East of Common: October 2011

One of my favorite pumpkins this year - the orange
stripes are so fabulous!

I love Fall. Not just a little bit, I am obsessed with the season. In my perfect day, the weather would be 65 as a high and into the 40s at night. There would be a slight chill in the air, so a jacket is a must and a down blanket becomes essential when falling a sleep at night, the windows slightly ajar. Leaves would crunch like music under your feet, apple cider from a local orchard would be stocked in the fridge, beef stew would be simmering on the stove while football would become my background noise as I curl deeper under a blanket to finish a good book - a cup of french press nearby. Pumpkins, mums, and cornstalks would abound.

It is no wonder that Fall decorating is my favorite - maybe even more so than at Christmastime. I think I love the colors most: deep reds, yellows, burnt orange, smokey blue and gray, corn-husk tan, dark purple. And I love the elements I get to work with - the incredible texture of pumpkins, the fascinating height and movement of cornstalks, and the unruly shape of grasses, cabbages, and sweet potato vines that bring outdoor pots alive.

This is the season where one can bring the outside in - where inspiration for decorations is the outdoors. Fall is such a beautiful season that brings endless possibilities for the creative soul. The most wonderful and interesting decorations can easily come by hiking though the woods, grabbing an armful of fallen leaves, or picking from a patch.

The top of my kitchen table centerpiece

Most importantly, every well-decorated Fall home needs pumpkins - everywhere! I am a huge pumpkin person - and in true Liz fashion, the uglier and more peculiar the pumpkin, the better (with decorating, I yawn at the thought of anything too normal). In my world, orange pumpkins are only bought for carving, roasting seeds, and making pie. My centerpieces are pumpkins. When guests visit, I will cut open the tops of my small ones, carve out the flesh, and make then into vases stuffed with blooming mums (this is totally a Martha Stewart idea, but one I absolutely love!)

Use this season to open up the house - there is nothing better than a Fall breeze dancing through open windows. And think of all that is outside as an extension of the house. We have full glass front storm doors and until it gets dark, the doors must stay open, so the porch pots and pumpkins can always be in view inside of the house.

My rule for Fall decorating is simple: make all decor feel like you do this time of year - happy, cozy, and decadently alive.