8 Late-Summer Decorating Ideas for Your Home

It's late summer and your house is in desperate need of a pick-me-up. How do you decorate the home this time of year? This is the time when summer is nearly over, but it isn't quite Autumn yet. So, do you decorate early with fall accents, stick with summer hues or just leave your house as it is until autumn finally arrives? Try some of these decorating tips for your home when we are in-between seasons. 

1. Decorate with yellow during any season. You don't need much--a little yellow will go a long way. Recently, I placed a cream candle with a sprig of yellow flowers on my dining table. It is small, simple, but it provides a cheery pop of color to the otherwise-drab dining room. 

2. Bring a little glamour to any room. Something sparkly, for example, freshens and brightens the bedroom, or even the bathroom, but it doesn't necessarily represent either summer or autumn (or any other season, for that matter). A simple silver picture frame amongst darker, earthier colors creates drama. 

3. Take a piece of nature inside the house. Who says nature has to remain outdoors? Branches are just one way to change things up in the summer and in the fall. Vases work great for holding them, as well as rocks, pine cones and anything else you can find to bring inside. 

4. Bring plant life to a stale interior. Flowers and greenery can lift the spirits, while bringing in fresh, clean air. Get a plant at the end of summer and learn how to make it thrive, so it can provide happiness throughout the following seasons. Do you have allergies? Get an artificial plant, and make sure to keep it dust-free. 

5. Create interest with contrasting textures. Decorating with black and white  is not the only way to create contrast. Of course, you can do so using colors, but you can also achieve an interesting interior with textures and patterns that contrast with one another: rough textures with smooth, large patterns next to small. 

6. Go against the flow. Contrary to common belief, black and brown can work together--quite well--if done properly. And you most certainly do not necessarily have to stick with one decorating style throughout the entire house. There are some decorating rules you should just ignore (and others you should not). 

7. Read up on feng shui for the home. This is an ancient Chinese practice related to interior design that will help benefit many areas of your life. By decorating your home with feng shui in mind, you can clear a pathway on which your chi, or life energy, can flow more easily. 

8. Start fall cleaning early. Just by sorting through stacks of mail and decluttering the home, you will have a blank slate from which you can begin your fall decorating when the time arrives. Doing so will give you extra free time in the autumn for other things.

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