The Colstons moved with the military every few years. But her mother, Chelsea, has made it her mission to make each new rental apartment feel like home, especially at Christmas.
Chelsea Colston's move is not unusual. "My husband Matt is in the Navy, so we move around a lot," she says. “In fact, we have moved to different countries 10 times in the last 15 years.” But this designer-loving mom never lets the reality of renting get in the way of making each place feel like her forever family home.
“When we move to new military bases, everything is always very simple. Think brown carpets and characterless white walls,” Chelsea says. "I was a new mom when my husband got on a boat and our boring San Diego rental mentality saw that I couldn't live here like this. I have to make this feel like a real home, like our expressions."
On a tight budget, Chelsea searches online for DIY projects, but it all seems too timeless. "I knew we needed tenant-friendly ideas in this space, so I started my own website."
The Making Home Base blog, where Chelsea shares her tips and tricks for creating owner-friendly rental properties, has built a loyal following. “I love being able to inspire homeless people to think about how to make it feel like home. That's important because home is where your people are."
In the living room, custom-made IKEA curtains with a blue tulle motif from Etsy surround the Christmas tree. Hanging the panels slightly higher and wider creates the illusion of a larger window. To add lighting without overhead wires, Chelsea hung sconces on the walls and added remote-controlled bubble lights. A rattan stool doubles as storage space for toys. I like things that have dual functions," Chelsea said.
For Matt, the people of Chelsea, and their daughters Millie and Peyton, the holidays were a welcome opportunity to add some personality to their home in Twentynine Palms, California, about 15 miles from Joshua Tree National Park. "I treat my seasonal decorations the same way I treat everyday design," she says. “I like it plain and simple, in an emotional way. And I'm using the same color scheme, so there's continuity."
The Christmas tree lights up the living room. "We have artificial trees," Chelsea said, laughing, "because I never know if we'll live somewhere that actually sells live trees."
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"We had a very small entryway and I made backpack clips," Chelsea says. "But we hang our socks here during the holidays." To give the room a more Christmassy vibe, she added a green wreath to the dresser, strung a string of light blue wooden beads, and tied a magnolia sprig in the middle. The copper leaf base is one of many shades of orange used to complement blue in everyday home decor. Holiday cards received are kept in the locker at the installation site.
It is important that the family's favorite color, blue, stays on top. Chelsea balances cool blues and whites with warm shades of gold and copper. "I like to tie simple copper ribbons to the ends of Christmas tree branches and picture frames around the house," he says. He also wove a lot of greenery, including wreaths and young fir trees.
Chelsea has her eye on the Serena & Lily wallpaper for the dining room, but she doesn't stick or peel it. Use FrogTape and double-sided tape to securely attach it to the wall for portability and reuse.
Greenery and twigs, some from the garden, fill the pot and the top deck.
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"I've been collecting Lee Bian ornaments since we got married, so they like me a lot," Chelsea said, displaying them in a basket.
“I don't have a lot of storage space for Christmas presents, so my collection is minimal but significant. I'm trying to take what we have and decorate it festively, more like an extension of what's already there. — and it turns out that that is also our expression.
"When you're working with bad rugs, you have to get creative," says Chelsea, who laid a blue and white rug over an industrial rug to support her family life. Rudy the Airedale Terrier agrees. A delicately tied satin ribbon bow in the corner of the picture frame adorns the gallery in black and white.
By relying on our daily color scheme during the holidays, our small space stays together.
The TICK-style gift box is lined with copper ribbons that reflect the loops of the tree and frame of the painting. The hand printed snowman design is an original design by Milly.
A vintage IKEA cabinet was passed from house to house, serving as a bar, storing craft supplies, and now a china cabinet. The cake stand features a set of white ceramic.
Posted by Liz Strong
