Winter into Spring Decor

by Heather

At this time of the year I find it a little difficult to decorate seasonally here in the Valley of the Sun because even though the calendar says "winter" the temps might suggest "spring." My so-called "winter decor" always seems to be somewhere between the two seasons. I still have the woolie throws and furry pillows out, but verdant accents of apples, pears, and flowers have crept in.

Some of these pictures were taken right after Valentine's Day when I still had multiple vases of roses and tulips in bloom (see Valentine Table for Two post on 1/31/13).  I shared the living room pictures of "Winter Decor" back on January 24th, so let's start in the front dining room.

The little dropleaf table in the front dining room (someday this will be the baby grand piano room) gets loaded with books, mercury glass vases entwined with wire, and a large Pottery Barn jug filled with faux blossoms. 

The silver candelabra sitting on the small zebra print footstool was a gift from a colleague (thank you, Michelle). She found it for $10 at the local Goodwill store and knew that I would love it. I do! It's even been camping (or should I say "glamping") with me.

The roses lasted such a long time after Valentine's Day. Here are some against the lighted black cabinets from Ethan Allen. The three-bottle-holder was a find from Michael's.

BEFORE

The picture above was taken immediately after Valentine's Day; below is what it looks like today. 

AFTER

The apples and tulips may be faux but the lemons and grapefruits are 100% real from the trees of one of my colleagues. Thanks, Joyce!

The rosemary topiaries below were moved in from outside after Christmas. The weather has been freezing overnight and I wanted them to live as long as possible.

BEFORE

I wanted to add a little more Spring to this tabletop vignette so I moved the topiaries out (okay, the truth is that I killed them). Anyway,  I thought since I love orange so much in fashion, I should add some into the home decor. The sweet orange flowering plants are from Fry's Grocery Store.

AFTER

 The orange tray and candle are from Z Gallerie. I'm not sure yet about this -- it's so much color for a house awash in neutrals. We'll see how long this lasts...

I change the vignette atop the entertainment center seasonally although the three hurricanes seem to have found a permanent home there. Right now they're joined by a small collection of birds, some of which are contained under wire cloches.

 

The mantel for the family room fireplace is on the to-do list for hubby. It's too narrow to allow for vignettes with any depth so I'd like him to construct a wooden mantel. Maybe I can learn how to do this myself?? Hanging hurricanes on either side are changed out with Spring candles and faux green apples.

The next time it's my turn to do a post about furnishings will be several weeks before Easter -- plenty of time between now and then to get out the bunnies and other Easter paraphernalia, right? And for the weather to get back to normal here. This past weekend, the temps were in the high 70s and low 80s. Today, I drove home from work in near whiteout conditions. Yes, here in Scottsdale, Arizona, it was snowing/sleeting/hailing (graupel) with thunder, lightning, and fog! I haven't driven in weather like that since I lived in Minnesota.  Crazy times!!

Love,
Heather