• Public Spaces - Decide on a color story:  Remove the red and green and look to whites, grays and browns as your base.  Then, add one bright pop of color that works with your decor to tie the look together. 
  

Dining Room Centerpiece Idea:  If your walls are dark to light brown or beige, arrange a bed of imitation or real evergreen boughs on a silver serving tray, layer with pinecones and top it with hickory nuts and bright yellow accents, such as forsythia or faux lemons.  If your walls are red, like many dining rooms, try to resist the urge to use red as your accent.  Instead, use a light, bright blue as a great cool-toned compliment to the warm red (see below for more help on creating color stories).   Look for items that have less sheen than typical holiday accessories.

• Private Spaces - Tie flower arrangements to the season:  In my bedroom, I use a bright orangy-pink tulip flower arrangement in the warm months to brighten up my neutral bedroom.  In the winter months, I switch it to a dark aubergine, dark plum grouping of hydrangeas.  I still get a pop of color, but the color reflects the tranquility of the winter season.

• Repaint a room:  Since we are in the shortest days of the year, take a good look at your lighting conditions.  Do you need more artificial light, or do your too?  Your ceiling color may be affecting how much light your room gets as well.  More and more of my clients are looking for lighter colored walls to help their homes attract as much reflection from the sun as possible, due to our long winter season.  Light colors can range from pale blues and light grays to barely-there beige and soft yellows.     
  

Sincerely,