FALL TIPS

Autumn is the time of year to snuggle up and FALL for great home design.  As the days become shorter and the evenings turn cooler it’s time to take our homes from summer to fall décor. As you read ahead you will discover that turning over the season does not require a complete redecorating plan or a hearty budget. Fall is the season where we begin planning celebrations, city life heats up again and social calendars begin to fill up until the New Year.  It’s the perfect time to organize the home, get your storage sorted and prepare for the busy season ahead.  In this issue, you’ll receive ideas on creating the perfect harvest décor and color palette (see Falling for Great Design) as well as tips on organizing your home (see Trade Secrets-- Get Organized).

I’ve also added some tricks and treats for Halloween decorating (see Decorating Shortcuts). And I’ll show you how to determine your own Personal decorating style (Ask Melanie)

So, as you fall into good design this season, I wish you a warm home, an abundant harvest, and many thanksgivings!

Melanie

When changing your home from the cool palette of summer to the handsome decor of fall, think warm colors, rich cuddly textures and turn to nature to accessorize.

Color
If you are up for a little color change try repainting the family room. The palette for fall is sophisticated.  This season designers are boldly choosing palettes that are energizing. The results are stunning! Golden yellows blend into fiery reds, with an added mix of burnt orange, crimson and terra cotta. After all it’s only paint and it is easy to change. A little color psychology can go a long way when it comes to warming up a room in the colder months.

Fabric
Its nature’s palette that makes patterns like a paisley print, a heather weave, or the faded flame-stitch seem so appropriate for fall. Selecting these patterns for upholstered furniture or for accent pillows will make a statement in your home this season.

Soft chenille, wool and velvet throws added to beds and sofas are a good fall staple.  These fabrics add warmth and texture to the home, as the season gets colder. 

Floors
Textured carpet such as the 1970’s long shag is popular (yup it’s back!).  Shag, wool or fur rugs are great for layering over an existing carpet (imitation and faux are fine).  The layering of rugs is hot this season. This influence comes from the Near East. India’s culture is dominating fashion, home style, entertainment and the healing arts. 

Windows
Fall is the season to bring back velvet, chenille or damask window treatments. If you are on a budget, ready-made panels are available at most department stores and are very cost effective.  Simply draping or swaging a few yards of fabric onto a rod is also a good fall window treatment tip.

Accessories
Remember, the smallest detail can take a room from good to great, so pay attention when it comes to accessorizing for fall! Candles create ambience! Choose candles that cast off a fall fragrance and are rich in color.  Leather bond and hardcover books are another inexpensive and an effective accessory item. Stack them or stand them to create different levels on a table. How about finding creative ways to bring nature inside? Large wooden bowls filled with apples, nuts or gourds replace the floral decorations of summer.  Pumpkin and squash shells can be used as decorative containers.  Flowers such as mums, poppies, and sunflowers make vibrant autumn displays.  Cuttings from trees placed in your favorite pottery can also make a statement. Acorns and pinecones are to autumn what pebbles and shells are to summer. Collected on nature walks, they can add rustic charm to your home. Don’t forget the fireplace! Dress the mantle with branches, leaves berries, gourds, pumpkins or pomegranates. Add kindling to a basket or an iron pot is a good decorating touch to the hearth. 

Housekeeping Tips That Really Work!

• My lips are sealed!
  Unseal an envelope by putting in the freezer for a few hours, and then slide a knife under the flap.  The envelope can then be resealed.
• I’m on a roll.
  Use empty toilet paper rolls to store appliance cords.  It keeps them neat and you can write on the roll what appliance it belongs to.
• Here’s looking at you kid!
  Use air freshener to clean mirrors. It does a good job and better still, leaves a lovely smell to the shine.

ASK MELANIE...

I can’t seem to narrow down my specific decorating style.  Can you give me some tips? 

To determine your own decorating style, tune into your fashion sense. All the ideas and clues are right there on your body, your vanity and in your closet.  Look at what you are wearing, your favorite dress, the colors you wear most often and the style of clothes you feel best dressed in.

Below is a list of wardrobe styles that match a persons decorating style.  Which one best describes you?

Blue jeans and a cotton shirt= Casual Country

Denim dress and ruffled cotton blouse= Victorian

Black Leather and biker boots= Minimal Contemporary

Jeans, plaid shirt, cowboy boots=Southwest / Country Western

Fisherman knit sweater, blue jeans, docksiders= Preppie/Nautical

Navy suit, channel black=European/Continental

Sequined sweaters, bright clothes=Art Deco/Hollywood Glamour

Please send your design questions to melanie@interior-revivals.com

DECORATING SHORTCUTS

This Halloween may your home and décor be bewitching and your evening simply spooktacular!

1. Replace regular light bulbs with black or purple light bulbs
2. Use silhouette cutouts in the windows to scare the dickens out of your guests: Use an overhead projector to enlarge a silhouette of a witch onto black poster board.
3. Remove traditional drapes and replace them with scary no-sew drapes made of sheets and a few fake bloodstains. Hang from existing rods using double-sided tape.
4. Place rubber or plastic bats, spiders and snakes in unexpected places, i.e. under a hand towel in the bathroom, on a plate of cookies or in the punch bowl.
5. Fill the bathtub with red bath colorant and add a mannequin body part.  (Look in the yellow pages under store fixtures). Place a spare hand in a candy bowl and a pair of feet behind a curtain.
6. Drape faux spider webbing onto a chandelier, fireplace, drapes and mirrors.
7. No Halloween décor is complete without a house full of haunting sound effects. Be sure to play eerie sound effects or the latest monster tunes on your stereo.

1. Clean out a junk draw
2. Update an address book
3. Clean the front of the refrigerator
4. Straighten out the medicine cabinet
5. Sweep or vacuum a room
6. Clean and disinfect combs and hair brushes
7. Straighten your desk
8. Change the sheets on the bed
9. Hand wash some clothes
10. Clean out your purse or briefcase