The year was 2006. I was newly engaged, planning a wedding, finishing up my senior year in college and looking brightly to the future with a promising new job and a rockstar soon-to-be husband. Nate was about to embark on some new adventures in Dallas for the summer while I finished up with school, but before he moved and life got even more hectic we decided one day, on a whim, that it was high time we go register for gifts for our wedding.
Off we trotted to the nearest store and started a registry. If you’ve ever registered for wedding gifts, though, you have probably noticed already that we did something terribly wrong: we registered before we ever even TALKED about what we wanted, what we needed, or even knew what our style was. As I’m sure you can imagine we received a lot of really beautiful things for our big day, none of which really matched or coordinated in any way shape or form. The problem didn’t lie with the wedding guests though; rather, none of it went together because we went on a rampage with the scanning gun at the store, just picking out things that seemed neat without any notion of a total look.
Almost 7 years later we still stand here with an “eclectic” mix of furniture and kitchen paraphernalia, with some even more interesting items thrown in from my food blogging. We were majorly blessed by some wonderful furniture from my parents when they remodeled their house, but the reality is that the mix of their old pieces and our old pieces (plus the plethora of dog fur) is a mishmash that you typically only find in college apartments. I’ve longed for some help on the decorating front for a while, especially because our budget is not one that allows big purchases or major redecorating, so when I was contacted to attend a class about decorating for the holidays I jumped at the chance to talk to these home style experts.
It’s funny actually; my email confirmation for the workshop actually told me that I was supposed to show up at 11am. Being the early-to-a-fault person that I am, I showed up early only to find that it had already ended. Apparently the email was taking into account East Coast time – oops! But you guys? I have to brag on my local Havertys store: they welcomed me in with open arms and did the workshop all over again just for me. Talk about service, right?! Anyone in the Central Arkansas area would be well served to visit the Havertys Showroom at Shackleford Crossing. I am still in awe of how helpful and completely knowledgeable everyone was there. I felt so welcomed!
So here’s the deal: the holiday home fashion workshop was specifically about how to best decorate and arm your home to entertain for the holidays, but so many of the tips and tricks that I learned could be used for any time of year. I am still working through all of the tips, so below are my favorites from my time spent with Kennon and Melissa at Havertys:
- Entryway: So many entryways these days are fairly small and short, so emphasizing the space that IS available is a great way to make it seem larger. A great mirror will help increase the light in the space, making it appear larger. Stacking art on the wall will make the space seem taller, or a great buffet table can make it seem wider.
- Living Area: Having a sectional with several pieces gives the option to configure sitting space to what you need for your guests. Most sofas will come with a few throw pillows, but don’t shy away from coordinating colorful pillows either. Ottomans can do double duty as a cocktail table (just throw a great tray on top!) and extra seating as well.
- Office/Transition Room: Sleeper sofas, sleeper chairs and even sleeper ottomans can work wonders for creating sleep space for guests while maintaining a beautiful space the rest of the time. While most guests will stay in a guest bedroom it’s always a good idea to maximize available sleep space when you can!
- Dining: Work islands are a really great way to get multiple uses out of one piece of furniture. They can be used as a kitchen work space, an eating space, a homework/crafting/gift wrapping space, and some can even be pushed against a wall as a buffet. All that, plus extra storage space – I don’t know what our next kitchen will look like, but I can bet that a work island will be part of it!
- Guest room: I never thought about it this way before, but Kennon (the store manager) said something that stuck with me. He said that when it comes to decorating for a guest room it’s best to think of the amenities you would find at a 5-star hotel. Beautiful details, rugs, colorful throw pillows, charging stations – all are fantastic ways to make a space feel bright and beautiful. Another great tip from Melissa – place some dryer sheets in between the fitted sheet and the mattress pad to keep the guest bed smelling fresh and clean! Simple, cheap, and it works – my kind of tip 😉
I loved all of the tips for accommodating guests during the holiday season, especially because having a big house FULL of the people I love is one of my favorite things. However, some of my favorite tips from Kennon and Melissa came when I told them about this transitional stage of life we’re in and asked how to help our style grow as our family grows and as we are figuring out where we want to live in Arkansas. We have a much more clear perspective of what looks we like in homes and (thanks to Pinterest) can get even more ideas on how to decorate as we go. But what about a budget? And what do we do if we want the house to look nice but don’t want to commit to major pieces of furniture just yet? Here are a few more tips that I loved as they pertain to our situation:
- Use accent chests. The nice thing about these is that you can have several of them and they don’t have to match, but rather have a similar look. My style is more along the lines of “rustic chic,” so having mismatched-but-coordinating chests would work great for me. The chests not only look great, but they house all of the small things we have lying around well – toys, dog stuff, extra blankets and pillows.
- Storage ottomans. Another storage tip that I know all of us moms (to both humans and furbabies) can understand. Storage is a great thing, and when it makes the entire house look nice that’s even better! A beautiful ottoman certainly trumps a bunch of plastic tubs, and the way I see it an ottoman can also help limit the number of toys around our house too. If it doesn’t fit, we don’t need it!
- Nesting tables. If you’re like us and are unsure how much space you’ll have in future homes BUT you really want to start investing in nice furniture now, nesting tables are a great way to do that. They are so multi-purpose that you really can’t even imagine what all they can accomplish, but then if there’s not enough space they can just go right under the largest one. Done and done.
- Bunk beds WITH a trundle. This is more for us in the future since Wes is still sleeping in his crib, but down the line when he’s big enough for a bunk bed (and we have more kiddos) then a bunk bed with a trundle bed is a great way to get a lot of mattress space in smaller rooms. I can’t imagine we’d have three kids to a room, but the trundle would be a great way to make space for friends who spend the night or a mommy who just wants to rest close to her babies.
- Think light. This is one of those things that I knew subconsciously but just didn’t put words to until Kennon mentioned it. The more natural light you can add to a space the larger it will look. Decorative mirrors are a great way to get something beautiful on the wall as well as accentuate the size of the room.
- Use your senses. When you live in a home you are experiencing it all with all of your senses (well, except maybe not taste…). Bringing light into the room and having beautiful accents pleases the eyes; soft music is a plus in just about any environment, a soft bed or rugs on the floor offer a treat for our touch, and flowers or air freshener of some kind are perfect for our sense of smell. Thinking in terms of our senses is a great way to see the full scope of a room!
- Accessories can make or a break it. If all you have is nice furniture but nothing that brings color or texture to the room via accessories it can feel cold and boring. Never underestimate the interest and beauty that can come from some well-placed flowers, baskets or books!
I had a blast learning more about making our home feel more homey! It feels like it should be something that’s second nature, but since actually talking to professionals about it was a huge help for me. If you have a Havertys in your area I would highly recommend stopping by to see what sorts of upcoming workshops they have and then attend one!
How will you make your home inviting for guests this holiday season? Reply below for a chance to win $1,000 to brighten your holiday season! Official Sweepstakes Rules
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Havertys. The opinions and text are all mine.