Fall: How To Cozy Up Your Home
I was reading this article over at Woman's Day magazine online giving some suggestions on how to cozy up the home for Fall. It made me think about how, despite the suggestions that exist out there in myriads of blogs and magazines, we all have a deeply personal way of decorating for the seasons and I'd love to hear from you this morning so we can all have a voice in this - how do you cozy up your home for Fall?
Here are some of my tips, including things that I do personally to take my home from summer to fall:
1. Swap the throw on my sofa. In the warmer months I have a throw, but usually as decoration more than anything else - though I do use it on chilly summer nights from time to time. In the autumn though, I swap it out for a warm, thick throw. Chenille, wool, felt, a heavy cotton, cable knit cotton -- all work nicely. I have a gray cable knit throw that I love!
2. Pillows! I love to change my pillows with the seasons, that's why when I buy pillows these days I usually buy only the zippered covers and leave the inserts in the store. I have so many inserts I do not need more! Silks and canvas pillows are exchanged for velvets and knits. I also like to use hues a few shades deeper than what I use in the summer. For instance, lilac and pale blue gets replaced with jewel tones like plum and turquoise or plum and deep sea blue.
3. Warm up your vignettes. For instance, I like to mix in cream and sand with my white pottery. I exchange pebbles and sea glass with leaves and acorns. No detail is left unnoticed!
4. Candles that are white, lilac and ice blue in the summer are exchanged for ones that are medium gray, plum, turquoise and cream. I also add in a bit of chocolate to warm up the palette. Also scented candles change according to the season. I currently have candles that are unscented from Villa Collection in gray and my scented candles are from Floris. The Floris candles can be a bit expensive, but are so, so worth it, they commonly sell for around 43 Euro for a 6 oz candle. I exchanged my Jasmine & Rose Floris candle with a Cinnamon & Tangerine. Also, I love Candied Fruit from L'Occitane, that is my signature scent for autumn I think. In the warmer months though, you can find me burning their Lavender candle, a favorite of mine for quite some time.
5. Speaking of scents, my scented sprays change by the season too. I keep a bottle of room spray in my bedroom and another in my hallway. The one in my bedroom is what I use religiously each night before bed, it puts me to sleep. It's called Relax by German organic cosmetics company Amala. The spray I use in my hallway is from Annick Goutal in Paris, it's called Noel and is perfect for this time of year. It smells like pine and berries. Soooo lovely. Perfect for freshening the air before guests arrive! That is, if I don't have something cooking on the stove or in the oven - then of course no room sprays are needed. :)
6. My linens -- table linens go from a summer palette to a warmer, more rustic one. I also like to layer tablecloths, a solid with a pattern, for instance. I use chargers beneath my china to warm things up as layers of things always give a cozy feel. They also help my white china to look more cozy. Same goes for bed linens, I add blankets and extra warm sheets but also the palette goes a bit darker in hue - from light gray to dark, for instance.
7. Bring the outside in: I tend to collect finds from my daily walks, I'm like a squirrel, especially in the autumn. I collect branches (ask my husband about the spiders I ask him to rescue from them) to arrange in large vases, leaves, pine cones, acorns and chestnuts to place around candles, on the table runner in the dining area, in the hallway in a small basket, even to add little ribbons to the stems and place them on the table. I love all of these fallen finds and also find some use for them, though they don't always last that long and you have to make sure you find ones that are clean! Squash, pumpkins and other harvest goodies look nice on the table or in the kitchen on a counter.
8. Swap out art prints. This is another easy way to bring the Fall look to your home. I collect art prints and so I love being able to remove current ones and swap them out. This is the beauty of owning prints. Store the current ones in acid-free archive safe folders so you can put them back up next year.
9. Swap curtains, if you can. I don't do this as often as I once did because now I have roman blinds in most of my home and those work great year round for me, but if you have drapes you can consider using linen and cottons in the warm months and in the colder months, opt for velvets and heavy cottons, or even lined drapes, as this can help you save considerably on your heating bill and warm up the room - velvet always makes a room feel very cozy.
10. Replace your rugs. You can roll us the sisal and replace it with a thicker, warmer throw. If you have few rugs you can add a few more when it gets cold, I don't have wall-to-wall carpet so I need rugs when the temps drop or else my feet freeze and I have to turn the heat way up. And heat is not cheap! If you have a rug that is painted onto your floor, you can simply put a "real" rug over it to keep your toes warm until the temps go up again and you can reveal your hand painted or stenciled rug again.
11. Wood! Another thing that I don't do simply because I do not have one, wood for the fireplace! It looks so nice stacked neatly inside or nearby, or if you have a fireplace that you cannot use, place candles inside instead and light them in the evenings for a warm glow.
12. Flowers and plants: See what is in season in your part of the world and work with the freshest, most beautiful greenery and blooms you can find. Try to treat yourself to a small bouquet each week, or pick some field flowers and bring them in. Using flowers that are in season can certainly give your home that fresh fall feeling!
Your turn - how do you cozy up your home this time of year? What are some of your favorite home scents?
Oh and to all those living in New England, anyone have a good Apple Cider recipe? We don't have apple cider here and I'd love to make some for my relatives!
(Photos: Woman's Day magazine online)