Gently Transitioning Your Décor for the Seasons

By Grace MacDonald

When it comes to making your home feel more appropriate for the seasons – such as cool & refreshing in the warmer months vs. warm & cozy in the cooler months, you certainly don’t need to go about redesigning your whole home!

Through a few simple touches, you can quickly change the mood of your space. Below I share my top tips on how to easily achieve this. 

Swap Out Textiles:

One of the easiest ways to change the mood of your home for the seasons is to swap out textiles, particularly throw pillows & blankets (and one of the reasons I always recommended purchasing throw pillows with removable covers as that makes it very easy to change them seasonally). Swapping lighter fabrics & cooler tones like yellows and blues for heavier fabrics & warmer tones like burgundies, oranges and even deep greens can take a space that felt light & fresh for the summer and make it feel warmer & cozier for the winter.

This applies to patterns too - stripes, particularly pinstripes can often create a lighter, more airier mood, while plaids can feel warmer and more grounded.

I also find that some people may even like to switch up their curtains seasonally, particularly in rooms that get a lot of use - swapping out light & airy linen curtains for something more dramatic like velvet curtains for the cozier months is another great way to change the mood of a room.

Adjust Your Color Palette: 

Speaking of swapping textiles, one of the best ways to guide these changes is with a clear color palette. For example, pastel tones with touches of warm cream or bright, crisp blues are a great complement to the warmer months of spring / summer, while deep warm tones such as browns, burnt oranges, burgundies - and even metallic accents are a great way to warm up a space for fall/winter.

This is also one of the reasons I tend to like more neutral wall treatments (and this doesn’t always have to mean white), as that tends to create a very neutral backdrop that allows you to get creative with the palettes you layer on seasonally.

Seasonal Scents:

Scents can sometimes be an afterthought in interior design, but it’s one of our five senses and just as important when creating a certain feeling in a space!

Whether you prefer candles, diffusers or essential oils — changing up the scents in your home is another easy way to feel more in-tune with the seasons. Of course everyone has their own preferences, and you should always choose what you will enjoy most, but if you’re looking for seasonally inspired scents - floral fragrances (such as lavender or jasmine), citrus and ocean scents are great for creating the refreshing moods of spring/summer. Richer scents like spices (such as clove, cinnamon, peppermint and pumpkin), as well as evergreen scents like pine & fir are great for welcoming in the cozy months.

Trinkets & Decor: 

Finally, we have personal touches like trinkets! We all love a whimsical little pumpkin or a retro Christmas tree figurine and layering in these little pieces are a great way to add in fun pops of personality to finish off any space, and pair well with botanical accents.

While the options are endless, some popular ideas for spring/summer would be botanical accents, flora & fauna, and anything that brings the nature outside — inside. In the warmer months, brass accents, pumpkins, pinecones and pine/fire stems are a great way to bring warmth to any space.

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