Back to the swing of things and back to my favorite interior designer friend and guest blog extraordinaire, Lucie Ayres! Take it away, Lucie and thanks so much! A Fall refresh for your living room!
____
Every time the kids go back to school, I a) feel normal again and b) feel like the living room needs to be refreshed (and de-toy-ified). Whether or not you have children, it’s always nice to change things up for a new season. Fall + Winter translate into more time spent indoors, so let’s make the indoor areas you value feel fantastic.
A few ideas/things that I like to do-
1 – General “Kondo method” time
At this point in early Fall, I realize we all need a bit of a clean out. The question of “does this spark joy?” is a good one. In my living room there are too many toys that don’t spark joy for me, but do so for my kids. Luckily I found these amazing storage ottomans which hold all those joy sparking toys and don’t create an eye sore. Or if you are lucky to have built in storage – put those things away (I also encourage the children (“gently force”) to look through their toys and donate the ones they are no longer playing with).
If you have bookshelves (I can’t live without them personally), this is the time to take a minute to style them, get rid of a few books you don’t care for anymore (and add some good new ones), as well as swap a different photo in the picture frames (update a family photo or add an old one you found that makes you smile) I also like to rearrange – lightly – just to make it feel different.
2 – Less flowers, more candles
Swap the summer flowers in a small vase for wheat stacks or pussy willows (bonus – these will last forever) in a tall or extra wide vase and add candles. One of the best parts of Fall is the scents! The smell of hot apple cider, chopped wood for the fire, and crisp colder air are divine (maybe because I was born in September I have a special affinity for this season…) Candles in woodsy scents like Fir or Cedar wood are the best. They really set the mood.
3- Bust out the blankets
My favorite part is getting out those incredibly heavy weight blankets, like an extra long faux fur or heavy wool. The idea of a cozy blanket and a great book (just finished reading Pacinko by Min Jin Lee and highly recommend it) – who doesn’t love that?
4- Create a bar area
Last but not least, why not create a bar area and invite some friends over to celebrate the season? My husband Chris makes the best Old Fashioned anyone has ever tasted, and everyone wants an invite to ours just to get another. Master a cocktail and cozy up, enjoy the scents, good friends and a great book, and just relax into this amazing season.
Cheers! Lucie (All images are from the 22 Interiors portfolio)
