Live Better
Calming color: Design inspiration for a comforting, relaxing home
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(Family Features) Updating your home can provide the perfect opportunity to explore new design styles or refresh living spaces with a new color scheme. In fact, a coat of paint can help set the mood for entire rooms in your home.
By turning to nature-inspired designs, you can create a sense of comfort and relaxation. A hybrid color, like Valspar’s 2024 Color of the Year, Renew Blue, is gentle and airy with a touch of blue to set a restful and meditative mood. The grayed sea green – inspired by fleeting things such as fog, mist, clouds and glacier lakes – is a seasonless and versatile hue that features a mid-tone blue with warm undertones and can be used in outdoor living spaces and four-season rooms alike.
“This mid-tone shade has become popular for wellness environments over the years due to its low saturation level, which evokes a sense of rest and calm,” said Sue Kim, Valspar’s director of color marketing. “The harmonious green and blue open the possibility for outdoor applications, blurring the boundary between interior and exterior.”
To help elevate the mood in your home, consider implementing Renew Blue into one of these popular design trends that can update the look of nearly any of your indoor or outdoor spaces.
Coastal
Coastal looks are timeless designs that have remained relevant for years because of their positive correlation to calming beach locations. Perfect for outdoor spaces like the backyard, you can implement a more curated and personal take on the trend by shifting from “typical” coastal design that pairs beachy hues with natural textures like rope, driftwood and wicker to something more classic and natural like the Cape Cod variation by working in some nautical touches like anchors, oars or seashells.
Modern FarmhouseIn the entryway, using beautiful and functional decor, such as unique ceramics and handwoven textiles, helps usher in a modern rustic style. By using timeless tones and accents, as well as layering heritage art, you can create visual mystery while elevating the ordinary to make your home feel warm and welcoming to guests from the moment they walk through the door.
Nordic Comfort
Modern Traditional is a style that came together over time, and the Hygge look is a refined take. It pulls elementary cues from traditional farmhouse style but has shaker-inspired elements mixed in and is done with a slightly modern twist. It can make a larger space like the kitchen feel welcoming, open, carefully curated and warm.
Modern Boho
Boho is a nature-loving and free-spirited style connected to earthy and botanical elements. From handmade decor to vintage metallic finishes, this style reimagines the past and elevates everyday spaces like bathrooms into personal retreats designed with wellness in mind.
Pastel Wabi-Sabi
Leaning into the modern sentiment of “less is more,” this style reflects a naturally minimalist design aesthetic and showcases color coordination with mood-boosting hues and joyful color. Perfect for nurseries and other spaces that should be bright and welcoming, pieces with pared-back, welcoming shapes and silhouettes that allow quality natural materials to shine are perfect for decorating the room.
Visit Valspar.com to find more on-trend home design inspiration and order up to 10 free paint chips to be delivered to your home to see how your favorite colors will fit your space.
Exploring Color Pairings
If a concept like color drenching – using one color from the baseboards to the ceiling and decor – isn’t what you’re envisioning, pairing a gentle and airy color like Renew Blue with other hues may be just the trick to create the space of your dreams. Consider these popular Valspar pairing options:
- Perfect Backdrop: The familiar, natural tone of beige has returned strong, balancing warm and cool shades to create comforting spaces that harmonize well with various design styles.
- Dusk in the Valley: A barely-there, grayed pastel that is soothing to the senses, even amid constant changes. Layering pale tints in various materials can create a sense of calm and relaxation.
Personalized Advice for Your Space
If you’re unsure where to begin your color search – or need advice on color matching, building your painting confidence or troubleshooting complicated projects – the experts at Valspar offer free virtual advice. Simply provide details about your space, lighting and style preferences using the questionnaire at valspar.com/en/color-consultation and by uploading photos of your space and any inspiration to receive personalized recommendations directly to your account.
SOURCE:
Valspar
Live Better
4 tips for a fresh start in 2025
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(Family Features) Moving from one year to the next is a perfect opportunity to think about the new chapter you want to write for yourself. It’s a time to celebrate your wins, identify your growth opportunities and define the goals you want to accomplish. This fresh start is an ideal moment to put pen to paper and set your goals for the year.
Writing your goals on paper can increase the likelihood you achieve them. Pick up a journal and your favorite pens and find a comfortable place to sit. Spend a little time thinking about what will bring you the most joy and fulfillment in the coming year. Utilize the power of color as part of bringing these resolutions to life. Whether you’re resolving to reset mentally or want to get organized, you can achieve more (and have fun doing it) by adding color to your self-mastery toolkit.
Begin setting and achieving your goals with the G2 Boost Collection from Pilot Pen to make this year about your personal growth. Here are some steps you can take, with the additional assistance of color science, to boost your goal-reaching potential.
- Reflect on last year’s progress – and the goals you didn’t achieve.
Write down the goals you achieved last year and those that remained out of reach to give yourself an empowered fresh start.
- Select your goals and intentions for 2025.
Review the goals you didn’t achieve last year. Select and rewrite those you want to carry forward as goals for 2025. Pick up a G2 Boost “Optimism” pack to write these goals in pink. Color science has shown writing with shades of pink can improve focus and calm nervous energy. If the goal you’re carrying forward is to have a more positive mindset, rewrite it in brighter shades of pink to feel more optimistic about achieving it this year. You can also spend time journaling about your emotions surrounding this goal in lighter shades of pink to feel soothed and comforted.
- Map out your action plan.
Define the steps you’ll take to achieve your goals using blue shades. Blues can power your forward momentum and critical thinking ability, while also evoking feelings of peace and tranquility, thus making you more productive. Mapping out your plan in shades of blue can help you visualize the big picture and identify each of the key steps to get it all done. Writing with darker shades of blue may help your decision-making process while lighter shades of blue can help you focus on the details.
- Practice self-compassion.
Revisit your goals and action plan monthly. Note your wins and setbacks. Use the shades of green in the G2 Boost “Balance” pack to help nurture yourself and maintain momentum. The colors of green are associated with nature and evoke feelings of balance and harmony. Greens can be especially beneficial when you’re feeling overwhelmed. Lighter shades of green inspire positive thinking and harmony, while darker shades can boost your memory.
Your blank page awaits – you have the power to create the life you want. Using color can be a powerful tool to help elevate your well-being and maximize your mindset as you write your story for the year ahead.
This year, find the colors to help reach your resolutions by visiting amazon.com/pilotpen.
SOURCE:
Pilot Pen
Live Better
Reasons to consider an up-an-coming career in 2025
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(Family Features) If you’re thinking about making a career change, re-evaluating your long-term career path or looking for a career with purpose, there is one path you may not have considered – and it might be the perfect fit: funeral service.
Consider this: Funeral service is facing a critical shortage of skilled professionals in the next decade due to retiring funeral home owners and rising death rates. In fact, the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) estimates 5,700 openings for funeral service workers during each of the next 10 years.
In a world where Gen Zers said having a sense of purpose is important to their overall job satisfaction and well-being, according to a study by Deloitte, there’s an opportunity for business-minded individuals, young professionals and those seeking second career paths to explore this distinguished and fulfilling profession. While 1 in 10 (12%) adults would consider a career as a funeral director, Gen Zers (44%) and Millennials (38%) admit they do not know enough about the profession based on a survey by the NFDA.
There are several reasons to consider funeral service as a career, whether you’re a new grad, a young professional looking to get your foot in the door or someone with years of experience who’d like to test your transferable skills in a new career.
1. Fulfillment and Purpose
Funerals and memorial services are an important part of the grieving process and an opportunity for family and friends to gather to comfort one another and say goodbye to their loved one.
Funeral directors are not just in charge of logistics. They play a vital role in helping families navigate one of the most challenging times in their lives. They provide emotional support, guide families through funeral arrangements and ensure the service honors the deceased’s life.
2. Community Involvement
Funeral directors are often deeply involved in the communities they serve, volunteering with local nonprofit and community organizations, sponsoring little league teams and organizing collections for troops overseas. This sense of community extends beyond the immediate responsibilities of the job, as many funeral directors take on the role of mentors and leaders, guiding the next generation of professionals.
“As I look ahead to the next 15 years of my career and beyond, I ask myself one question and encourage others to do the same, no matter what career they are in: Are you doing the work to inspire a new generation of leaders and being the person you needed when you first started out?” said Allyse Worland, CFSP, licensed funeral director. “For me, the answer is always yes, and I am excited to see what the future holds.”
3. Ability to Own a Business
A career in funeral service offers the opportunity to own your own funeral home. With experience and business skills, you can manage and grow a company that provides essential services to your community. It’s a unique blend of compassion and entrepreneurship, allowing you to make a meaningful impact while running a successful business.
If you’re looking for a meaningful career that combines purpose, community and the opportunity for growth, funeral service might be the path for you. With the occupation’s demand for skilled professionals on the rise, now is the time to consider how you can make a difference in the lives of others while shaping the future of a growing profession.
Learn more about the career path and take a quiz to determine whether it’s right for you by visiting rememberingalife.com/careers.
Photo courtesy of Shutterstock
Live Better
Meet a colorful new Supertunia
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In This week’s Home and Garden page, The Garden Guy Norman Winter introduces us to an award-winning Supertunia with bright yellow color. Also read about New Year resolutions for your yard.
Supertunia Mini Vista Yellow annual of year
As we headed into December we start to glance to the future, to the award-winning flowers for 2025. This is always a terrific choice for your garden dollar, whether you are looking toward the landscape, porch, patio or deck.
One such award winner is Supertunia Mini Vista Yellow, Proven Winners 2025 Annual of the Year.
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