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Decorating How-to: Leaves, Gourds, Grasses

© Barbara Bell

No, this isn't a gardening article. It's not about the need to rake your lawn, harvest your vegetables, or add fertilizer to the rose beds. It's a decorating how-to about the easiest ways to make the transition from summer decorating to the colorful autumn "dress" for your home.

Some of us acquire seasonal decorating items over the years, and it's about this time we bring out the silk asters and chrysanthemums, the woven basket cornucopia, the ceramic pumpkins, and so on. But if you're just starting out or are on a budget, there are easy and inexpensive ways to get the same look.

Take a walk around your neighborhood and find the prettiest and freshest red and gold leaves on the ground. Gather a few of the longer grasses, some twigs with colorful berries, a pine cone or two, and if you have them, some of the late blooming flowers in your garden.

Preserving the leaves can be done by placing a sheet of waxed paper over them and ironing them (both sides of the leaf) with a warm iron. The wax will help keep them through the few weeks that you'll be using them.

These natural elements can be combined in a basket with some bright red apples for a centerpiece, with a fat pillar candle in the center or tall tapers on either side. An earthenware or wooden bowl piled with apples and walnuts will do nicely, too.

Look in your supermarket's produce aisle for acorn, butternut and pattypan squash, or other varieties, to place (on a sheet of paper) in groups of 3 or 5 on your mantel. These are cheaper in your supermarket than anywhere else.

Bring out a warm and colorful throw for the sofa, and put real logs in the fireplace. Polish the metal lamps and candlesticks to make sure they reflect the fire's flames.

The colors you should be thinking about now are gold, scarlet, cranberry, forest green, earthy browns, and yellow. Exchange bright white cottons for cream or ivory flannels, the gingham for a substantial plaid in reds and blues.

If your floors have been bare for the summer, spread an inexpensive area rug within the seating areas to add a sense of warmth to the room.

Now is a good time to check out the free Interior Decorating 101 course at SuiteU, so you can get ready for those winter redecorating projects!

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