Warming Your Home Up for Fall
October 2010
Autumn is absolutely my favorite time of the year. I always look forward to the colors, smells and activities of the fall season. Yet, no matter how much fun I have picking pumpkins and apples and preparing for trick-or-treaters, I know that colder weather is on the way and that it’s time to start preparing for that change in my home.
Warming your home’s interior up for the fall and winter is important for your personal comfort as well as your well-being. It is so easy to get the winter blues when the days turn dark before dinnertime and the sky turns gray. You cannot control the outside world but you can create a world on the inside of your home that speaks to and resonates with you. A few simple changes can spiff up any space and keep it comfortably warm, even if the temperature outside is chilly. Try adapting some of the following tips to keep your rooms at their peak in the bleak winter:
1. Add in Some Spice
Color adds energy to any area and helps to create visual connections between different items in a room. Chocolate browns, burgundies or golds quickly transform a space as well as add depth and character to rooms. By painting your walls or just an accent wall a spicy color such as burnt orange. you will instantly increase your home’s coziness factor. Even if you do not want to paint, you can add these tones in draperies, furniture, pillows, rugs or art.
2. Lighten It Up
Create a cozy glow by updating your lighting to gain brightness on the upcoming gray days. Combine overhead lighting, large floor lamps and smaller task lighting in your rooms. Now is also a good time to increase the bulb strength in existing fixtures after checking the lamp for the highest recommended wattage. Finally, add dimmers to all of your lighting so that you can set the mood that you want and be energy-efficient at the same time.
3. Wrap Your Windows
Draperies warm up a space visually as well as insulate around windows where our homes lose the most energy. They also soften the room, reduce sounds and increase your privacy and security. Hang draperies close to the ceiling and to the floor for the greatest impact and layer your windows by putting draperies over wood blinds or shades. Make sure that they are lined to get the greatest energy-saving impact and to increase their luxuriousness.
4. Sprinkle in Accessories
An empty room will always feel cold and unwelcoming. Adding in colorful candles, bright pillows and your favorite art will not only make your rooms come to life but will add your personality and style to your home. Be sure to display collections, family photos and travel souvenirs throughout your rooms to give them your personal touch.
5. Spread on Texture
Area rugs are an instant color and pattern makeover for any room. They help to multiply room-warming texture and coziness. Place your area rugs on top of your carpet and your summer-time sea grass rugs for a chic, layered effect.
When chilly weather moves in, place a luxurious throw over a chair or sofa. A chenille or cashmere throw is the ultimate warming factor in any room and simply calls out for you to sit, relax, enjoy the season and your own slice of the world—your home.
Be sure to email any questions that you have about decorating and remodeling to me at pbm@TheHomeProjectFile.com