Blog
Indian summer
Thursday, September 15, 2016
September brings a “back to school” nip in the air but can also deliver an Indian summer with hot, lazy afternoons and as the leaves turn from golden yellow to russet now’s the perfect time to give your home a mini makeover, adding warmth and texture to every room. As the days get cooler, simple updates, like indulgent, heavier fabrics and subdued lighting can transform your home and keep you cosy all winter long. It’s also a great time to give your garden some love and have it looking its best before frosts set in.
In terms of interior décor, look for mellow, earthy tones and a more subtle palette from soft greys, to beiges and browns with accents of coral, sage, heather and copper or bronze metallic tones. But don’t feel that you have to redecorate every room – you can create an instant update with soft furnishings and accessories. Add rich, warm textures and colour with cushions, blankets and fringed throws, draped over the back of an armchair. They’ll see plenty of use as you snuggle up to a warm fire on chilly autumn nights.
Autumn evenings are perfect for creating casual comfort by adding candles and soft lighting to your décor whether you’re indoors or lucky enough to have balmy evenings to eat al fresco. A flickering glow adds warmth on dark days and atmosphere to supper outdoors. Weathered wood accessories add instant impact and even before Halloween, gourds are perfect autumn decorations with their diverse shapes, sizes, and colours.Coloured crystal glasses and decorative metallic chargers add Mediterranean opulence to a dining table.
In the garden, September is the time for harvesting onions and autumn raspberries, dividing perennials, planting spring-flowering bulbs, such as daffodils, crocus and hyacinths and hardy summer flowering bulbs, such as lilies, alliums and crocosmia. Keep patio plants going with colour by deadheading regularly to encourage further flowering. With currently dry weather in the South East, keep watering thoroughly once or twice a week. Camellias, rhododendrons, azaleas and hydrangeas won’t flower well next season if they get too dry. Mid-late September is the ideal time to scarify a lawn. Kill any moss and rake well to remove excess thatch before applying an autumn lawn feed for a lush lawn next year.
