Fall is in the air! I know it’s hard to believe as we enjoy this beautiful summer weather, but the change of season is fast approaching. The nights are starting to cool down, Fall foliage is peeking through the summer trees and, most importantly, new Fall stock is making its first appearance in retail stores– and ours is no exception! The change in season doesn’t just mean a change in weather though, for us (and for many of our customers) it means a change in decor as well.
Seasonal decor can be quite challenging. We love to mix things up, and changing your decor with the seasons is a fun way to do that, but the warm, rich colours and heavier fabrics typically associated with Autumn can be difficult to incorporate into your year-round home decor. Many distraught customers completely fall in love (pardon the pun!) with the cozy Autumn and Winter decor, but feel that it simply does not work in their homes. But don’t worry– where there’s a will there’s a way! We’ve picked up a few tricks over the years that make it a little easier to play around with different colours and textures in your home. So here are some of our tricks, if you have any of your own share them in the comment section below; we’d love to hear them!
Mixing colours often comes up as the biggest struggle when people attempt to decorate for the different seasons. Many of our customers find themselves reluctant to bring in the warm orange and red tones that are typically associated with Fall for fear of the colours clashing, and looking too busy or hectic. One of our favourite ways to get around this problem is to find textiles which incorporate both the colours of your year-round home decor and the seasonal colours you’re looking to incorporate. Patterned throw cushions for the living room or a nice table runner for your dining room that bring together several different tones and colours can be a cost-effective way to pick up on the usual accent colours of your home, while tying in your favourite seasonal items!
In the photo above, the greens and blues tie in nicely with the more seasonal Fall items (the orange berry wreath, birch bark candles, decorative pumpkin and heavier fabric green cushion) because the two patterned cushions give us a variety of colours to draw from to create a well-rounded seasonal look, that is still festive without going over the top or clashing. The neutral cushion in the centre demonstrates another ‘trick of the trade’: including a few darker neutrals can tone down the brighter colours in your home, and help to create a warm, Autumn atmosphere. Bright colours are nice and airy for spring and summer; toning them down with darker neutrals can help to ground them for Fall.
You can also use artwork to mix colours! In the same way that a patterned cushion can tie in several different colours for you to work with, the right piece of art will broaden your colour palette! This doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to hang a Fall landscape though; artwork is very personal and you should always choose pieces that you love! This could be anything from a realist Fall landscape to something totally abstract! No matter the style, you can draw from the different colours in your artwork to liven up your home.
Neither of the paintings (left: Deirdre Cuggy, right: Meaghan Cuggy) pictured above are specific to Fall; they would each look great hanging all year because they combine a wide range of colours that work with such a large variety of looks!
That brings us to my next point. Don’t be afraid to work with more than one colour or texture! Not everything in your home has to “match”; in fact, it’s better if it doesn’t! Contrast and variation creates visual interest. So when you’re out looking for accent pieces, like cushions and artwork, try not to get too hung up on the details! The green in your cushion doesn’t need to be the exact same shade as the green in your artwork; and when you’re mixing in seasonal items (maybe a fall wreath, for instance) you don’t need to match the colour of the wreath to your cushions. This advice applies to decorating in general, as well as seasonal decor more specifically: try to look at the big picture!
Our final, and I think the most important piece of advice is: do whatever you want! The most important thing in home decor is to create an environment that feels comfortable to you and to surround yourself with pieces that you love and make you happy. So if you want to create a festive atmosphere in your home, don’t worry about all the reasons you don’t think it will work–just go for it! Like I said earlier: where there’s a will, there’s a way! Whether it’s something small and simple like a few decorative gourds, or something more substantial like a piece of artwork, if you choose pieces that you love you will be happy with the results!
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