I’m sharing our living room’s refreshed color palette with Hearth & Hand Pillows on our sofa!
We have some new Hearth & Hand Pillows for our sofa!
The previous collection of pillows, which have been relocated to the basement couch and a bedroom, were all from Pottery Barn. And Thomas did not care for the feathers that constantly pricked him when he leaned on them! I can’t blame him, and the feathers were annoying, but I convinced him to live with them because they were “really nice pillows.”
Then recently I gave in, when I was browsing some of the Hearth & Hand pillows from Target.
While I do think these Target pillows have a less expensive feel, they are still very nice. And very comfortable. No feather pricking!!
Here are the Hearth & Hand pillows we bought:
- Tassel stripe
- Pink lumbar textured rose
- Oversized thick stripe
- Left oversize white and navy stripe
- The remaining solid blue pillow is an existing one from Pottery Barn
I am loving the calming muted colors in the living room now. (The pillow and blanket on the chair were both wedding gifts!)And notice how my little fall pumpkin is in the same muted color scheme! Love it when that happens.
And to think that my first living room was bright ORANGE next to a bright green dining room!
Just go ahead and call me Mrs. Grinch.
So now that we have a calm, neutral color palette, I am not in the mood to bring out all the reds and greens. I do not like decorating for the holidays!!
I used to. I don’t know what changed. If I had to pinpoint it, I think it came around when I became a mother.
Now you might think that should make the holidays EXTRA fun, and they are in SPIRIT.
But when I comes to decorating I am all scrooge!
I think the reason why stems from all the clutter and chaos I deal with on a daily basis 365 days a year. My boys love to tear up a room. And while the systems and storage we have in place certainly helps, that doesn’t mean I don’t do a ton of tidying day after day.
So the last thing I want in my serene living room is a giant tree filled with colors!
Nature > Bright Colors
Over the years I have turned my holiday decor from 50 shades of red and green to more natural colors and textures.
Like this wreath I bought at Target last year. I LOVE LOVE these eucalyptus wreaths and wish I’d held out!! Maybe I’ll find one on sale : )
I did add these festive berries over the weekend – a step in the Christmas direction! The color red makes me nervous, but the natural wood adds a bit of calm back in.
I like colorful food though!
Bring on all the shades. Like this salad I ordered from Plenty with purpley beets, orange sweet potatoes, farro, greens and goat cheese (it’s similar to this salad!) and quiche on the side.
You know who IS merry and bright?
This guy!!
YEE HAW!
Brandy says
I am right there with you. Children add enough energy, without heaping on a bunch of tacky decorations. I have used more natural elements as the years have passed, along with various German decorations that touch my heart.
Claire says
I love the red berries, you should just go for it and get some festive color in, it’s only once a year! Balsam Hill trees are so good and NOT messy at all – I love mine. I gave up on real trees after the second time I had one infested with giant conifer aphids – shudder! It is a chore decorating and putting it all away again, but the children love it
Kath Younger says
Oh gosh – a bug infestation!! We’re getting our tree this weekend : )
Cyn says
Wow those Balsam Hill trees are really nice-and on sale! Love the flip tree. Thanks for sharing.
Clutter makes me nervous too. Over the years I have really cut back on decorating and moved toward a more natural woodland look…pinecones, white lights, simple wood snowflakes. Feels more peaceful and I don’t want to tear it all down the minute Christmas is over.
Julie says
Kath, I totally relate with the Christmas decorations. Before we had our son, I would put a wreath on the door and call it a day. I like Christmas, but sometimes I feel like it’s all too much. Plus we live in a smallish house, and there’s already the every day clutter. To add glittery baubles to that is enough to make me anxious.
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog says
Looks like you guys had fun! 🙂
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
http://charmainenyw.com
Gina McCune says
We never put a tree up until last year when my 3 and 5 year old really wanted one…. I said we could get one as long as we put on the back porch. We did it up with lights and they made ornaments out of wood. It was really cute. They also loved going outside each night to turn it on and stand around it!
Sara says
Funny you posted about the Eucalyptus wreath from Target – I bought it last year and love it! Also agree on the Christmas clutter. With two young boys, my house feels like a disaster and I spend way too much time already cleaning up!
Erica says
Beautiful new pillows! BUT Don’t give up on the PB pillows! We had the same problem with the feathers. I wrapped the down insert in an old fitted sheet and no more pointy feathers sticking out. Problem solved!
Kath Younger says
Oh good idea. I’ve thought about buying pillow covers for them, but didn’t know if the feathers would still come out. They are happily on the (less used) downstairs couch – I am not giving them away quite yet!
Allison says
I really can’t stand the clutter that comes with Christmas decorations. We have to move furniture if we want to place the tree where it is visible out the window and that starts a cascade that really bugs me. I am ready to decorate outside but I would be fine with we didn’t bother inside. Between the husband, the kids and the dog I feel like I spend enough time battling clutter.
Kath Younger says
Same with the furniture, but this year I think I have a better way to move things that won’t feel so claustrophobic.
Anne says
Ok I really need Plenty to expand to Charlotte bc those meals always look amazing!
I’ve become a Christmas minimalist on all fronts since having children – simple decor, scaled-back gifting, only a few favorite parties (not this year of course) – and I love it.
Caitlin says
I was in Michael’s this past weekend and they had some really pretty rose gold and blush Christmas decorations! I too, and not a HUGE fan of red and green so I try to stick to gold/silver/white with small pops of color.
Kath Younger says
Oh pretty!!
michelle says
I agree about the clutter and colors! I was able to get over it when my kids were young because it brought them so much joy, I had to realize that it wasn’t about what I wanted, but about their magical Christmas experience. And reminding myself that it’s just a month, and not worth the stress in the long run!
Andrea says
I don’t like decorating for Christmas simply because I find it annoying – taking everything out, putting it up, then taking it down a few weeks later and putting it all away again…. (I’m okay with the clutter / chaos aspect) so my work around is that my Christmas loving mother in law decorates for us!! Such a nice treat. I’m not picky at ALL and decor decisions stress me out – so she has free reign and has a lot of fun doing it. You’d probably hate my house this year ha ha, tons of bright colours and red, green and sparkles!!
Kath Younger says
Haha a win win!
Nancy says
Agreed, the holiday clutter makes me uptight. I love having the tree up and decorated, and I love when my husband puts the garland on the stair railing – it’s beautiful and festive. I think I hate putting it up because I REALLY hate taking it down – it’s depressing because then the holidays are over and we still have to face the bleakest months of winter.
Kath, I love the pop of those red berries!
Kate says
My husband is CONSTANTLY complaining about the feathers. I have to remind him it’s all for the sake of style! Maybe I’ll convince him to splurge on some new ones…but only after I put away my Christmas pillows. Admittedly, I love the holidays and decorating the house, even with 2 young boys. However, this year seems off. I’ve pared down the decor and I like it.
Taryn says
I’m glad I’m not the only one who doesn’t love Christmas decorations. I think they make the house not only feel cluttered but also dirty if that makes sense? And it seems to take an entire day to take it all down!
Christina says
If you love your PB pillow covers and still want you use them, you should be able to find down alternative inserts for them! No feathers to contend with : )
Kath Younger says
Good suggestion!
Amanda G says
I would have to agree 100%, I lost my momentum for holiday decorating(basically all holiday stuff) when I became a mom. Its not that I dont love the holiday season but all the extras are exhausting and my son is exhausting(he turned two at the end of Oct). And I don’t like a cluttered space either. I sound like a grinch and maybe someday I’ll be the mom who does “all the things” but definitely not in this season of life. After becoming a mom, I noticed my general luster for the actual holiday DAY is also different. I think because a toddler doesn’t know any different so they go about their tantrums and whatnot which is hard when you’ve got a full day planned. I think that’s why my parents never wanted any gifts for birthdays and Christmas, just all of us kids on our best behavior and being our best selves for a day ?
Kath Younger says
Yes and yes!
Dawn says
I can’t see any eucalyptus in your lovely front door wreath, Kath. I live in Sydney, Australia, in a suburb surrounded by eucalypts in gardens, bordering our roads, and we’re not much more than a mile from a huge national park full of eucalypts. I just had to write and say your wreath looks more like pine rather than eucalyptus, but never mind, it’s still lovely and to me, very North American.
Enjoy it!
(Written in 2024, in reply to a lot of 2020 comments. Better late than never!)
Kath Younger says
Oh I was saying I love the ones that sold out! I did end up buying one the following year : )