Changing Seasons, Moods, and Attitudes

How do you define a season? Is it a weather shift? A change of scenery? A prominent holiday? Maybe it’s a change of mindset, priority, or a mood that is influenced by all of the above. Seasons are powerful things – they bring with them hope and excitement for a new beginning and we are fortunate enough to get several of these “life shifts” each year. Whatever defines the seasons for you should be what makes you feel these things, and your home and mindset is a key influencer in doing so. Today I want to share a few of my favorite ways to bring seasonal happiness, hope, and renewal to your home – those you can see and those you can’t!
Let’s start with some decorating ?! In my home, I like to keep things a bit subtle. I’m not one to change out anything major or completely switch up my color scheme as it is already fluent with the “major players” of my home (walls, floors, large furniture items, countertops, etc.) For this reason, I keep my seasonal decorations congruent with the same general color scheme. This allows me to change things up and keep my decor interesting while keeping it conducive to the more permanent “major players”.

**DISCLAIMER – One thing you might notice in my photos below is I like to keep my home in “Fall mode” until after Thanksgiving (or the week of Thanksgiving if we’re going out of town) ???. Most people fit one of two molds – the “decorate for Christmas Right after Halloween” type or the “how dare you bypass Thanksgiving with your Christmas decorations on November 1st” type. While I do not passionately identify with either “type”, I do feel that Halloween and Thanksgiving are two very different moods and I like to entertain both. ?
4 ways to refresh your home for the new season

1. Play up your Tablescape

Your dining room table is one of the primary trend setters of your home! Guests look to it to see your style as it is typically one of the only rooms in the house that is staged more than it is used. Even if you don’t have a dining room, your dining table is a piece that holds an immense amount of influence over your home’s appeal (CLICK HERE to see how I renovated my dining table and chairs from their original bland state). Designing my tablescape for each season with the pieces I already own is one of my favorite ways to incorporate seasonal tone! Play up your table with seasonal (but coordinating) napkins, plates, placemats, and most of all, CENTERPIECES. Centerpieces should set the tone for the table and your table settings should play off of it. Decide what you want to use as your centerpiece first and then choose what set of dishes/placemats to put out!

For example- I have a few sets of dishes that can interchangeable work for several seasons depending on how I dress the rest of the table. Last year, I went with a wood (pinecone) centerpiece and dressed it up with my turquoise plates for my color pop. This year, I went with natural leaves/flowers for my centerpiece so I decided to keep my plates more neutral. I chose to use my mauve colored plates with a plaid napkin & sunflower napkin holder. I love the way the floral theme brightens up my dining space and brings the colors of Fall to my home!

 

2. Warm your Welcome

I don’t think I need to emphasize the importance of your entryway. We all understand the influence that first impressions have – especially when someone is entering your home for the first time! This brings two key players to mind: your FRONT DOOR and your ever-crucial ENTRY PIECE. We all know what a front door is, but you might be asking yourself what an “entry piece” is. That’s probably because it’s a term I just made up – but I swear it should be a thing! The “entry piece” is the piece that your guests eyes are drawn to the moment they walk through your door. Whether that be a hallway, a bench, a staircase, a wall, or an accent table, it plays a major role in setting the “mood” of your home. Use this piece to your advantage and get creative with it! I would consider myself to have one of the worst possible set ups for this “power piece” because the first thing you see when you walk into my home is a corner. I know how highly anticlimactic this can be, so I do all that I can to make it look nice and coordinating while also attempting to draw attention toward the open part of my home (you know, the direction I WANT my guests to look)! I found an antique barnwood bench that ties in some industrial elements to match my kitchen stools and my sofa table – this way the spaces compliment one another while also maintaining a unique appeal.

3. Switch out the Small Details

Around your house there are several smaller pieces that lead one to get a sense of the season. These are the pieces that are easy to manipulate and casual enough to change up without offsetting the ambiance of the room. A few examples of these “smaller pieces” are candles, dish towels, coffee table books, potted house plants, and a few throw pillows. You want to be careful not to totally change up all of these items or your decor may begin to look “themed” instead of “coordinating”. For example, find maybe one or two throw pillows that are more “seasonal” and are conducive to your current pillow scheme. Mix these in while leaving the year-round basics instead of completely wiping your couch of all it’s throws and replacing them with snowflake ones. A quick fix to shift the vibe of a room can be done by simply setting out the “Magnolia Journal” or topping your coffee table book with a small white pumpkin. ?

4. Rearrange to Refresh

My favorite way to re-decorate is to bring all of my “floater” pieces (the ones that can move around without throwing too much of the room’s “balance” off) the center of my home and taking one piece at a time to a completely new spot of my house. Once I start re-arranging the pieces I already have, I find that I picture the spaces with a new perspective and other ideas begin to fester. The place that you first dropped that big wall hanging may have seemed like the perfect spot upon moving in, but have you ever even considered moving it somewhere else? You do not have to break your bank to refresh your spaces – this can be achieved with just a couple hours of some brainstorming and trial/error! Put on some tunes, light that pumpkin pie candle, bring all of these “floaters” to your living room, and get your creative juices flowing! Even if you don’t end up making any changes, it is a FUN way to spend your time (well, in my opinion ?).

(CLICK HERE To see how I built this industrial sofa table ??)

                                                                     

Most importantly, refresh your mindset. 

The truth is, no amount of fall scented candles, PSL’s, or table settings can bring you lasting joy in a season. Joy is not something that finds you, it is something you choose to find each day when the small opportunities arise. Even on a dark day can you find a moment that offers a glimmer of joy, and when those moments come, choose to take them. You might be under a mountain of paperwork and heavy hours at work, but while you are at home curled up on the couch, allow yourself to be fully present in that moment – no matter how short it might be. Feel the low lights and warm blanket surrounding you with comfort and momentary peace. As you sit at your desk on a brisk November day with your roasty steaming coffee in hand, allow yourself to be fully immersed in the aroma. Take that minute to focus on your senses and push the list of tasks to complete that day out of your mind. On your way to work, leave 5 minutes earlier to drive slow and take the long route – you know, the one that provides a scenic view of the fog dancing over the fields with the rising sun spraying shimmers of orange sparks over the tree tops. It reminds me of the song ” I saw God Today” by George Strait. Choose to see Him – to see Joy – in the little things. They are there, and they present themselves in different ways as the seasons change. Give in to these moments and you will find a season of fulfillment, happiness, and renewal that will carry you peacefully to the next ?.

Enjoy the downslope of your week and stop for a moment to catch a breath of the fresh fall air ?.

-Kelsie