Creating comfort at home for fall

Wrenda Goodwyn • special to the Fort Myers News-Press • Oct. 3, 2020

Let’s face it: the last two seasons, spring and summer, took away a lot of our comfort and security. Fall weather is right around the corner and offers a chance to bring a few positive changes into our homes. A chance to create some comfort in stressful times.

We don’t really have seasons in Florida. And that’s okay with most of us who came here from someplace else, fleeing cold weather. As a matter of fact, if it were not for the Publix cinnamon brooms that appear in September, we might not even know that there is a change. But the truth is that even in our year-round tropical paradise where there is little change in the weather, fall brings a noticeable shift. And that’s a healthy thing.

This is when I think of growing up in Virginia and going to college in North Carolina. Fall was beautiful with cool breezes, football games, homecoming, friends and the excitement of the beginning of another college year. I remember walking to classes and just taking in “fall.” I felt such a sense of place those fall seasons and it has stayed with me all these years. Fall is a very nostalgic time.

Unlike the rest of the country, the slight drop in temperature has most of us heading for the beach, sprucing up our lanais for the season and getting outdoors more. As a Fort Myers interior decorator, I can tell you that I (along with most of my clients) like to make a few subtle changes in my home to honor the arrival of fall. Or as I call it, celebrating the end of a long, hot summer. Most of these changes cost very little and you can buy much of what you need from the grocery store or order online without major shopping trips. A few of my favorites:

A light decluttering

Since we have been at home so much, things have piled up! Do a little fall decluttering and organizing. Focus on finding some clear surface spaces and eliminating what you no longer need. And while you are at it, toss your old spices and refresh with new ones. The change in seasons is also a perfect time to invest in new linens, towels, throws, blankets. All just in time for the holidays.

Create the feeling

Start at the front door with a new doormat. My favorite is “hello pumpkin,” which can be found online. One of my clients paints her front door each fall and spring. To keep things interesting. Some favorite front door colors for fall: Benjamin Moore’s Hawthorne Yellow, Autumn Leaf and Fiesta Orange. Add a wreath to the door, a few pumpkins (faux in Florida), potted plants and lanterns and you are set.

Benjamin Moore’s Hawthorne Yellow. Photo: Benjamin Moore

Spicy hues or not

If the oranges, browns and yellows are just not your palette, that’s fine. Any color found in nature says fall. Rich cranberry burgundy, blueberry, sunflower yellows, bright greens…all work for fall and are a nice change when mixed with our more coastal palettes.

And as for pumpkins, they come in all colors. Blues, white, even pink. I like to mix them up.

Create a tablescape

For your dining table, coffee table or the end of a kitchen island. Mine this year is a mix of white pumpkins, striped pumpkins and a bag of gourds from the grocery store. Some yellow mums, corn and candles. Very simple.

Set the dining table

If Halloween is more your thing than fall, that could be the theme. In either case, add some seasonal placemats and napkins, add a center piece. Design special themed place cards for each member of the family. Put a few fall or Halloween treats at each plate. Make it a little special since there are going to be fewer activities this year.

Set a pretty table with faux pumpkins and fall elements from www.potterybarn.com. Photo: Pottery Barn.

Entry table

One of my favorites is to fill a dough bowl with elements of the season: potpourri, acorns, colored leaves, gourds and even a few twinkling lights. Change out the content each season or just for fun.

Change your scents to fall

Bring fall into your space before it even arrives with yummy scents: Fall in a Jar, Fresh Fall Morning, White Pumpkin, Leaves, Apple Weather and lots of others from Bath & Body.

Mix creamy neutrals with seasonal hues

Change your fireplace mantel with creamy neutrals accented with seasonal tones, gourds, pumpkins, leaves, baskets, accents.

Welcome fall!

On the first cool morning: open all of the windows and let the fresh air into your home. Take a deep breath and enjoy a new season that brings renewed hope.

Wrenda Goodwyn is a Southwest Florida interior decorator, A.S.I.D. associate and gold member of the Interior Redecorators Network. She helps homeowners throughout Southwest Florida with timeless, affordable ways to create beautiful spaces and solves decorating problems. Her articles appear the first Saturday of each month. For more information visit her website at spectacularspaces.com. Call her at 949-1808 or e-mail wrenda@spectacularspaces.com. For more decorating tips, articles and photos, visit spectacularspaces.com/blog