Autumn Is Coming...

Hi there:-) I'm delighted that today is the 1st of February, because it means that my favourite season is only a month away! For those of you avid Summer lovers, you must agree that the weather of the past week here in Melbourne has more than made up for the entire Summer season!
Autumn introduces the changing of the leaves, cooler nights, & new textures into our living space in preparation for the cooler seasons ahead. Soft & luxurious fabrics & textures for home & our wardrobe, in shades of coffee, taupe, raspberry, strawberry, aubergine, chocolate, cocoa & latte, all warm & inviting hues that work back with white & neutral colour palettes, & that mix beautifullly with muted tones of iceblue, olive green & ochre. Rich accents of colour in flowers throughout the house, & the way we entertain, slowly translates from outdoors to inside a little more as Autumn begins. New cushions, bedlinen, fragrances, colour trends, layers, arrive instore to offer something new & exciting to mark the end of one season & the beginning of the next. With each season comes new beginnings, fresh, exciting, inspired, welcoming & wonderful!

Invariably, a new season brings about our desire to change things around at home, cool colours to warmer shades, perhaps more indoor entertaining so something new for the table, a time for a fresh aesthetic. I love visiting my favourite stores, finding new season's pieces, new textures, materials, fabrics, & looks, to mix & match with what we already enjoy. Allow yourself to be inspired also by what is around you each day, & embrace what makes you feel fabulous!

For Bedrooms:

• Cushions. Introducing interest with contrast in design, colour & texture against the bedline
• Europe pillowcases. For additional interest & height, particularly if you don't have a bedhead
• A new throw/quilt for the end of the bed, check or stripe, self embossed, prints

Bathrooms:

• New towlels - new palette, new texture, new detail, fresh look
• Liquid Soap (& lotion) on tap - Amazing fragrances available, look divine, & so tidy!
• Beautifully wrapped soaps - as stunning for the packaging as for the fragrance

Kitchen & Entertaining:

• Stating the obvious I'm sure, but the opportunity to introduce seasonal colour is perfect with a display of seasonal fruits. In our household, fresh produce never lasts long, but it always creates a wonderful focal point for the kitchen table & or bench
• Table Linen: New tablecloth, placemats, napkins, even coffee cups. Whether you buy them ready made, or make them yourself, introduce raspberry red, aubergine, rose, shades of pinks & reds to create a warm table when it's cooler outside.

Living Space:

• Scatter cushions, mix them up between the sofa & or chairs
• A new throw for those cosy nights in
• Artwork - photos, drawings, postcards, special pieces to frame. Introduce some colour in the frames with your favourite paint colour or fabric. Use interesting fabrics & prints as the artwork itself! Caroline Quartermaine the UK textile designer, does this so well (see feature article in the UK House & Garden Feb 2009 issue).
• Wooden Letters, mix the sizes, big, small, one only, whole names & words, for any space or any room.I have white letters that before now have also been natural, taupe & red! Repaint them, make them bold & mix the letters, mix the words, to reflect your decorating tastes for the season. Remember, have fun, there are no rules, if it makes you feel good & works for you, that's what it's about.

Enjoy the rest of Summer, look forward to the arrival of Autumn, & have fun mixing & matching all the things you love around you that make your home your haven...