Beating the winter décor blahs

When the colorful, festive decorations of the winter holidays are packed away in totes and basements until next year, one can be left not only with open space, but a bit of gloom.

"I call it the winter doldrums," says Selma Hammer, an interior design professional and owner of Selma Hammer Designs in Fairport. "During the holidays everything is bright and cheery. When you remove your holiday décor you have space that feels empty and lacks color."

This drab post-holiday décor feeling inside is compounded by the lack of colors outside as well.

"It's hard in Rochester because there's no color in the winter," Hammer said. "Everything is gray. It can be overwhelming."

However, Hammer has some tips to keep your living room bright and inviting when the decorations are gone.

Color is the key to this transition, says Hammer, who grew up in New Jersey and spent her childhood immersed in the fabric and textile district of New York City, where her family owns a business.

When the green Christmas tree awash in lights and colors comes down, consider replacing the color in the room with a few bright pieces that pop, like rugs and pillows.

"Pillows are a great, inexpensive, way of brightening space," Hammer said. "Go for bold, bright colors like a bright orange or a pattern like orange and teal."

Bold patterns like chevron work well on pillows to add color and dimension to a room.

"Don't be afraid of patterns or combining multiple patterns or patterns with solids," said Hammer, who also recommends diversity in the shapes of your pillows, like hexagon, which is an emerging trend.

She also recommends changing a paint color or adding modern, removable wallpaper to create a focal wall — a place your eye is drawn to when you walk into a room — to replace the Christmas tree as the focal point.

A paint shade to consider is Marsala, an earthy, wine-red color — which was recently announced as the color of 2015 by Pantone, a worldwide provider of color systems and color matching.

If you use your living room's fireplace mantle to display such holiday decorations as lights, stockings or cones, it can look naked when these pieces are removed, Hammer says.

She suggests replacing them with two bold pieces on either end of the mantle, like a tall glass vase, hurricane, or tall orchid. If you choose a vase, it can be fun to fill it with different items as the months or seasons change — such as candied hearts during February, shells in the summer, and bamboo and branches in the fall.

Instead of placing picture frames on the mantle, consider displaying them on the wall alongside works of art.

"Larger pieces of artwork and photos in different framed sizes can create a great focal point," Hammer said. "Don't be afraid to mix and match."

When it comes to purchasing items like those mentioned in this article, Hammer recommends, locally, Home Goods in Victor or Canandaigua and, online, Wayfair or One Kings Lane.

Above all, Hammer says to have fun when switching your living room décor after the holidays. Play around online first by getting more ideas on Houzz.com, Pinterest.com and Olioboard.com, where you can design 2-D and 3-D rooms.

For more information on Selma Hammer, visit Selma Hammer Designs http://www.selmahammer.com/.