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As the weather gets
cooler we make many changes in our lives—from fashion and gardening to
the meals we prepare. Out come our sweaters, pansies and rakes and we
start preparing stews that cook all day.
While preparing for fall, don’t forget your home, where we begin to
spend more time. If you’ve never updated your home décor for a new
season, here are some ideas to help you do so easily and if you already
make seasonal updates to your home, this list might give you some new
ideas to make the transition complete. Making one or more of these changes
will give your home just what it needs—a new fall look!
1. A new ‘Welcome.’ Update your exterior
entry way with a new welcome mat, one that can handle the fall/winter
traffic and that coordinates with your home.
2. Blanket your rooms with
warmth. On your bed and sofa, or on a window seat, add a warm blanket
in a fall color that coordinates with your décor (think warm oranges,
reds, plums, browns, greens or deep gold tones). This is both practical
and beautiful—adding a new color to an often-used living space creates
an instant update. If you are changing your entire bedding for the season,
consider changing your bed skirt, too.
3. Pillows add punch. This
might be the easiest update you can make to change any room. Add new
seasonally inspired pillows to every sofa, bed, chair, chaise, window seat
and kitchen bench to bring a new punch to your spaces. If you think about
this change year-round you can shop for pillows you love throughout the
year. You can also have custom pillow covers made for each season and
simply switch those out as you please.
4. Swap out accessories.
Like any great outfit, our rooms have accessories, too. Consider changing
out a few for the season (not necessarily to fall-themed décor), with
items you love, but might be storing away because don’t have room to
showcase year-round. Swap out accessories on your bookcases, coffee tables
and sofa tables to create an instant new look. If you have a large art
collection, consider changing out the main art in your rooms so you can
enjoy your often-seen pieces.
5. It’s the little
things. Lampshades and picture frame mats are often overlooked when
updating for the season, but changing them is an easy and effective way to
change a room. Whether it’s shades on your overhead lighting fixture or
the lampshades in your family room, add a new, colorful shade to create a
different feeling in the room. If you picture frame mats are white/cream
consider adding a mat with color to add a pop to your pictures. Use the
same color on all mats to unify your photos.
6. Change your view. The
view out of your windows changes with the season, so couldn’t your
window treatments change, too? If you have curtain panels consider
changing them to a more seasonal color, whether retail or custom. You may
also want to consider thermal panels that can help keep the cold out as
the temperature drops. If you have blinds or roman shades you can do the
same thing—update them with warmer, fall colors, or in either case,
update an existing valance on your windows.
7. Change where you sit and
stand. If your upholstered furniture has slipcovers, consider changing
those out for the season. Look out below and add an area rug, or change
the ones you already have, and you instantly add warmth and update your
seating areas.
8. Warm up the kitchen
without cooking. Don’t forget the heart of most homes—the kitchen.
Stews aren’t the only thing that can warm up your kitchen on a chilly
day, add new dishtowels, table cloths, table runners and even dishes, to
give your fall cooking an instant update.
9. Change your color
without painting. Painting every season is crazy and a bit unrealistic
for most people, but there is a way to add different colors to your rooms
each season by adding color to the back of your bookcases through
removable panels. If you have bookcases in your home you can add colorful
panels to the back of the cases, behind the accessories and books. Simply
cover a foam core board with paint or fabric and position it firmly
against the inside back of your bookcase—instant color update.
10. Flowers! Last, but definitely
NOT least, is updating your rooms with fall flowers. Fresh flowers add
life to any room, but by bringing in fall bouquets you are bringing the
season indoors in new ways with every new bunch of flowers. Don’t forget
your bathrooms and entryways, where a small group of flowers can go a long
way.
About the Author
April Force Pardoe is an
interior decorator and owner of AFP
Interiors, LLC and author of the Design
for Living Blog. April is one of only 250 decorators in the U.S. with
a “Color with No Regrets” certification. If you would like additional
information on this article, or other design issues, you can reach her via
www.afpinteriors.com
, april@afpinteriors.com or
410-446-6340. |
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