Summer always seems to rush in full force, and after what seems like only several months of hot and balmy weather, rush right back out again. In the blink of an eye, all of the leaves on the trees lining the streets will turn from lush green to toasty amber, and fall in puddles of fiery red. The season of coats and mittens is fast approaching, and with it brings one thing with certainty: it’s time to cozy up our homes for fall.
Area rugs
Adding warmth with an area rug or hall runner is super easy and sweet underfoot for the cooler months ahead. In the summer we tend to open up our spaces and let them breathe by de-cluttering the heavier fall & winter items like draperies, pillows, and rugs. As the temperatures begin to dip, consider adding an area rug or two in family living spaces, under the dining table, at the foot of the bed, or down a hallway to give your spaces increased texture and visual warmth.
Go for gold
This ‘blast from the past’ metal has really taken off in the design world over the past few years, and this fall is no exception! If you’ve thumbed through any design magazine in the last twelve months, you couldn’t have helped but noticed just how hot this metallic is... It’s everywhere. Mirrors, vases, end tables, lighting; embrace the richness and brassiness, and mix it in with coppers and other burnt tones for a bit of drama and glamour.
Add rust
Not the nasty stuff you tend to find on your barbeques or the bottom of paint cans, mind you! If it works with your colour scheme to add tones of rust, burnt orange, terracotta, and amber, then go for it - the warmer, mellower shades will instantly give your spaces an earthier and more relaxed vibe. Throw out a toss pillow or two, move a painting or photograph containing the hue from a smaller room into an area more front and center... find ways to incorporate rusty coloured items into the mix for a deeper and richer feeling colour palette.
Candles
I absolutely love adding candles to my spaces, and warming up for fall is no exception. Whether you light them or not, the charm and ambiance candles bring in their respective season’s colours is a design-must. In an old character home we used to own, all year long I had a grouping of cream pillar candles in differing heights nestled in the fireplace. It was a wood burning fireplace we didn’t use (getting smoked out definitely wasn’t glamorous), but the flickering light that came from the candles was romantic and cozy all the same.
Foliage
As much as I love incorporating live greenery into my spaces, I can’t seem to keep it alive long enough to enjoy it. For those with green thumb issues, try bringing in dried grasses, berries, and willow for a hit of the ‘outdoors’ indoors instead. A hurricane vase on the top of a console or on a window ledge somewhere filled with twigs or wild berries is a fantastic and clean looking way of adding touches of nature for fall.
Wood accents
Driftwood, gourds, wooden trays, wood block tables, decorative wall accents... consider using nature’s finest materials and bring in some accessories in a natural wood tone or finish. Referencing a more organic and natural look will infuse your rooms with a simple and relaxing ambiance... perfect for cold days and even colder nights.