Hello friends! It’s been ages since I last blogged, and I’m excited to start up again after this long pause. This past year I have stepped away from designing professionally, but I have still been longing for a creative outlet. When faced with renewal fees for running my website it was a good motivator for me to reignite this spark. I could either shut down this blog that I started over 15 years ago or keep it going… and I chose to do the latter so here we are! I am unsure which direction my creativity will flow in this new chapter of The Style Trial, but I hope you’ll be along for the ride as I mix in design, decor, fashion and various elements of style inspiration.

Currently, I have been collecting ideas for what direction I want to go in with my holiday decor this year. I absolutely live for the day after Thanksgiving when I get down all of my holiday boxes from the attic. Opening each box and rediscovering all my treasures gives me so much joy. Each year I curate a different assortment from my stash and switch up the colors and textures a bit. Last year, for the first time, I leaned into traditional colors like shades of red. This year I want to continue that and I found this beautiful velvet burgundy ribbon that I’m going to tie on my wreaths and add to my tree. I’m still into brown and caramel tones as well, and I love how that combination of tones add additional warmth as shown in the following Pinspiration:

One thing I love about decorating for the holidays is that there are absolutely zero rules! I love a maximalist and a minimalist approach! I can appreciate both an au natural aesthetic and one that has incorporated faux elements. I recently stopped in my scroll when I saw glimpses of Jean Stoffer’s Holiday home tour this year! Although I typically shy away from artificial accents this mantlepiece that features faux metallic stems is a dream:

Here’s another interesting attempt featuring a brass laurel garland by House of Jade:

On the other hand, this wreath has all natural elements, plus a dried hydrangea that has my heart, and I love both approaches equally:

I also love a bold minimalist look with a heavy focus on real greenery:

I’ve also been so inspired by many of the small trees that I’ve been seeing! This petite tinsel tree is small, but mighty:

This mini-tree dressed in giant pearls is amazing (this Holiday home tour will blow your mind):

This table topper tree is so uniquely simple and yet still so interesting to me:

I also have an entire Pinterest board dedicated to Christmas trees in Chinoiserie pots! This tabletop tree by Simply Marie is so charming:

I’m also pretty tempted to see if I can find a Black Friday sale on some candle stick lights for my tree! They are definitely the trend du jour (but could be hit or miss in real life):

Last, but not least, there are the those who incorporate fruit into their holiday decor (which I consider to be the highest of art forms)! They go way beyond the dried orange garland! This is the peak of chic if you ask me:

And Mary Ellen Becker’s entire holiday scene is a master class in sticking to an orange & blue theme (her Instagram account is loaded with more amazing examples):

So, there you have it! I have a million more Pins that inspire me, but those are just a few that fill my creative cup with joy. Decorating for the holidays is such a bright spot for me during these cold, dark and rainy winters. I’m so excited for everyone to get started on their decorating journey as well! Thanks for being here and welcoming me back to the blogosphere. Happy decorating, friends! – Marianne