Try these quick and easy fall decorating ideas

Tribune Content Agency

Add some warmth and style to your home with these quick fall touches. Even simple changes can spotlight the bounty of fall and create a cozy autumn feel in your home. 1. Scent the front door. Wire some cinnamon sticks to a pre-made fall arrangement with wire. Hang your swag on the door for a welcoming burst of color that smells good, too. 2. Cut some fall branches. Make a statement on your dining room table, in an entry way or above the fireplace with an artful arrangement of cut fall branches. Include some bright berries for extra interest. 3. Cozy up the porch. Add some warm throws and fall-colored cushions to a bench by the door, creating an inviting spot to

sit and watch the sunset. 4. Build in layers. In the bedroom, add a plush blanket on the bed and a throw on a chair. In the living room, toss another throw over the arm of the sofa and and some jeweltoned cushions. Put slipcovers over your dining room chairs, and double up tablecloths by placing a single tablecloth on bottom and angling a contrasting one across it for a layered look on the table. 5. Add the scent of fall. Put a trio of spicy candles on the mantelpiece, or a richly-scented candle in the kitchen that evokes the aroma of pumpkins, cinnamon or apples. 6. Gild it. Like the yellow and gold of fall leaves, look for gold accessories you may have put away for the summer. The shimmer of gold brings warmth to any room. 7. Create a fall entrance. Stack up pots of mums and pumpkins on the porch steps to welcome visitors. 8. Use fall leaves. Line a hurricane lantern with fall leaves and fill in with sand or gravel to hold the leaves in place. Add a candle in the middle and you’ve got a quick fall centerpiece. Another angle: Lay branches of fall leaves or berries on the dining room table and scatter acorns and leaves around. 9. Autumn accessories. Tuck small pie pumpkins into bookshelves or one side tables ot add a punch of fall color. 10. Get ready for winter. Bring in a coat rack and an umbrella stand to your foyer for those cold snaps that remind us winter isn’t far off. 11. Make a menu board. In preparation for the holiday meals ahead, add a blackboard to a gilded frame to write out holiday menus a la French cafe style. If you can’t find a blackboard, simply use quarter-inch plywood cut to size and painted with chalkboard paint. 12. Create some cozy nooks. Add some special small seating areas around the house. In the foyer, put occasional chairs on either side of the entryway table for guests to remove their boots. In the living room, make a cozy place to curl up with a book and hot tea. On the porch, add a rocker or chair and a side table to sit and enjoy the changing colors in the neighborhood.

Contact Kathryn Weber through her Web site, redlotus letter.com.

(c) 2014 Kathryn Weber. Distributed by Trbune Content Agency, LLC.