The Seasonal Edit

Sometimes a new season doesn't require a new room. It just needs a few thoughtful changes.

There is a moment toward the end of every season when I begin looking around the house a little differently.

Nothing is necessarily wrong. The rooms still feel familiar and comfortable. But somehow, I start wanting to move a few things around.

Maybe it's the changing light.

Maybe it's the cooler evenings.

Or maybe our homes simply have a way of telling us when they're ready for a little change.

The good news is that refreshing a home for a new season doesn't mean redecorating it.

Sometimes the smallest edits make the biggest difference.

Bring In a New Texture

One of the easiest ways to change the feeling of a room is through texture.

As summer begins to soften, I start bringing back a few things that feel warmer without making the house feel like fall has arrived overnight.

A lightweight throw over the back of a chair.

A woven basket beside the sofa.

A piece of pottery on a table.

Maybe a linen runner that has been tucked away in a drawer.

Nothing dramatic.

Just another layer.

Those little changes can make a familiar room suddenly feel interesting again.

Change What's on the Table

Tables have an amazing ability to set the mood of a home.

During summer, mine might hold a glass vase overflowing with colorful flowers from the garden.

As the season begins to change, I might replace those flowers with a few branches, berries or seed heads clipped from outside.

Add a wooden bowl.

Move a favorite piece of pottery from another room.

Stack two or three beautiful books beneath something you already own.

You don't necessarily need anything new.

Sometimes you simply need to see what you already have differently.

Let Scent Mark the Season

We usually think about decorating as something we see, but a home is experienced through all of our senses.

Scent may be one of the easiest ways to quietly acknowledge that the season is changing.

Bright citrus and floral scents can begin giving way to something slightly earthier — fig, amber, sandalwood, cedar or herbs.

Not cinnamon.

Not pumpkin.

Not quite yet.

Just something warm enough to hint at what's coming.

Rearrange With Purpose

Before buying something new, move something.

Take the lamp from the bedroom and try it in the living room.

Move a chair closer to the window.

Bring a piece of artwork into a different space.

Take the pottery that's been sitting on a shelf for years and put it on the dining table.

We become so accustomed to seeing things in the same places that we sometimes stop noticing them.

Moving something you already love can make it feel new again.

And occasionally, it changes the entire room.

Edit and Release

Seasonal decorating isn't always about adding.

Sometimes it's about taking something away.

Clear a shelf.

Remove a few things from a tabletop.

Put away something you've stopped noticing.

Donate the things that no longer feel like you.

Homes need a little breathing room too.

And when there is less competing for our attention, the things we truly love have a chance to stand out.

Let Your Home Change With You

I don't think a home is ever really finished.

And I'm beginning to think that's one of the best things about it.

Our tastes change.

Our lives change.

The things we bring home change.

And the rooms around us slowly tell the story.

So when a new season approaches, don't feel as though you need to reinvent your home.

Move something.

Cut a few branches.

Light a candle.

Bring out a favorite blanket.

Put something away.

Then stand back and see how the room feels.

Sometimes that's all the change a home needs.

Home is never finished. It's simply lived in.

From the Table

Before buying something new for your home, try moving something you already love.