Fall Plantings For Your Yard!!!

 

Are you getting excited about cool crisp Fall mornings yet?

We had about a week of cooler weather and now we are back to a bit warmer temps, but that has not dampened my excitement about FALL!!

There has been a few mums and pansies purchased to go by our front porch.

 Every year I try to change things up a little bit, just because it inspires me to think of how I can change things.

One year I used these plants.......

 All purples and whites, of course there are also some white pumpkins and blue/green pumpkins added to the mix.

 This particular year I chose to mix yellow, whites, and purples. One of my favorite plants to use is the ornamental kale. I have not seen any at our nurseries yet, but as soon as I do they will be added to the mix as well.

 I love the white center of this ornamental kale plant mixed with the white tipped ivy. This made a fun mix.

 This was the ear I decided to add a touch of lime green with sweet potato vine and the miniature lemon cypress plant.

 You can never go wrong with a few mini white pumpkins for a touch of Fall.

 This is on our entry wall into the front door!!

 When you walk up to our porch you will see this black planter!!

Have you started planting any Fall plants outside yet? It really will get you in the mood for Fall, it sure did for me!!!

 

 

 

Fall Changes Have Started In My Greatroom!!

 

The weather has actually shown a few signs of Fall in the air!! I know we are looking forward to a bit cooler temps since we all seem to have had some unusually hot days around here.


I could not resist putting out the new pillow covers for my Fall changes. So a few days ago I began.....

 I kept the sofa simple without too much pattern other than the gold faux bois. The pillow on the left is actually an indigo velvet even though it looks almost black in this image. Blue and Gold are the colors of Fall for me this year!

The reason I kept the sofa pillows subtle in pattern is because the main star of the pillows for fall is this fabric....

A nice deep indigo background seemed perfect for my room. I love a good Chinoiserie and this one just felt right to me. This one fabric created the mood, style and color scheme for the room. I like to call elements that have this quality a combiner fabric or combiner element, because it pulls everything together. Without it the room would not make sense......

You will also notice I added a nice nubby throw to the ottoman that continues pulling together the colors in the room in a subtle manner. There is no gold in this piece, that would have been one step to far towards contrived, IMHO.

I especially love how this pattern looks in my black bobbin chair.

 It's interesting how the room changes a bit in the night time lighting. The golds become warmer the blues become a bit moodier. It all makes me feel warm and cozy, just the look I wanted for the upcoming cooler months.

In the upcoming weeks I will be adding a few more touches. Maybe a touch of wheat to bring out the gold and some eucalyptus as a nice contrast with it's soft green, and of course the white and blue/green pumpkins that always say FALL to me.

 Love this time of year and all of it's beauty it has to offer.  Remember to always.......

 

 

How To Make Seasonal Changes In A Room!

 

 

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Anyone that knows me very well knows that I change out some of my accessories for the seasons. One of the questions I get asked is, 

"How do you do that?"

Trust me when I tell you that it is not hard at all, in fact if it was hard I probably would not be doing it.

 

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Since my home is not overly decorated with a lot of stuff that does help me out in placing some of the seasonal changes. Over the year I have developed a method to my madness.

 (My fall mantel last year.)

Today I am going to share with you how I would add accessories to a clients home and this is how I have done it for years.

 

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On decorating day I will have the client remove all of the accessories, only leaving larger pieces like table lamps.

I have found it is so much easier to have a clear vision once the room is void of any and all accessories.

 

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I will have the client put their accessories in groupings of......

• Shiny textures, like glass, or mirrored pieces.
• Metal pieces
• Wood pieces
• Textural pieces like baskets
• Books
• Candles
• Plants
• Framed photos

Basically they are creating a shopping area for me. I will go to this  shopping area to find what I need to decorate the room.

 

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I always start with the larger pieces first and then fill in with the smaller or medium pieces.

The best place to start is you main focal points such as a fireplace mantel or a coffee table. Since these are the areas that will most likely set the mood for your room.

 

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When choosing elements I like to vary my textures. I have found if a room has all shiny objects it becomes contrived and boring, just not quite right. Remember the 80's brass and glass era!? Oh my!!

 

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It is also important to keep out the elements that are important to you, after all that is what makes your house a home.

One thing to always keep in mind is my little mantra.....

One of the biggest mistakes I see homeowners do is to have so many little pieces in the room that the eye does not  see any of it because it creates constant movement, jumping from one piece to another, never painting a complete picture. The room is more like a puzzle that has not been put together yet.

 

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Remember not every surface and/or wall has to have something on it. If you want your guest to stop and look at something put it out, or up on a wall, but if the wall is just a pass through area it does not necessarily need something on it.

 

 Loi Thai's lovely home from Tone on Tone blog!

The other thing I tell my clients when they are trying something new to them in their homes is to do the morning test!!

I have found this to be true in my own decorating life and many of my clients and friends can attest to this working as well.

 If it does NOT pass the morning test I take it back or put it away.

Something else you need to have in your rooms to keep it fresh and alive is......

There is nothing better than plants or fresh flowers to add life to a room. Try to avoid faux flowers when ever possible. They tend to look old and a bit dated. 

I know there are two camps on this subject and I am falling in the camp of no faux. Plants are so inexpensive to purchase these days and so are fresh flowers. 

 

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The one exception is a large tree for a corner, but be sure it passes the touch me to see if I am real test!!!

When adding your accessories to a table, mantle, or shelf it is always a good idea to work with odd numbers. I am sure you all probably know this, but for those that don't it is a good guideline to follow.

 

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When using elements in a vignette you will need to vary your heights as well as your textures. Your elements  need  to go up and down in a soft flowing motion, varying your heights will do the trick.

Here is a good example I found that shows how to vary heights and objects on shelving. This can also be applied on a mantel or a coffee table as far as textures and heights go.

Both were found HERE!!

Notice in the last picture how the same objects can look so much better by making sure there is an up and down imaginary line from one object to another.

 

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The other thing I want to tell you is to NOT be afraid of making changes, have fun with your home, enjoy making it uniquely yours. 

Get ready to make some changes because Fall is right around the corner.

Here is another post that you might find helpful, 

click HERE!!