The Art of Display: Adding Fall Touches to Your Home

This post comes to us courtesy of home entertaining and lifestyle blogger Jenny Steffens Hobick. 

 

In my last post, I talked about adding seasonal touches to a fall dinner party — why not take that concept to your entire house? With all of the beautiful autumn pumpkins and gourds available this time of year, there are many simple ways to add seasonal touches to your home.

 

Piles O’Plenty of Pumpkins

Pumpkins and gourds look their best when stacked in corners and placed in piles around your house. I like to accent areas like the fireplace and the mudroom entrance with piles of stacked pumpkins. The casual display of all shapes and sizes will lend a bountiful feeling to your home.

 

In my house, I keep each pile in the same color family but vary the colors throughout the house. You can also place gourds and pumpkins atop cake pedestals and on fancy trays to let them shine. I like the juxtaposition of a rustic, quirky-looking pumpkin on a very elegant serving piece.

 

Cozy Corners

In the fall, I replace all of my linen pillows, lightweight throws and airy curtains with heavier versions. In the living room, I use faux fur pillows, handsome wool plaid blankets and soft cable-knit accents to make the rooms more cozy. I want the entire house to feel like an inviting corner to curl up in.

 

Seasonal Plates

Swap out your usual china pattern for something seasonal — the dining room hutch can be a forgotten area of decor that could sit untouched for years. Many of us don’t use our china every season (or year!), but there it is, displayed in a lovely hutch for all to see.

 

Take that opportunity of forgotten space to feature seasonal touches. During the spring and summer months, I display our powder blue china, then change it in the fall for my brown and cream pattern that includes birds and wildlife.

 

The Secrets of Displaying

When we moved into our home, the kitchen didn’t have enough storage for my ample collection of platters, cake plates and serving bowls. We transformed a rustic wooden hutch (that my husband and I made ourselves; visit my blog for DIY instructions!), which once held our fine china and pewter in our dining room, into open shelving in the kitchen. Open shelving works well as long as you keep the display neat and simple.

 

My secret for making it look great all of the time? I only showcase our white plates, bowls and platters. I arranged them in a symmetrical fashion, placing the large items on the very top and our everyday items at a level that is easily accessible. What was born out of function has really become the centerpiece of our kitchen. Because I spend most of my time (ok, all of my time…) in the kitchen, I knew I needed a place for a TV — an unobtrusive place. Instead of hiding it in a cabinet or setting it on the already full counter, I put it in plain sight right in the middle of the hutch. The TV’s white frame fits right in with the elegant white plates and platters.

 

Each season I add small touches to the all-white display to easily update my entire kitchen. For fall I placed white mini pumpkins on a pie plate, along with leaf-shaped appetizer plates and fall hand towels. To keep the open shelving looking neat and clean, I kept the accents in the same color family — warm neutral browns, in this case.

 

What are you doing to add seasonal accents to your home?

 

About the author: Jenny Steffens Hobick, a home entertaining and lifestyle blogger, makes entertaining accessible and enjoyable… for the hosts and guests.  As a former caterer and party planner, Jenny shares her secrets to hosting casual and elegant parties. From table settings to recipes, her creative tips and resourceful methods inspire her readers to make Everyday Occasions special – whether it be a family style feast, elegant cocktail party or intimate dinner for two.  Jenny believes that entertaining at its best is done often, with an effortless and easy style.