Seasonal Decorating

Seasonal decorating is a great way to change the décor of your home and keep it fresh. You don’t need to spend a great deal of time or money decorating your home for the seasons and it’s a great project you can work on over the course of a few years.

Decorating for the Seasons

If you want to decorate for spring, summer, fall and winter, take your cues from the outside world. If you find the idea of changing your whole house around a season challenging, focus on a few rooms like the kitchen, the bathroom or dining room. Remember that a few changes will make a huge difference.

One of the best things about seasonal decorating is getting all your décor items out and setting them out. For many people, putting out the seasonal decorating is like greeting old friends. They’re reminded of happy times and the people around them.

The following are some seasonal decorating ideas. The key to great seasonal decorating is to use your own imagination and work around your budget and family’s needs.

Spring

• Plant flowering plants and put fresh flowers in vases. If you don’t like real flowers, try artificial ones. Artificial flowers no longer look quite so false.
• Consider changing throw pillows and rugs to a lighter, more pastel color. You can either replace your throw pillows or get a cover for them.
• Replace your heavy window hangings with lighter ones to let more light in.
• Change your window valences to a lighter color with a floral pattern.
• Change your towels and bed linens to lighter, more pastel colors.
• Spritz aromatherapy products like lavender around your rooms or light candles scented like flowers. Illuminations offers some great products.
• Open your windows and let in some fresh air.
• Put away heavy throw blankets and replace them with lighter ones.
• Use glass or clear vases or bowls as decorations.
• Put out garden or flowering books as décor.
• Consider painting a room a light pastel color.
• Put pots of colorful flowers on your front or back porch.
• Reorganize your furniture around an outside window
• Consider adding a few Easter ideas. You can pick up Easter themed products at any home decorating store.

Summer

There’s not a lot of change from spring to summer, but here are a few ideas.

• Put your throw blankets away. You probably won’t need them.
• Find a good place for a floor fan.
• Buy ceiling fans. You can get all sorts of designer shapes and colors now. While quality ceiling fans may be more expensive, your fans will look better and last longer if you buy good brand names.
• Add a stronger, brighter color to your color scheme like yellow.
• If you want, add a few Independence Day items to your decorating theme. It doesn’t have to be much, maybe a group of red, white and blue candles.

Fall

• Get out your thicker throw blankets and quilts. Drape them over chairs and couches or quilt racks. Put away lighter throw blankets.
• Consider changing your color theme again, to darker, richer colors.
• Replace your bed linens and towels.
• Put out heavier colored throw pillows and rugs.
• Change your valences to a darker, richer color.
• Add reds, oranges and browns to your decorating scheme.
• Get out brass, copper or iron decorations.
• Now’s a great time to decorate for Halloween. If you don’t have children, you don’t have to build a haunted mansion full of spider webs and spooky effects. But a scarecrow, hay bale and a pumpkin can go a long way. In addition, these items can usually be used for Thanksgiving too.

Winter

• Use herbal aromatherapy products like basil, rosemary or pine to add a pretty scent.
• Consider painting a room a darker color.
• Change your lighting by adding table lamps and floor lamps so you can do activities by good lighting.
• Reorganize your furniture around a fireplace
• While Winter Holiday decorating continues to get more and more extravagant, you can add a few touches to your home to put you in the holiday spirit. A few strings of light, some fresh pine sprigs or a wreath may be all you need. If you have children, you may need to do a touch more decorating.

Tips for Seasonal Decorating

• If you decide to change your décor according to the seasons, store things appropriately. Put your items in a place you can easily reach them. Store them in a large plastic container like a Rubbermaid or Tupperware container. Wrap smaller objects carefully so they can’t get broken. If you store them in a garage, basement or attic, make sure the plastic container keeps insects and dirt out.
• Label your boxes according to the season.
• On the very top, add an inventory list so you don’t accidentally buy things you already have.
• A great deal of seasonal decorating has to do with changing decorating colors. If you normally decorate with blues, try lighter blues in spring and summer and stronger, darker blues in the fall and winter.
• If you are going for a quick seasonal change, use flowers and foliage (fake and real) based on the season. You can try tulips and daffodils in the spring, sunflowers in the summer, dried grasses or asters in the fall and poinsettia in the winter.