Transform your home into a winter sanctuary

Wait, don’t take down all of those holiday decorations just yet.

Some, along with a few clever swaps, will easily transition your home decor from festive holiday to winter cozy, and with this rugged winter, any home can use a little extra warmth, light and coziness.

In the winter months, keep the candles glowing in hurricane lampshades or grouped in refined trays or rustic log rounds; just choose shades of forest green, deep gold or icy silver.

Swap out the ribbons, bows, garlands and swags, but keep the pine cones, antlers and objects that represent winter or forest creatures, such as elegant reindeer, winter birds, acorns, clove-studded oranges or dried orange slices. Weave in some delicate evergreens, either snipped from those garlands if they’re not too dry or fresh ones foraged from your garden, and maybe some eucalyptus leaves and pods around them.

To get some expert tips on the best ways to cozy up the winter home, who better to ask than the professionals who know exactly how to achieve the perfect look and mood?

Here are some tips from some of Marin’s home stagers.

Wildflower Staging

First of all, “any holiday-specific decor should be put away, including Santas, nutcrackers, ornaments and overtly festive colors,” said Anne Tipper.

Four years ago, she and Alice Silva founded their San Rafael-based Wildflower Staging, a boutique luxury home staging firm specializing in vacant listings and hands-on collaboration with agents to prepare homes for market with thoughtful improvements from paint colors and lighting to landscape updates.

“Our signature ‘California cool’ aesthetic elevates spaces while keeping them warm, livable and inviting,” Tipper said.

Here are her ideas:

• “Transition the home to winter by keeping neutral tones, natural textures and simple elements like greenery, candles and cozy throws for a calm, seasonal feel without the holiday theme,” she said.

• “Seasonal pieces can stay, including greenery in pots or vases, chunky knit blankets, candles and decorative winter fruit like pomegranates, persimmons and apples,” she said.

• “Build on what’s already going on in the space by adding coordinating layers like chunky blankets, candles and greenery,” she says. “Adding additional lamps to rooms can make a room feel cozy, especially during the winter months when it’s darker much earlier, and be sure to use warm bulbs and not cool, as they can make a space feel sterile.”

Outside, she suggests a magnolia leaf wreath as a “nice way to transition from the holidays to winter.”

In her own home, she likes to “burn candles, turn down the overhead lights and opt for lamps, display pomegranates and persimmons, and layer greenery in vintage pots.”

Pegasus Homes

Joshua and Cristin Szarek, founders of the 7-year-old ​​Pegasus Homes, work throughout the Bay Area from their San Rafael office.

“We started Pegasus with a crazy idea to build a staging business that was dedicated to creating stunning spaces with a client-focused approach, while also ensuring a seamless experience for our agent partners,” Cristin Szarek said. “We have quickly grown to become one of the largest and top premier luxury staging and design studios in the San Francisco Bay Area.”

Here are her tips to create a perfect winter look.

• Swap out “specific Christmas themes and colors such as red and green for warmer colors such as yellow and amber colors to help create a warmer space when it may very well be freezing outside,” she said.

• What to keep? Any taper candles and furs, “such as rugs and blankets, as these don’t generally give a holiday-only vibe and can add to any existing space,” she said.

• Keep the look and feel of winter at bay in the living room.

“Throw blankets, candles, good coffee table books to read, coffee table decor such as a pine cone bowl or assorted sticks (usually gray birch matches any space) and extra fluffy pillows,” she said.

• In the bedroom, “adding a quilt to your bed, seasonal plants on the nightstand, fur throw blankets and thicker duvet covers help add a lot of warmth to the space,” she said. “Knitted throw blankets in a basket and checkered patterns fit the season well. Some sticks can also add a lot of warmth to your space if placed strategically on a credenza, dresser or nightstand.”

• Display “winter-themed cookbooks and a small lamp to add warmer lighting, and add some greenery and wood, such as cutting boards, to spruce up the space,” she said. “Adding a rug would help a lot too.”

• Szarek also likes the welcoming look of oversized floor lanterns outside and at the front entrance and “an outdoor fireplace or fire pit helps create a nice cozy space when a homeowner is able to add it. String lighting helps to create a very inviting and warm feel to any sized space as well.”

Make your own candles

Here in our Marin homes, we can add more light with uplights positioned in dark corners, underlights in shelves and cabinets, flameless battery-operated candles with automatic timers or beautiful candles.

We can even make candles. One of the simplest candles is the rolled beeswax candle. It’s so easy that it’s a good craft activity for children.

You roll a sheet of beeswax around a wick that’s been dipped in melted wax, seal the final edge of the candle by pressing it into the candle itself, and you have an instant candle for home or for a gift.

However, if you want to learn how to make hand-poured candles, Sloat Garden Center in Kentfield is holding a beginner-friendly make-and-take handcrafted candles workshop at 11:30 a.m. Jan. 11.

An expert from San Francisco’s Bella Candle Shop will teach students how to melt, scent and pour candles using premium soy and coconut wax and luxe fragrance oils.

Admission is $50 and includes all materials. Pre-registration is required; call 415-454-0262.

Show off

If you have a beautiful or interesting Marin garden or a newly designed Marin home, I’d love to know about it.

Please send an email describing either one (or both), what you love most about it and a photograph or two. I will post the best ones in upcoming columns. Your name will be published, and you must be over 18 years old and a Marin resident.

PJ Bremier writes on home, garden, design and entertaining topics every Saturday. She may be contacted at P.O. Box 412, Kentfield 94914, or at pj@pjbremier.com.