What Is In Your Capsule for Home Decor?

The title of this post sounds a little like the credit card commercial with Jennifer Garner when she says… “What’s in your wallet?”  At this time of year, we may be saying “nothing” after overspending during the holidays.  I titled this post, What Is In Your Capsule for Home Decor? because it is the time of year when the Christmas tree and other holiday decorations are back in storage and our normal decor can seem a little barren to our eyes.

We want our decor to have a fresh feel just like we want a fresh start with new resolutions in the other areas of our life.  It is too early to decorate for spring, so what is someone who is passionate about decorating do?

The first thought may be to run out to our favorite decor store and spend money to buy something new to add new life into our winter decor. This can be a fun excursion, but if you are like me, you don’t want to spend any money on mid-winter decorating that can end up being bought on a whim just to fill a space until spring rolls around.  I want to remind you of a way you can get both – new winter decor at no expense.

When I was putting my Christmas ornaments away, I looked at my stash of decorative accessories that I keep on shelves in the attic and realized, I have a collection of “Capsule Home Decor”.

Use What You Have Decorating is my favorite way to decorate, but it’s little cousin… Capsule Decorating is a runner-up.  What is “capsule decorating”?  It is the same concept as a “Capsule Wardrobe” where you compile a collection of a few essential wardrobe items that go with everything and can be used seasonally or year round.

Streamlining your wardrobe eliminates the need for a closet full of clothes that take up space or that you never wear.  Your capsule pieces become your go-to items that you wear over and over again and that are chosen for quality over quantity as well as their ability to mix and coordinate with each other.

As I move forward in life I have found I like this capsule concept for all facets of my life, even to paring down all my kitchen cooking gadgets.  I am also reminded of something my mother always preached, which was to never decorate unless you love what you are adding to a room. If you just buy something to fill a space, you will just end up wasting your time and money.  Wait until you find something you truly love.

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Instead of buying something just to have something new to freshen my home for the new year. I want to find ways to simply add a tweak to an item I already own that will send my eye to a new focal point in a room or I can move items from one room to another to give them a new purpose.  I also like to re-arrange the furniture every once in a while. Using my capsule decorating items allows me to take a room from boring to looking fresh and new in no time without spending any money.

With my Christmas decor back in storage until next year, my living room is in a barren state. Last year on January 4th, exactly one year ago today. I posted how I used a few white pitchers to decorate the mantel.  I was going to do the same thing this year, but going outside to find leafy shrubs to cut a few branches from didn’t sound too exciting because of the bitter cold spell we have been experiencing. I just want to stay snuggled up under my furry throw blankets on the sofa. :-)  I will have to wait for it to warm up or head back up to my attic (which is unheated and freezing right now too) and find a few items to use to create an entirely different look this year.  Staying under the warm furry throws is as far as I have gotten so far.

When it does warm up a little and I don’t have to wear my winter coat up in the attic, I will go through my stash of decor and chose something to use.

What’s In My Capsule Decorating Collection?

Glass canisters that I buy at thrift stores in many different shapes and sizes to hold bathroom items…

…or goodies for my guests in a guest room…

…or goodies on the kitchen counter.

Trays… As you scroll through the photos of my capsule decorating items, you may notice something similar in the photos. There is a tray of some sort in almost all of these photos. I like trays, they are workhorses and can be used in so many ways besides serving food.

I tweaked this one with decorative clock paper and paint that I bought at a thrift store, but have many others types and sizes that I use all around the house. I use one to corral my collection of candles on my coffee table and a small rectangular white ceramic one to place toiletries on in my bathroom. Trays make it easy to corral small things which create focus and impact instead of clutter.

Notice the wood tray on the counter that I actually use to serve food 

White ceramics – pitchers, platters, cake stand and dishes. They fill my open kitchen shelves, but I can move any one of the items to any room when needed.

For instance, a small white pedestal dish can serve up delicious dip at a party or become a soap holder on my bathroom counter.  It could also become a place to hold jewelry on my bedroom dresser.

A white pitcher becomes a vase. A classic idea that works all year long. No need to buy a novelty or trendy vase just for a holiday or a special event. Using capsule decor items does the job just a well and at the same time helps you keep your home and closets from being cluttered.

My blue and white ceramic ginger jar is large enough to fill an empty place on the floor next my bedroom dresser. When I remove the lid and move it to a table in my living room it becomes a new focal point in the room when flowers are placed in it.

Anything that pulls at my heartstrings is also part of my capsule decorating items. I can always find a place for this brass turtle that was in the living room of my parents house my entire life. It has now become a staple in my house. I may use it to hold matches by the fireplace in the winter, but in the summer it can accent a stack of books.

Glass canister vases –  I have quite a few of these and use them to hold candles, flowers, and a collections of matchbooks, seashells , ornaments and more. I recently showed you how I tweaked a chipped one in my post about decorating for New Year’s Eve.

I painted one which is permanent, but for a temporary re-fresh, I have been know to wrap them in paper or fabric to give them fresh new looks.

You can see a theme in my capsule items… white, vases, flowers, trays… but I also like baskets, big chunky candles, and throw blankets that you have seen me use over and over again all around my house.

So, if you are feeling that your rooms are looking a little barren after you have taken your holiday decor down, think about what items make up our Capsule Decor. Round them up and try to look at each item with new eyes to come up with new and creative ways to use them to add some of your own style to your winter decor.

P.S: When I get out from under the warm and furry throw on my sofa, I will get the photos taken of my pantry makeover and finally show you what I ended up doing to the closet.