As the weather cools and you’re spending more time indoors, now is a good time to make a few repairs and updates before welcoming visitors for Thanksgiving and Hanukkah.
Throughout the year, walls can undergo stress from energetic kids, furniture moving and everyday traffic. You might consider a newly painted entryway or freshening up your family room with a colorful accent wall.
Painting is one of the easiest and most affordable ways to transform a room; try a fall-inspired hue that harmonizes with your existing space. Deep, rich paint colors, including emerald green, royal purple and burgundy, are a top design trend of 2015, so the bolder the better.
To achieve the best results, use painter’s tape such as FrogTape to attain sharp paint lines and prevent paint bleed. To help incorporate the color of the accent wall into the room, add décor and accessories in similar shades throughout the area, such as new pillows in your family room or a coordinating rug in your entryway.
Group together the season’s leaves and branches to create a festive centerpiece, or place them throughout the house to bring life to your living areas. Crafting with fall foliage is a cinch — simply gather an assortment of thick leaves, either real or faux — and after they’re rinsed and dried, spray each side of the leaf with copper paint and let them dry for a few hours. Line up these leaves along a table runner, string them from your mantle or use them to dress up place settings. Also consider using them as place cards for holiday dinners.
Increase your home’s curb appeal with a front door refresh before winter. For starters, give your door a new identity with a distinctive paint color — consider hunter green, colonial red or cognac. Add a final touch with your family’s monogram on the center of the door. If your door is metal, glue magnets to the back of the letters.
During the fall, more time will be spent in the home’s entertaining spaces to accommodate holiday soirees and family gatherings. Increase the functionality of this room — whether it’s the den, family room, dining room or finished basement — and encourage guests to congregate comfortably by adding casual seating. Spice things up with a mixture of options; choose decorative stools and poufs, or vintage chairs with newly reupholstered seats. When you’re not in party mode, stow away the extra seats. — brandpoint