I’m a huge fan of embracing the beauty of each new season in my home’s décor, especially for fall, when there are so many irresistible colors, textures and patterns to choose from. Thankfully, tricking up your home for fall doesn’t have to take lots of time or effort. In fact, you can give your living area a super quick fall makeover using two of my favorite tricks.
Trick 1: Tuck in Fall Pillows
Do a quick review of the furniture in your spaces. Could your sofa and chairs use a little sprucing up for the season? It’s easy to update the look of upholstered furniture just by adding in new pillows. All it took to make this sofa at Nell Hill’s layered and lush for fall was a trio of pillows: a terra cotta plaid, a toile and an earthy geometric. The three patterns are very different, but the common colors thread them together into a lovely expression of autumn. Be sure to include a mix of sizes and shapes to keep your pillow display interesting.
If your furniture is upholstered in a neutral fabric, the sky is the limit when it comes to accent pillows. This cream sofa is a blank slate, which means you can add in colors and patterns from all over the spectrum. The accent pillows on this Nell Hill’s sofa tell a fall story through pattern: two stylized animal prints and a snuggly cable-knit throw. Be sure to pick pillows that can zip off and use a high quality form. Every season, I unzip my pillows, pull out the forms and stick them into the new pillows. The old pillows go to the cleaners, then are stored away until next year.
When it comes to fall decorating, my heart thumps at the sight of rich plaids and iconic hunting scenes. In this showroom at Nell Hill’s, we balanced the ageless beauty of fall fabrics and colors with a piece of whimsical art depicting a pack of dogs.
When you use two or three different sets of accent pillows on a sofa, you can get several different looks just by changing the placement of the pillows. Here, we swapped the dog print with the plaid, and suddenly, the sofa is lighter and brighter.
Trick 2: Toss in a Throw Blanket
You know how some women are addicted to shoes? I’m getting to be that way with throw blankets. They are my new I-can’t-help-myself compulsion. I blame it on Dan, actually. He keeps our home so cold that even in the summer I need to wrap up in a little blanket to keep my fingers and toes from turning blue. OK, maybe that’s an excuse … I just love the way they look and feel and add a punch of beauty to my home, especially in the fall.
While I like to have throws draped over my sofa, chairs and bed even in the warm months, they are an essential when the weather turns cold. In my home, I keep a stack of five or more throws in a basket tucked under an end table in my living room, at the ready so I can wrap up when I’m enjoying my first cup of coffee in the morning or curling up with a book in the evening.
I went crazy at market, ordering throws in just about every color, pattern and style. We have the BEST selection right now, with flannel throws starting as low as $38. You’ll find blankets in all my faves: houndstooth, buffalo check, every kind of plaid and stripe imaginable, cable knit, angora … be still my beating heart.
Next Week … Please join me at Innisfree, my cottage by the lake, for an October gathering, complete with pumpkins, s’mores and a roaring fire.
