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Autumn is one of the most coveted times of year. It is a time when we all reference the colors of the changing leaves, the autumnal fruits and veggies, and the weather. It is the harvest, the gathering, and the celebrations that bring us together before winter takes ahold of things. Autumn is the last hurrah before we dive into our academic of professional responsibilities just a little bit more than we did in spring or summer. Its a time of renewal by shedding our summer skins and spending more time indoors. With life becoming more centered around the home, lets focus on making it reflect a comforting and inviting living space for ourselves and our flock.

With the constant flow of new design shows about flipping homes and interior design, most people can get a real sense of what is trending in the design market. These shows also educate people enough to freshmans in the school of residential construction and design. The most desired style as of late is a clean and simple farmhouse or bohemian look. Lots of whites, greys, and tans with accents that can jump from one style to another. It's about layering and textures with unique textiles, rugs, and artwork.

Most people think orange and brown when it comes to fall. Though those colors are classic and do so well in many types of homes, they do not need to be a theme in your home. My first place was decorated with bright white and an array of blue and green accents. It was light, airy, and relaxing. It was akin to a modern coastal vibe with some bohemian accents and the challenge I had with the seasonal changes was incorporating elements that reflected fall or winter without looking like a hodge lodge of stuff piled on shelves and tables.

The first layer, and arguably the most important layer, is the natural elements of your home; The existing light fixtures, the kitchen cabinets, the wall color, the trim color, and configuration. When you own your home the best way to maximize your ever changing style is through architecture. When you are someone who lives in an apartment (Me being a military SO), you are limited to what you can change if anything at all. I suggest that if you are living in an apartment to try to work with the existing elements you cannot change. You do not have to sacrifice your personal style and I will preface this further in the article. If the apartment is typical like basic molding, low budget semi updated fixtures and appliances, they're are ways of making the space look upgraded. You will define the space more with layer two and three.

In my first apartment, my couch was a vintage white valor (It was damaged, disposed of, and I miss it everyday), my rugs were industrial strength black and my furniture was thrifted and painted white. Since I had most of these pieces before living there, I had to make it work for the space I was in. It was galley style and the kitchen and living space were one in the same.That kind of layout is not uncommon today with the functionality of the open concept living spaces. After finding the most desired position for my furniture, I then started adding the second layer.

Textured items in bownish-greys, no matter what type of style you have, will soften your existing space. You can marry more substantial pieces in over time. This second layer is made up of blankets, pillows, window treatments, lamps, smaller furniture pieces, and accent chairs. Even if neutral tones are not for you, there are many ways of maximizing your existing colors and patterns so they make sense seasonally.

One of our clients loved purple (Specifically plum). Her living space was mostly brown leather, matching wood furniture, and dark purple accents in a traditional style. When she utilized our company for seasonal decorating, we complimented the existing plum and chestnut colors with other jewel tones like burnt orange, mustard yellow, and deep burgundy. We then added smaller items in pale green, taupe, and cream. These colors were incorporated into her space by way of pillows, a new table cloth, velvet pumpkins, real gourds, white and orange pumpkins, decorative corns, and wood containers and baskets. We also put these elements on her front porch with purple mums as the main theme. In those decor items were transitional pieces that she would also be able to utilize for her Christmas displays through her home. Such as the baskets and table cloth which is a deep plum and burgundy paisley pattern pictured below.

Another one of our clients had a desert style home. Dusty rose, golds, brass, textured grey woods, wood and iron furniture, and bright white linens are incorporated throughout the home. He collected older native American artwork that was hung throughout. The main print in his living room is of giant bison with orange, pink, brown tones in the landscape (picture below). For the space to make sense for an autumnal holiday, which occurs differently in desert climate, we used earth tones not too dissimilar from the ones that already existed in his space. We jazzed it up with brass candelabras holding dusty rose colored candles, white pumpkins, light green pumpkins, feathers, and continues the white linen look into the seasonal decorations. We also incorporated large bunches of fresh rosemary and dried sage. These herbs occur naturally in desert climate. With some strategic twigs in place all well, he was able to have an autumnal vibe in his desert oasis.

The last layer is the seasonal decor itself. Its items like vases, trinkets, statues, bowls, candles, pictures, and other decorative accent pieces. These pieces should compliment the colors that are in your home while also allowing for some fun and whimsy. The third layer is where you can really transform your home to the holiday of your choice. Almost every home store our company purchasesthese items from, provide amazing and unique pieces that can really pull a space together to create a polished final product. Most people have access to stores like HomeGoods, Pier One, Hobby Lobby, and Target. You can find a lot of good affordable fall decor at these stores to accent the larger pieces in your home.

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