If you’re a serial reader of all things home design, you know “Seasonal Design” can actually be pretty labor intensive. Kudos to you if you have the time, energy and drive to paint an accent wall in an autumnal color, or if you’re willing to purchase a new furniture set to ring in the new year.
Most people, however, don’t have the ability to make significant changes to their interiors (or exteriors) in order to honor the changing seasons.
Simple & Practical Seasonal Design Changes to Welcome Fall
Here are simple, practical ways you can change the look of your home’s interiors, taking them from summer to fall. In most cases, a single, large Tupperware storage container is all that’s required to store these seasonal transitions in between times.
- Focus on fall colors. Perhaps the single most defining feature of autumn is the changes in color that happen as the result of shorter, cooler days. People from the west coast and interior U.S. travel long distances to enjoy fall colors on the east coast. Warm golds and oranges, rich crimsons and browns – all signify the changes taking place outside. You can bring these same colors into your homes via pillar candles, center pieces, wreaths and garlands.
- Switch out your accent pillow covers. I always recommend clients purchase high-quality throw pillows and an array of pillow shams that can be changed from season to season. It takes very little storage space to house the seasonal pillow covers in between seasons and only a few minutes to remove one season’s covers and replace them with another. Make sure to vary colors and textures – and look for accent pillows with gold, metallic embroidery or materials here and there, which add a nice shimmer as well as a golden glow when your fire or candles are lit.
- Bring out the throws. In our neck of the woods, we’re fortunate to enjoy the best of both worlds when fall comes around – warm, sunny days and cool crisp nights. Throw blankets are the perfect solution to those quick fluctuations in temperature. They also add a splash of fall cover when draped over the arm of your couch or the body of a favorite wing-back chair.
- Adorn the mantel. Your fireplace (which may be coming to life this season) is a focal point in your home and the mantel is the crown. Look for pillar candles in fall colors, use garlands made from fall foliage or adorn the top of the mantel with fall leaves, colorful gourds or a cornucopia. Perhaps you have a still life of a bowl of fruit or an outdoor scene that boasts fall colors elsewhere in the house; move it to the mantel and let it rest casually against the wall.
- Use fresh flower arrangements. Summer bouquets are filled with roses, daisies, dahlias, and peonies – all in reds, blues, purples and yellows. When autumn comes around, arrangements can take a different turn – filled with chrysanthemums, Gerber daisies and autumn leaves. Garden color palettes are less varied, which leaves room for creativity – incorporating greenery, berries and fresh herbs as well. A dining room, corner or entryway table can serve as out-of-the-bustle locations where flower arrangements add color and life to your decor.
- Change the bedding. Just as you switch out your accent pillows and throw blankets, fall is a great time to change your bedding. Heavier quilts or a down comforter with a seasonal duvet signify the change in seasons, a different color scheme and a cozier night’s sleep.
What are some of the ways you welcome fall into your home each year?