Restraint, Reflection, and Resonance: A Year-End Perspective on Home & Design

When the Season Asks You to Slow Down

This year, the holidays look different for our family. A recent loss shifted our rhythms, softened our momentum, and invited us, gently but unmistakably, to slow down. The garland I had planned for the mantle remains unassembled. The boxes of ornaments are still in the garage. Even our tree sits undecorated for now, patiently waiting.

And yet, there is a quiet beauty in this pause.

Instead of trying to curate the perfect holiday moment, I am allowing the season to meet me exactly where I am. There is calm in that. There is meaning in that. In many ways, it mirrors what I believe design should do: support your life rather than perform for it.

Starting With What Matters Most

This year, we are beginning not with a blank slate but with what matters most: time together, ease in our home, warmth over worry. My son’s simple enthusiasm for placing his tree in the corner, as it is, feels truer than any elaborate styling I could have planned.

Honoring Simplicity and Sentiment

As I ease into decorating, I am choosing only the pieces that hold real sentiment or simplicity. A linen runner from a holiday brunch. A strand of greenery. A few well-loved ornaments. And always, a bowl of pomanders, citrus studded with cloves, a tradition I love for its history and symbolism.

Pomanders, Pinecones and Greenery adorn a casual holiday brunch

Pomanders, Pinecones and Greenery adorn a casual holiday brunch

Pomanders, Pinecones and Greenery adorn a casual holiday brunch

Pomanders were once believed to ward off illness. Later, they became symbols of prosperity, goodwill, and cheer. They feel especially resonant this year.

A reminder that beauty does not need to be extravagant. That fragrance and memory can fill a room more deeply than ornamentation. That intention is its own form of luxury.

How This Season Is Shaping the Studio

A sophisticated dining room takes on a simple, yet refined and nostalgic holiday theme.

This reflective energy has shaped much of my work this year as well.

Through collaborative projects, custom furnishing rounds, and continued refinement of my studio’s direction, I have gained clarity on how Resonance Interiors can better serve clients in the year ahead. The result is a refreshed service suite that feels more attuned, more personal, and more aligned with how people want to live.

Refining the Resonance Interiors Experience

For 2026, you will notice a renewed emphasis on:

• The Refresh: elevated transformation with low to no renovation 

• The Resonance Edit: curated furnishings that bring flow and completeness to a home

• The Immersion: a focused design day that delivers clarity quickly

• The New Vibration: full-service design for ground-up or large-scale projects

Together, these offerings create a path for clients at different stages, with different needs, but with one shared purpose: a home that feels deeply personal, grounded, and resonant.

I have also been laying groundwork for new opportunities in 2026, ways to make design more accessible, more tactile, and more connected. I will share more soon, but for now, consider this a gentle hint that something meaningful is taking shape.

A Home That Resonates, This Season and Beyond

As we close out the year, my hope, for you and for us, is simple. That your home feels like a place to land, to breathe, and to gather with the people you love.

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If you would like to follow along as new offerings unfold or if you feel inspired to begin a project of your own, I invite you to subscribe to The Resonance Report 2.0. It is where I share design reflections, studio updates, and inspiration intended to elevate the everyday.

Here is to a season of calm, connection, and quiet joy, and to a new year filled with resonance.

Warmly, 

Michael

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