Cozy conversion

Decor can snuggle into fall, donning a lot of warmth for just a little money.
By Eils Lotozo
Inquirer Staff Writer

A room for all seasons: summer (left) and autumn (right).

When those brisk autumn winds start blowing and the leaves start to fall, we know it's time to put the shorts and sandals away, time to unpack the gloves and sweaters.

Rooms can use a change of wardrobe, too. The fact is, what works decor-wise for the warm, bright, barefoot days of spring and summer may not feel right for the darker, chillier months.

"In the different seasons, you cook different foods and do different things, and you want the house to reflect the mood you're in," says Christy McCarthy of Merion, a devotee of seasonal redecorating.

"In the summer, I have a lot of seashells around and do fun colors and bright stripes. In the winter, I'm a little more of a homebody, so I want things more cozy."

Making seasonal changes to your home can be easy, and it doesn't have to cost a lot, says Ambler interior designer Shelley Boe, who specializes in redesign - using mostly existing furnishings and accessories to create a new look.

Boe doesn't just handle seasonal redecorating for clients - her own autumn home transformation includes replacing summery yellow and blue accent pillows and all-white bedding with some in sage, deep blue and latte brown.

"I can't imagine leaving the house the same way all year," she says.

At our request, Boe demonstrated how shifting around what a home already has, bringing in only a few accessories, pillows, an accent chair, and two small area rugs, was enough to give two rooms two different demeanors. The cost of those additions (borrowed, not bought, for this demonstration): $226 for the summer look, $533 for the fall.

For contrast, Boe created a look for summer that could be transformed smoothly into a look for fall. She moved furniture, brought in homemade quilts, repurposed goblet-style candleholders as vases, and shuffled houseplants.

Along the way, she offered these tips and ideas for making any room season-appropriate:

Furniture

In warmer months, think about protecting upholstered pieces from sweaty bodies with light-colored, washable slipcovers. Custom covers look the best and are the most durable, but if they're not in the budget, easy-fit versions from Pottery Barn start at $139 for a small sofa. A low-cost, no-sew solution is to tuck pretty fabric over the backs of sofas and chairs and around cushions. Or use bright patchwork quilts or coverlets for a beach-house look.

For fall, strip off those covers and drape richly colored soft throws, in wools, chenille or fleece, onto sofas and chairs.

And think about creating more cozy spots to cocoon. Like the redesigners do, "shop" your home for underutilized pieces. Pull an ottoman up to an armchair in the living room. Bring in a basket for magazines. Add an extra side table or two so everyone has a place to put a book or a cup of tea. Maybe even turn that old table in the basement or attic into a spot for playing games or doing puzzles during the homebound months.

Floors

Many avid seasonal decorators take a page from the Victorians, who rolled up their Oriental rugs for the summer and replaced them with grass rugs.

Autumn is time to reverse the process, stow the sisal, and bring in richly patterned and colored rugs. You can even lay a rug on top of wall-to-wall carpet to add more warmth and color to a room for fall, Boe says.

Windows

Light, airy, minimalist window treatments are perfect for summer. But for fall, you want to think about dressing your windows a bit more warmly, Boe says. In her own bedroom, she swaps pale, semi-sheer batiste drapes for sage green chenille panels at this time of year.

"Layering is a great way to change your window treatments, and it's so stylish now," she says.

For fall, you can add a simple fabric valance in a rich color over a fabric roman shade or a bamboo blind. Or add a layer of drapery panels. This not only adds a nice shot of fall color, you get to draw the drapes closed against frosty nights.

Walls

Boe has been known to repaint rooms in her home in pursuit of seasonal transformation - not an option she advocates.

"It gets expensive," she says.

But changing the artwork on your walls couldn't be easier, says Boe, whose own seasonal shift includes swapping a floral painting in her sunroom for a snowy landscape.

Spring and summer are the time to aspire to a cool, stripped-down look and to draw the eye outside, while fall is the time to warm things up and add lots to look at. After all, as winter moves in, you'll have plenty of time to study those walls.

Just make sure you have some filler and touch-up paint on hand, to cover the holes left behind by roaming picture hooks.

Accessories

Changing pillows from light colors and summery patterns to fabrics with deeper hues and nubbier textures is one of the easiest seasonal changes you can make, Boe says.

"You also want more pillows for fall and winter. It's that cocooning thing. You want to feel like you are surrounded by comfort and softness."

As autumnal accents, bring in pots of flowering mums and add bowls or baskets of pine cones, decorative gourds or fall fruit. More expensive, but with a big impact: Change white lampshades to shades in warm tones of red, gold or peach.

"You also want to think about bringing in more light for fall and winter," Boe says. That can mean changing or adding lamps, using lots of candles, or adding mirrors strategically placed to reflect window light.

For her fall home, Christy McCarthy adds some soft throws to her sofa, switches her light blue and cream bedding to a rich red toile-style print, and swaps pale floral accent pillows for some done in fur and wool. She brings out table linens and towels in autumnal colors and buys spice-scented candles.

Altering the decor isn't just about looks, McCarthy says. It's part of getting in tune with something essential.

"I really love all the seasons, and when I change things around a bit, I feel like I'm ready for something new," she says. "It prepares you mentally for how things are progressing in nature."

There's another benefit, too.

"When you put stuff away in the closet, you forget about it," she says. "But when you get it out again... you feel like you have all these new things."

Contact staff writer Eils Lotozo at 215-854-5610 or elotozo@phillynews.com.