For your home: spring dos and don’ts

Wrenda Goodwyn • special to the Fort Myers News-Press/USA Today Network • March 6, 2021

Spring is my favorite season. Windows are open. New scents, flowers and plants throughout the house and yard. Hanging baskets on the lanai. A thorough “spring” cleaning to make everything feel fresh.

Way before spring officially arrives on March 20, I start planning. A new set of sheets, new bathroom rugs, new throw pillows. A few tweaks to the guest room because company will be here eventually. I am also thinking about a new rug for my Florida room to replace the sisal rug that my Corgi puppy assumed was grass and ate. Seriously. It’s not pretty.

Spring is a season of hope. And inspiration.

Bring peace and calm to your space with tranquil touches and fresh scents. www.potterybarn.com/shop/new/moments-of-mindfulness Photo: Pottery Barn

As a Southwest Florida interior decorator, I’ve been helping my clients find their inspiration as we slowly and safely resurface from the past year. And what I find is that you may not necessarily need to buy anything new. You may just need to rearrange some things and eliminate what accumulated over the past year that no longer serves you.

Before you put a spring refresh plan together, take a look at a few of my” dos” and “don’ts.” And next month we’ll talk about what you can do to correct some common decorating mistakes. All before you buy anything.

Don’t throw money away on these:

• Patterned sofas. It’s more aesthetically pleasing to the eye if you go solid and save the patterns for chairs, window treatments and pillows.

• Mass-produced artwork just to fill a space on a wall. Unless you love the piece and in that case, buy it. Otherwise, wait until you find something that you really love.

Coastal shades of blue and woven textures bring a relaxed and refreshed look to you home. Get the look at www.potterybarn.com/shop/shop-by-room/living-rooms/canyon-folsom-living-room Photo: Pottery Barn

• Trends. Let’s face it, trends are fun and we love to find some version of a new trend for our clients. But there is a reason that white cabinets are a timeless, classic choice. Before you go too far off the deep end with a trend, ask yourself: “Will I still love it in five years?”

• Tile countertops. The time has passed for these and who wants to clean grout every day?

• Cheap paint. You don’t need to buy the most expensive on the market but something in a middle range will go on better, clean easier. Worth a few extra dollars.

Want your home to have an updated look?

Say goodbye to these. Some you can do right now. Others will require a bit of work. It will be worth it.

• Vertical blinds. These never looked good and there are options.

• Doilies. What can I say?

• Don’t cover every wall with family photos. This really dates a home and makes it look old. Pick a few and frame them in identical frames and display them on a table, desk, piano or on one wall for your family gallery.

Spring is a season of hope and inspiration. What inspires you for your home this spring? Maybe some ideas from this coastal-look Landmark collection from Thibaut Designs. Malibu Chair in Piper woven fabric in kelly green; Keller ottoman in Sadie woven fabric in aqua; Madison

• Shag carpet. Yes, it still lives. Okay, let’s talk about this. A couple of years ago, I saw shag area rugs at High Point Market that were really cool to look at. But how do you clean them? And think about a red wine spill. This is a trend that needs to be left in the 70s.

• Chickens and roosters. These pop up in hallways and over kitchen cabinets. Leave them on the farm (unless you really love them).

• Old fixtures and drawer pulls. Things change and updating these will give your space a new look.

• Gold frames on anything. Unless you live in a museum.

• Popcorn ceilings. Whatever you have to do to remove these, it’s worth it.

• Old wallpaper. Old as in more than five years old. I know, you paid a lot but it’s dated and needs to come down. Try a beautiful paint color for an option.

• Wood paneling. Paint it.

• Matchy, matchy anything. Don’t buy an entire room of furniture that matches. Unless it’s for a rental property. Otherwise, use some imagination and find some pieces that you love. Matchy matchy says, I just don’t care. And I know you do.

• Honey-stained oak cabinets. These were the rage but now, nothing dates a home more than this look. If they are in good shape, have them painted. It’s worth the investment.

• Fake plants. Just don’t.

Wrenda Goodwyn is a Southwest Florida interior decorator, A.S.I.D. associate and gold member of the Interior Redecorators Network. She helps homeowners throughout Southwest Florida with timeless, affordable ways to create beautiful spaces and solves decorating problems. Her articles appear the first Saturday of each month. For more information visit her website at spectacularspaces.com. Call her at 239-850-5800 or e-mail wrenda@spectacularspaces.com. For more decorating tips, articles and photos, visit spectacularspaces.com/blog

Open your heart on Valentine's Day

Wrenda Goodwyn • special to the Fort Myers News-Press/USA Today Network • Feb. 6, 2021

Strategically placed between Christmas and Easter, I like to think of February as love month with Valentine’s Day right in the middle. It gives us that little bit of hope as we recover from what I call the “holiday slump” until we can make it until spring. It’s a time to show some love to your home, others and yourself.

Love your home

Set a pretty table. Then settle in with a latte and a croissant. Shown: Table cloth is Adelyn Handblock in Rose. Napkins are Hixson Linen in Blush and Kaya II in Berry. All available at Kravet to the trade. www.kravet.com. Photo Kravet.

One of my favorite designers, Tobi Fairley calls them her “non-negotiables.” Those things that are so important to you that there is no excuse for not incorporating them into your home and your life. I love that term because with what we’ve experienced this past year, we haven’t had much control over our lives. But you can control your non-negotiables. What are yours? A few of mine include:

Color.

It makes me happy. I can’t do without it. It doesn’t even have to be paint (although a beautiful color on coffered ceilings is nice) but a carefully curated color palette that works throughout your home can change your day-to-day life. It’s a fact. I can tell you that after years of helping Southwest Florida homeowners create new color choices, it’s also the best place to put your decorating budget.

And if you’re thinking about hearts, Benjamin Moore even has a color named Valentine’s Day along with My Valentine, Kept Love Letters, I Love You Pink, Love Always, Love Story.

Photo: Benjamin Moore

Set a pretty table.

You look at your table every day, so why not make it pretty (every day)? Pick the table that you use the most: eat-in kitchen or dining room. Or on a porch or lanai. Pick a table runner or cloth, placemats, napkins, napkin rings, centerpiece, flowers, candles. Whatever makes you happy. What’s making me happy right now: two turquoise vases from West Elm filled with pink Gerber daisies, a vintage box from an antique market filled with glass balls, shells and beads. Candles in Valentine’s Day scents. White dishes, pink heart napkins with “love” napkin rings. Then settle in with a latte and a croissant.

Start at the front door.

A new yard flag. Mine is hearts and no message. Invest in a new welcome matt and wreath. The holidays are over so it’s time to freshen up a bit with a new look. It makes you feel good when you walk through your front door. And speaking of the door, now would be a good time for a fresh coat of paint if it needs one.

A sweet welcome and a heartfelt goodbye, this doormat sends hugs and kisses all year. Available at www.potterybarn.com. Photo Pottery Barn

Share some love

Who doesn’t love a Valentine? This holiday was made for reaching out. Contact a nursing home about delivering Valentines for every resident. You can buy a pack or two from a card store and write sweet messages. It’s also a good time to ask if the nursing home needs personal items for its residents. Call a few friends and take this on as a project. Don’t underestimate the fact that you will make someone’s day. And yours.

Send a Valentine to someone that you may not have been in touch with during this isolated time. Phone calls are great but it’s so nice to receive a handwritten card that someone went to the effort to mail.

Lend a helping hand.

Check in with elderly neighbors who are having a difficult time getting an appointment for a COVID vaccination. Many do not use computers and the frustration can be very stressful for anyone. Imagine what a gift you would be giving to help with an appointment, driving them to the location and being there to provide a little comfort. And when you pick them up, take a little bouquet of flowers. No one likes to get a shot.

Don’t forget the dogs (and cats).

Do a little light decluttering of your linen closet and gather up towels and sheets that you can spare and take them to an animal shelter.

Tricia Boone at Gulf Coast Humane Society says that in addition to these items, they also welcome donations of paper towels, durable toys, cleaning wipes and Dawn dish soap. The shelter also needs canned kitten food (Fancy Feast: chicken and turkey). These sweet critters need our help now. And if time doesn’t permit, you can make a donation at www.gulfcoasthumanesociety.org

Love yourself

It’s been a rough year for everyone. Take this holiday to do something that makes you happy. We are so lucky to live in Southwest Florida where there are so many options for getting outdoors. Watch a sunset. Rent kayaks and explore our beautiful waterways. Take a walk on a beach. Go for a bike ride.

Champagne and strawberries also work.

Take a hike. Pick a trail and get outside. One of my favorites: Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve. Find yours at www.leegov.com/parks/parks

Art. It’s healing and soothing. Best of all, it gives you a mental break and takes you someplace else.

If you love Chihuly as much as I do, Artis-Naples, the Baker Museum, is showing Dreaming Forms: Chihuly Then and Now. It’s on through Feb. 28.

And if you’re up for a road trip, head to St. Pete and immerse yourself in Van Gogh Alive at the Dali Museum through April 11. It’s just what we need now.

Wrenda Goodwyn is a Southwest Florida interior decorator, A.S.I.D. associate and gold member of the Interior Redecorators Network. She helps homeowners throughout Southwest Florida with timeless, affordable ways to create beautiful spaces and solves decorating problems. Her articles appear the first Saturday of each month. For more information visit her website at spectacularspaces.com. Call her at 239-850-5800 or e-mail wrenda@spectacularspaces.com. For more decorating tips, articles and photos, visit spectacularspaces.com/blog

Pause and reflect: at home in the new year

Wrenda Goodwyn • special to the Fort Myers News-Press • Jan. 2, 2021

Add an instant refresh to your home by bringing the outdoors inside with a green color palette.A white window seat with pillows in fabric from Thibaut’s Oasis collection of Sunbrella woven fabric takes calm to a whole new level. www.thibautdesign.com Photo: Thibaut Design.

When life is out of balance as it’s been this past year, it’s a good idea to take a breath. Refocus and think about what makes a happy home for you and your family.

It’s a given that when this pandemic ends, we will all have changed. It’s important that our homes change as well to reflect our new normal. We don’t know exactly what those changes will be but for now, a simpler lifestyle, less stress and more comfort are a good place to start.

Let’s forgo the resolutions this year. Instead, let’s press pause, reflect and enjoy simple pleasures as we tweak and make a few changes.

I think about Piglet asking Pooh where they are going on their walk.

Taking his hand, Pooh says, “Home, Piglet. We’re going home. Because that’s the best thing to do right now.”

Home is our safe zone. It’s where we all need to be. Where it’s safe and comfortable.

Escape and find comfort, peace and calm in a bathroom done in tranquil colors from Benjamin Moore. Walls in Palladian Blue HC-144, Aura Bath & Spa, Matte. Trim in Distant Gray 2124-70, Regal Select, Semi-Gloss. Tub in Breath of Fresh Air 806, Advance, Satin. Photo: Benjamin Moore.

As a Southwest Florida decorator With lots of time these last 10 months to think about what I would change in my own home and those of my clients, I want to share are a few of my thoughts:

• Forget about perfection. It doesn’t exist and you will never find it. Take that off your list.

• Make self-care a priority. Without your mental and physical health, nothing else matters.

• Make a gratitude list. I just did this and even after the year that we’ve have had, it’s surprisingly long. I keep it on my desk and read it when I have a lull.

• Limit time online. You won’t find happiness there.

• Get outside every day.

• Stick to a routine even when spending most of your time at home. Things always go better for me if I make my bed and pick up around the house before I dive into my day.

• Read a book. Join a virtual book club. It keeps you connected and is good for the brain.

• Give yourself some space. It will make you feel lighter and happier. If (especially after the holidays), you are overwhelmed by all of the stuff that has accumulated, declutter. If you don’t like it or just don’t need it or don’t use it, say goodbye. Without guilt. Remember: this is your home. Not a storage shed for someone else’s memories and stuff.

Come up with a plan and plan ahead

I always tell my clients that if they don’t have a plan, it doesn’t really matter what they do to their home. It will never flow or look right. You will make mistakes. What I know going into 2021: you don’t need to spend a fortune to have a beautiful home. You just need a good plan.

A few tips to get you started:

Go from room to room. Make notes in each. Short of taking on a major renovation, what would make the room more comfortable and prettier without a lot of stress? A few suggestions:

• Create a new color palette. Nothing gives a home a refresh like new color. When planning the palette, consider a neutral color for the public/family areas and colors for the bedrooms and bathrooms, office. And no more than three colors. We don’t want to create a circus look with each room a different color.

• Living room. New lamps or lampshades. Increase bulb wattages. We are all living in the dark. New pillows are always good for a refresh. A new vase for fresh flowers. If you’ve been thinking about reupholstering your sofa, promise me you will consider a color other than brown or beige. Be brave. Want to add a new paint color without committing to an entire room? Paint the ceiling. Rearrange the furniture. Add a pretty bar cart. Add a little more color into the room with drapery panels (save $$$ instead of purchasing full drapes).

Try a fresh approach with a new color palette for 2021. Blue and white is timeless. Thibaut Design combines its Brighton Settee in Freeport woven fabric in almond with boxed pillows in Honshu printed fabric in blue and beige with contrast boxing band in Cobble Hill Tape in Bermuda. For more details on this collection, visit www.thibautdesigns.com. Photo: Thibaut Design.

• Bedrooms. This is a good time (sales) to invest in new sheets, pillows, shams. Try a new color. If you don’t need a new comforter, January is a good time to have your current one laundered. And change out your decorative pillows. If you’re thinking about a headboard and space is an issue, consider a beautiful piece of art instead.

Bathrooms. Purchase new towels and bath rugs as needed. In January I take an inventory. It’s a new year and a good time to refresh. If the mirror over the vanity has seen better days, purchase a new one with a frame to give it an updated look. Add a stool or bench near the master tub for reading, bath oil and to hold a liquid refreshment. Add a new scent (candles) and a new playlist to your music and chill.

• Kitchen. Edit your spices (I like to throw them all out on Jan. 1 and start over). Also declutter your countertops and decide what you can store (almost everything) to keep them free of what you don’t need every day. If your cabinets and countertops need to be replaced soon, consider working with a professional to help with options and a realistic budget.

• Don’t be afraid to try something new. A cozy window seat window reading and daydreaming. Maybe a beautiful wallcovering for a bathroom or dining room. Outrageously beautiful fabric to give new life to chairs that have seen better days. Paint your front door a color other that you love. Plant colorful flowers in your front yard for a little curb appeal and to make you happy every time you come home.

Wrenda Goodwyn is a Southwest Florida interior decorator, A.S.I.D. associate and gold member of the Interior Redecorators Network. She helps homeowners throughout Southwest Florida with timeless, affordable ways to create beautiful spaces and solves decorating problems. Her articles appear the first Saturday of each month. For more information visit her website at spectacularspaces.com. Call her at 239-850-5800 or e-mail wrenda@spectacularspaces.com. For more decorating tips, articles and photos, visit spectacularspaces.com/blog

Finding joy at home for Christmas

Wrenda Goodwyn • special to the Fort Myers News-Press • Nov. 28, 2020

In 27 short days, we celebrate Christmas.

And of course, it’s different this year. But no matter where you will find yourself during the holidays, it’s still the most wonderful time of year. The time when we find joy and honor those traditions that make us happy. We’re all due a huge dose of holiday cheer and that starts in our homes.

What will we do? We will carry on and decorate. We will practice acts of kindness. Look out for others and we will be grateful. And we will take care of ourselves by distancing, wearing a mask and staying safe. And this Christmas will be the most wonderful time of the year.

Make your holiday merry and bright with a few simple touches. Faux potted Poinsettias and berry branches and glass votive candle holders are available at www.potterybarn.com. Photo: Pottery Barn.

Decorate a little or a lot?

Maybe this is the year to give yourself a break and make it about you. Take the time to actually enjoy the season instead of running back and forth to the mall to buy things to decorate your home. You can still have a great holiday and live through it happy and calm. A few suggestions:

• Keep it simple. If it’s not too late, don’t go crazy with the decorating. Remember: it all has to come down and it gets stored in a few weeks.

• Eliminate stress. Making plans. Friends and family commitments. Shopping. Transforming your home into a Hallmark movie set. So much to do and so little time. As a Southwest Florida interior decorator, I see the stress that my clients put themselves under to “get everything done.” We are all a little exhausted this year. My advice: Let your home be a place to escape the stress this year. Rejuvenate. Reboot.

Don’t forget the pets! Dogs in their holiday finery waiting for Santa (on stretched canvas) to arrive puts fun into the holiday. Gift box stocking holders with personalized stockings. All from Ballard Designs. Photo: Ballard Designs.

• Don’t wait too long. Make a plan this weekend and get started now so you can enjoy the season.

• Use what you have. Skip a year of buying anything and go with what you already have. Rearrange and find new ways of displaying your decorations. Put the tree in a different room. Use a different color for your lights. Decorate the kitchen pendants with greenery and ribbons. Mix real scented candles with faux.

• Do a little something in each room. A small table tree. Wrapped presents. Fresh flowers. Ornaments in a glass bowl. Holiday music.

• Many of my clients tell me that they are going to decorate earlier and more than ever. Whatever you decide works best for your home, this is a plan I follow each year. Pick a few and let the festivities begin!

• Start at the front door. A new holiday welcome mat sets the tone. I have clients who paint their front door red for the holidays. Why not? Happy, easy and fun. A wreath for the door. Twinkling lights go a long way toward holiday happiness and they are inexpensive so use them generously. Potted plants at the door.

• Set a pretty table. Even if you’re not having guests this year. Set the table for the holidays. A few small trees down the center, garland garnished with your favorite ornaments. Colorful placemats and napkins.

• Chair wreaths for your dining chairs. Or barstools. These are so much fun. You will need small wreathes, ribbon and a few ornaments that you already have on hand. OR you can hang stocking on the back of each chair. If you are like me, you have lots of those stored away.

• A tree in every room. This is my favorite and if this is all you do, it’s enough. Start with your entry table (collection of small trees and greenery), office (medium on desk), each bathroom (small), living room (large), bedrooms and kitchen (as space permits). You can coordinate colors and design with each room OR you can put a small, green tree with a bow in each room. Some can have lights, decorations, or not. Last year I discovered pencil trees and they allow for lights and decorations and also fit into space-saving corners.

However you decorate your home this holiday season, let it be enough and enjoy every moment. This is my last column for 2020. See you in 2021! Merry Christmas!

Wrenda Goodwyn is a Southwest Florida interior decorator, A.S.I.D. associate and gold member of the Interior Redecorators Network. She helps homeowners throughout Southwest Florida with timeless, affordable ways to create beautiful spaces and solves decorating problems. Her articles appear the first Saturday of each month. For more information visit her website at spectacularspaces.com. Call her at 239-850-5800 or e-mail wrenda@spectacularspaces.com. For more decorating tips, articles and photos, visit spectacularspaces.com/blog

Finding comfort at home with color

Benjamin Moore Color of the Year 2021 Aegean Teal 2136-40. A blue-green with grey undertones, is soothing and tranquil with hints of the outdoors and nature. Walls: eggshell. Trim: Atrium White OC-145 in satin. Photo credit: Benjamin Moore

Wrenda Goodwyn • special to the Fort Myers News-Press • Oct. 24, 2020

Before we know it, the election will be over. The holidays will be here. And we’ll be heading into a new year with optimism and hope as we say goodbye to a tumultuous 2020. It’s a time to reflect and reset. And there’s no better place to start than in our homes.

Benjamin Moore just announced its Color of the Year, Aegean Teal 2136-40 and the corresponding Color Trends 2021 palette. The colors have a welcoming, lived-in quality that is comforting, uplifting and inspiring. Colors that we can really use in our homes.

Cabinets: Benjamin Moore Color of the Year 2021 Aegean Teal 2136-40 in satin finish; walls: Aegean Teal 2136-40 in eggshell; trim: Gray Cashmere 21385 in satin. Photo credit: Benjamin Moore

“Amid uncertainty, people yearn for stability. The colors we surround ourselves with can have a powerful impact on our emotions and wellbeing,” says Andrea Magno, Benjamin Moore director of color marketing & development.”

As Southwest Florida interior decorator, I’m designing more color palettes for my clients than ever before. Whether during an in-home consultation or virtually, everyone seems to be looking for a color refresh. As someone who lives, sleeps and breathes color, I’ve always believed that popular color trends somewhat reflect what is happening in the world and what we need.

Love this color and want to start out with an accent? Try the inside of a cabinet. Inside cabinet: Aegean Teal 2136-40 in semi-gloss; cabinet exterior: Chestertown Bluff HC-9 in semi-gloss. Photo credit: Benjamin Moore

And it’s no surprise since our homes have never had to work so hard serving as an office, workout space, restaurant, classroom, library and more.

Thoughts about Aegean Teal

My clients know that I advise against following a color trend just for the sake of the trend. But they can be fun and bring a little energy to a room that needs refreshing.

Full disclosure, I love this color. The blue-green with grey undertones, is perfect for our Florida location near the Gulf of Mexico. It’s soothing and tranquil. Inviting. Hints of the outdoors and nature. There’s a harmony and a calm to it.

I love this color so much I used it in the coffered ceilings of my own home and had a living room sofa upholstered to match, two years ago. It still gives me happiness.

I have this color in my own home. Two years ago, I had the coffered ceilings in my entry, dining and living room painted in this color. The walls are Benjamin Moore’s Silver Satin 856. I wanted just enough of this beautiful color to provide an accent. I like it so much that I had a sofa upholstered in the same color in my living room.

And here we are two years later and I still love it. Why? It gives me joy. It’s pure happiness every day. That’s what I want from a color: happiness. And it’s what I want for your home.

And if Aegean Teal does not work, check out the other 11 colors in the Color Trends 2021 palette. Described as having sunbaked qualities, they include Atrium White OC-145, Muslin OC-12, Foggy Morning 2106-70, Rosy Peach 2089-20, Beacon Hill Damask HC-2, Potters Clay 1221, Chestertown Buff HC-9, Amazon Soil 2115-30, Gray Cashmere 2138-60, Kingsport Gray HC-86, and Silhouette AF-655.

How to use Aegean Teal in your home

Just because you like a color does not mean that it has to (or necessarily should) go on the walls. There are many ways to incorporate color into your space. For Aegean Green, a few suggestions: front door, powder room, kitchen or bathroom cabinets, kitchen island, shelves or a bookcase in a high gloss, the back wall of a bookcase, wallcoverings, side table, ceilings, trim and baseboards, accessories, fabric, rug.

Use Aegean Teal 2136-40 in satin for a window seat or piece of furniture. Walls shown are Muslin OC-12 flat. Photo credit: Benjamin Moore

It’s a fact that making a color change in your home is the biggest change you can make for your decorating budget. Note these tips when creating a new color palette:

Color don’ts

• Rush to make a decision

• Pick color from a tiny swatch

• Paint without testing the color on the wall

• Pick a paint color before you have anything else in the room

• Think only about the room that you are painting. Color needs to flow in order to work.

• Paint every room a different color.

Color do’s

• Create a color palette and work from there. Consider your window treatments, upholstery, pillows, artwork and accessories.

• Buy the best quality paint you can afford. It makes a difference. And go with the lowest VOC or no VOC.

• Color challenged? Magazines, Pinterest and vision boards all help.

• When all else fails, call a professional. Our job is to keep you from making mistakes.

We still have a couple of months before we say goodbye to 2020. This is a good time to begin planning your strategy for reenergizing your home.

Wrenda Goodwyn is a Southwest Florida interior decorator, A.S.I.D. associate and gold member of the Interior Redecorators Network. She helps homeowners throughout Southwest Florida with timeless, affordable ways to create beautiful spaces and solves decorating problems. Her articles appear the first Saturday of each month. For more information visit her website at spectacularspaces.com. Call her at 949-1808 or e-mail wrenda@spectacularspaces.com. For more decorating tips, articles and photos, visit spectacularspaces.com/blog

Creating comfort at home for fall

Wrenda Goodwyn • special to the Fort Myers News-Press • Oct. 3, 2020

Let’s face it: the last two seasons, spring and summer, took away a lot of our comfort and security. Fall weather is right around the corner and offers a chance to bring a few positive changes into our homes. A chance to create some comfort in stressful times.

We don’t really have seasons in Florida. And that’s okay with most of us who came here from someplace else, fleeing cold weather. As a matter of fact, if it were not for the Publix cinnamon brooms that appear in September, we might not even know that there is a change. But the truth is that even in our year-round tropical paradise where there is little change in the weather, fall brings a noticeable shift. And that’s a healthy thing.

This is when I think of growing up in Virginia and going to college in North Carolina. Fall was beautiful with cool breezes, football games, homecoming, friends and the excitement of the beginning of another college year. I remember walking to classes and just taking in “fall.” I felt such a sense of place those fall seasons and it has stayed with me all these years. Fall is a very nostalgic time.

Unlike the rest of the country, the slight drop in temperature has most of us heading for the beach, sprucing up our lanais for the season and getting outdoors more. As a Fort Myers interior decorator, I can tell you that I (along with most of my clients) like to make a few subtle changes in my home to honor the arrival of fall. Or as I call it, celebrating the end of a long, hot summer. Most of these changes cost very little and you can buy much of what you need from the grocery store or order online without major shopping trips. A few of my favorites:

A light decluttering

Since we have been at home so much, things have piled up! Do a little fall decluttering and organizing. Focus on finding some clear surface spaces and eliminating what you no longer need. And while you are at it, toss your old spices and refresh with new ones. The change in seasons is also a perfect time to invest in new linens, towels, throws, blankets. All just in time for the holidays.

Create the feeling

Start at the front door with a new doormat. My favorite is “hello pumpkin,” which can be found online. One of my clients paints her front door each fall and spring. To keep things interesting. Some favorite front door colors for fall: Benjamin Moore’s Hawthorne Yellow, Autumn Leaf and Fiesta Orange. Add a wreath to the door, a few pumpkins (faux in Florida), potted plants and lanterns and you are set.

Benjamin Moore’s Hawthorne Yellow. Photo: Benjamin Moore

Spicy hues or not

If the oranges, browns and yellows are just not your palette, that’s fine. Any color found in nature says fall. Rich cranberry burgundy, blueberry, sunflower yellows, bright greens…all work for fall and are a nice change when mixed with our more coastal palettes.

And as for pumpkins, they come in all colors. Blues, white, even pink. I like to mix them up.

Create a tablescape

For your dining table, coffee table or the end of a kitchen island. Mine this year is a mix of white pumpkins, striped pumpkins and a bag of gourds from the grocery store. Some yellow mums, corn and candles. Very simple.

Set the dining table

If Halloween is more your thing than fall, that could be the theme. In either case, add some seasonal placemats and napkins, add a center piece. Design special themed place cards for each member of the family. Put a few fall or Halloween treats at each plate. Make it a little special since there are going to be fewer activities this year.

Set a pretty table with faux pumpkins and fall elements from www.potterybarn.com. Photo: Pottery Barn.

Entry table

One of my favorites is to fill a dough bowl with elements of the season: potpourri, acorns, colored leaves, gourds and even a few twinkling lights. Change out the content each season or just for fun.

Change your scents to fall

Bring fall into your space before it even arrives with yummy scents: Fall in a Jar, Fresh Fall Morning, White Pumpkin, Leaves, Apple Weather and lots of others from Bath & Body.

Mix creamy neutrals with seasonal hues

Change your fireplace mantel with creamy neutrals accented with seasonal tones, gourds, pumpkins, leaves, baskets, accents.

Welcome fall!

On the first cool morning: open all of the windows and let the fresh air into your home. Take a deep breath and enjoy a new season that brings renewed hope.

Wrenda Goodwyn is a Southwest Florida interior decorator, A.S.I.D. associate and gold member of the Interior Redecorators Network. She helps homeowners throughout Southwest Florida with timeless, affordable ways to create beautiful spaces and solves decorating problems. Her articles appear the first Saturday of each month. For more information visit her website at spectacularspaces.com. Call her at 949-1808 or e-mail wrenda@spectacularspaces.com. For more decorating tips, articles and photos, visit spectacularspaces.com/blog