Here’s a tip: spring has the corner market on cleaning, rebirth, and getting ready for all summer has to offer–but fall is associated with change as well. Traditionally associated with the harvest, there’s also a sort of bittersweet air to the season (though that may just be the smell of rotting leaves). John Keats describes fall’s specific brand of productivity best in his poem To Autumn with the opening line “Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness”. You have a different kind of attitude when you decorate your space in the fall, but that’s because you’re in a different mindset–and where you live should reflect that. Here are some tips for your decorating adventures.
Pillows and blankets can make all the difference! Make your living space the place to do a movie night in this fall. I’m a texture-based person, so I like chunky knits for pillows and blankets because they remind me most of comfy sweaters. If I could live in the apartment version of a comfy sweater, I would, so colors like mustard yellow, deep reds, and an orange shade that my fiance calls “pumpkin puree from a can” are my three favorites. He, however, prefers shades of navy, woodsy browns, and something I can only describe as “overnight oats”. You don’t need to take my tips for decorating so literally, though. Maybe your idea of comfort is different than mine; maybe you think throw pillows are a waste of time (I totally understand and respectfully disagree). What makes you feel comfortable? Is it a giant beanbag in your living room? A Gudetama throw? A 7-foot by 4-foot wall mural of Goya’s Saturn Devouring His Son? Whatever you find comfort in the fall, decorate your living space in it!
Adding candles to my space always makes me feel like kind of a witch, and with the days ending sooner and sooner, adding a little extra light source in your home can make it feel like more of a home. If you suffer from bouts of seasonal depression, having a small sun-lamp can also help bring light in the afternoons or mornings, as well as serve as an additional source of lighting to decorate your space. There’s nothing like bringing living to your space like a light source that seems alive, and nothing that’s more fall than some candles.
Seasonal depression is something many people face in the fall. If you’re struggling with it, please reach out if you need help; as someone who suffers from it, I will be the first to tell you that when it gets bad, no amount of sunlight or tips for decorating will substitute for a mental health professional when you need it. However, I’ve found that sometimes the best kind of self-care is caring for something else. Maybe that something else is a succulent, maybe it’s your apartment. Seeing things outside wither and fade as the days get colder can put a damper on the spirits of even the most cheerful of people–get some greenery for your living space. A hanging planter, pots lining the floor (however you want to arrange it, as long as there’s adequate sunlight); bring life back to the season of decay.
I had a friend who, the moment of midnight on September 21st, started decorating her apartment for Halloween (specifically, the Nightmare Before Christmas, because she believed that it would have a kind of longevity that other Halloween themes would not have, and she wasn’t wrong), and didn’t take it down until New Years’. Now, I’m not saying that you should do the same, since I’m trying to give tips for decorating, not straight up ideas to steal, but maybe it’s your version of comfy. Maybe it’s your version of bringing life and warmth into your space.
I like my space best when I’ve got things to snuggle into (and so does the cat). My fiance likes his space best when it’s tidy. My friend liked her space best when it was decorated like her favorite movie. All these decorating tips are tools to guide you to this inevitable conclusion: the best way to decorate your space is the way that makes you happy. And maybe with a small pumpkin on a table somewhere, since it’s fall and all.
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