From Rooms to Wreaths: My Creative Design Process

Last week, I set a Q2 goal to finish a few projects that have been sitting on my to-do list longer than they should have. Actually, I am starting this goal a week earlier than April 1st, because why not?

One of those waiting projects was a wreath makeover for a scraggly wreath I purchased at an estate sale. It was a bit sad and falling apart, but it had good bones that could be worked with to create something new. Much like a few homes I have renovated over the years.

While I was working on it, I once again realized something about the way I create. I rarely make the same wreath twice, but I almost always follow the same design process every time I start one.

Recently, I read an email from a writing coach who compared her creative writing to following a recipe. I loved her descriptive idea, but it also made me laugh a little, because my process feels nothing like a recipe. A recipe gives you the same result every time, and that’s not how my projects, especially wreaths, come out at all.

Whether I’m designing a wreath or redesigning a room, I follow the same general approach, but the end result is always different. Somewhere between inspiration, budget, and a little trial and error, something new takes shape — and that’s the part I love most.

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My Creative Process for Designing a Wreath (or a Room)

The funny thing is, the way I design a wreath isn’t much different from the way I redesign a room. I may not realize I’m following a pattern when I start, but when I look back, I almost always go through the same steps. The details change every time, but the process stays pretty much the same.

Let me share my steps with you.

Step 1 – Start With Inspiration

Every project starts with an inspiring idea. Sometimes it comes from a magazine, sometimes from Pinterest, sometimes from walking through a store and spotting one thing that catches my eye. It might be a color combination, a texture, or even a single object that makes me think “that would look good in a wreath, or that is exactly what I need to finish off the room“.

Most often, this is a planned step. I purposely look for inspiration to get started on a new room design, and especially for a wreath. Other times, inspiration will catch me totally by surprise when I am focused on normal daily activities or browsing a new store, and something will just spark.

That one little spark is usually all it takes to get my mind going.

Step 2 – Define the Style

Once I have the inspiration, I start thinking about the overall look I want. Will it feel rustic, traditional, seasonal, or a little more modern?

At this point, I’m already picturing what kind of wreath form I might need, what type of florals would work, whether ribbon belongs in the design, and what kinds of accent pieces could pull everything together.

This is the same step I go through when redesigning a room. Before anything else, I need to know the direction I’m heading.

Step 3 – Find the Focal Point

This is where the project starts to feel personal. I always look for one piece that will stand out and give the design its personality. Sometimes it’s the original inspiration piece, and sometimes it’s something unexpected that I decide to add along the way.

A wreath, just like a room, needs something that attracts your attention first. Without a focal point, it can feel unfinished, no matter how many pretty pieces you add.

Step 4 – Work With What I Already Have

Before I go shopping or purchase anything, I take a look at what I have on hand, or mentally think through what I know I have available to work with. Over the years, I’ve collected plenty of ribbon, florals, greenery, and random little accents, and I like to see if I can make those work with the idea I have in mind.

This is when the planning process really starts to matter.

I do the same thing when decorating a space. A new inspiration piece either needs to fit with what’s already there or push the whole room in a new direction.

Sometimes the challenge of using what I already own is part of the fun.

Step 5 – Decide the Direction (and the Budget)

This is the step where creativity meets reality. I have to decide if I’m building around what I already have or if the project calls for something completely different.

And yes, budget always plays a major role in what I decide to do.

Whether it’s a wreath or a room, I try to balance the look I want with what I can reasonably afford. Sometimes that means getting creative with what I have, and sometimes it means starting fresh because the inspiration just won’t work any other way. Most often, I have to wait to finish a project until the money is available to do what I really want. 

Budget is always a factor, even when I make a wreath for sale

When I have been tasked with making a finished wreath for sale at my seasonal job at a Christmas store, the budget is such a big deal. Since the final cost of the wreath is determined by the cost of the items from the store I decorate it with, every little cost matters. If the final product is too pricey, then the wreath will be left hanging on the wall well past the current holiday season into the next. I quickly realized that everyone wants a beautiful wreath for their front door, but not everyone wants to pay the price of a custom wreath. I am very conscious of the cost of each decorative floral stem or ornament added to the wreath form.

Step 6 – Execution Time

This is my favorite part. This is when the hands get busy, and the ideas start to come together.

When I’m actually making a wreath or rearranging a space, the design starts to take shape. One update leads to another, and before long, the project starts to look like what I imagined — or even better.

This is the stage where creativity really flows. 

Step 7 – Step Back, Review, and Adjust

I never consider a project finished without stepping back and taking another look. Sometimes it only needs a small tweak, like moving a ribbon, swapping out a piece of furniture, or adding one more accent piece. Other times, I realize my vision isn’t coming together as I hoped, and I need to go back a few steps and rethink the design.

Every once in a while, I even decide the original inspiration wasn’t right, and I start over with a completely new idea.

That’s just part of the process.

Designing isn’t about getting it perfect the first time — it’s about working through the ideas until it feels right and personal.

Why wreaths are my favorite creative project

Somewhere along the way, wreaths became one of my favorite ways to be creative. I think part of it is because a wreath is a small project with a big impact. You can change the whole feel of your front door, a room, or even a season just by swapping this popular accent.

Unlike redesigning an entire space, making a wreath lets me try something new without committing to a big change. If I want to experiment with a different color, a new style, or a trend I’m not sure about, a wreath is the perfect place to try it.

Over the years, I’ve made wreaths for just about every season, holiday, and random idea that caught my attention. Some started with a clear plan, and others came together as I worked. A few turned out exactly how I pictured them, and a few ended up looking completely different than what I had in mind when I started.

That’s part of what keeps it fun.

Connecting wreath-making back to the design process

The more I think about it, the more I realize that making a wreath really isn’t all that different from redesigning a room.

Even though I may start with a different idea every time, the creative process usually follows the same path — inspiration, planning, working with what I have, adjusting along the way, and stepping back to see if it feels right.

It’s not a recipe, and it never gives the exact same result twice. And honestly, that’s what makes it fun.

Some wreaths come together quickly, and some take a little more trial and error.

Sometimes the original idea works perfectly, and other times the finished project looks nothing like what I first imagined.

But every time I go through the process, I learn something new, try a different style, or find a combination I never would have thought of before.

That’s one of the reasons I keep coming back to wreaths. They’re a simple way to be creative, to change the look of a space without starting from scratch, to experiment with new ideas, and to enjoy the calming effect of the creative process without too much risk.

And if you’re anything like me, the best part isn’t following an exact recipe — it’s experiencing where the process takes you.

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Whether I’m redesigning a room or putting together a wreath for the season, I know the process will be the same… even if the result never is.

Hugs,

Ephesians 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time for us to do.