Winter

What do you think of when you think of winter? Cold, wet, grey, bleak. Snow – perhaps for some. Or, more positively, low sun, crisp frosts, wearing the winter woollies and drinking hot chocolate. As I write this, the rain is lashing down, there’s a strong wind and my feet are cold. But, I have enjoyed some of the better winter days we’ve had over the last month. Having to squint because the sun is so strong and low in my eyes, walking in the countryside where my boots crunch over the frozen ground, and hearing the squeals of joy as my children were pulled on a sledge up and down our road.

Back in October, I introduced the idea of seasonal personalities – kicking off with the autumn personality, and how this can then feed in to the way we decorate and style our homes. With all the seasonal personalities, they claim many of their characteristics from nature, and hopefully you will be able to see how nature, personality and home décor all connect.

People who have a winter personality might be described as being confident, ambitious, driven, unsentimental, and sophisticated. They like luxury items and aren’t afraid to show them off. They’re drawn to modern architecture and statement pieces.

How does this link to home décor? Well, think firstly of a typical winter landscape. Rolling hills blanketed in crisp white snow. Trees and hedges, shed of all their leaves, silhouetted against that backdrop. Pops of green and red with evergreens and berries. It is a time of minimal colour, and strong contrasts. That image lends itself to the striking, minimalist style that winter personalities would want to create. Their style might be minimalistic, but they want to create drama by using striking contrasts in colour, textures and patterns. Think black and white, perhaps with some pops of very vivid, saturated colour. Stainless steel and polished chrome, glass and concrete. Sharp patterns and geometric shapes. Granite and marble. No clutter, and instead a few, high end, statement pieces.

Does this resonate with you? If it does, then it probably means you have some of the winter personality in you! If not, roll on the spring!