Use Pantone's 2025 Color of the Year 'Mocha Mousse' in Winter Displays

Is the holiday season wearing you out?

Have you got the Winter Woes?

These photos show one effective way to move forward

after the holiday shopping rush has slowed:

incorporate the 'it' color of the new year into your displays. 

The new 'color of the year' for 2025 from Pantone,

'The Color Authority' - is 'Mocha Mousse'. 

Adding this hue to a few displays isn't hard at all - 

and no, you don't have to have NEW product in this color!

continue reading for easy steps you can take...

Have 'Leftovers' for Valentine's Day!

Restyling old products to create a new look - taking something and making it look totally different by combining it with something else, using a different color to set it off, etc. - is something I really enjoy. And it's an effective way to lengthen the 'shelf life' of merchandise instead of just putting it on clearance. Keep those profit margins UP, that's the goal.

...continue reading for some of my top tips for 're-using' and re-theming merch!

Re-Style Unsold 'Holiday' Merch for Winter Profits

So, your Holiday merchandise didn't sell like you thought it would.
No problem. No, really.... there's still hope for some of it. 
(And no, I don't mean mark it all 90 percent off!)

Let's salvage all that we can and turn it into winter displays!

for example, those ornaments above.....
silver, with red felt dots. Some others in the collection say 'Love'.

So they didn't sell....well, then let's make lemons into lemonade
and create a big red Valentine's day display!
Those ornaments could be heaped into a huge heart-shaped box,
made to look like bon bons.

continue reading for more ideas and examples of re-styled merch
that transitions from holiday to winter - and makes more profit for you!

Winter Display with Brand Style

Retail display is as much about telling your brand story as it is selling products...

This is a January display in the front of a winery gift shop
[one of several where I provided visual merchandising + retail design services] 

It's a perfect mix for this 'bridge' season of late winter - early spring. 

Better yet, it starts inspiring customers the MOMENT they walk in,
enticing them with wonderful products beautifully presented
to enhance their enjoyment of wine, food, entertaining, and fine living. 

This area of the shop, straight in front of the entry doors,
served as a statement of who the business IS and what they offer their customer -
and THAT is branding 101.

I loved this area and coming up with seasonal themes for it - 

it's the first thing you saw when you walk into the winery. 

Because of the location, it was dramatic. So we always went BIG here.

In this winter display, we integrated large-scale props reflecting nature outside:

Product features are most importantly the wine with the newly designed label,
along with sculptural pieces of Vietri pottery in white ceramic, 

gorgeous brown linens, whimsical dotted glassware,
large rusty planters used as pedestals, and furniture made of branch-shaped metal + raw wood.

Props are HUGE moss-covered tree branches paired with fake ferns and florals

that reflect the natural theme of the products. 

 Lest you think that it's all about going big, here's proof that even small details matter:

More Vietri from the front display, this time a cake pedestal. 

My assistant for the day, my daughter Anni took one look at it and said "It needs a cake!"
- but we did not have a cake.

She went to work with a few stacked nested baskets and napkins,
quickly creating this confection as a perfect finishing touch. 

that inspired customers to purchase every last cake pedestal in the display!

 Tell Your Story Visually, because no one else can do it like you can... 

winter displays,retail display,display ideas,seasonal display,brand image,winter,display tips,

Top 5 Tips for Winter Displays

Did the holiday season do you in?
Have you got the Winter Woes?
I have some previous content that can help you
to create effective displays AFTER the holiday season...

 Click on each caption below to view
my Top 5 Tips to increase your
'post-holiday' winter visual impact
and sell MORE product!

Focus on Winter In Your Windows

Fill Your Entry Zone with NEW Products

Re-Stage Some Of Your Leftover Holiday Merchandise

Re-Mix Products to Reflect a Winter Palette + Mood

Share The Love

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Focus Displays on What Comes NEXT

What are you featuring in your windows and front zone displays right now?  

Have you restyled them to reflect the season and provide fresh inspiration -
or are you waiting for new merchandise to arrive?
It's very simple to refresh existing merchandise to look new and appealing to customers. 

It's important to get a fresh start immediately following the holidays! 

Your customers will be coming in with gift cards, gift certs, and money they received,
and they deserve to see fresh new ideas!
Inspiring them to buy what you offer can be as simple as taking what you already have
and combining it in a new way to reflect the season.

The tableware display shown in the photo above features white Vietri pottery,
along with luxe brown linens and whimsical dotted glassware.
A small, select group of merchandise here keeps the look clean and fresh.

Since this was during my stint creating displays for a winery, 

of course a lovely wine is a major presence. 

This look is a perfect mix for this 'bridge' season of late winter to early spring.
Simple, contemporary, classic, and warmth of color & textures draw the customer in.
Huge bare branches reflect the table legs and bring nature inside - 

you could even hang crystals (or leftover snowflake holiday ornaments) from the branches to add movement and sparkle to the display.

Most of the products shown here were in displays in the store during the Holidays:
the white Vietri was paired with red linens and snowflakes.
The brown linens were displayed with brown pottery and pinecones.
Combining them with new elements and a few fresh props creates a fabulous new look,
inspires your customers, AND saves you money. 

Go out on your sales floor and look at the components you already have - 

what possibilities exist to rethink, restyle, and sell them at full price right now?

Use leftover Christmas merch for Valentine's Day? Yep! Look HERE

.

Winter Wonderland Display Inspiration

 

The Vintage Marketplace show in Temecula, CA this past weekend

was an inspiring gathering of vendors selling vintage, antique, and handcrafted goods.
The show is owned and produced by my friend, Rita Reade,

who founded it over 6 years ago with her sister in law, artist Christie Repasy.

When I'm lucky, I get to shop.
When I am REALLY lucky, I get to work with Rita to create visuals for the show!

Click 'Read More' to continue.... 

New Year, New Look!

May the New Year bring you sparkling new creative ideas and success!

Here's a quick bit of inspiration for a January-into-February display:
This wood china cabinet has been given a shot of color by using

one roll of pink and gold gift wrap
( available right now at Marshalls for $2.99! )

On one side of the case, the gift wrap was placed inside a large frame, 

which was then placed behind the glass shelves.

A few books with pink covers are stacked up to use as risers

that perfectly display sparkling crystal glassware with gold rims and some pink depression glass.

On the other side, a long strip of the gift wrap was simply taped to the back,

and flows down onto the bottom shelf.
White china with gold trim is stacked on the shelves

with a gold-framed tiny mirror and magazine with a pink cover adding contrast.

Debby and I created this display at Laura's House Resale Store in San Juan Capistrano, CA

and it took us a grand total of half an hour - 

which includes cleaning the newly-donated china and glassware!

Creating a fresh look and a new display doesn't have to take a lot of prep...

just let your creative muse outta' the box, grab what's on hand, and see it in a new way.
That helps your customers to do the same thing! ;)
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Did you notice that things look a lil' different around here?!
Click 'read more' on the left to continue...

Winter Windows

I spent Christmas in San Francisco this year,

enjoying a LOT of window shopping on Christmas Eve in Union Square.
By far the most outstanding retail window displays were these from Saks Fifth Avenue
(though Tiffany's were a close second!)

...and it MAY not be for reasons you expect!

Yes, they are stunning visuals featuring beautiful merchandise
that extends and builds on the luxurious Saks Fifth brand image.
But there's more...

These window displays whet our appetites for the scrumptious merchandise,

making us hope that packages beneath our tree will yield such treasure...

but if you didn't notice, may I point out that 

there isn't a Christmas tree in one single window?

There are tables and chairs, chandeliers and drapery, crystal and china,

high-fashion apparel, accessories, and jewels

that imply that all of these oh-so-chic mannequins are at the coolest party of the year.
And gee, wouldn't WE like to be there, too?
Maybe it's the Christmas Eve family dinner we dream of.
Maybe it's a swanky New Year's Eve event we hope for an invite to.

Here's the point:

These displays entice us to look forward....

BEYOND the Holiday season.

With window sets that work to extend the lifespan of the displays past the Holiday rush,

Saks is giving merchandisers time to get the store itself back into shape

and new sellable merchandise on the floor
(for customers with money to spend just after Christmas)
That's PROFIT at the bottom line.

These window displays will work through New Years' Eve, 

and I'd bet they will be changed up ON New Years' Day 

perhaps to a vision in red or pink,

...or even ROSE GOLD
(the hottest trend out there right now)

 try it for a fresh new color palette touting the best gifts to give for Valentine's Day!

Focusing on the SEASON and not on a specific HOLIDAY 

is one successful way to get more mileage out of your window displays.

You'll find MORE ideas and inspiration for Winter Displays here on the blog
and on my Pinterest boards

Winter Displays

 Winter has arrived!
And even though it looks much better while sitting inside looking out, 

I love the fresh, clean, crisp look of a snow-covered landscape...

the soft, pale winter color palette inspires me.

I shared these photos on my HOMEWARDfound decor blog today, 
and thought that they ALSO served to inspire retail displays.

Yes, retailers are gearing up for spring already,
but you can still make room for a beautiful winter-themed display in your store or booth.
[Customers DO appreciate being able to find things 'in season', you know!]
You don't need to purchase 'winter' products for this... just use what you already have.
[which is exactly what I tell people about decorating their homes each season!]

How? Keep reading - after the jump!

Winter Displays with Heart

I've often  talked about restyling 'old' products to create a new look.

I love to make stagnant merchandise look FRESH

by combining it with something new or using a different color to set it off. 

And it really is an effective way to lengthen the 'shelf life' of merchandise, 
instead of just putting it on clearance.  

Keep those profit margins UP, that's the goal. 

Find some cost-effective solutions after the jump....