Think Outside the Box
This Thanksgiving by:
Gail McCauley
Get a jump start on this year’s
Thanksgiving decorating plans by incorporating harvest splendor in
non-traditional areas. Instead of that "same old, same old"
Thanksgiving centerpiece in the dining area, dazzle your dinner
guests with autumn’s innovative colors and textures in unexpected
spaces!
Transitional
areas within the home offer a wealth of overlooked opportunities for
spotlighting an interesting harvest theme. Stairways that lead to
the kitchen or dining area allows the ability to highlight the
perfect punch of color within an otherwise nondescript area. Risers
on a staircase can be utilized to showcase natural fall themes.
Display wonderfully painted accessories that tout the warm and spicy
color palette of the fall season. Stairway landings can serve as the
ideal location to showcase a handpainted, canvas accent rug with a
bold cornucopia motif.
One-story
homes that lack stairways can bestow Thanksgiving sizzle to any
ordinary hallway space! Place a plain, small table (simple stools or
chairs make wonderful substitutions for accent tables) that boasts a
crowd-stopping arrangement in a hallway area that is part of your
home’s main traffic pattern. Arrangements can be as everyday or as
elaborate as your existing decor. A ‘candy apple’ red painted basket
overflowing with bright orange mini pumpkins offers a cheerful
approach to a neutral colored decorating scheme. Treating a
decorative vase to a distressed paint technique atop a monochromatic
and "color-blocked" dry sink all in burgandy tones, is a more
elaborate way of making a distinctively different design statement
using carefully applied color and texture.
Any
home that is located in a mild climate can enjoy the luxury of
outdoor Thanksgiving festivities. Weather permitting; suburban
backyards, condominium patios and even apartment rooftops can be
treated to the colors and textures of autumn. Oversized planters
that are painted with the rich, bold colors of the season and filled
with colorful fresh blooms take center stage when placed beside the
"al fresco" dining area. Although traditional harvest colors
integrate particularly well with a neutral exterior color palette,
do not allow existing color palettes to prevent you from
re-fashioning an exterior living space for the holiday. Quick
"non-permanent" fixes are available to help the do-it-yourself
decorating enthusiast! Plain slipcovers can be used to impart a
distinctive color scheme within the dining area. Painted borders and
freehand motifs can be creatively applied to solid colored
slipcovers, using your favorite harvest color palette. Easily
painted accessories (including planters, pedestals, and table top
accessories) allow for "in a jiffy", exciting and colorful outdoor
Thanksgiving celebrations!
This
November, whether you opt for an indoor or outdoor Thanksgiving
holiday, make it a special celebration by injecting a touch of the
colorfully unexpected into your decor!