SPACE SAVERS

LIFESTYLE EXPERT COLLEEN MULLANEY’S HIGH DESIGN ON A LOW BUDGET

CozyUpYourHome HOW TO COZY UP YOUR HOME

Ah, those cool, crisp days are here—and adding a few
autumnal accents to your home is an easy and inexpensive
way to embrace the season. Here are 10 fall-tastic ways
to cozy up your space now.

1. Change out your mat and hang an autumnal-toned wreath, bittersweet vines or a leaf-filled wreath to welcome friends to your home with seasonal aplomb. Replace the pink petunias in the planter by the door with dahlias, mums or asters in a fall color. Or, go for an ivy topiary to bring in the new season.

2. Fill crystal bowls or glass globes with faux artichokes, gourds, berries or nuts.
Store your summer shells in the attic until next year.

3. Add pops of color to any room by arranging bright yellow sunflowers in a vase. Use faux for a one-time change-out—they look real and require no watering.

4. Changing your pillow covers is an inexpensive way to update a room. Go for deeper tones like beiges, golds, light plums and fresh greens (versus the limey green spring counterpart).

5. Layer a warm blanket over a chair or sofa to keep you warm on chilly autumn evenings.

6. Use place mats and table linens that reflect the colors of the season, and store the brighter summer-toned mats.

7. Put out candles in deep plum, green, gold or pumpkin to match your décor.

8. Get your firewood ready and store it in a stylish oversized basket next to the fireplace.
Pick up a few boxes of large matches in pretty boxes and put them in a bowl on your bookcase so you are ready to light it up.

9. Layer your tabletops by placing a runner down your sideboard or dining room table for added texture and warmth.

10. Find some wine glasses in tortoise or deep amber and place them on a tray on a sideboard. Not only will they warm up the space, but they’ll ensure that you’re ready to entertain on the fly.

Colleen Mullaney has enjoyed a long and dynamic career devoted to style and entertaining. Whether it be through her many published works or with her friends and family, Colleen has made it her passion to bring style to the world through floral design, home decorating and crafting. Colleen is a former editor in chief of Family Circle Homecrafts, FTD In Bloom and Jo-Ann magazines. Most recently, she partnered with Chris Madden on the launch of her magazine At Home with Chris Madden.

Her books include Shells, Faux Fabulous Florals (Sixth&Spring) and her popular Punch (in its third printing with Chronicle Books; more than 30,000 copies have been sold in such outlets as Williams-Sonoma and Anthropologie). Colleen will celebrate her take on bridal with One-of-a-Kind Weddings (Creative Publishing) as well as the global entertaining landscape with It’s 5 o’clock Somewhere (Sixth&Spring). Colleen has created interiors for residential and commercial spaces, and she’s designed cottage gardens and floral arrangements for clients up and down the East Coast. You can also see her work in full color on HGTV’s Insider’s Garden and soon on the web with a yet-to-be-announced project. Colleen lives in Westchester, N.Y., with her husband and three children, where she is constantly hosting playdates and dinner parties, toiling in the garden, and working on future projects.

For more from Colleen, go to www.colleenmullaney.com.