Although it’s always sad to reach the end of the summer, and say goodbye to our flip flops, Fall is probably the most beautiful season we have here in Canada and I look forward to it every year. So if you’d like to embrace the beauty of Fall and incorporate it into your décor, here are some ideas:
1)Lighting: create warmer lighting by dimming the lights slightly. Not only does this create a warm, cozy atmosphere, but it saves on energy costs as well.
2)Fire: If you have a fireplace, use it! So many of us do have them (myself included) and we hardly ever do! If it’s a gas fireplace, you have no excuse. If it’s wood burning, yes it’s a bit more work, but definitely worth it. Another way to warm the room up is with candle light. Be safe of course, especially around the kids.
3)Scent: If you love the smell of apple, pumpkin, vanilla, or spices like cinnamon, allspice, cardamom, ginger, vanilla, etc, get some scented candles or air fresheners. Baking something with these ingredients, like apple or pumpkin pie, is always a yummy way to create these scents naturally. Involve the kids in the baking too, and it’s an activity the whole family can enjoy.
4)Fresh produce: Display seasonal fresh produce in your home in a decorative bowl or platter. Go apple picking as a family and display the “fruits” of your labour proudly. Or go to your local market and pick up a variety of squash (they often have a pre-packaged bag that include some “mini” pumpkins, along with other interesting looking squash).
5)Floral: I definitely don’t have a green thumb, but you can plant (or buy like me) seasonal plants like Chrysanthemums, better known to most of us as “mums”. How
fitting! They come in a variety of warm, fall colours, and you can buy potted mums pretty
much anywhere when they are in season. Display them on your front porch to welcome guests,
or on your back patio to enjoy. You can also buy your favourite flowers in the warm fall colours
of reds, oranges and yellows. If you’re really creative, buy white flowers, put a bit of food
colouring in the water and watch the flowers change colours. The kids would have fun with this too. Another option is to have the kids collect some colourful leaves outside, and simply fill up a vase or bowl with leaves. They may not last long, but it will look great until they dry up.
6)Wreaths: Display a seasonal wreath on your front door to welcome not only your guests, but also the Fall season. They can be as simple as some twigs with cranberries woven in, or intricate with various plants and flowers in the gorgeous fall colours.
7)Textiles: Don’t be afraid to change up a few things in your interior décor for
the season. Buy a few throw pillows for your living or family room in the warm, fall colours. Buy a cozy throw blanket in a fall colour as well. These will, of course, work best if your décor incorporates these colours, or if you have a relatively neutral palette with you main furniture pieces, floors, paint, etc. A pop of red or orange would look amazing.
8)Paint: If you love to paint and you love colour, why not do a feature wall in one of the fall colours, like a deep red or orange? It will add drama and warmth to your space. The warm colours will reflect off of other surfaces—even your skin! And again, if you love to paint and you get tired of the colour in the Spring, just pick up that paint brush again, prime, paint, and repeat!
9)Family Photos: The best time of year to take photos outdoors is the Fall. You can do a family photo shoot outside when the leaves have changed colours, and then display the photos gallery-style in your home. The photos will add that fall warmth to your home, but can stay up for years to enjoy. And if you don’t want to be the star of the show, let the fall colours be the star, and just take some beautiful landscape photos (in high resolution), then have them printed out large scale, or on canvas.
10)The Obvious: Ok, so the obvious way to bring fall décor into the home,of course, is Halloween décor! That’s a whole separate article, but it’s fun for the kids, and the whole neighbourhood. So carve that pumpkin, and hang some of the artwork your kids bring home from school. They’ll love it and so will you!
