5 Ways to Keep Winter Decor Bright

Traditionally, spring and summer corner the market on bold, bright colors, with fall and winter ushering in richer, more muted tones. However, this year’s popular colors, featured in Shutterfly’s Hottest Hues Guide, have a versatility that helps enhance decor year-round. Incorporate pops of modern color trends into everyday home accessories to warm up your house and your heart in the cool days ahead.

Fall Harvest, see larger

1. Set a Color-filled Table

’Tis the season for holiday dinners, and your dining room table is the perfect place to fill your room with color. Saturate your tablescape with chargers, plates, placemats and napkins in festive colors. Deep reds and burgundies are not only perfect for the holidays, but they add warmth to your tablescape throughout the winter season. But don’t limit yourself to the standard red and green—get creative with color palettes as you set your table, bringing in metallic and unexpected shades for a dose of fun!

2. Patch it Together

Invite color to visit by adding seasonally inspired throw pillows or a practical and colorful quilt to your couch or bed. Think outside of your regularly colored box, and experiment with contrast to create a cozy space without committing to a color scheme.

Room filled with daylight, see larger

3. Bring the Outdoors In

Flowers lend a festive touch as well as a hint of brightness to any area. A bold spray of pink orchids or peonies can add a pleasantly surprising shock of color to a sleek neutral winter space. Just because it’s winter doesn’t mean you’re stuck with poinsettias. Pale pink is enjoying a comeback in the design world as a romantic neutral with a range of versatility—and rose quartz just happens to be one of Pantone’s colors of the year for 2016. As interior redesign specialist Wendy Wrzos says, “In fall, it can be paired with a rich brown and cream. In winter, a touch of pale pink will add a cozy warmth to a room, or be an unexpected addition to the more saturated colors.” Pick your palette from a favorite bouquet for a touch of color you already love.

vibrant laundry room, see larger

4. Live a Little Large

Bring big color to a small space by painting your laundry room a bold color for brightness you can enjoy all year round. “The laundry room is a room that gets used all the time, and it is rare to see one that has been decorated. A painted wall and a colorful rug takes no effort at all, and will cheer it up in an instant.” —Wrzos advised. Use a small, out-of-the-way area to be brave with a shade that brings you joy when you see it.

Living room artwork, see larger

5. Hang It Up

The artwork in a room is often a focal point and the perfect place to feature color. With a foundation of neutral furniture, flooring, and walls, art and decor accessories can take center stage. Create a canvas or three-panel piece of art from a nature-inspired vacation photo and select a matching color palette to complement your art work. If you’re looking for a more seasonal do-it-yourself option, wrap poster frame inserts in pretty wrapping paper for a temporary triptych to match your holiday decorating scheme.

Between bad weather and Daylight Savings Time, winter feels dark enough. Fill your life with brightness all year round by incorporating color in easy, unexpected ways and bring a little more boldness and brilliance into your everyday world.

About the Author

Ashley McCann shares home décor tips for Shutterfly.com. She is a mom of two and enjoys reading and karaoke. For more from Ashley, you can find her on Twitter.

The post 5 Ways to Keep Winter Decor Bright first appeared on Century 21®.

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Mortgage Rates vs. Fed Announcements

File this one under “no correlation,” despite a flood of news articles claiming the Fed’s rate cut directly impacts mortgage rates. Today, the Fed cut the federal funds rate by half a percentage point to a range of 1-1.25% due to the uncertainty surrounding the coronavirus, this despite a strong U.S. economy. That sent mortgage [&hellip

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An Alternative to Paying Mortgage Points

If and when you take out a mortgage, you’ll be faced with an important choice. To pay or not pay mortgage points. In short, those who pay points should hypothetically secure a lower interest rate than those who do not pay points, all else being equal. That’s because mortgage points, at least the ones that [&hellip

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Real Estate Is Red Hot Because Mortgage Payments Are Still Cheap

If you’re scratching your head wondering why home prices continue to go up and up, consider the fact that it’s actually cheaper now than it was a year ago. It’s also less expensive to own a home today than it was back in 2019, 2018, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, and even during parts of 2004. [&hellip

The post Real Estate Is Red Hot Because Mortgage Payments Are Still Cheap first appeared on The Truth About Mortgage.

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15-Year Fixed Mortgage Rates Just Hit Record Lows: Should You Consider One?

While 30-year fixed mortgage rates tend to steal all the headlines, 15-year fixed mortgage rates quietly reached record lows this week as well, per Freddie Mac’s weekly survey. This morning, Freddie announced that the 30-year fixed fell to a new record low 2.65%, down from 2.67% last week. That was the first record low of [&hellip

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Be My Guest: How to Get Your Home Guest-Ready in 15 Minutes

Anticipating some last-minute company? While you may not have time to scrub down the house, some simple tricks of the trade will make it look like you did. Prepare your home for the unexpected—even if the unexpected is your mother-in-law inviting herself over for dinner.

Take a whiff:

Burning a few candles around the abode will not only brighten up the space, but it will also upgrade the usual aromas of your home. Light up a rich Mahogany Teakwood in the den, or perhaps indulge your guests’ senses with a fresh Vanilla Bean scent in the kitchen.

Pillow talk:

Upgrade your low-key loveseats and couches with hints of color. Take decorative pillows and throws out of the closet and add them as accents to the coziest spots. Be sure to fluff them, and then watch as everyone sits back and relaxes.

Reduce, reduce, reduce:

Having a magazine or book at arms’ reach in every room may be convenient, but there are stylish ways to hide them away. Minimize your reading materials clutter by stashing them in a basket or bin. It instantly improves the ambiance of your living space.

Show off your green thumb:

Pick out a simple bouquet from your garden and proudly display it on the dinner table. Also, swap out the run-of-the-mill vase with an empty wine bottle to highlight your creativity and charming style.

Feng shui the space:

If you haven’t moved your couch since it was first delivered, now’s the perfect chance to rearrange and harmonize the room. Even the simple act of angling your furniture a few inches can make each living space look brand new.

Throw it down:

Every room needs an anchor—and for those who are missing one, a bright throw rug brings the space together.

The post Be My Guest: How to Get Your Home Guest-Ready in 15 Minutes first appeared on Century 21®.

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Beware the New Mortgage Fee Fearmongering

You may have heard there’s a “new mortgage fee.” And you might have been told to hurry up and refinance NOW to avoid said fee. While there is some truth to that, it is by no means a reason to panic, nor is it even applicable to all homeowners. Additionally, it’s possible it may not [&hellip

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2021 Mortgage Rate Predictions: Mostly Flat But More Record Lows Possible

Yet another year is about to come to an end, and that means it’s time to look ahead to what next year has in store. I think just about everyone wants to see the back of 2020, though it wasn’t all bad news. The housing market actually held up surprisingly well, and mortgage lenders enjoyed [&hellip

The post 2021 Mortgage Rate Predictions: Mostly Flat But More Record Lows Possible first appeared on The Truth About Mortgage.

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