Bringing fall inside
Decorating for autumn holidays
DAVID MINK GateHouse Plus

Autumn: the world just doesn't make a season that is more suitable to interior decoration. With the trees alive with warm fall colors, the sky filled with the cool breeze of summer's end and the sight of the holidays just around the corner, fall is the perfect time for refreshing your home's design and bringing the outdoors indoors.

Fall interior design, however, is much more than just a reflection of the holidays. You don't have to feel pressured into jack-o-lanterns, cornucopias, construction-paper turkeys and orange tablecloths. With the rich diversity of fall's exterior "design," you have a wonderful palette of options to work with when making your home reflect the turning of the season.

The first thing you should do when trying to bring the outdoors indoors? Bring the outdoors indoors. Quite literally, you need to head outside and do some gathering. Nothing - absolutely nothing - says "fall" like fallen leaves. Be diverse: get a large selection of turned leaves. You'll want a splash of color, from the hot red of maple leaves to the bright yellow of aspen; from the dark maroon of ash to the warm brown of oak. Bring in other tree slough, as well. Grab up acorns, pinecones, dried branches, pine needles, walnuts, crabapples; if it's natural, in your backyard and can't possibly pose a health hazard to your family, bring it in.

These ingredients will make a perfect centerpiece for any table, and the leftovers can also spruce up any window dressing you're creating. Although jack-o-lanterns are fairly clichéd, miniature pumpkins can also add a nice flavor to any arrangement you're planning. Pick a nice setting, like an old vase, a ceramic pitcher or something unusual like a miniature wagon wheel. Create a dramatic centerpiece out of the branches and roughage, and then use extra to spill out around the piece.

Use miniature pumpkins and gourds to make candles. Simply lop off the tops, scoop out the innards and insert a tea light for a great themed candle. Using ribbon and burlap rope you can also create a nice autumn wreath for your front door.

Switch out your window treatments for a more fall-inspired color scheme to get your design really moving. Use a heavy bolt for the exterior like velvet to give it some weight. Also, switch out couch blankets, beddings, table cloths and pillow cases to spread the color around. Every little thing helps, and spotting some restrained but definitive fall colors throughout the home will go a long way toward finishing off your seasonal design.