season's greetings

From Habitat magazine - issue 31, seasonal switch-outs

Welcome the change in weather with simple swaps to your decor.

Seasonal transitions often inspire an adjustment to everyday life. Much like you change up your wardrobe when the weather gets warmer or cooler, a change of seasons is the perfect time to spruce up the design scheme of your home, inside and out. Rotating your decor allows you to take advantage of all of the wonderful colours, patterns and textures out there and avoid the boredom that can lead to impulsive purchases that clutter up your home.

While you will likely not have plans to buy big ticket items like new furniture or drapes for each season – or space to store them – making a few changes can do wonders for perking up your home.

Change up your cushions

One of the easiest ways to mix things up in your home is by exchanging your throw pillows for new colours and textures. For instance, autumn is the perfect time to cover the couch in rust and ivory knit throw pillows. During the summer, you might consider blue ombre pillows that resemble splashing beach waves. In the winter, go for warmer fabrics like wool knits or plaid flannel for a country look. If you can’t find what you are looking for, you can always add a few splashes of colour with a Resene testpot or two.

Switch up your bedding

Another simple piece of changeable decor is your bedding. You’re drawn to this space for comfort naturally, but you can really boost the desire to jump in every night if the bedspread is seasonally inviting. During the warmer months, choose airy sheets in breezy blues like Resene Remember Me or Resene Mystery. Or, go for a combo of cobalt blue with small accents of exotic orange in shades such as Resene Bewitched with Resene Clockwork Orange. When the weather starts to get colder, exchange your lightweight bedding for a cosy comforter in dark, warm hues such as burgundy and chocolate like Resene Courage with Resene Sambuca.

Toss up your textures

While it’s fairly straightforward to think about textural changes in terms of textiles as the seasons switch – namely, to lighten up in the summer and go cosy in the winter – it’s worth noting that texture is not only picked up by our sense of touch but with our eyes, too. Our eyes can tell our brain whether something is rough, fuzzy, smooth, shiny or chunky simply by looking at it – and both colour and pattern play a part in that.

Think warm and soft fabrics for winter. Choose upholstery that makes you want to touch it: suede and velvet are great choices because of their comfort factor. Richer, darker colours and heavier patterns can also work well in the colder months.

Adjust your artwork

Artwork makes a huge impact on the look and feel of your space, and it usually doesn’t take much space to store extras. Pick up a pair of large canvases and some Resene testpots then try your hand at making one warmer weather piece and one for cool weather to coordinate with your seasonal schemes. Since they’ll be the same size and require the same hanging hardware, it’s simple to swap them out when the weather changes.

Frames, too can be easily changed out either by slipping in new prints or by giving them a quick lick of paint.

Did you know... there are lots of easy artwork ideas that you can make yourself at home on www.habitatbyresene.com?

Roll out a new rug

Area rugs really have a way of pulling an entire room together. What’s best about these floor coverings is that they’re portable and versatile, so take advantage of how they can easily transition your space from one season to the next.

Instead of purchasing a warm weather area rug, which are often rough to the touch, why not paint one onto your floor that coordinates with your summer scheme? In the colder months, you can cover it up with a soft, chunky rug that goes with your cool weather palette so that you’ll always have visual texture on your floor that’s gentle on the toes.

Bring the outside in

Each season has its own distinct beauty. Displaying organic elements in your home is a charming way to bring the outdoors inside. In a dining room, changing out your table’s centrepiece is the fastest way to change the feel of the room. It could be as simple as filling a bowl with seasonal fruits or plants. Swapping bits from the beach or bouquets in the spring with a bowl of pinecones during the winter is a strong yet simple way to communicate a change in seasons. Vases, bowls and baskets to hold them can be quickly and easily repainted using Resene testpots to match your seasonal palette when the weather warms or cools.

Wreaths are another great way to bring nature indoors. Make one for summer and another for winter. Instead of using delicate dried flowers that will be difficult to store between seasons, use bound branches painted in coordinating colours to suit each of your schemes.

Beauty up some books

Books can be a beautiful accent for communicating a seasonal colour scheme. Grab a few from the shelf with a cover whose colour coordinates or a themed topic and set them out on your coffee table. In their place, you can pick up unloved fabric-bound books from an op shop and give their covers a quick coat of paint to coordinate with your scheme. If you’d prefer not to paint a book, create custom dust jackets using the Resene Wallpaper Collection in shades that match your space. You can buy small samples and cut lengths of many Resene wallpapers from your Resene ColorShop.

Don’t overdo it

Gone are the days of seasonal accessories strewn in every room of the house. It’s important to take the time to think carefully and thoughtfully about choosing seasonal items. If you have to put away huge boxes of decor at the end of the season (except for maybe Christmas) you are likely doing too much. Give yourself a break. Donate decor that is in good condition to family and friends, your local op shop, or redecorate them with Resene testpots and gift to others. Freshen up favourite pieces you intend to keep with Resene testpots. Make sure you allow them proper drying time before you put them away so they are quick and easy to put out when you want to use them again.

Note: Remember the outdoors too. Just as you can add seasonal touches to your interior, so too can you with your exterior through changeable items like doormats or adding a fresh colour on plant pots using Resene testpots.

Seasonal shades

Repainting an accent wall or even just an item of furniture is an easy way to invigorate a room in your home. Choose a fresh colour that makes the room appear lighter and infuses energy into it.

Spring

Spring is the season for fresh beginnings. Colours that reflect Mother Nature’s bounty as it bursts forth when we say goodbye to cooler weather are always a good choice at this time of year. Look to Resene Chorus Line, Resene Nourish or Resene Mother Nature.

Summer

Summer time calls to mind the feeling for decor that is fresh, light and beachy. This means replacing heavy colours and warm fabrics. Some great summer colours include yellows, sunset pinks and beachy blues. Try Resene Thumbs Up, Resene Sorbet or Resene Meditation.

Autumn

Burnt oranges, desert pinks and earthy browns are trendy colours for this time of year and they look exceptional against white furniture accents. Try Resene Sunbaked, Resene Waiouru or Resene Rebel for truly autumnal tones. Accessories with a metallic finish are also ideal for the autumn to create a warm, rustic look and blend well with aged wood. Give some favourite accessories a strong dose of glamour with Resene Rose Gold metallic paint.

Winter

When the winter weather sets in, look to inky blues and icy whites like Resene Coast and Resene White Island. Offset them with a deep ruby red like Resene Smoulder and pile on plenty of chunky neutral knits in grey-whites, smoky greys and charcoal.

Want to get your own free copy of future issues of habitat magazine?

Printed copies of habitat highlights are available from late March 2024 at Resene ColorShops and resellers, while stocks last. You can view back issues of habitat magazine online.

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