Tips for using color in your home

Wrenda Goodwyn • special to the Fort Myers News-Press/USA Today Network • August 6, 2022

Color. It’s the tricky part of home decorating.

Too much of it and your home can look like the circus is in town. Too little of it and you end up with blah rooms that have no personality. We don’t want to be boring.

The trick is to get it just right.

Home office in above photo follows the three color rule: walls in Nimbus Gray, matte; barn doors in Storm, advance interior satin; and trim in Pure White, pearl. Photo: Benjamin Moore

As a Southwest Florida interior decorator, two truths guided me when I began my business 20 years ago and continue to drive my design today. First, you don’t have to be rich to have a beautiful home. And second, no matter what your budget, color is the most important part of your design plan. It sets the tone for everything else.

A few color facts

• Color will change how you feel about your home.

• Color is powerful. A refreshed color plan in your home will take it from blah to WOW.

• Everyone has a color palette. You just need to find one that inspires you.

• The 60-30-10 rule works. This classic decor rule that helps create a color palette for a space, states that 60 percent of the room should be a dominant color, 30 percent should be the secondary color or texture and the last 10 percent should be an accent. But remember: rules are made to be broken.

So many ways to color your home

• You don’t have to put paint color on the walls (necessarily).

White on white with textures and subtle accents, make this a beautiful color choice. Wall in Linen White OC-146, Aura Interior Paint, matte; shelves also in Linen White, advanced interior satin. Photo: Benjamin Moore.

• It’s possible (and very pretty) to have a neutral background and still have a home rich in color. Artwork, rugs, window treatments, upholstery, pillows, trims, lamps/lampshades, chandeliers, countertops, cabinets, books, backsplashes, furniture, the backs of open shelving, wall coverings, furniture, artwork. All opportunities for color.

• Ceilings (especially coffered ceilings) offer places for color with painting an entire room.

• No rule says you must have a brown sofa. Please try a color.

A few ways to use paint color

• One of my goals is to (usually) use no more than three paint colors in the home. This includes a neutral and two additional colors.

• If you have a color palette that you love but are hesitant to use any of the colors on the walls try this: paint a coffered ceiling, molding or trim in the color. With a pretty neutral color and the third color for accessories and the list above, you have a color plan.

Make a splash that radiates summer fun and happiness with Wild Flower 2090-40. Try it in a powder room or accent wall. Photo: Benjamin Moore.

• Note: a paint plan that worked in one home may not work in another. There are many differences to consider. Lighting, size of the home, furnishings, finishes. It’s easy to fall in love with a palette that worked previously but allows for some changes to suit your current home.

Remember these guidelines:

• If you are hesitant about color, remember, less is more.

• Artwork is a great way to create a color palette.

• Pillows, throws, accents, accessories add color that can be changed when you need a refresh.

• In open floor plans, be guided by the architecture to let you know where to start and stop paint color.

• Cohesion is key. We don’t want every room to be a different color. That would be too jarring. But we do want to carry something of our color scheme from room to room. This can be done in large ways or with accents or accessories.

• Link the outdoor spaces to the indoors by using the same color palette.

Create a color plan and take into consideration:

• Where is your home located?

• Do you prefer calm neutrals or dark rich colors?

• How will your plan work with your existing furnishings?

Find your inspiration

As someone who loves color, I keep a fan deck close at hand. I’m constantly saving photos of colors and palettes. And for me, most of those come from nature. Blues, greens, sandy whites and creams. To be honest, there is not a color that I don’t like. Well, maybe beige with lots of yellow undertones. It’s all a matter of finding the right balance.

Wrenda Goodwyn is a Southwest Florida interior decorator, A.S.I.D. associate and gold member of the Interior Redecorators Network. She helps homeowners throughout Southwest Florida with timeless, affordable ways to create beautiful spaces and solve decorating problems. Her articles appear the first Saturday of each month. For more information, visit her website at spectacularspaces.com. Call her at 239-850-5800 or e-mail wrenda@spectacularspaces.com. For more decorating tips, articles and photos, visit spectacularspaces.com/blog

Seeing green: color is optimistic, healing, calming

Wrenda Goodwyn • special to the Fort Myers News-Press/USA Today Network • June 4, 2022

It’s more than a passing trend.

 We’re seeing lots of green. And it’s no wonder. Green is believed to leave us optimistic and refreshed. It’s thought to have calming properties and it can be healing. And it helps to diffuse anxiety. In today’s stressful world, my take on it is that we need everything that green can bring into our homes. Right?

 It’s no coincidence that Benjamin Moore’s Color of the Year for 2022 is October Mist, a silvery green neutral that anchors a space and allows for other colors such as violet, yellows, blues and corals. And Sherwin Williams went for Evergreen Fog, with a bit of grey and blue in its selection for 2022.

Feng Shui teaches that green encourages new beginnings and renewal. Yes, please.

 It’s an easy color with so many choices from cool sage to bright emeralds and it can be used as a neutral or an accent. It’s no wonder it’s a bit of an obsession right now.

 The good news is that you can incorporate a little green into your decorating scheme without doing a major upheaval in your home. As an Estero-based interior designer, I have seen a noticeable increase in requests from my Southwest Florida clients who want to bring more green into their homes. Especially where the main color is a neutral. And why not? It’s perfect for our lifestyle.

 But like everything to do with your home, before you call the painter, you need a plan. Whether you want a lot of green or a hint here and there in your home, I have a few tips for ways of doing a little green refresh and making it look like you hired a designer to help you!

 ·       Feeling a little tired of gray? Some of the cool sage tones are good alternatives as a neutral color. And if you have gray as a neutral in your home, green is a perfect accent in the right shade. For a nice, neutral green, Benjamin Moore’s Soft Fern and Silken Pine are good options. And if you want to go a little deeper, consider Hancock Green and Hollingsworth Green. Check the recommendations in the chart in this article and with any paint color, please test the color before you paint.

An array of palm fronds, feathery ferns and other tropical foliage enliven this exuberant green botanical wallpaper. Imagined and hand-painted in Schumacher’s New York design studio, this large-scale three-panel set is 12 feet high, allowing it to spread across and up the walls of a room for a tall dose of breezy tropics. Photo Schumacher. www.fschumacher.com

·       If you want to go bold and are ready for a major change, consider painting the kitchen cabinets. If your cabinets are white and you want to keep them that way, think about a green or blue-green glass backsplash. And a powder room is the perfect place for a beautiful emerald green or a dramatic wallcovering in the same shades.

·       For my tastes, green is best not used in a big way. Like for an entire large room.   Consider a green neutral for a bathroom or office but not necessarily for an entire Florida room.

Give the laundry room an unexpected green refresh with Benjamin Moore’s Cedar Green 2034-40, in eggshell. Cabinets: Super White OC-152, Advance, satin. Trim: Super White OC-152, Advance, semi-gloss. Photo Benjamin Moore. www.benjaminmoore.com

·       The color by no means has to be on the walls. There are ceilings. Especially if you have coffered ceilings. Painting them a bold green and adding a beautiful light fixture is just enough drama for a room.

·       Don’t forget the laundry room. It can be the most boring room in the house but try a gorgeous green on the walls and add a little fun art on the walls and everything changes.  A green sofa (I have one in my Florida room) or console or accent table add a lot of color happiness to a room. 

·       If you have white shutters or blinds, pick out a beautiful fabric with greens, blues and corals and have valances made for the windows. 

We love the green shade but this ivy bookshelf light from Ballard Designs is also a unique task light made from a piece of solid marble with a swan neck and brass candle arm. A great (and useful) addition to your bookshelf. Photo: Ballard Designs. www.ballarddesigns.com

·       Just want a little touch of green? Paint the wall behind shelves or bookcases. A rug with blue-greens, a mural on an accent wall, framed botanical prints. Paint your front door. Green lamp shades or glass lamps. And there are always plants which keep our homes healthy and bring nature indoors. You can’t have enough of them!

 Wrenda Goodwyn is a Southwest Florida interior decorator, A.S.I.D. associate and gold member of the Interior Redecorators Network. She helps homeowners throughout Southwest Florida with timeless, affordable ways to create beautiful spaces and solve decorating problems. Her articles appear the first Saturday of each month. For more information, visit her website at spectacularspaces.com. Call her at 239-850-5800 or e-mail wrenda@spectacularspaces.com. For more decorating tips, articles and photos, visit spectacularspaces.com/blog

Inspiration from Kips Bay Decorator Show House

Wrenda Goodwyn • special to the Fort Myers News-Press/USA Today Network • March 26, 2022

There was a lot of interior decorating inspiration to bring home from my visit to the Kips Bay Decorator Show House in Palm Beach this week. The three main takeaways: Lots of bold (really bold) color. Spectacular ceiling treatments. Beautiful lighting in every room.

Twenty-four acclaimed designers and architects from all over the country participated in showcasing their talents and the best that interior design has to offer. Every square inch of the home is filled with every product and idea that you can imagine. Visual overload doesn’t begin to describe it. Disneyland for designers and décor enthusiasts does. So worth the drive to the other coast!

The décor is vibrant, optimistic and happy with shades of citrus colors like that beautiful tangerine we see so much of now. And green. Lots of green in every shade you can imagine. Pantone’s color of the year, Very Peri, a bold lavender shade, also made it into many rooms with color, ceiling treatments and accessories.

The pandemic has definitely given us all a chance to rethink how we want to live in our homes and look for ways to find happiness and joy in our décor. Each room offered lots of options to consider.

A modern take on a traditional Palm Beach sunroom says “come in and stay a while.” Designed by Paloma Contreras, the treillage walls and ceilings work with the dogwood leaf pattern and rattan to bring the indoor inside. Photo: Nicholas Sargent, Sargent Photography.

The home was built in the 1920s and is listed on the National Registry of Historic Places. Because of its age, it presented many challenges to the designers who brilliantly hide them. For example, what does one do with slanted walls? Cover them with a beautiful screen!

“In the pink: a poolside paradise” by Janie Molster, offers lots of spots to soak up the sun. An entertaining pavilion is ready to get the party started and a romantic, fabric-draped pergola is perfect for enjoying time in the shade for a game of (pink) backgammon. Photo: Nicholas Sargent, Sargent Photography.

As a Southwest Florida interior decorator, I am constantly on the hunt for inspiration that I can bring back and adapt them to my client’s homes. A few of my takeaways are listed below. But first, a little information if you decide to venture over to the “other” coast. The home is open until April 3 so there is still time to visit.

If you go:

5th Annual Kips Bay Decorator Show House

3001 Spruce Avenue, West Palm Beach

10 a.m. - 4 p.m. daily through April 3, 2022

All proceeds from the Show House will support the Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club in the Bronx, New York, and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County.

A few of my takeaways:

• Rich bold colors with a lot of whimsy. Artwork, wallcoverings, paint and even a custom hood lacquered to match the cabinets.

• Small space or wall imperfections? Cover a wall with a gorgeous folding screen. It adds depth to a small room and covers a lot of things we would rather not see.

• Wallpaper the ceiling! This is beautiful when set within a coffered ceiling or a ceiling where you can add architectural elements. The sky is the limit on how creative you can be.

The “Wonderland Dining Room” designed by Beth Diana Smith is filled with patterns and accessories. The space is grounded by a pink rug and a lilac wallpaper on the ceiling. This room was a major draw with its focal point lotus chandelier and a monkey accent table. Photo: Nicholas Sargent, Sargent Photography.

• Make the exterior part of the interior. I know, we say this all the time. But carry it a step further with rugs, rattan tables, a chandelier, surround drapes to protect from the weather and you have a cozy outdoor room that is part of the home.

Much more than a placed to get dressed, one could spend a lot of time in this “Reimagined Closet” by the Lewis Design Group. The hand-painted wallpaper is the room's focal point and green and yellow fabrics on the settee and Roman shades play off the palm fronds covering the walls. Photo: Nicholas Sargent, Sargent Photography.

• Lattice on a grass cloth wall and ceiling gives the room the feel of a garden party.

• Bar carts. They are everywhere. And they don’t even have to be a traditional cart. A pretty vignette created on a tabletop, kitchen island, beautiful tray or console are perfect. The key is to creatively arrange colorful, pretty things that make you happy every time you make a refreshing beverage!

Visitors would be happy to spend a few days in this guest house. With kitchen and dining room designed by Catherine Austin, she took cues from her favorite travel spots, like Marrakech, Costa Rica, the Cote d’Azur and Palm Beach, to create the home's bright and whimsical breakfast area. The adjoining galley kitchen has vibrant green cabinets and a lacquered custom hood trimmed in brass. Photo: Nicholas Sargent, Sargent Photography.

Wrenda Goodwyn is a Southwest Florida interior decorator, A.S.I.D. associate and gold member of the Interior Redecorators Network. She helps homeowners throughout Southwest Florida with timeless, affordable ways to create beautiful spaces and solve decorating problems. Her articles appear the first Saturday of each month. For more information, visit her website at spectacularspaces.com. Call her at 239-850-5800 or e-mail wrenda@spectacularspaces.com. For more decorating tips, articles and photos, visit spectacularspaces.com/blog

Ins and outs of a spring home interior refresh

Wrenda Goodwyn • special to the Fort Myers News-Press/USA Today Network • March 5, 2022

It’s almost spring in Southwest Florida and thoughts have turned to cleaning out the old and no longer useful and refreshing our homes.

Along these lines, I wanted to share some the work I’m doing for clients and what they’re are telling me they want most this spring.

As a Bonita Springs-based interior decorator working throughout Southwest Florida, I’m finding that homeowners want a refresh that updates their home. Many of my clients may have been in a home for 20 years and it’s looking a bit dated. Or they’ve just moved to our area and have a pile of furniture from a previous home that may not work. And most of all, they want comfort in their homes. You can do a little or a lot depending upon your budget. Here are a few update tips from recent projects:

• Get rid of entertainment centers. Heavy and mostly unattractive. My clients are saying goodbye.

What we are doing: TV on the wall. Accent pieces or vintage find for console underneath.

Popular handwoven rattan is used in these Avalon dining chairs with Terrace dining table. Tinsley table lamp in white and Sanibel chandelier provide beautiful lighting. Centerpiece is the colorful artwork that brings the room to life. Photo: Serena & Lily. serenaandlily.com

• No more mass-produced, matchy-matchy furniture. Many of us may have started with this years ago. It was affordable and how easy is it to walk into a big box store and order up the “living room or “bedroom”? Now your tastes are more defined and you know what you love.

What we are doing: starting with an investment in a great sofa. You will never be sorry. Then add pieces that don’t all match but work together. Sprinkle in an antique, flea market find or gorgeous accent piece and you have a room that is yours. Then we add gorgeous accessories. It takes some thought about what you like and you will need a plan before you buy anything.

• Say goodbye to the old fashioned hutch in your dining room. This dated staple (and at one time a luxury piece) in our grandparent’s or parent’s homes once showed off a prized China collection. Many were inherited and clients tell me they have an emotional time saying goodbye. These attachments are tough. But here is the thing: if you love it, keep it. If you don’t, send it on to someone who will use it. Remember: your home is not a storage garage for someone else’s memories.

What we are doing: purchasing a beautiful console that will store items that you use for entertaining. We are styling the top with lamps, artwork and some of your favorite possessions.

• Formal living rooms. These really date a home, especially in Southwest Florida where we have that open concept and Florida rooms.

What we are doing: transitioning these rooms into entertainment rooms, dens, offices. Whatever fits into your lifestyle. Something useful rather than a room that you just pass through.

What’s hot and what’s not in interior decorating

If you’re in the process or thinking about updating your home, here are a few tips to consider.

• Hot: Bonita Springs interior designer Diane Torrisi of Diane Torrisi Designs tells me that she’s seeing a significant trend in the use of hardwood flooring.

“Some of the things we have been lead to believe about the use of hardwood flooring in this part of the country, are just not true, “Torrisi says.

“They are beautiful and timeless. Not easily damaged. Contrary to the myth, they can be used in a kitchen. Are not too expensive and they do not require high maintenance. It’s an option to tile that homeowners are exploring and using.”

• Not: Carpet. Homeowners are ripping out carpeting by the truckloads. I know, you like the feel of carpet under your feet in a bedroom. But keep in mind, carpet is a haven for allergens and they become airborne every time you walk on your carpet. Instead, hardwood or luxury vinyl and area rugs.

• Hot: Rattan. It’s readily available at different price points and it works beautifully with other furniture. Think dining chairs, two matching chairs with a sofa, pendants. It’s a nice, fresh update.

• Hot: Colorful artwork. It offsets the sea of beige that we are seeing in homes.

• Hot: Painting and reupholstering old furniture to give it a new life.

• Hot: Skipping the entry mirror because there is no rule that you must have one! Instead, hang a beautiful piece of art.

• Not: Black matte faucets. They may look trendy now but give them a few months.

• Not: Accent walls.

• Hot: A wall covered in grass cloth or wall covering.

• Hot: Wrapping rooms in bold color.

• Hot: Paint your baseboards. A refresh that won’t cost much and is a perfect spring project.

And because it’s spring, power wash the exterior of your home and the walkway.

Wrenda Goodwyn is a Southwest Florida interior decorator, A.S.I.D. associate and gold member of the Interior Redecorators Network. She helps homeowners throughout Southwest Florida with timeless, affordable ways to create beautiful spaces and solve decorating problems. Her articles appear the first Saturday of each month. For more information, visit her website at spectacularspaces.com. Call her at 239-850-5800 or e-mail wrenda@spectacularspaces.com. For more decorating tips, articles and photos, visit spectacularspaces.com/blog

At home in 2022: Don't be boring!

Wrenda Goodwyn • special to the Fort Myers News-Press/USA Today Network • Jan. 6, 2022

The decorations are down and you may feel that your home is looking a little boring. Like the sparkle is gone.

While we can’t know for certain what 2022 will bring, one thing we know for sure is that our homes will continue to be very important to our physical, mental and emotional wellbeing.

The promise of a new year always inspires me to find new ways to refresh our homes from the front door to the patio. And as a Southwest Florida interior decorator, I find that my clients are going full speed ahead with their design plans for the coming year. Whether it’s a major renovation they have wanted to do for years to a major downsizing to a new color palette.

Go bold in the kitchen with Benjamin Moore’s Mysterious against a light neutral wall. And the chairs make the room with a pop of Wild Flower. Details: (wall) Steam AF-15, Regal Select Interior, eggshell (cabinets) Mysterious AF-565, semi-gloss (chairs) Wild Flower 2090-40, Advance, semi-gloss. Photo: Benjamin Moore

As we approach the beginning of a new year, we all tend to evaluate our goals for the coming year. Many of us make resolutions that by this time, are usually forgotten. Instead of resolutions, I like to set intentions for the coming year. Intentions are a lot more flexible, allow for change and seem easier to move toward. Here are a few that I offer for your home as you think about making changes:

Set a few home decorating intentions

• Don’t be boring! You know there is something you have wanted to try. Let this be the year. Make it a place that you love and want to come home to. Be bold.

Black Pepper 2130-40 creates a rich vibe, transforming any bedroom into a cozy enclave. Trim and ceiling: Decorator’s White OC-149. Benjamin Moore.

• Be mindful. As you make new purchases, think about each one. Does this purchase fit into your plan? Is it timeless? Will you love it next year? Is it an impulse to make you feel good? Like the outfit (with the tags still on) you still have hanging in your closet from three years ago, maybe it’s not really the best purchase.

• Stop comparing your home. We all get caught up in magazine photos, model homes, homes of friends, and in my case, homes of clients. But these are not YOU. And that’s what your home should be: yours.

• Have fun. It’s easy to take the whole home design thing way too seriously. Don’t. Be present and make a plan before you move forward, but let the process be fun.

• Push a little beyond your comfort zone. If you’ve always wanted to try a new color palette, bathroom design, window treatment but felt a bit unsure. This is the time. And if you need a little confidence-building, call a designer or decorator to offer professional help.

A bathroom accent wall makes all the difference with Wild Flower 2090-40, a dusty pink-red with plenty of character. It’s the perfect choice to lend a pop of color that feels right at home in an otherwise neutral bathroom. Details: (wall) Wild Flower 2090-40 Aura Bath & Spa, matte (ceiling) Steam AF-15 Regal Select Interior, flat. Photo: Benjamin Moore

• Repurpose and use what you have. Start where you are with what you have and work from there. Often making a few chances with minimal expense, will give you time to come up with a larger, more permanent plan.

Home Trends 2022

We are seeing a lot of beautiful trends for 2022. There may be a few that fit your design scheme. While we don’t recommends trends just for the sake of making a change, they are fun to watch and serve as a general guideline. Just a few:

• Softer edges, curved and rounded furniture.

• Swivel chairs. Always in style.

• Antiques. Trend toward vintage pieces instead of mass-produced furniture.

• Rattan chairs and lighting.

• Earthy tones. Warm neutrals, yellows, greens, burgundy, orange.

• Dark and bold kitchens. Navy, emerald greens.

• Nature-inspired fabrics.

• Checkerboard patterns in flooring. Wood, marble, rugs.

• Time to say goodbye: to stark white walls. Instead, creamy neutrals.

Happy 2022!

Wrenda Goodwyn is a Southwest Florida interior decorator, A.S.I.D. associate and gold member of the Interior Redecorators Network. She helps homeowners throughout Southwest Florida with timeless, affordable ways to create beautiful spaces and solve decorating problems. Her articles appear the first Saturday of each month. For more information, visit her website at spectacularspaces.com. Call her at 239-850-5800 or e-mail wrenda@spectacularspaces.com. For more decorating tips, articles and photos, visit spectacularspaces.com/blog

Tips for a joyful holiday home

Wrenda Goodwyn • special to the Fort Myers News-Press/USA Today Network • Dec. 4, 2021

Don’t you love it when someone reminds you that Christmas is only 21 days away?

It’s true. And this year, from what I can tell, we are making our homes more festive than ever. Maybe trying to make up for the last two holiday seasons where we were all feeling less like celebrating.

Set a pretty table vignette that you can leave up during the holiday season. Keep it simple with fresh flowers, greenery and a few timeless table decorations that you will enjoy each Christmas for years to come. Photo: The Riviera Collection from Serena & Lily.

Decorating my home for the holidays is one of my favorite things. I think it really is the most wonderful time of year and that we should create an environment that brings us joy. And each year is different. And it should be less like work and more like fun.

As a Southwest Florida interior decorator, I tell my clients not to be pressured by magazine photos or Hallmark Christmas movies where homes are decked out from ceiling to floor with every square inch stuffed with something red and green. You will not be happy.

Instead, decorate mindfully. Try to find that perfect balance that is just enough and not too much.

My process for holiday decorating is to put something in each room. A small table tree. Wrapped presents. Fresh flowers. Ornaments in a glass bowl. Holiday music. Then I go back and see if I need or want more. Hardly ever.

A tray with greenery, candles and some favorite holiday ornaments makes a pretty vignette for dining or coffee table. Photo: Pottery Barn.

Keep it simple.

If it’s not too late, don’t go crazy with the decorating. Remember: it all has to come down and it gets stored in a few weeks.

Use what you have.

Skip a year of buying anything new and go with what you already have. Rearrange and find new ways of displaying your decorations. Put the tree in a different room. Use a different color for your lights. Decorate the kitchen pendants with greenery and ribbons. Mix real scented candles with faux.

Think timeless.

Just as with any purchase for your home, when adding new declarations go for items that are timeless that you will use for several years to come.

Start at the front door.

A new holiday welcome mat sets the tone. I have clients who paint their front door red for the holidays. Why not? Happy, easy and fun. A wreath for the door. Twinkling lights go a long way toward holiday happiness and they are inexpensive so use them generously. Potted plants at the door.

Set a pretty table.

Even if you’re not having guests this year. Create a beautiful vignette for the holidays. A few small trees down the center, garland garnished with your favorite ornaments. Colorful placemats and napkins. I like white plates that I can use all year with any color and at Christmas, I pull out the red napkins and runner. I try to change that color each year depending on my decorations.

Set a pretty table for the holidays with colorful placemats and napkins. Photo: Pottery Barn.

If you don’t have a fireplace mantle.

Create a similar vignette on a couple of bookshelves with items that you already have and a few lights. You can also hang stockings from a shelf.

If you don’t have plans for a tree this year.

No problem. Hang a few ornaments from mirrors, doorways, stair rails. Or arrange a collection of trees (bottle brush trees are popular this year in all colors) on a mantle or desk.

Chair wreaths for your dining chairs.

Or barstools. These are so much fun. You will need small wreathes, ribbon and a few ornaments that you already have on hand. OR you can hang stocking on the back of each chair. If you are like me, you have lots of those stored away.

A tree in every room.

This is my favorite and if this is all you do, it’s enough. Start with your entry table (collection of small trees and greenery), office (medium on desk), each bathroom (small), living room (large), bedrooms and kitchen (as space permits). You can coordinate colors and design with each room OR you can put a small, green tree with a bow in each room. Some can have lights, decorations, or not. Last year I discovered pencil trees and they allow for lights and decorations and also fit into space-saving corners. Don’t forget the lanai or porch.

Don’t forget yourself.

A little something in each room. For the bedroom, fresh greenery, a wreath and a wrapped package. And don’t forget fresh, new linens to sink into at the end of a long day. Easy and pretty. Décor and furnishing from Ballard Designs. Photo: Ballard Designs.

This is a perfect month to invest into new linens for your bed. Sheets, a few new pillows, a throw. Then enjoy relaxing into a blissful bed at the end of day of holiday fun.

However you decorate your home this holiday season, let it be enough and enjoy every moment. This is my last column for 2021. See you in 2022. Merry Christmas!

Wrenda Goodwyn is a Southwest Florida interior decorator, A.S.I.D. associate and gold member of the Interior Redecorators Network. She helps homeowners throughout Southwest Florida with timeless, affordable ways to create beautiful spaces and solve decorating problems. Her articles appear the first Saturday of each month. For more information, visit her website at spectacularspaces.com. Call her at 239-850-5800 or e-mail wrenda@spectacularspaces.com. For more decorating tips, articles and photos, visit spectacularspaces.com/blog