ShareThisThe accessories in your home reflect your personality. Since Halloween has passed, you can now concentrate on Thanksgiving and Christmas decorations, so let's focus on making your home more inviting and representing that great personality. Let's start with Thanksgiving accessories.
For great ideas, all you need to do is open any magazine and you will find holiday themes galore. Another place to look is on online search sites like Google or Bing. Simply type in "Thanksgiving decor" and you will find page after page of sites to explore. Now let me walk you through some of my thoughts on holiday accessories.
Let's start by getting personal. Try accessories that mean something special to you, like an old cornucopia or a holiday platter you made in high school, or a gift from a friend. How about starting an heirloom? Make or purchase a special holiday decoration and plan on handing it down through the generations. (Be sure there is a date marked on it somewhere.) Whatever the something special is, make it the focal point of the table or wall. If it's something large enough, like a sculpture or a large decorated plant, let it stand alone as a graceful holiday addition to your home. And if the something special is on the smaller side, like a photo or a family plate, add autumn leaves and berries around it to help complete the look.
Family portraits can really personalize a room. What about getting out last year's family Thanksgiving get-together photos, and enlarging and framing a few favorites? These can be reused year after year or replaced each year with new photos. Another thought is to simply make copies of favorite pictures from previous years and put them in a beautiful autumn-style album that you can leave on a cocktail table. Add to this year after year.
Subtle is good. Some people love to decorate every inch of their home with holiday paraphernalia, and it can end up looking cluttered and messy. Simple decorations can be very effective. Just a turkey or two on the etagere or bookshelf could look nice. Place a pillow decorated with images of Pilgrims on the couch. Grace the dining table with fall-colored candles with a table runner underneath for a finished look. A few gourds and/or pumpkins grouped on the kitchen counter can also give a nice, homey look.
Fill a glass bowl with acorns, and place it on a small table. Or, since Thanksgiving is a lot about the delicious food, you could try your hand at fancy napkin folding and have them be the table decorations you can leave out all month.
Make this holiday your own by showing your personality through home accessories.
(Rosemary Sadez Friedmann, an interior designer in Naples, Fla., is author of "Mystery of Color." For design inquiries, write to Rosemary at DsgnQuest(at)aol.com.)
CREATIVE ENVIRONMENTS
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