Turn Your Orange County Living Room into a Winter Wonderland

[Insert instrumentals] “Sleigh bells ring, are you listenin'? In the lane, snow is glistenin', a beautiful sight, we’re happy tonight, walking in a winter wonderland...” (If singing in your head is not enough, here’s a link to Michael Bublé’s version of “Winter Wonderland” 😉)

A lot of people dream of having a white winter—but living in Orange County, California, means a white winter is next to impossible. Unless...you bring your winter wonderland inside your home...

With the help of our interior design tips, you can easily turn your Orange County living room into an elegant winter wonderland this season! 

Here are our 5 tips to turn your Orange County living room into a winter wonderland:

1. Change your Colors for the Season

If you want to achieve that classy look of a winter wonderland, add as much white as possible into your living room. To accent, add splashes of cream, gold and silver. These colors help to and depth and dimension and elevate the interior design of your living room for the entire winter season. You can also opt for clear, shiny and/or sparkly accent pieces. 

Start by giving your sofa a makeover. Throw on a slipcover, change your throw pillows, and add a new cozy blanket. In fact, we found beautiful white throws and pillows at west elm. We also recommend warming up cold toes by adding a furry white rug this winter season. For more tips on how to make your home feel cozy this season, check out or blog. 

2. Make Use of Your Fireplace & Furniture

There is nothing like a roaring fire to help bring the outdoors inside, so be sure to make good use of your fireplace this winter. Display extra wood by the fireplace for both functionality and style. Decorate your mantle with frosted greenery or snow-dusted pine cones, or a collection of white candles on light wood, silver or gold candlestick holders and fake white trees. 

Bottom line: have fun! Decorate your coffee table, side tables, and entertainment units with pieces that you really love. This time of year, you shouldn’t have a hard time finding decorations that fit within the winter wonderland color palette. So, shop around. We love to incorporate winter animal figurines in gold or silver like these cute but classy 9" Silver Reindeer from Crate & Barrel to help bring the feeling of a winter wonderland inside.

3. Create a Snowy Space

To make your home feel like a true winter wonderland, create a snowy space. Use cotton batting or other artificial snow products for your tables, mantels and other areas in your living room. For a shimmering effect, spray your fake snow with a glitter spray. You can also frost your windows with spray snow for an extra wintery touch. 

For this tip, we’ve included a couple specific ideas. Lay down a sheet of fake snow and create a snowy village by placing white, ceramic homes down. You can put your village in the entryway of your home or across the mantel. Handmade Ceramic Christmas Village Houses from Pottery Barn could be exactly what your winter wonderland is missing. 

We got our next suggestion from eHow: “An option for centerpieces or vases is to use floral gel crystals. Look for them in the floral section of a craft store. Water mixed with the crystals turns it into a snowlike texture. Place it in a shallow bowl and arrange candles or glass Christmas ornaments in it for a festive centerpiece.” 

4. Dress Up a Fake Tree 

While we love the smell of a real douglas fir, our next tip for turning your Orange County living room into a winter wonderland is this: consider purchasing a fake tree that is white or snow-dusted.

Then, dress your tree to the nines! Remember, to keep with the winter wonderland theme, choose white, cream, gold and/or silver ornaments. You can also decorate with clear glass, shiny or sparkly ornaments to make your tree the real star of the show! Ornaments can also be snow-themed such as snowmen, snowballs, or snowflakes. We recommend these beautiful Hammond Ornaments from Anthropology. For your tree topper, consider either a silver or gold star.

Lastly, swap out your traditional-colored tree skirt for a solid cream or white, or consider one with gold or silver accents.

5. Add Twinkly Lights Everywhere

For the final touch, add twinkly lights anywhere and everywhere in your living room during the winter season. This will bring your winter wonderland to life and light up decorations so they really stand out. Sprinkle some glittering lights on the mantle in between your decorations, throughout your holiday tree, and inside the snow you have placed throughout your home. The Electric LED String Lights from West Elm will work perfectly to enhance your winter wonderland, especially if used throughout the snow.

If you’re looking to stage your home for the winter season, or a special occasion, we’d love to help! To get started, set up a consultation with Viève Interiors today. 

Interior Design: Best Tips to Update Your Bathroom

A quick Google search for the best bathroom interior design tips will return ideas and suggestions to make your bathroom appear bigger (‘opt for larger mirrors’ and ‘let in a lot of natural light’ being a couple of our favorites), to tips for designing a bathroom that is both stylish and functional (we find that the best spaces are both beautiful and practical, would you agree?), and, of course, everything in between.

We’ve put together our best interior design tips to decorate your bathroom, whether you want to spruce it up a bit, or change the look all together. 

SWAP OUT YOUR PLUMBING FIXTURES & CABINET HARDWARE

Changing up your cabinet knobs, faucets, towel racks, and toilet paper holders will make a world of difference for the aesthetics of your bathroom as it’s one of the quickest ways to change the overall look of your bathroom.

We suggest taking photos of the space and each fixture before taking everything off.  This way you can reference your photos to know if you need a single hole, widespread, or center-set faucet.  To switch out your shower head or on/off valve you’ll need to note the brand and type (or better yet, bring the old one with you) to make sure your new faucet fits the rough plumbing in the wall.  If you're replacing the tile and rough plumbing, you don’t need to worry about this and can select a whole new brand and type throughout.  We also highly suggest bringing old cabinet hardware (one of each) with you when shopping so you know what size pulls you need.  But feel free to select a completely different finish and style to really change things up!  You can choose a brand new set in brass, gold, copper, bronze, nickel, chrome, or stainless steel.

Pro tip

Use a good mix of metal finishes in the bathroom.  Just keep all plumbing fixtures the same while selecting a different finish for cabinet hardware or light fixtures.  Here we used glossy chrome plumbing fixtures and hardware, coupled with a matte black metal shower frame and matte black metal fixtures on the towel rack.

Upgrading your tub, shower and sink can also change the entire look of your bathroom, if you’re up for a little more work. You may need to replace countertops or tile, but this update can give you a really relaxing, peaceful place for you to unwind when you need it most.

Choose a freestanding tub

with wall-mounted fixtures to create a luxurious spa feeling while providing a modern and classy look like we did in this bathroom remodel.

TILES, TILES AND MORE TILES

Our next interior design tip to renovate your bathroom is to upgrade your tile.  Select coordinating tiles for the floor, your shower walls, shower pan, and an accent wall or detail.  Pro Tip: one way to add simple, yet effective detail that will tie your design together is to use your accent tile or shower-pan tile on the back of your shower niche. 

Cut costs

by using an Ikea vanity with a sink/countertop combo like we did here, we were able to splurge on this beautiful blue tile floor. Choosing a patterned tile floor is one way to add some fun pizzazz in a small space.

Make a bold statement

by tiling one of your bathroom walls. Here we chose a neutral-colored, matte tile to go with glossy fixtures to add interest and draw you into this spa-feeling dream space.

Create a unique pattern

using untraditional tiles or mix up the direction of a simple subway tile like we did in this shower. Instead of laying tile in straight rows, mixing up the orientation will give you a fresh take.

GO MINIMALIST

If you’re eager to change the look of your bathroom but not quite ready to commit to a full upgrade, go for a white, clean, minimalist style. Clean white lines and a few organic touches to your bathroom can change the entire look. First step: declutter your space. Decluttering is especially helpful if you have a small bathroom—minimal decor can make any space look larger, sleeker, and cleaner.

Next: Create a place for everything. 

Hide any toiletries and items that you want unseen in cabinets and decorative baskets, or on shelves. In this modern bathroom we designed, custom cabinets create a storage space for everything you need.  You can also shop for baskets at places like Target and HomeGoods to corral your products and keep things feeling tidy. 

ADD A POP OF COLOR

The ways in which you can add a pop of color to your bathroom are endless. You can easily, and cost effectively, add some color to your bathroom by changing out your towels and bath mat (try draping a modern, colorful bath mat over a white standalone tub), or incorporating a few succulents or houseplants.

If you love a white or neutral bathroom

try adding a little color with sheer drapes like this design by Kate Walker. We appreciate what a difference the drapes make while still feeling subtle and cohesive with the warmth of the wood tone.

To change the look of your bathroom décor,

consider a bold ceiling paint, creating an accent wall, or changing the color of your current vanity.  In fact, a simple coat in a fresh shade can make the bathroom feel new. We selected this cabinetry in a soft blue-grey to accentuate the cool relaxing vibe.

Play with color

by painting your bathroom door like this Oakland bath by Katie Martinez. With plenty of white to go around, the door adds welcome contrast.

Another way to add a pop of color

to your bathroom is to opt for a stained glass window. While this is not usually our go-to interior design style, we love the way it ties this bathroom all together.

DETAILS, PATTERS & TEXTURES

Sometimes a fresh bathroom design can come from paying close attention to the small details. For example, incorporating a variety of textures into your bathroom can be all you need to see a drastic change. 

We used fluted white cabinetry

and a distinctly-shaped mirror to create that ‘wow factor’ in this clean space.

Add texture to an all-white bathroom

by covering the walls in classic shiplap. 

Here we tied together various details

when we designed a powder room with a simple black and white color palate. We used intricate detail, patterns and different textures like the arched backsplash with unique curves, wallpaper for an accent wall, and gold wall-mounted fixtures and lighting. 

Interested in giving your bathroom a full makeover, minor facelift, or just a little extra pizzazz? We’d love to help. Set up a free consultation with Viève Interiors today. 

Save this blog post for later on your Pinterest Bathroom Ideas Board!

Interior Design: Best Tips to Decorate Your Home

Living room designed by Viève Interiors

There are thousands millions of interior design tips that circle the web and fill design magazines all over the world—all aiming to help give your home a full makeover, minor facelift, or just a little extra pizzazz. 

We’ve pulled together our favorite designs and best tips (yes from other designers, but also from our very own collection of interior designs) to create our new blog series, Interior Design: Best Tips to Decorate Your Home. We will go room by room, starting with Interior Design: The Best Tips to Decorate Your Bathroom! 

Once you’ve got your bathrooms in tip top shape, don’t forget to read Interior Design: 7 Best Tips to Decorate Your Bedroom and Interior Design: Best Tips to Decorate Your Child’s Room so you can create the perfect cozy sleeping spaces for your whole family.

Next we’ve got Interior Design: Best Tips to Decorate Your Living Room so you can nail down your living room design to create a comfortable space that draws you in.

To make sure you don’t miss a single tip for designing your dream home, sign up for our email newsletter. 

Save this blog post for later on your Pinterest Home Decor Ideas Board!