Around The House

(Click image for directions on making the harvest centerpiece)

A hint of wood smoke in the air, crisp nights, and foliage ablaze with color announce the arrival of autumn. What a lovely time of year, and what a good time to spruce up your home, just in time for a little fall entertaining. Let your home reflect the gorgeous colors and interesting textures found in nature. Need a little help? Here are a few ideas to get you started.

Begin right at your front door. The entry to your home is a direct reflection of your taste and design. It give your visitors an idea of what's to come. A lovely arrangement for the front stoop or porch can be simply done by stacking assorted sizes of pumpkins around a stalk of dried wheat or corn stalks. Hang a bountiful fruit wreath on your front door. You can design one of your own, using a twig wreath adorned with silk autumn leaves, craft store fruits and nuts, small gourds, cinnamon sticks, etc., or purchase your favorite from a design store or florist. These will work well from now right on through Thanksgiving. If you have a foyer or entry hall, a vase of brilliantly colored fall flowers looks very inviting on a hall table, especially when backed by a mirror. Add assorted sizes of spice and fruited scented candles for a welcoming scent sensation and warm cozy glow.

Your living and family rooms can get a great, new look with just a few inexpensive accessories. Just remember that while summer calls for a cool, airy feel; autumn design should say "warm and cozy". Heavier fabrics and textures, deeper colors, and muted lighting, such as lamp or candlelight all convey a feeling of warmth and intimacy. Try draping a wool or heavy cotton throw over the back of your couch or your favorite easy chair. Add several warmer deeper colored throw pillows for easy access when snuggling down to read a book or watching a favorite movie.  Put up harvest colored valances and café curtains. Café curtains will add to the cozy feel of the room and provide a bit of protection from drafts from the blustery winds while keeping the upper portion of the window open to the light of crisp, sunny autumn days.

Think of the coffee table as an artist's canvas, and design a striking still life of stacks of your favorite books, a wooden bowl piled high with red ripe apples, and a tray of assorted cinnamon stick candles. These look wonderful and are easy to make. Just take various sizes of white pillar candles and glue cinnamon sticks all the way around. The cinnamon sticks don't have to be all the same size; in fact it looks better if they are uneven. Take some raffia and tie bows around them and you have instant charm! If you are lucky enough to have a fireplace or wood stove, don't neglect to give them a facelift too. The mantle looks lovely with a garland of fall foliage winding across the top. You can also make a pretty leaf garland by pressing leaves in a heavy book or telephone directory for a few days and then stringing them together with invisible thread or gold thread to drape or wind anywhere that you need a little extra color. Perhaps a collection of wooden duck decoys flanked on either side by hurricane globes over pillar candles would look nice, or if that doesn't suit you, any collection looks fabulous on the mantle. Just use those items that reflect your taste and personality.

The kitchen is the next stop in your autumn makeover. The same design elements mentioned above, will also apply to the kitchen. Dress your table in placemats and napkins of a course cotton or even burlap type fabric. A large crockery or ceramic bowl looks great filled with miniature pumpkins, gourds, and nuts. Find placemats and napkins that reflect the colors of the fall harvest, such as warm soft orange, gold and forest green, perhaps in a plaid or check pattern, you will be delighted at the effect.

Remember how important aroma is in the atmosphere of your home. A copper simmering pot of apples and cinnamon potpourri fills your home with the delicious aromas and memories of childhood. You can also make your own simmering potpourri. Just add cloves, cinnamon sticks, and apple or orange peels to water. Simmer over very low heat and enjoy the lovely fragrance wafting throughout your home.

These are just a few suggestions to get you started. You will find that as you begin to incorporate these elements into your decor, you will be inspired with many more of your own ideas and preferences. Always remember, your home is just that, yours; and it should reflect your taste and style. Have fun and enjoy your pleasantly cozy home.