by Andrea Laux

Created on: September 12, 2008   Last Updated: December 09, 2009

As the weather cools and the days grow shorter a mild excitement begins to rise up in all of us. It is time to go back to school, the beginning of football season, and a crispness in the air signals the season's harvest is ready to be brought in. Fall is one of the most refreshing times of year, a cool respite between the rigors of a hot and humid summer and the solitude of winter.

Many long to feel the wonders and richness of autumnal change brought into the interiors of their homes, perhaps in an attempt to steel away from worldly pressures while enjoying the fullness of the season in private.

To indulge in the luxury of bringing the seasons indoors one need not be wealthy, but rather creative and industrious. Begin transforming your interior by removing the most glaring reminders of the previous season. It becomes necessary to stow away the flip flops that have been cluttering the mudroom. Pack away pale-toned decorative accessories and exchange the summertime photographs or portraits in picture frames for more seasonally appropriate choices that will, at only a moment's glance, bring back years of fun fall memories.

No seasonal transformation would be complete without triggering the powerful sensory response to the glowing sweetness in the mix of flavors and aromas that come with the fall harvest. In years past, many would begin storing up apples for the colder months, making apple pies, apple butter, and a myriad of other delectable fall morsels. The faint hint of cloves and cinnamon would seem to linger in the air for weeks after harvest. To achieve such an ambience in your home, without buying a pressure canner and dedicating 24 solid hours to peeling and coring apples, it is more conducive to busy lifestyles to purchase a room spray at a local fine interior shop or an essential oil diffuser in an autumnal blend. One may, in a pinch, also consider putting a small saucepan on the stove with 2 cups of water, peel of one orange, and 1/8 cup of cinnamon. As this concoction slowly simmers the scent will begin to billow into every corner of your home.

While enjoying the aromas of fall in a newly de-cluttered space, commence with re-accessorizing. This does not mean run out and purchase all new items for every end table and bookshelf. It may mean shuffling items from one room to another to accentuate deeper colors and add richness, or purchase fabric remnants at a local craft store and make slip covers for your throw pillows that accomplish a similar affect.

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