The other day at the dentist’s office, I was having a one-way conversation with my hygienist Rose (she was talking, I was grunting as one does when in the dentist’s chair) about change. Rose’s tradition is that every fall, she makes a change — whether it be a new haircut or the color of her sheets — to keep life interesting. As she told me about her new lipstick color (another of her fall adjustments), I, muted by the fact that her hands were in my mouth, started to daydream about the small decorating updates someone could do to shake things up. Here are six fall improvements that cost little to nothing but are sure to be noticed by friends, family and, most important, you.
Change your scent. A change in fragrance can have as much positive impact in your home as a change in wall color. (It’s the reason real estate agents tell you to boil some cinnamon sticks in a pot of water or bake cookies before prospective buyers arrive.) In the fall I like to switch to a spicier, citrus-based or more musky aroma. In the summer I burn Jo Malone’s Nectarine Blossom &Honey scented candle, but come fall I move to her Orange Blossom fragrance ($65 each from www.jomalone.com).
Let the light shine. You need to wash your windows more often than just during the spring cleaning spree. The best way to freshen a room is to remove the grime and let the sun shine in. Start by vacuuming the sills, screens and window frames with a dust brush. Then clean windows with a squeegee with a sponge attachment dipped in a bucket of warm water that has a squirt of dishwashing liquid. Start at the top left corner and drag the squeegee to the right, drying the scraper after each pass. Remove any remaining water on the edges of the window with a damp, wrung-out chamois.
Be a photo editor. Most people have too many framed photos on display throughout their house. I suggest picking a couple of spots to display your favorites and have at most seven (odd numbers always look better than even) grouped together. Put them in consistent frames (all silver, all wood, etc.), and remember: A single photograph says more than a dozen. To update your collection, rather than adding more frames, swap out old photos or just slip a new photo into the frame in front of an old one. Also consider displaying a group of photos with a specific theme. For example, display all fall and Halloween images now, and winter and holiday images in December; that way, even your photos become part of your seasonal decor.
Play musical chairs (and sofas and tables). Twice lately I have visited friends who have complained to me that they never use their living rooms. In both cases my friends had furniture (a sofa in one house and two big upholstered club chairs in the other) that visually blocked the entrance into the room. I suggested a quick rearranging of the furniture (we swapped the bulky pieces with lighter, airier pieces from the other side of the room) and voila! Their rooms became instantly more inviting.
If you are not using one of your rooms, then chances are the furniture plan is off. To check whether the layout is working, ask yourself these questions: Does the room look good? Does it seem balanced, in that nothing overwhelms the room? Is there a surface within reach of most chairs? When you sit on the sofa, do you have a nice view? To test whether a room is inviting, have some friends over for a drink. It’s the best — and most fun — way to measure your success. Even if you end up moving the furniture back to where you started, it’s always a good test to see whether you can change a room’s flow for the better.
Revamp light sources. I have had a couple of clients complain about the lighting (or lack thereof) in their rooms. Getting the right mix of fixtures and the right output of light is one of the most important elements of decorating. A beautiful room can turn ugly in too harsh a light, and daily tasks can be hard to complete in rooms that are too dark. Factor in a lack of natural daylight that comes with shorter days, and indoor lighting is all the more essential. One easy way to solve lighting issues is to install dimmers everywhere. Easy and not expensive to install, dimmers allow you to moderate the brightness so that a dining room can be bright enough to complete a school project but dim enough to host a cozy dinner party.
Branch out. Flower season may be over (unless you like mums), so try cutting tree branches instead. Branches displayed in a vase give a natural note to your rooms — even without leaves on them — but also add height and drama. Best of all, they’re free. Look for branches that have a sculptural shape. If you feel crafty, spray-paint them black, white or a striking color.
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