Filed under: Your Home, Projects, Fun Stuff, Crafts & Projects, Holidays
Before you rush out to buy seasonal decor, take a look at these easy ways to bring the autumn season indoors.1. Turn a scarf into a table runner.
There's this striped J Crew scarf I own that, while I love the chocolate-browns, creams, turquoises and mustards, doesn't come out of my closet often enough. I was about to drop it into a donation bag for the local Goodwill store when a decorating idea spun through my head. Why not repurpose it as a table runner? No stitching or cutting necessary. I simply laid it horizontal across my coffee table. Voila!
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2. Perfume your abode with apples and pumpkins.
I get tired of all of the fake smells that waft from candle wax, like "apple cobbler" and "pumpkin spice." Why not go for the real thing? Slice a pie pumpkin in half vertically, scoop out the seeds and stringy insides with a spoon, place the two shells in a shallow baking dish in the oven (pre-heated to 375 degrees) and drizzle them with maple syrup. In 90 minutes you will have the most delicious, warm pumpkin you have ever eaten. And it will make your home smell divine. Trust us on this one.
Short on time? Buy a frozen apple pie from your market's frozen-foods aisle and bake it in the oven. Mmmm. This scent throughout your house will beat out lit candles any day!
Photo: Anthropologie, Bloomingdale's, Williams-Sonoma Home and Crate and Barrel
3. Decorate with throw blankets.
Drape hand-knit, chunky, cable-knit, cashmere or mohair throw blankets -- the more texture the better -- over armchairs, rocking chairs and the backs of sofas. Or fold into large squares and arrange on top of ottomans. This is the time of year when there might be a chill in the air.
Red Throw, Crate and Barrel, $60
"Lauren by Ralph Lauren" Cable-Knit Throw (in tan, white or red), Bloomingdale's, $50
Cashmere Throw (in seven different colors), Williams-Sonoma Home, $298
"Quirky Heirloom" Throw, Anthropologie, $198
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4. Frame fall color.
What I like to do during autumn is pluck a few brilliantly colored leaves off the lawn of my favorite park, lie them flat between sheets of wax paper inside a book, and then frame those leaves after a few days of drying. You don't have to deal with matting or any kind of expensive frame. Just drop them into the picture window of any 5' by 7' frame. Even if you don't have leaves in your yard, chances are that a neighbor does. Take a few of those fall leaves without any guilt and use them in your framing project. It will be a reminder of this glorious season long after it's over.
If you live in a climate where the tree leaves don't change color, look to pine cones or any kind of tall grass growing nearby. For a reminder that the season is changing, arrange pine cones in a bowl on the living-room table or place the grasses inside a tall vase.
Photo: Williams-Sonoma and Restoration Hardware
5. Hang a wreath on your front door.
No, we don't mean an evergreen or cypress wreath for the winter holiday season. We mean one built from dried fruits, berries or vegetables, or pine cones, or even fake leaves. Above are two wreaths that we'd love on our front doors.
Mixed Leaf Wreath, Pottery Barn, $29
Corn Wreath, Williams-Sonoma, $70
Preserved Magnolia & Pomegranate Wreath, Restoration Hardware, $89-$199
For more ideas on how to ready your home for fall, check out:
-Fall Trends 2010
-Brights For Fall in Home Decorating
-Flowering Fall Herbs