the energizing effects of red by surrounding it with swaths of neutral colors. (For example, a bed covered in a plush white down comforter with red throw pillows to add a touch of extra cheerfulness is still soothing.)

So when you go to add some DIY holiday cheer to your home, focus on the greens and blues and leave red to the occasional fun pop of color!

Rustic Touches

The farm house style has been extremely popular for a few years now, and doesn’t show any sign of decreasing in its popularity! Even if you don’t want to decorate entirely in this style, a few rustic touches will provide structure as well as warmth to your home. Think: an antique side table covered in beautifully distressed white chalk paint, a whitewashed fireplace with a bit of exposed brick, a grey-washed reclaimed-plank breakfast tray. (Check out this blog post here for some more amazing ideas!) These slightly rustic touches give your serene and tidy home a welcoming feel, showing that people really live and love under your roof.

Asheville, NC, is a fabulous place to find antiques as well as new but handcrafted objects that will infuse your calm and serene home with warmth and the look of love. While visiting with us in Asheville, you must check out the River Arts District and the Southern Highland Craft Guild for all of your beautifully hand crafted works of art and holiday decor. If it is antiques that you are looking for, then the Susquehanna Antique Company and Biltmore Antiques are fabulous places for you to find some gorgeous pieces of furniture and nicknacks to grace your home. If you ARE going for the rustic chic, farmhouse look, then Gardener’s Cottage is a dream come true for you!

Soft Fabrics

Soft fabrics. Plush pillows. Gently wafting curtains. These soft touches will round out the edges of your house and turn the clean lines of your rustic pieces of furniture and other decor into something soothing and warm. Of course, if you want to keep your home modern and clean, you want to minimize the soft touches, throwing in just a couple creamy throw pillows to keep your home from feeling stark. (Check out this blog post for some inspiration as you create your modern, soothing, and inviting home!) (However, if you are looking to create a farmhouse-style home, then you will want to increase the throws, cover those pillows in burlap-esq (or at least burlap colored!) fabric, and add in some rustic reclaimed wood signs on your walls.

We can’t wait to know how you decide to update your home this holiday season! Let us know in the comments below!