A behind-the-scenes view of the s’mores set for the Winter Lookbook production.
After months of hard work and a few gooey s’mores along the way (more on that later), the creative team recently released the 2019 Winter Lookbook. Led by Carolina, junior art director, the team created a beautiful presentation of trendy styles, cozy holiday decor and inspirational ideas that make it possible to create the room of your dreams without breaking your budget.
If you haven’t already seen the Winter Lookbook, go grab a cup of coffee and check it out.
And then stop back and read the rest of this blog because I’m going to give you an inside look at how the Winter Lookbook was created.
Minimalist Design – Maximum Impact
For those of you who have read our blog before or have seen our DIY and tips videos, you’ll probably recognize Carolina. She’s a talented designer with a great eye for style and the ability to pull multiple looks together. And if you can’t tell by all her videos, she loves candles!
The challenge for her while working on the Winter Lookbook was to create a cohesive look and feel while showcasing a variety of styles in living rooms, bedrooms, dining rooms and more. Easier said than done.
After a little bit of research, she came up with a plan.
“I made a mood board of a bunch of different looks that I liked and that gave off the same vibe to me. I wanted a good mix of styles, colors, and trends while still looking like they belong together in a book,” said Carolina.
Her solution was to take a minimalistic approach to styling every set. “It’s a nicer, cleaner look,” said Carolina.
As you flip through the Lookbook you’ll notice that all the rooms feel warm and welcoming, but not overwhelming with holiday decor. “I didn’t want to over style, let the furniture shine” said Carolina.
Take the Hygge for the Holidays room for example. This is the set on the front cover and it makes you just want to jump in the photo, grab a cup of hot cocoa and snuggle up on the couch, next to that adorable husky.
As you take a closer look you’ll see how Carolina incorporated holiday decor but didn’t go overboard. She used two little faux frosted cedar trees on the console, two decorative items on the coffee table and only lights on the Christmas tree. And it works.
Carolina gave the room a warm feel by utilizing a variety of different textures including a deep shag rug, a playful throw blanket with pom poms and the sleek leather Titan sectional.
Here’s a tip to remember when creating the minimalist look–it doesn’t have to be boring. Mix up your textures and colors within your defined color scheme and you can easily create a great-looking room. Carolina used a neutral color scheme with a few gold accents, making the room feel light and airy.
What’s Behind The Curtain?
Here’s a fun fact about Bob’s that many people don’t know: we have a world-class production studio and team located at our Manchester, Connecticut store.
I have lived in Manchester most of my life and grew up watching Bob’s commercials and never would have guessed that all those funny spots were produced right here in town. It’s not until I started working here that I was able to literally “go behind the curtain.”
For anyone that has visited the Manchester store, you know what I’m talking about. In the back of the Outlet, or pit to those who grew up with Bob’s, there is a big curtain. I always wondered what was behind this mysterious curtain.
Does the Wizard of Oz live here? Is it a miniature size town where Little Bob lives when he’s not producing commercials? The possibilities were endless!
When I finally was able to step behind the curtain I did find a magical place – sans the Wizard!
What I found was a number of production and animation studios that are creating amazing work. There’s also a fabrication shop that makes the magic of Little Bob possible. It is really quite impressive because you would never know this all exists from just driving by or walking through the store. You also would never know from looking at the photography that these rooms are shot on set and not in a real house. Credit the production and creative team for that! While other companies use real houses for their shoots, we’re able to create the same look in a studio. Now that’s some real magic!
“The fact that we create all of this in our studios and they look like they’re in real homes, is truly rewarding and amazing,” said Carolina.
While Carolina was working on the production phase of the Lookbook, she was juggling multiple studios to maximize her time. She would have the full room sets in the larger studio and smaller vignettes in the additional studio space down the hall. Carolina also had the assistance of Susie Howard, the art director at Bob’s.
Susie created the first look book and is a big fan of the minimalistic style. She is also a super talented designer who loves dogs and snowboarding! More on Susie later.
A Source of Inspiration
The Winter Lookbook is not just an amazing collection of styles–it’s meant to be a source of inspiration for holiday decorating.
“A lot of people don’t realize how big of a difference decorating your home makes it feel; warm and cozy. Or should I say hygge.” – Carolina
This point really struck me while Carolina and I were talking about the Lookbook. Stop and take a minute to think about your initial feeling when you walk into a room or a house with nothing on the walls and no sense of design. It feels pretty empty and cold, right?
Barren rooms give off a feeling of blah, bland. Remember when you first walked into your dorm room and saw those bare walls? Pretty boring, huh?!
Now, think about the feeling you get when you walk into a room or home that has a sense of style to it, even if it’s not your taste. You feel a sense of warmth and welcoming, right?
You also might be thinking “this style is amazing” but I have no idea how to create a similar look in my home. Don’t worry, you’re in the right place.
The Winter Lookbook is meant to be a source of inspiration and a guide to help you style your home. Throughout the Lookbook you’ll find blogs that detail how to create the looks that you are seeing.
Do you really love what Carolina did with the Titan Sectional? Check out Hygge for the Holidays.
Are you in love with the farmhouse feel Susie created with the Montana Dining Room Set? Check out 9 Casual Dining Room Ideas.
Here are more blogs with great ideas and tips to style your home:
How to Style Your Holiday Pillows
10 Benefits of an Electric Fireplace
Bob’s DIY: Make Your Own Holiday Ornament Name Card Holder
Dining Room Chair Shopping Guide
Are you inspired to style your home? Keep reading for more tips.
Don’t Be Afraid to Mix & Match
I get it, this approach can seem counter-intuitive. I mean, everything should match, right?
Not necessarily. It is possible to use different styles in one room and create a cohesive look.
Carolina explained how she mixed and matched furniture on the Titan set. She used a variety of different pieces including a mid-century modern console, boho-chic chairs, a modern glass coffee table, wood side table and a traditional style leather sectional.
She said the key to tying all the pieces together is the repetition of shapes, textures, colors and metals.
Take the mid-century modern console for example. The neutral color ties in nicely with the overall color palette of the room. She tied the wood mid-century modern legs of the console with a wood side table. Carolina then used a mid-century modern floor lamp to reinforce that theme.
Staying with the floor lamp, she repeated the gold color with the coffee table that’s also modern. You’ll also notice that she repeats shapes as well with the round bulbs of the lamp and the round top of the coffee table. Did you notice any other round items in the space? The clock is round and the mirror is also round.
Next, she tied in the boho-chic chairs with the console by repeating the clean lines and straight edges.
Carolina brought in texture with the shag rug and soft throw blanket with pom poms. The holiday accent pillows also help to add texture to the space. And we can’t forget about the Christmas tree! Carolina kept this simple by only using white lights. In summary, remember to repeat shapes, textures and colors to help tie any room together. I bet you’ll be amazed at how your house looks when you start using these tips!
Farmhouse Fab!
We couldn’t create a Lookbook and not talk about the trendy farmhouse style!
Susie stayed true to her minimalistic roots with this set.
The Montana Dining Room Set is an extension of the extremely popular Montana Bedroom Collection. If you love the rustic farmhouse look you have to check out the Montana Collection!
Susie’s approach to the Montana Dining Room set was to keep the farmhouse vibe but also elevate it without getting too “kitschy” as she said. If you’re wondering, Susie described “kitchy” as using a lot of tin and going overboard with smaller farmhouse decor.
She took a minimal approach to this space and really let the Montana Dining Room table shine.
“It’s very nice and clean but it also stands on its own as a farmhouse statement piece,” said Susie.
Wicker accents on the wall and server help add texture and a bit of creativity to the space. Here’s an inside tip about the wall decorations: they’re actually placemats. Pretty cool idea, huh?
Another cool fact about this room is that you can store your extra placemats in the bench. Yup, the bench has hidden storage.
In addition to the wicker placemats and accent pieces, Susie used repetition with the dark chandelier. The chandelier ties together nicely with the dark finishes on the hardware of the server and the black clock.
Don’t be afraid to try different looks and patterns in your space.
“Farmhouse doesn’t have to be one-size-fits-all,” explained Susie. “You can make it work based on your space.”
We put the ‘Fun’ in Furniture
Fun is a big part of the culture at Bob’s. We have fun at work and we believe that shopping for furniture should and can be fun. That’s why we have a hassle-free shopping experience complete with complimentary snacks, coffee and ice cream in our cafes in every store.
We also have an amazing two-foot spokespuppet who loves to help out on set.
As you can tell, the little guy is not camera shy. He knows how to get a great shot.
The crew also had a great time during the production of the Lookbook, including the s’mores shoot. Yes, we actually got paid to make and eat s’mores. How many other jobs can you do that?
Check out the Create Your Own Party-Ready S’mores Board blog for tips on making this yummy treat.
