seasonal decorating | Claire Kurtz is The Well-Organized Woman

Guest Post: Top Tips for Fall Decorating

The weather’s turned cool and you’ve shifted from backyard barbecue to stovetop soups and stews. Now that the colors of autumn are all around, it’s a great time to update your décor for fall. Interior Designer Christopher Grubb of Arch-Interiors Design Group in Beverly Hills is used to styling the homes of his luxury-loving clients for all seasons. Here, he offers ideas on how to infuse warm hues and cozy textures into the home, helping you celebrate the harvest season no matter what your budget might be.

Update picture frames. This is a great change if you use wood or fall colored frames, or a mixture as well. It brings new life to your existing photos, and you’ll see them in a whole new light.
Fresh paint is always an inexpensive way to make a big impact. Think of adding a burgundy accent wall in the dining room, a terra cotta hue in the living room, or maybe a rich harvest gold in a breakfast nook. The options are unlimited.
If you have a chandelier in the dining room, add some new shades in a rich, fall color. There are some very fun beaded ones that sparkle with the lights on or off.
Find a great pattern for throw pillows with fall colors, and then complement them with solid colors. You can do this in the living room, family room, media room or bedroom.
Add linens. Tablecloths and napkins in the dining room or breakfast nook make a big difference. Choose fall shades in a solid color with colorful complementary napkins, or vice versa.
Switch out or add an area rug. If you have a solid colored one, choose a fun, patterned one for fall.
Switch up your accent towels in the bath. It’s a simple way to add a fresh touch of fall color. Use a combination of solids and prints and accent them with a new floor mat.
Fresh cut flowers can be costly, but they’re a great way to add a touch of any season to the home. One great thing to do is incorporate branches of leaves that are turning fall colors. They make a great statement and bring the outdoors inside. Also, arrangements of dried corns, nuts, and pomegranates instantly give a sense that the season is changing.
If you’ve had the same sofas or side chairs for years, you can find affordable slipcovers with great fall colors or warm textures such as chenille. If you’re crafty, look into making your own. Slipcovers can make a big change in your home without the high cost of reupholstering. Plus, they can be washed and dried.
Change drapes to a fabric with more weight to add warmth in any room. Velvet of chenille is a perfect fabric because of its thickness. You can add them as side panels on either side of a sheer drape.
A new comforter with warm colors is a great way to bring fall into the bedroom. Mix with fall-hued throw pillows to give the effect of a complete room makeover. Add fresh new sheets in fall colors such as pumpkin, hunter green, chocolate brown, or deep gold for a reminder every night that fall is in the air.
Accessorize! Start with your favorite fall colors such as burgundies, golds, browns, etc. Check out swap meets and garage sales for a mixture of glass vases or pottery. Group various colors and sizes together on a console, mantle, or coffee table. But be sure to remove some of the accessories you already have. Often we leave things out year-round and actually over-accessorize our rooms. Put them away temporarily and then add pieces of your own color scheme.

This post was generously written by Beverly Hills Interior Designer Christopher Grubb from Arch-Interiors.com.

Focus on the Holidays: Decorating Your Home for Fall and Winter

We’re not sure how it happened, but the holidays are truly upon us. Halloween is right around the corner, followed by Thanksgiving, Hannukah, Christmas and New Years – oh my! Whether it’s decorating, gift-buying or entertaining, we’ll do our best to address all of your organizational holiday challenges over the next few months.

Decorating your home for fall is one of the greatest joys of the season. There is nothing I love to do more when the season arrives. At the same time, it can also be overwhelming if your home is big or your budget is small.

In the past, I loved to over-do it with tacky decorations for each holiday and for every room. But this year, I’m looking for a more subdued look. I don’t want my home cluttered with as much stuff as we’ve had in prior years. After all, I am the Well-Organized Woman — I must practice what I preach! Less clutter, more special.

Here are a few tips for decorating your home in style without adding too much STUFF.

First, take the time before you put things out and when you put them away to evaluate what you’ll trash, donate and keep/store. We’ve referenced this method in our last few posts, and you’ll see it come up again, I’m sure. One of my favorite de-cluttering experts, Fly Lady, encourages you not to think of donating items (in this case decorations) as throwing them away. Instead, bless another family in need with these items.
Next, focus on the room you spend the most time in and do one decorative installation, or put one or two small things in each room. For example, turn your sofa table into a display of gourds, Indian corn and pumpkins for Halloween and Thanksgiving. Or, place a small decoration on each windowsill in every room to spread the cheer.
Rather than buy a whole new set of decorations, consider what type of item you truly enjoy buying each year and go for it. For example, I love beaded coasters! Each year, I can’t wait to head to Target to see which ones they’ll feature. My sister, on the other hand, loves holiday wreaths and will splurge on a new one every year or two.
Double-dip! In other words, try using food as a decoration. Seasonal fruits like apples, oranges and lemons can look elegant in a large glass bowl on your dining room table. You can also eat these items if you’re hungry for a snack!
Or, try combining your standard white candles with pinecones and pomegranates for a seasonal look of things you have in your yard, your linen closet and your fridge!
If you’re feeling overwhelmed, invite a friend over to help. Open a bottle of wine, turn on holiday music and make it fun!

And finally, I’d like to address family traditions because I think they are deeply important. Yet, they can also feel like mental clutter if they take up too much time and effort. Rather than abandon them completely, think of ways you can modernize and streamline these traditions. For example, your family always has a full ‘the works’ Thanksgiving dinner, but you just can’t see how on earth you’ll make it happen this year. I recommend ordering at least one of your favorite dishes, if not the whole meal, from an external catering service. Or, if you always leave homemade cookies out for Santa, go for pre-made doughs that usually have a quick cook-time. By trying these simple modifications, you’ll save yourself unneccessary stress at the holidays while still keeping your traditions intact.

Keep your eyes peeled for more holiday tips and tricks in our upcoming posts and newsletters, as well as on our Facebook page. We’ll be keeping you informed and organized throughout the season!

-TWOW