HOW TO Cozy Up Your Home
In simple terms, getting these window treatments done has taken my very empty house to a very cozy home. And if you’re at all wondering why it took me almost a full year to get this done, well, it was overwhelming to even think about. We have a lot of windows in this house, and the ceilings in certain parts of the house are upwards of 30 feet! So yes, I needed to take my sweet time figuring out exactly the vibe I wanted in each room before pressing ‘Go.’
Overall the feeling I wanted to exude when walking into our home is airy, light and cozy. This combination can be tricky, as most cozy spaces have darker features and of course I wanted everything to remain within the lighter color palette throughout the house. However, with the use of rich tones in linen fabrics and weaves, we were able to achieve my desired look.
Thankfully, I have a very talented friend who happens to make window treatments in an endless array of colors, textures, and fabrics. As many of you probably know, Wendy Bellissimo is one of my favorite accounts to follow on Instagram thanks to her impeccable home style, the delicious meals her husband makes every night, and her beautiful family life. It was a no-brainer for me to enlist Wendy’s help with my home project, as I knew she would understand my vision.
Each window received a custom selection from Wendy’s beautiful collection, and the good news is you can create the same feeling for your home. All of these window treatments are available online and are customized to your specifications.
You can schedule a free in-home or virtual appointment at wendybellisimo.com or by calling 949-202-8107.
GRAND LIVING ROOM
This space is what I like to call the showstopper. It is the first thing you see when you walk into the house and always takes the eye directly to the large arched windows and door. I wanted to preserve the natural light in this room so we opted for a sheer linen in a rich cocoa color to break up all of the white. This space definitely underwent the biggest transformation, as the windows are massive and in turn the panels are massive, too. I love getting glimpses of the windows from every angle in the house. It brings me SO MUCH joy walking into the house and seeing how understated but elegant the room looks.
WALKER’S ROOM
Since Walker is still young and needs full blackout to sleep, I was hoping to find a solution that was functional without compromising aesthetics. Thankfully Wendy’s collection offers a blackout option for shades (in a beautiful variety of colors and weaves) so we landed on a natural pull down shade. We decided to add the drapes purely to keep the room looking airy and styled. It frames the window so nicely and just elevates the space from simple to chic. Somehow I am jealous of Walker’s room lol.
CAPRI’S ROOM
Now that Capri is in a toddler room, she doesn’t have quite as many requirements as Walker. She can sleep without a blacked out room, so I was able to have a bit more fun with her space. Since she is such a girly girl I wanted to keep the room within a lighter color palette for her ever-changing personality so it would always go with whatever the vibe of her room is. She has a beautiful balcony in her room and that window deserved to have some luxe window treatment to really be a focal point in her space. Her other window is above a large piece of furniture so I wanted that shade to be motorized for convenience.
UPSTAIRS HALLWAY
This space of the house is visible from the downstairs, so while we don’t really use it much, it still have visibility (aka needs to look nice). Outside of Capri’s room is a little sitting area with some beautiful windows so I wanted to dress those up to keep the consistency of cozy and airy from her room. We actually were able to use the Wendy Bellissimo drapes from our last house for the sliding glass doors in this space since I only wanted one panel for each door. The golden light that floods this space in the afternoon is so idyllic with the linen drapes.
OFFICE
There were certain windows in the house that I felt needed a window treatment but I didn’t necessarily see myself ever closing them. The office is an example of that. My office and the window seats by the front door let in a good amount of the natural light that I wanted to preserve. I love how these shades are easy to use and can offer privacy if needed, but ultimately match the feeling throughout the rest of the house. My go-to when I wasn’t sure which style to pick was this beautiful natural woven shade that is perfect for styling a window but still letting light in.
WINDOW SEATS
FORMAL POWDER BATH
This powder room is super tiny and dark and I heavily leaned into that for the overall look. Since there was no real way to brighten the space, I embraced it and went dark the whole way. It’s my fun, sexy powder bath with a vintage onyx sink and beautiful brass details so I chose a shade that was tonal with the Roman clay on the walls. This bathroom also faces the front of the house so we needed something to give a little privacy for obvious reasons.
KITCHEN
My favorite part of the whole house is the kitchen. We spend so much time in here and it is just a happy space. To ensure we didn’t conceal any of the natural light coming through the windows, I wanted to go with something that visually cozied up the space but also let the light shine through. Since the kitchen is mostly white oak and stone, I thought it would be nice to break up all the brown / beige tones with something brighter that had a little texture. We went with these beautiful white linen shades that achieved just that.
KITCHEN POWDER BATHROOM
We have a small bathroom off the kitchen that gets a lot of use since it is the closest one to the outdoor dining area. This powder room needed some privacy since it faces the backyard so we opted for something that added texture to the space but also served a function. This window turned out so beautifully with the light filtered through the linen but still keeping the space nice and bright. For this window there is a concealed little pull to operate the shade, and for the most part I keep it half open unless we have people over in the backyard.