Winter Decluttering Tips and Ideas

Spring is not the only good time to do a deep house cleaning. In fact, winter is a great time to go through the house and organize, and even to get rid of items you no longer need. 

Since we typically spend more time indoors during this time of year, things can start to accumulate and you will have even more to go through in the spring. It can be a good idea to start decluttering the house in the winter before things pile up too much.

Try these winter decluttering tips and ideas. 

1. Gift or re-gift unused items

Did you get a sweater last Christmas that you still haven't worn? You will likely never wear it. The same goes for anything else you haven't opened or used since you got it. Wrap these things up and give them away to someone who might be able to use them. 

2. Do it in short increments

Rather than tackling the whole house at once, which can be exhausting, take it bit by bit. When you have an extra 15 minutes, go through that stack of papers on the kitchen counter or clean out the cabinet below the sink. When you take winter decluttering in increments, you will be able to get it done much more efficiently. 

3. Declutter while you wait

Similarly, sort through mail and pay bills while you wait for the coffee to brew, or while you are waiting your turn for the shower. If you find yourself idly waiting for something, take this opportunity to declutter a small area of the house. 

 

4. Donate 'decluttered' items

It will make you feel better about getting rid of perfectly good, gently used things. Do the kids have too many books? Collect the ones they do not read, or have outgrown, and donate them to less fortunate families who will appreciate them. You can also donate clothing, shoes, toys, and even pet supplies.

5. When one thing comes in, two go out

Rather than getting rid of everything at once, take it slowly. When one thing comes into the house, get rid of two items you never use or no longer need. You will soon find that you have much less clutter in your home.

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Photo courtesy of Flickr / EvelynGiggles

Tactful Thanksgiving Decorations for Your Home

Are you tired of decorating your home with turkeys for Thanksgiving? Avoid that overdone, tacky decor this year. Purchase classy fall-inspired pieces or make your own from nature. You will be thankful for your beautiful, original home interior. 

1. Anything fall-inspired

 

Fall decorations will last all season long. Replace the turkey and cornucopia decor with fall leaves, wreaths, and warm autumn-inspired colors. Decorate with red, orange, and yellow - or plum, chocolate, gold, and any other hues that strike your fancy. 

2. Words of gratitude

 

You may already have inspirational words decorating your home in the form of a plaque or wall clings. Live, laugh, love: These are nice words to live by, but they are not your only option. Something as simple as "Count your blessings" is a good reminder during this holiday season. 

3. Fruit bowl centerpieces

 

Fruit is a yummy way to decorate the table or countertop. Get creative with your fruit bowl centerpiece by selecting a unique basket to display your fruit. Or, surround the apples and oranges (or pomegranates, pears, etc.) with foliage to create a sweet masterpiece. 

4. Inspiration from nature

 

Nature provides inexpensive options for home decor. Step outside your door and find fallen sticks or pinecones to decorate the home for Thanksgiving. A vase filled with branches is a simple but elegant accent, as is a shallow glass bowl with a candle surrounded by a handful of pinecones. 

5. Candles and flowers

 

Candlelight is pretty any time of the year, but it is especially lovely in the fall and winter. Pair candles of any size with flowers (real or artificial). A shallow bowl or basket provides the perfect container for several candles, surrounded by flowers in fall hues. Protect your flowers from the flames by keeping the candles inside a clear jar or vase. 

6. Front door decor

 

Thanksgiving wreaths don't have to be the standard rings covered in fall leaves. Change up your door decor by making a creative accent; this pinecone-and-ribbon door piece is charming and easy to make. It consists of eight pinecones, each of which is hanging from a wide purple ribbon. The ribbons are tied together and the "wreath" hangs on the door. 

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Photo courtesy of Flickr / HomeSpotHQ

DIY Thanksgiving Centerpieces Using Pine Cones

Are there pine cones filling your backyard? If you can, you might as well put them to use indoors, rather than raking them all up into trash bags with the fall leaves. Why not make your own table centerpiece using pine cones to use for Thanksgiving? There are several different crafts you can try, from pine cone turkeys to homemade bouquets. These are just three DIY Thanksgiving centerpieces you can make using pine cones. 

Pine Cone Candle Centerpiece

 

You will need: a wide, shallow glass bowl or vase; a pillar candle; and an assortment of pine cones. The pillar candle can be in any fall-inspired color. Look for pine cones of varying sizes. Paint the cones if you like, or leave them in their natural, woody color. Place the candle in the center of the bowl. Surround it with pine cones, making sure at least two-thirds of the candle is visible. Center your bowl on the dining table in time for Thanksgiving. 

Pine Cone Turkey Centerpiece

 

You will need: a large pine cone; assorted colored feathers; two small google eyes; glue; and colored foam scraps in the shapes of a head (circle), beak (teardrop), and feet. Lay your pine cone on its side, finding a side where it will not roll around. Starting a couple rows back from the wide end, start gluing the feathers in the spaces of the cone. Work your way to the narrow end until each slot has been filled, making sure to fan out the feathers to look like a turkey. Glue the foam to the appropriate areas of the pine cone, and glue the google eyes to the face above the beak. 

Pine Cone Bouquet Centerpiece

 

You will need: a gift box; barbecue skewers; foam; hot glue; ribbon; pine cones; and a drill bit. Drill a hole into the bottom of each of the pine cones. Use hot glue to attach each of the pine cones to the end of a skewer. Poke the skewers into the foam so the cones look like a bouquet, and fill in the spaces with colored leaves. Place the foam into the gift box and wrap ribbon around it. Place your Thanksgiving centerpiece on the dining room table. 

Enjoy making your pine cone centerpiece, and have a happy Thanksgiving holiday. 

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Photo courtesy of Flickr / Porsche Brousseau

Fall Home Decor Shopping Tips

Fall home decor embraces the cooler season with cozy decorating touches in the home. Decorate your home interior with fall-inspired decor, from rich colors to pretty accent pieces. Need some help shopping for fall home decor? Consider these five shopping tips. 

1. Get great deals once the season is over. Prices always drop at the end of a season, and sometimes in the middle of a season. Rather than buying fall home decor a month ahead of time, why not keep it simple and wait to buy for next year at reduced prices? 

2. Showcase the fireplace, dining table and so on. These are common areas of the home to decorate during any season. Use these areas to showcase your fall decor and, when the season is over, you can clear it out and re-decorate with winter centerpieces.

These two polka dot fall pumpkins would look adorable in front of the fireplace, or even on the front stoop.

3. Incorporate Halloween and Thanksgiving accents. Who says you can only decorate for these holidays over a few days around the actual holiday? Decorate with holiday-inspired accessories and leave them out during the entire season. 

4. Change up the accessories in your home. Do some of your accessories remind you of spring or summer? Swap out brightly-hued decor for pieces that remind you of autumn. This may include wall art, accent pillows, candles and more. 

Check out this gorgeous Ty Pennington medallion orange fabric that would make the perfect accent pillow for fall.

5. Remember to include outdoor decor. Sure, the changing leaves might be enough of a visual cue that fall is here. But if you are going to spend the time decorating your interior for the season, why not take it a little further with a few outdoor fall decorations, as well? 

Disclosure: This article contains affiliate links, and I will receive a small commission when you make a purchase. Thank you in advance.

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Photo courtesy of Flickr / peapodsquadmom

Color Scheme Ideas for Fall Decorating

When the weather starts to cool and leaves fall from the trees, it is time to get rid of summer decor and replace it with autumn-inspired pieces. Fall is about warm, rich color palettes, often in deep hues. When I think of this season, pumpkin pie and oak leaves come to mind. Autumn colors are inspired by these things and more. First of all, determine whether it is feasible to change up your color palette and home decor for fall. 

Should you change the decor for fall?

Some might wonder how much, if any, redecorating they should do for any given season. After all, there are four seasons in a year, and some decorations might not work well with your overall design scheme. It could end up being much more work than you had bargained for. First, what is the style or color scheme in your home? Traditional homes with warm color schemes make a great canvas for fall decorating. Cool, contemporary homes might not. Do you have a neutral design and color palette? Then you might be able to change out accent pieces to suit each season. Simply work with your existing decor to come up with the perfect balance each season. 

Color scheme ideas for fall

1. Pumpkin pie. For the pumpkin, choose an orange hue. The pie calls for a light tan or beige color. Blend them together for a spicy pumpkin pie inspired color scheme. If your main color is beige, highlight the room in orange and accent it with a deep brown. 

2. Purple plum. A rich burgundy or a plum colored purple is pretty for fall. Accent the room with gold and a deep blue. For a neutral room, use plum as your accent color. 

3. Changing leaves. Mix leaf-inspired colors together for a rich, fall look: red, burgundy, orange, gold, brown, green ... To avoid a haphazard feel, choose a color palette of three to five of these colors. Choose one to use as the main color, and use the remaining colors as accents throughout the room. 

Ideas to change decor for the season

 

Neutral color schemes work best if you plan on changing out accessories each season. Once summer is over, remove anything that is too summery and replace them with fall-inspired pieces. For example, get multiple throw pillows for the sofas or chairs in your favorite colors. For fall, put out the warm colored pillows: orange, brown, yellow, red and so on. Also, consider changing out wall hangings, throw rugs and other accessories that are easy to replace. 

Photo courtesy of Flickr / ~Pawsitive~Candie_N

DIY Pine Cone Decor for Fall

3 Fun Craft Projects Using Pine Cones

Once fall draws near, you might start noticing pine cones in your yard. Are you wondering how you can use them to decorate your home? Pine cones make great fall and holiday decorations for the home, whether they are used to craft wreaths, centerpieces and more. If you have pine trees in your yard, gather some of the fallen cones and make some do-it-yourself fall decor for the house. Here are a few ideas to get started. 

1. Pine Cone Door Wreaths

You will need: a plain wreath and door hanger; a hot glue gun; pine cones and other fall-inspired items. You can buy plain wreaths made of branches or other items from nature at many large retail stores. If possible, look for one with twigs or leaves - or make your own using these items. Use a hot glue gun to attach pine cones to the wreath at random intervals or in small clusters. Vary the pine cone sizes for interest. Also, attach dried berries, acorns, ribbon, and even a little glitter if you like. Once it has dried, hang the wreath from your entryway door to welcome visitors. 

2. Pine Cone Mirror or Photo Frame

You will need: A cheap mirror or photo frame with a plain frame; a hot glue gun; pine cones and other fall-inspired items. Start to glue the pine cones to the mirror frame, using plenty of glue. Avoid lining them all up perfectly, but place the cones in random directions for a more natural look. Use as many or as few as you like. Fill in the spaces with smaller objects, like acorns, berries or whatever suits the look you are going for. You can paint the pine cones if you like, but leave them natural for a more outdoorsy look. For a smaller photo frame, cluster two or three in the bottom corner to avoid overwhelming the photo you are displaying. 

3. Pine Cone Table Centerpieces

You will need: A shallow, wide glass vase or bowl; a hot glue gun; a white pillar candle; pine cones and ribbon. Place the candle inside the vase and wrap a fall-colored ribbon around it, attaching it with hot glue. Surround the candle with pine cones of varying sizes, filling the vase while making sure the top third of the candle is still visible. Place the vase on your dining table to use as a fall centerpiece. 

Photo courtesy of Flickr / Maegan Tintari

Responsibilities of the Interior Design Professional

Time management and attention to detail are two significant qualities of the interior designer. Besides the variety of responsibilities that come with a project, the designer may be working on several other projects and is possibly in different stages with each one.

It is a complicated process, but the design professional has to be able to pay attention to and keep track of every little detail of the project. 

1. Collaboration

In the beginning stage, as well as throughout the duration of the project, the designer is responsible for setting up meetings with the clients. The initial meeting is to consult with them and be sure that they will be able to effectively work together to come up with a unique design solution. The designer needs to be able to listen to the clients and help them decide what needs to be done. Along the way, the designer will need to be able to coordinate times to present plans and ideas to them. 

2. Attention to detail

Once the clients have agreed to hire a designer, the designer will need to survey the area and take measurements. The designer is responsible for taking and recording accurate measurements at the job site. It usually helps to take another person along to take the measurements or to record them. 

It is important to get the measurements right the first time around to prevent wasting your time and your clients' money. Items to take to the job site include: a tape measure, notepad and pencil, and a digital camera. You will want to take pictures so you don't have to go back to the job site every time you forget one of the details. 

3. Research

After the measurements have been taken and the clients' needs and wants have been assessed, the designer is responsible for coming up with a logical design plan, while keeping sustainable and universal design in mind. The designer may have to do some research at this point. 

4. Making appropriate changes

The designer will draw floor plans and perspective drawings with furniture layouts to present to the clients. Perspective drawings are often color rendered to help the client visualize the design. This is where the designer will need to set up a presentation meeting with the clients; any changes that need to be made to the plans will be discussed here. 

5. Execution of the plan

After the plan has been approved, the designer is responsible for working alongside other people, such as subcontractors, and setting up inspections to be sure that the design is coming together smoothly, as well as keeping the clients informed on the status of the project. It is important to inform the clients as soon as an obstacle comes up in the design process. The designer is also responsible for purchasing any furnishings, accessories, and materials needed. 

The design process is often complicated and may not be as straightforward as an interior designer may have hoped, but a competent designer will be able to keep track of each project and to keep the design process on track. The experienced designer has good time management and pays attention to detail.

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