The look is silvery blue and white ― and fresh as a sea breeze.

Chances are, all you need to make beautiful decorations in minutes is right outside your back door. In Pajaro, California, for example, we paired natural materials with accessories in cool coastal colors to decorate a deck in a breezy beach style. Although the palette of greens and grasses varies around the West, the mantra is the same: Simple and natural can be stunning.

Amber lights twinkle in the oaks, while green wreaths and dry-as-straw flowers deck the patio.

Oak woodlands, grassy hills, and a Mediterranean-style patio inspired the decorations.  Winter days are dry enough to linger outdoors at San Francisco restaurateur Pat Kuleto's Kuleto Estate Winery in Napa Valley; an olive leaf wreath and silvery onion flowers in an urn make the perfect backdrop.