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Tag: seasonal decor

  • Clever Ways to Change Decor Seasonally

    The last postcards of summer landed in your mailbox a few weeks ago and the kids are scuffling through sidewalks full of leaves on their way to school. It’s time to change out the beach glass and shells in favor of autumnal decor. Here are a few unique decorating ideas that will help you apply a little seasonal love to your home.

    Borrow from Nature

    Oddly shaped colored squashes, clusters of changing leaves and bundles of dried wheat stalks will add a seasonal touch to your living space.

    You can simply add seasonally suggestive colors in overlooked but highly visible places in your home: a seasonal centerpiece instantly enhances the dining room. Plants on kitchen counters and cabinets refer you to the season in which they flourish. Windows cry out for a bit of the natural world they allow you to look out upon. You can capitalize on this by changing curtain colors and the cozies you put on your sills. 

    Elsewhere around the house, when the weather is crisp, a nubby white throw blanket adds a cup full of cozy to any living room. In spring, pussy willows, sky blues and fresh fruit like lemons or berries enliven a kitchen, just as clusters of fresh cut garden flowers enliven a screened in porch when the fireflies are lighting up summer evenings and there’s a paddle posed against the front door.

    Try putting some seasonal fruit in the kitchen. Indian corn left on a kitchen countertop brings the fall harvest inside with you. In addition, edible seasonal fruit makes an elegant decoration, especially if accompanied by branches, leaves, pinecones, and puffballs.

    Accessorize to Match the Season

    Seasonal pillows can give your furniture a sharp new look. Buy pillow covers in colors that suggest a season to you and change out the old for the new in five minutes’ time.

    Accessorizing is a great way to redecorate quickly and cheaply. You can add a seasonal wreath to your front door woven out of branches of turning leaves interspersed with dried mushrooms, corn husks, and strands of straw. Closer to Thanksgiving, you’ll want to trade this for an evergreen wreath or something holiday-inspired. Take mental notes on colors and plants as the seasons change. Be crafty, and trust your own instincts when it comes to what the season means to you.

    Seasonal Sleeping Quarters

    You can also switch out your linens to boost your desire to sleep each night by way of a seasonally inviting bedspread. In warmer months, airy sheets in cool bright hues like turquoise or butter lemon spice up the night, and when the weather starts to cool, exchange your bedding for a  weighty comforter in dark, warm shades. In colder climates, the switch from cotton to flannel sheets signals the start of both winter and the festive season.

    A new area rug can pull a room together. These floor coverings are so portable, inexpensive, and useful they can transform any space through any seasonal change.

    Use Distinct Seasonal Themes

    For fall, welcome the cool weather with bouquets of changing leaves. Then create a unique centerpiece for your table, and decorate above your kitchen cabinets with colored squashes and leaves of different sizes.

    In winter, keep up the cozy theme you started for fall. Use plaid patterns that bring to mind cabins and wool blankets. You can also rely on shades of brown, red, and green. When the snow flies, incorporate icy blues and moonlit silvers in your interior decor scheme.

    In spring, lavish flowers and fresh scents in every room always help create a clean, fresh, and airy feel. A large vase of flowers reminds everyone of the then very welcome seasonal change, as do items connoting warmer weather, like small decorative bicycles and red wagons on the porch or just inside the front door.

    In summer, seashells and driftwood make perfect decorating elements for your mantel or hearth. Sheer white curtains billow to announce the season in front of open windows that blow the freshness of summer warmth throughout your home.

    Seasonal Decor by Holiday

    Holidays are often decorated for, and so doing can summon the aura of entire seasons themselves. Here are some basics of the upcoming festivities.

    • Halloween: Use classic jack-o-lanterns on your porch and candy corn in decorative bowls to decorate for Halloween. Try some of the less-usual pumpkin shapes and colors to keep things classy and fresh.
    • Thanksgiving: Place a cornucopia centerpiece on the family table.
    • Christmas: Plenty of lights, of course, and holly berries or poinsettias bring a natural vibe to the most wonderful time of the year.
    • Valentine’s Day: Use hearts and doilies in colors of red, pink, and white throughout the home.
    • St. Patrick’s Day: Classic green shamrocks look splendid adorning your mantel or front door.
    • Easter: Pastel-colored eggs make the perfect accent in a clear vase, surrounded by fresh sprigs of lilac.
    • Fourth of July: Use red, white and blue accents where you can.

    Let your imagination be your guide as the seasons change, and you’ll find inspiration in nature for your unique decorating ideas.

  • Best Ways to Make Your Home Cozier for Fall with Interior Design Pro Jennifer Adams

    As the weather cools down this fall, it’s time to transition your home so it’s cozy, relaxing and enjoyable for you and your family. With these simple tips and ideas, the transition can be effortless and inexpensive.

    Outfit Your Bed

    At the end of a chilly day, nothing beats a warm, inviting bed. Switch out your summer sheets with flannel or heavyweight cotton and layer your bed with a coverlet or quilt. If you don’t need the extra blanket, keep it folded at the foot of your bed.

    Use Quilts and Throws

    Who doesn’t love to curl up with a warm blanket? Add on cozy quilts or throw blankets to your sofa and armchairs. Think soft, plush fabrics and textures, like wool, fur, velvet or fleece.

    Avoid Cold Feet

    A great way for staying cozy is to keep your feet warm. Keep slippers in your entryway or by your bedside, so they’re ready to slip on when you get home or wake up. Add rugs or woven mats to your uncarpeted areas, like your bathroom, kitchen and entryway. Rugs come in a myriad of sizes and shapes, but whatever you choose, invest in rugs that feel comfortable to your bare feet and for sitting on.

    Insulate With Curtains

    One effective way to insulate your room from cold drafts is to use heavier, thicker curtains. Let your curtains enhance your décor by choosing ones that add a splash of color or are complimentary to your color palette. Deep tones are always lovely and create a warm ambiance for any space.

    Create a Cozy Nook

    Having a little place to retreat to is a great way to unwind and recharge yourself. It can be your reading nook or just a relaxing nook, where you can have a quiet break from the day’s activities. Make it comfortable with throw pillows, a quilt, and a lamp or candles.

    Enjoy Candles

    Create a warm glow by using candles. They enhance your home and your mood, creating an inviting and relaxing space. Scented candles are especially enjoyable and help to freshen the space. Group candles together on your coffee, dining or bedside tables, and don’t forget to use candles to enhance a soothing bath.

    Warm Up the Outdoors With crisp morning air and clear starry nights, fall is a wonderful time to enjoy your garden or patio by warming it up with a fire feature. There are many options to choose from, so you’re sure to find a fire feature that suits your space and needs.

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  • Discover Beautiful Dining Table Decor Ideas for Every Season

    So many of our dining table decor ideas involve bringing the outdoors in, as if to assert some kind of connection between our consumption and its creation. More often than not, seasonal dining table decor reflects this theme. We use pumpkins or smaller gourds, twine leaves and garlic braids with twigs for harvest. We cut pine boughs and dip their cones in gold paint and splash some holly and ivy around for the winter holidays. We continue the trend with greenery for spring and cut fresh flowers in summer.

    There’s no end to found-in-nature objects you can use to jumpstart dining table décor brainstorming. To move beyond the ordinary, here are a few non-traditional suggestions.

    High contrast for winter

    Since the three functional elements of a dining room are its chairs, lighting and the table itself, why not focus on two elements at once and make your centerpiece the most food- and mood-flattering light source you can find? After all, it is in the winter when we rely most on artificial lighting to boost our spirits.

    Whether your table is round, square or rectangular, the centerpiece should be your dining room’s pièce de résistance, the object that draws the eye to the table before your guests’ gaze radiates outwards.

    The classic approach is, of course, candelabra—a single, large fixture centered on the table, or a series at intervals. Instead, try taking an eclectic approach: if your dining room is modern or functional, find the most elaborate, massive, rococo bronze candelabra available and pose it on a damask brocade table runner with gold tassels. The contrast between your sleek teak or glass table will startle and intrigue.

    If your dining room is traditional, go another route and invest in something modern and Calder-esque—a candelabra made from copper plumbing fittings, clean, geometric metal shapes or simple, black staggered cubes of variegated height.

    Clean and green for spring

    When the days start to get longer, it’s time to time to strip the table and let its lovely lines and textures speak for themselves. Get rid of your layered-linen approach and switch them out for placemats and a runner. Alternatively, try a long, narrow mirror on a rectangular table to shine and reflect light from new angles.

    Spring is all about seizing the day and ending our hibernation, as well as spending time outdoors for longer and longer each day. Make it easier to migrate to the patio or deck by using a round, square or rectangular tray as your dining table centerpiece. This makes it easier to grab when you realize it really is warm enough to have coffee or dessert outdoors.

    Try also to sneak more than one shade of green into your dining room: a series of small succulents, the palest of green linen napkins or some startling chartreuse placemats. Think beets and asparagus, snowdrops and lilacs when choosing your table linens.

    Light and airy for summer

    Summer is all about fresh, and your dining room decor should reflect that. It’s a time for linen and lace, not brocade and velvet. Let your table decorations reflect that sentiment and get rid of heavy tablecloths in favor of light and airy fabrics and bold, bright colors. If they make you think of corn and watermelon and fresh peas, they’re a perfect choice. Consider also translucent fabrics paired with white linens.

    Still want to bring the outdoors in? Use an herb garden as your table’s centerpiece and keep some kitchen shears handy so you can make the rounds just as dinner is served. You can welcome guests to your table as you sprinkle a few fresh-cut chives, a basil leaf or two, or a fresh sprig of rosemary, coriander or parsley on each plate.

    Invest in a few great fruit bowls that are also conversation pieces and lead with a fresh fruit dessert centerpiece—mangos, berries and cherries for a summery feel.

    Spare and bare for fall

    Most fall dining decor themes reflect the abundance of the harvest season, with its russets, taupes, ochres and rich, dark greens. Try taking a minimalist approach to fall dining decor. The falling leaves expose a tree’s true form, and decor that reflects structure can be dramatic. Take advantage of the changing angles of light to feature a series of small wood sculptures as centerpieces. Choose ones that look good from all angles and contain depths of color: marble, granite or wood. Or try a large round metal piece that both reflects and absorbs light. Embrace the stark and don’t be afraid of high-contrast color choices. Rather than black and white, though, think tan and gray.

    Just as what we eat changes from season to season, the way we eat changes too. Try to create a dining experience you can customize to reflect the rhythm of the season.