Spring
Green, open windows, everything a little lighter.
- Scent
- Tomato leaf, neroli, cut grass
- Flower
- Tulips, ranunculus, flowering branches
- Treat
- Lemon shortbread
- Keepsake
- The spring house portrait, with tulips in the beds
08 · Through the year
Your brand should move with the seasons.
Being consistent doesn't mean being frozen. Keep the name, the vase, the spot and the packaging fixed, then let the scent, the stem and the treat shift four times a year.
The rule
Fix the format. Vary the contents.
Think of it the way a shop thinks about a seasonal collection: the logo doesn't change, the packaging doesn't change, the tone of voice doesn't change. Only the product inside does. Your house works the same way.
The calendar
One year of your house, planned.
Summer
Long evenings, doors propped, fruit on the counter.
- Scent
- Fig, citrus, sea salt
- Flower
- Garden roses, cosmos, hydrangea
- Treat
- Berry jam thumbprints
- Keepsake
- The summer postcard of the house
Fall
Lamps on at five, something in the oven.
- Scent
- Cedar, clove, warm amber
- Flower
- Dahlias, chrysanthemum, seed heads
- Treat
- Spiced pear bites
- Keepsake
- A tin of caramels wrapped in wax paper
Winter
Candles by four, the house at its most itself.
- Scent
- Beeswax, pine, orange peel
- Flower
- Amaryllis, evergreen, dried eucalyptus
- Treat
- Peppermint bark
- Keepsake
- The Christmas postcard of the house
The through-line
Four versions of one drawing.
The easiest way to make a seasonal refresh feel deliberate rather than random is to hang it off your home portrait. One drawing of your house, decorated four ways, does the whole year's work.
Spring
Add tulips in the beds and a wreath of greenery. Use it for Easter notes and new-neighbour cards.
Summer
Open windows, a bike against the fence. This is your thank-you card for every summer guest.
Fall
Pumpkins on the step, bare branches. Perfect for the note that goes with a tin of caramels.
Winter
Snow on the roof, a lit window, a wreath on the door. That's your Christmas card, sorted forever.
Commission the four variations at once if you can, artists usually price a set well below four separate jobs, and you'll never have to think about a holiday card again.
Four swaps a year is the entire maintenance cost of having a home with a brand.