5 Autumn Accessories to Spice Up Your Home

A simple and festive way to spruce up your home is by using the hues and patterns of fall in your décor. Every area can blossom with a few touches of nature's splendor. Our room-by-room guide will help you usher in the season and its inherent beauty.

1. Liven Up Your Living Room

• Bring out the rich colors of fall-burnt orange, raspberry, deep green-with throws and accent pillows.
• Add a hint of fall's harvest with cinnamon or pumpkin-scented candles.
• Panel curtains with pockets (you can buy these at home stores, or make them yourself if you're handy with a sewing machine) can hold leaves (real or artificial) to bring the beauty of autumn trees indoors.
• Use family photographs to enhance the seasonal décor: put out pictures of the kids in Halloween costumes, raking leaves, or doing fall activities.
• Bowls of candy corn, caramels, and other "tricks or treats" are enticing touches.
• A bowl of seasonal pears-in any color or variety of colors-is beautiful and delicious.

2. Deck Out Your Dining Area

• Bushel baskets placed in corners or used as a centerpiece add a nice touch of fall.
• Since apples are in season, they make a great decorating tool; a big bowl can serve as a simple but lovely centerpiece (especially if you combine several types with varying colors and markings).
• Gourds, with their variety of shapes, sizes, and colors, also make an eye-catching seasonal centerpiece.
• Make simple, inexpensive fall placemats by placing leaves between two sheets of clear contact or laminating paper. A table runner in fall colors can complement the mats.

3. Beautify Your Bedroom

• Although most guests won't see your bedrooms (unless they are staying overnight), don't forget to bring fall touches for your own enjoyment. The blankets you put away for spring and summer can come back out to keep you warm on the chilly nights ahead.
• Use similar touches to those suggested for the living room-pillows, throws, and candles in fall colors and scents make your bedroom a cozy haven at the end of a cold day.

4. Color Your Kitchen

• As in the dining room, a bowl of seasonal fruits or vegetables is a great way to bring the spirit of the season inside.
• As the weather cools, our appetites turn to heartier fare such as soup, stew, and chili. Nothing is more appealing and welcoming on a cool autumn night than a steaming tureen of soup and a basket of homemade bread.

5. Perfect Your Porch

• Get cornstalks and tie together with cloth ribbon in fall designs and colors (you can get this from any craft store). Group mums and a few pumpkins and place on your front porch for a welcoming sign of fall.

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