What Is Your Holiday Design Style?

What is your design style? Contemporary, classic, or casual? This holiday season, let your personal style shine through in your décor. Get inspired by taking our Cozy Chic Design Quiz. Happy Holidays!


What’s your Holiday Style?
Find out with this Cozy Chic Design Quiz

1. I enjoy a gathering of holiday friends:A. Sipping cider around the fireplace
B. Dinner served at the Dining Room Table
C. A buffet of treats on the island in my kitchen

2. My favorite decorating theme would be:
A. Whimsical Collections– Snowmen or Santas
B. Inspirational Items
C. Using accessories that match the color theme of the room

3. Items that could make a statement in my home are my:
A. Handmade treasures from Christmas Past
B. A gorgeous Nativity Set and Manger
C. A Collection of shiny glass orbs of various sizes in a glass container

4. When it comes to candles, I prefer them:
A. Red and Green displayed around the room
B. On candlesticks
C. Silver and White on a mirrored tray

5. When I decorate I prefer:
A. Every nook and cranny filled with personal treasures
B. An item in the middle with matching items on either side
C. Very few pieces, but items that make a statement

6. To decorate the staircase, I like to use:
A. Garland laced with candy canes
B. Fresh cut pine tied with ribbons to the posts
C. A potted poinsettia placed on every third step

7. I would love filling:
A. A Basket with Pinecones
B. A Decorative Bowl with Pomegranates and cranberries
C. A clear container filled to the brim with Christmas ornaments

8. To make the atmosphere “scent-sational” I would:
A. Add aroma with flavored candles with scents of pumpkin, cinnamon or gingerbread
B. Tie some sleigh bells to a Christmas wreath and listen for their welcoming jingle
C. Have a background of non-vocal Christmas music

Total A = _______ Total B = ________ Total C =_______

Cozy Chic Design Style Quiz
Where did you score highest?

A = Casual Style
A Casual decorating style is a harmonious mix of furniture, fixtures, colors, textures and treasured accessories that appeal to you.

B = Traditional / Classic Style
A Classic Style is generally formal, sophisticated and timeless. The emphasis is on style and traditional refined elegance

C = Contemporary Style
A contemporary decorating style treats interior spaces almost as three dimensional art, balancing form, shape and texture, while banishing clutter and fussiness.

Combination (Eclectic)
Your decorating style might not fall into one particular area and is a mix of styles. You are one-of-a-kind and so is your decorating style

Need help finding and expressing your style in your home?
Designers Janet Davison and Jen Griswold with Cozy Chic Design can help!
707-447-0977 or 707-455-8265

Moving In, Moving Out....by Janet Davison--Solano County Home Staging and Interior Design

At 5:30 this morning, I was headed out the door to go to the gym when I had to go back into the house and leave my gym bag behind. I had forgotten – Jen and I “de-staged” a property last night and my car was still loaded to the gills with bedding, trays, plants, towels, accessories -- all the tools of our trade.

The best part of "undoing" a home we have staged is seeing the "SOLD" sign! At Cozy Chic, we take pride in knowing we have been instrumental in helping lots of folks realize their goals -- the buyers, the sellers and realtors, to name a few.

Often, the first time we see a home that is placed on the market, the family is just moving out. Sometimes it’s vacant or partially furnished and most of the family’s personal possessions have been packed away.

An empty house is bare and uninviting. Lacking warmth and character, it often seems cold. It becomes a “property”-- a “listing”-- rather than a “home”. Statistics tell us that, without help, only 10% of the population can visualize the potential of a home. Our goal in staging is to help people picture not only living in the home, but also owning it.





When Cozy Chic Design is called in -- we add color, plants, life, furniture, wall art and beauty.
We position the furniture, arrange the accessories and hang the art. These artful touches
help potential buyers imagine themselves enjoying living in the home.

“De-staging” –bringing back the empty look -- would be disconcerting except that we know that there will be a family moving in soon. As they bring in their belongings, the house should take on the character and the personality of the new family.

We can help there too! Many people don’t realize that Cozy Chic offers “Move-in Decorating Services”. All the new owners do is unpack! We can position their furniture and find perfect placement for their art and accessories. We can add plants, trees, etc. as needed – and even offer a shopping service for the finishing touches.

What a fun, easy way to turn a new house – into a home.

What to Get for Someone Who Has everything?

Have you ever needed to touch up paint in your home and were not sure which color you used?

Have you needed some house facts - like square footage or year built - and had to guess?

Wouldn't it be nice to have, in one handy spot, a list of all the home improvements made throughout the years - warranties all in one place - samples of paint chips and fabrics - photos of each room.


That is the purpose of the "Homeowner's History Book" designed and created by Cozy Chic Design. The brainchild of Jen Griswold, the "Homeowner's History Book" in an expandable binder that holds house facts, information, records, photos and receipts. A handy place to document everything - from service providers to neighborhood facts -- and keep it all in one place.

At an "opening special " of just $15, the "Homeowner's History Book" makes a wonderful gift. This book placed on the counter of a home that is on the market, shows that the property has been well cared for.

Order yours today! Plenty of time for Christmas delivery!
707-447-0977 or 707-455-8265

Cheap and Easy DIY Chalkboard Labels

Ok, we've all seen many a cute idea in the Pottery Barn magazine. The following project is exactly that but you can do it yourself for a fraction of the price!

Step 1: Gather your supplies.

Head to your nearest craft store to stock up on $1 unfinished picture frames (if you have their 40% off coupon this craft gets even cheaper). For my project I needed 8 frames and one can of chalkboard spray paint (around $4 with coupon). You'll also need chalk for writing.

Step 2: Paint the frame.

You can paint the frame with acrylic paint (I used some I had in the cupboard) to match your decor and paint the cardboard backing with the chalkboard spray paint. Wait to dry, reassemble the frame, and voile! You have the cutest and CHEAPEST little chalkboard label for your fridge, to label baskets, toy boxes, etc.



Step 3: Dress up the frame.

You can tie it onto a basket with raffia, ribbon, or twine. Or put an adhesive magnet on the back and display your latest goodies on the fridge. Enjoy the versatility of this project.....the possibilities are endless....all for only $1.00!!

Seasons of Life...What Season Are YOU In?

Seasons of Life

By: Rachel Krugh--Family-focused freelance writer from Puyallup, WA

With Halloween behind us, now is the perfect chance to take time to catch your breath before the busyness of the rest of the holiday season is upon us. Pack up all the witches and goblins, skeletons and pumpkins, and before you bring out the boxes of Christmas/Hanukah decorations, take some time to live with the empty spaces in their place. Take a good look around your home to see if the furniture in your home fits your needs, if the spaces and traffic patterns function well for the way you use your home, and if the things you have in your home speak to your heart and nourish your soul.

A wise man once said that you can chronicle the seasons of life by watching the furniture in the family room change. A young, newly married couple, with lots of love but little money, starts with a love seat. They make a little more money and want their home to reflect their sense of style, so they buy an expensive sofa and tchotchkes. They start a family and add a rocking chair – and soon after add a slip cover for the sofa and box up the tchotchkes. As the family grows, the trendy sofa, which wasn’t really comfortable anyways, is replaced by the sectional sofa. As the nest empties, they end up with “his” and “hers” recliners, which, of course, can be moved when they fold out the new sleeper sofa for the visiting grandchildren, who think the tchotchkes make great toys.

What “season of life” are you in? Does your furniture work to support you in the many roles you play to keep the household running? Do the pieces of art on your wall bring you joy, or remind you that you need to dust more often? Are you able to enjoy your most cherished treasures, or are they buried under piles of bills and clutter or stored in the back of a cabinet somewhere? Would a room function better if some of the furniture was removed? Do you have a comfortable space for celebrating holiday traditions with family and friends? Sometimes our lives and our living spaces can be too full – even if they are full of “good things.”

Now is a perfect time to try this experiment and see what happens: take everything off of the walls and horizontal surfaces in a room and box them up. Live with the space this way for at least a week. After the first week, start putting back your most cherished items, one at a time. You might find that you are content to leave half of the things in the box. If so, pass them on or donate them. You will be ready to start the rush of the holiday season with a clean slate. And maybe Santa will bring you some new tchotchkes!

Another Quick Sale

If you have ever wondered whether home staging is a worthwhile investment, here is another good example to prove that it certainly does--this home was under contract within the first 2 weeks! See the difference for yourself in these befores and afters:

Color Your World

The least expensive, most effective decorating tool is COLOR!

Nothing has a greater color impact than a fresh coat of paint! Paint colors can be used to carry a "decorative flow" throughout the home, to play up the architectural features of a room or to camouflage its defects. Color can make a small room seem larger, a dark area lighter, or a dull place bright. Depending on the function of the room, and the goal of the homeowner, color can add warmth and coziness, crisp clarity or to make a bold statement of excitement.

When selecting colors, there are many things to consider.

* Which walls to paint?

* How many colors to use?

* Where to put the accent colors?

* Which hue? Intensity? Value? Finish?

With so many choices, color selection can be a perplexing decision. At Cozy Chic Design, we use our knowledge of color and a box of over sized paint samples to guide you through the maze of questions. While the price for the Color Consultation ranges from $50 for one room, to $250 for the whole house, considerable discounts are given when the Color Consultation is purchased in conjunction with a Redesign or another Cozy Chic Decorating Service. The Color Consultation normally "pays for itself" as, included in the Consultation, are free estimates from a professional painter, and a 30% saving on Kelly Moore Paint.

As the season changes, the chill is in the air, and it gets darker and less colorful outside. What a perfect time to add some brightness and color indoors. A fresh coat of paint is great way to "Color Your World."