DECORATING Welcome autumn into home

The colors of fall can brighten your decor.
SCRIPPS HOWARD
For many folks, nothing says fall like football. For others, it is a yard full of leaves. To some, it's filling jars with pomegranate jelly.
Those who like to decorate may welcome autumn by changing the colors in their homes. It could be simply draping a brown and gold blanket on the back of the recliner or trading the blue and white striped sofa pillows for sage green and bronze chenille, or replacing the daisies on the dining table with a cornucopia of gourds.
"Making changes in the home is good. It helps us psychologically move from one season to another," says Peter Romich, interior designer and accessory manager at Bassett Furniture Direct in Fresno, Calif.
Sharon Kille Jenkins of Fresno has found a way to capture fall year-round by decorating her kitchen and dining area in fall colors. While most of the decor is portable, it is left up all year.
A wall is painted in Corn Moon Gold. Autumn leaves are everywhere: on tablecloths, towels, trivets, refrigerator magnets, utensil holders and stenciled on walls. Among the accessories in orange is a prized cookie jar that looks like a pumpkin.
"It's just like the one Mary Tyler Moore had on her TV show," Jenkins boasts. "My folks found it in Charleston, where they live, and sent it to me."
An avid photographer, Jenkins has taken photos of her two children and husband among fall foliage back East and locally. The framed photos hang on a kitchen wall. Small stained-glass leaves and pumpkins hang from shelves in the greenhouse window to catch the light.
Enjoying the view
"We have a Raywood ash, a Bradford pear, a liquidambar and an October Glory maple tree in each corner of the back yard that turn beautiful shades of yellow, orange and dark red each fall," she says. "My husband and I love to sit on the patio around an outdoor fireplace, sip wine and admire the colors and the leaves. It's an incredible feeling."
Jenkins not only takes still photographs of leaves, she videotapes them.
"Last year when the wind came up, I placed the camera on the ground so I could get the leaves falling and capture the sound of them rustling," she explains. "I love to watch my leaves videos. I also love going to Woodward Park and driving through established neighborhoods looking for fall colors among the mature trees. Even driving up on the freeways can give you a peek at some of the trees. You just have to look for them."
Jenkins says this is the time of year to shop for fall accessories. Or at the end of autumn when they are on sale. "The only thing is, I don't rotate any of the new stuff I buy with the stuff I already have out," she explains. "Unlike most people who put things away or change them, I just keep adding. Pretty soon, there won't be any wall space."
Accessories
Romich suggests homeowners have a stash of decorating accessories to bring out for each season of the year.
"The collection could include things such as a couple of throw pillows, maybe lamp shades, a floral arrangement, an area rug or a throw rug, picture frames, candles, swags and any number of accessories," he says.
Craft and fabric stores are filled with seasonal ideas and materials. "It's amazing what people can do using a hot-glue gun and maybe a hammer," he says.
"Shopping, looking at magazines and seeing what other people do are great ways to get ideas. Think height, texture, scale and balance when putting things together."
Interior designer Chris Hays of Fresno likes the idea of changing bedspreads.
"It's an easy way to freshen a bedroom," she says.
She changes the spread in her guest bedroom.
To put more autumn in her home, she also places a large straw cornucopia on the dining table and stuffs it with raffia, gourds and pepper berries.
"People can take a look at their table linens, pieces of fabric and shawls and see how they can use them to decorate for a season," Hays says. "Shawls and pieces of fabric can be used as table runners, as swags on mantels and tables or puddled around candles."
Pomegranates, colorful dried corn, nuts, berries, citrus and apples in bowls or baskets can add a warm touch to a home.
And don't forget the popular chrysanthemum when freshening up around the house.
Placing a few pots of the traditional blooming plants on your front steps might be all you need to say "Welcome home, autumn."