Home Truths: For everything there is a season

Photo / Christine Cornege

The lives of our ancestors were by necessity influenced by the outside environment. To survive, our forebears had to adapt to the seasons. Today our world is easier because modern technologies help protect us from the outside elements and we have the luxury of using Mother Nature to inspire us.

Our clothes and our gardens reflect the time of the year and so, too, can the interiors of our homes. Making small seasonal changes can alter the whole feel of any room.

It is very European to have a set of autumn/winter drapes and furniture slip covers, and another set for spring/summer. I like this idea, but it can be costly. Instead, furniture, drapes and walls can remain the same, while furniture arrangement and accessories change. Room accessories include cushions, throws, rugs, linen and flowers. Happily for us, these accessories are relatively affordable.

The adage 'little things mean a lot' applies to interior design. Small changes can brighten up what you already have and breathe life into rooms that have become tired. Mother Nature always uses colour and texture in response to seasonal changes and she rarely makes a mistake. If ever a season seemed to call out for decorating, it is winter. As the outdoors become colder, the days shorter and the nights longer, our homes become our sanctuaries.

Changing decor with the seasons gives us an opportunity to display long-lost pieces and make them the centre of attention for a while. A room can be revamped at no cost by changing the arrangement of accessories. I suggest you put all your accessories on the floor, then put them in different places to where they were originally.

Trends come and go, and are effective ways of making people spend money. It is far more cost-effective to save for a special piece you really love, and add a bit of colour with accessories that can be changed easily. The change of the seasons can be your cue to change the accessories in any room.

We are in the throes of winter. Red, orange and yellow are warm colours because they echo fire. They can make a room feel cosy when used in decorating. A feeling of cosiness and comfort can be enhanced by winter's deep reds, dark greens and rich browns. These are earth tones and mix well with creamy whites, mellow yellows and pale golds. Consider buying or knitting cushions and throws in these tones.

Richness can also be felt in the use of texture. Velvet, satin, suede and silk throws and cushions help impart a luxurious feel to a room.

Winter fabric textures tend to be soft, fluffy and downy. They conjure up feelings of physical warmth and satisfying visual weight. Add a woollen or faux throw to a chair, sofa or bed, and include a sheepskin cushion or two. These accessories are comforting on a chilly night, and invite nesting.

I have added drama to a client's double-storey entrance by introducing a relatively large ceramic pot with an artificial silk flower arrangement of winter blooms and foliage. In spring and summer she will take the lead from her garden and change the look of the permanent floral display.

No matter what type of flooring you have, in winter add a rug to the floor. Rugs will enrich your floor surface and give it extra warmth. Alternatively, replace a sisal or cotton rug with a nubby wool version. Rugs also effectively define a space.

The rearrangement of furniture changes the focus of the space. In winter we are drawn to warmth, so the logical winter focal point in a living room usually is the fireplace, or heat source. In colder months, reposition living room furniture to face it.

Family and friends will want to gather around it and a floor rug will demarcate a tighter, closer conversation group. When spring returns, move the living room furniture away from the fireplace or heat source and turn your focus once more towards the outdoors. www.donnawhite.co.nz