But, you don’t have to sacrifice your sanity to pull off a spectacular autumn atmosphere. Preparing your home for the new season can be as easy as one, two, three. Literally. Simply follow these easy steps. 1) Exhale. Holding your breath about the matter will only make your face look funny. 2) Perish your preconceived notions about having to exhaust yourself and your family with holiday prep. A beautiful season-appropriate home does not have to be accompanied by a stomach ulcer, despite what your mother-in-law would have you believe. 3) Read the following tips for inexpensive and low-stress updates for your pad to prepare for your fall functions and holiday guests.
Your best friend from high school is passing through town in December and wants to stop in for a couple of days to “catch up on old times” (read: check out the appearance of your home and stability of your marriage).
But wait… before you let your anxiety over this visit manifest in nightmares about pep rallies, let us explain how simple it can be to get your guest room in order for your old buddy’s comfort and inspection.
You may be surprised by how transformative simply updating your bed and bedding can be. You can redo your head board with a new finish, or even a slip cover, to change an outdated look or add some color or glamour to the space. Add a throw or a new quilt to the foot of the bed, also, to make your new headboard pop. Try using a more saturated finish or fabric on the headboard and then using another deeper hue in a complimentary color for your accent blanket.
If you’re crafty, you could also consider repainting or refinishing the end tables. You can affect a noticeable change with just those two pieces of furniture.
Plan B: Reserve a room for her at the San Jose. They have great cocktails, and you get to go hang with her there.
We’re not sure why, but the dining room is often the most neglected room in the home. Perhaps you have plans for this room, and it’s just about half finished. Or maybe the undertaking of primping such an important area is too daunting. Or, maybe you’re like me (the author), and somewhere along the way, your dining table became an extension of your utility room.
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Candles should never be underrated for atmosphere. Do be careful to select an appropriate mix for the mood you wish to achieve, and, even though your candle stick holders don’t need to match (and maybe they even shouldn’t), meshing the styles is a good idea.
Another easy update is adding a new table setting. Let’s not kid ourselves, what we’re eating off of in the dining room isn’t just a plate… it’s art (or can be!).
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Plan B: Tell everyone that this holiday meal is going to be a festive picnic on the patio. This is something you could actually pull off in Central Texas.
After you have feasted in your beautiful new dining space, your company will most likely want to roll to the family room to turn on the game. If you’re looking to create a lovely lounging area for your friends and family, you can pull it off with just a little effort. And your guests will indeed be impressed, despite the inevitable lethargy resulting from their tryptophan comas.
You can easily clean up your look in this room that needs to be functional, too. Julie is often refreshing tables and lamps to clean up the look of a family room, while also adding or subtracting color and light for mood. There are also various affordable and very good looking new chairs and ottomans available now that you can use to replace the one that your partner probably doesn’t want you to.
Also try swapping out the sofa. The main element in a living area, this is the piece that makes or breaks the harmony of the look there.
Want immediate change gratification? Go pick out a new rug for the family room and have a new look within hours of making your selection. You may be amazed by the way in which a new floor covering can invigorate your look and pull your styles together.
Plan B: Break your TV.
Another quick fix for any of your rooms is adding or changing out your window coverings. You can often even create the illusion of change in wall color or furnishings with the right complimentary window treatments.
As you know, the addition of window adornment helps with absorbing echo and providing sun protection for furniture and rugs, as well as improving your energy efficiency. But this element in the home is also one of the easiest ways to add style.
If you’ve had neutral accents on the windows, try going bold with a little bit (or a lot) of color. If you have had color there, pick a neutral covering and incorporate the artwork you have been waiting to hang somewhere on the accompanying walls for defining contrast and proverbial “pop.”
Plan B: Get a pedicure. That won’t help your windows, but your feet will be happy.
We hope these tips help out, because we would really like to see your holiday time shift to something more like this…
If we can help in any other way, call us today. As you can see, we we’re not really able to assist with the cooking and shopping pieces of the pie (although we have some great recommendations for prepared foods around Austin, if you’re interested), but we’ve got the other things covered.
For more detail on any of the information provided here, please contact JEIDesign at 512.330.9179 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 512.330.9179 end_of_the_skype_highlighting or julie@julieevans.net.