Keep it light and simple
By Deann Hammer, Broadway Design
As the light turns golden outdoors and the leaves follow, it is the time of year to begin to look inward into our homes and prepare for comfort during the cooler months ahead.
Fall decorating has taken on a new twist to coordinate with the grey, white and softer home colors of today. Ditch the classic pumpkin colors of heavy oranges, browns and reds for fall, and opt for a lighter variation of the theme this year.
Floral arrangements that include grasses from your yard that are starting to seed and dry mixed with larger seed pods and protea (found online from Hawaiian online sources or at Washington Floral in Tacoma) will last indoors for many months and add rich natural texture and color to your decorating theme. Adding herbs from the garden such as large sage leaves, chive, parsley and dill will enhance the aroma and also add color.
Floral arrangements can be made in large ceramic urns with tree branches for extra height on fireplace hearths, kitchen tables or foyer tables. Drying hydrangeas are also nice to add, bringing in soft color to the mix.
I like to stuff a pomegranate or two into my arrangements for color (wire them in on a stick), and let them dry in the arrangement until Christmas when I change themes.
Fall front door wreaths don’t have to be laden with Halloween trinkets. Go for a more sophisticated fall look with a wreath brimming with natural elements from outdoors such as thistle, seed pods, grasses and dried flowers. You can buy them finished online or make your own with a grapevine wreath base, wire and a glue gun. Add a velvet or textured ribbon at the top of the piece to hang your wreath. Brass wreath hangers lay on the top of your door and are also a nice addition, alleviating the need for a nail in your door.
Light up any room with a glass baby with tea light (always best in groups of three or more), or use battery-operated candles on timers that turn on at dusk (average run time is four hours) and turn themselves off. Battery-operated candles are terrific for hard-to-reach places like the top of a cabinet, foyers and hallways that are not often traveled, and lighting for shelves that cannot handle the heat of a regular candle. Avoid any fluorescent or LED blue light bulbs in your home’s light fixtures or lamps in the winter. Warming up your lighting to look like warm candlelight is the name of the game.
Outdoor lighting is important to expand the view from your home at night. Replace any burned-out exterior landscaping bulbs and clean solar lights to prepare for winter. String Edison bulbs or white Christmas lights in your trees for extra outdoor lighting. Battery-operated candles are also terrific in lanterns by your front door or outdoor seating areas. Make sure they are covered or brought inside when the rain starts.
Bring in a chunky knit throw for your sofa in neutral colors to add warmth, texture and style to any room. Faux fur throw blankets are still on trend but in lighter colors this year (ditch the orange and black cheetah print) and go for snow leopard, white fox or faux shearling.
Bundle up and enjoy the season!
Deann Hammer is the owner of Broadway Design, a boutique interior design firm in Gig Harbor. She and her team craft spaces that are tailored to each client's personality and lifestyle, while mindful of their budget, creating a perfect harmony between aesthetics and function. BroadwayDesign.net