Cozy and inviting décor
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By NICKI LEFEVER
For Smart
When Catherine Eveler decorates a room, she takes
everything out and starts rearranging for a whole new
look.
“I call myself an interior redesigner,” the owner of
Harmony at Home in Chanceford Township said.
“Most of my business is going into a home and
working with what they have.”
With fall approaching, Eveler said, it’s a good time
to shake up your style. If you’re sick of your country
theme or your modern ambience, Eveler suggested
adding a few pieces at a time to transform your style.
“People’s tastes are always changing and evolving,” she
said. “If you update, add a few elements of a different style.”
Eveler said most homes are eclectic.
“You can have the predominance of one style and you can
fit up to 20 percent of something else and it still looks fine,”
she said.
Sometimes, all a room needs is a set of gold pillows to
perk it up and bring it all together. Eveler and a few other
professionals offer inexpensive ways to transform your
living space for fall and winter.
Anything goes
When it comes to home décor, Adrian Thompson, a
designer with the Bon-Ton, said people’s home should
reflect their personal styles.
“Don’t feel obligated to follow a trend,” she said. “Mix it up and make it your own.”
Her colleagues Keith Haygood and Michael Collier agreed.
“You shouldn’t force trends in your home that you aren’t comfortable with,” Haygood said.
That being said, here are some of the season’s styles that you are sure to find on store shelves.
Think organic, rustic and earthy
“You can do a lot of fall accents with silk flowers,” Eveler said. “They look a lot better than they used to. They used to be pretty tacky, but now they are more realistic and add a seasonal touch.”
She suggests going not with a huge floral arrangement but with a more contemporary look of one item in a vase.
Ceramic pots, gold and rust accessories, and woven baskets are all great fall accents. She also suggested adding more curtains or drapes to the windows to make the room warm.
Collier said to fill the room with orange or deep-purple candles and fall fragrances such as plumeria and green tea. Haygood said the motto is to relax, explore, escape.
Cozy up
If your décor is contemporary, which tends to be more sparse, Eveler suggested adding fabric trims, throws and pillows to warm up for fall and winter.
Thompson said adding a new quilt or a chunky throw to your bed or a flannel sheet set will make it feel more like fall. Haygood said the Bon-Ton’s high-thread count sheets are improved for 2007 to be more durable, and they come in prints and patterns.
“A lot of people will buy a print and a solid to mix and match,” he said.
Thompson also suggested adding a bed scarf, which is a long piece of
fabric at the foot of the bed.
“It’s really important to mix and match this season with neutral colors of gray, brown, taupe and ivory,” she said. “Overall, it will work together, and you can use different textures to give it interest.”
Collier said Bon-Ton’s line of home décor has been updated since last year so there are a lot of new accents on the shelves.
Even with all these ideas, the professionals agree that it’s nothing to get crazy about. The Bon-Ton representatives said their home line carries something for every budget. You can add just a few pillows or go all out with a whole new bedroom look.
Eveler said it’s not necessary to buy tons and tons of fall stuff because Christmas is right around the corner.
“Just add a few things that gives it the right feeling of personality without being too much,” she said.
2007 FALL TRENDS• Mixed textures
and layers in a neutral color schemeAdd a chunky throw or a new quilt to your bed and a set of flannel sheets. Accent the bed or couch with new throw pillows.
• Metals
Copper, silver, bronze and black in textured, shiny, burnished or matte finishes for lamps, lighting or candle bases.
• Ceramics
In a rustic finish for candles or floral arrangements.
• Contemporary
Simple lines, less is more.
• Organic
Natural, earthy and green.
• Neutral background with vibrant accessories.
IDEAS FOR FALL DECORATING• Take a trip to your yard. Sticks, berries, branches, pine cones and
acorns make great accents for centerpieces, candlescapes and arrangements.• Fill canning jars with pine cones, bark, acorns and seed pods. Tie the
lids with chocolate-colored ribbons and arrange in windowsills or on tabletops.• Want your house to smell like fall? Simmer apples and cinnamon in a
pot on the stove.• Add rich and warm colors to the room. Add chocolate-brown throws,
burnt-orange pillows and warm-green curtain ties.• Scoop out the insides of a pumpkin and use it as a flower vase. Fill it with a pot of mums.
• Get rid of pastel, floral-scented candles and replace them with heartier scents such as cedar, caramel apple, cinnamon, vanilla, mocha or mulled spice.
• Raffia is a great fall material. Use it to tie bundles of dried herbs, string votive candles or accent wreaths.• Use a hot-glue gun to attach twigs and sticks from your yard to the outside of a hurricane glass or vase. Tie the twigs with twine or rope for a rustic candle holder or flower vase.
Sources: Kathy Wilson, editor of The Budget Decorator
(www.TheBudgetDecorator.com), and Libby Langdon with HGTV’s “Small
Space, Big Style.”; Catherine Eveler of Harmony at Home; and Keith
Haygood, Adrian Thompson and Michael Collier of Bon-Ton
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