When the line-up for Strictly’s announced, you know autumn is round the corner and the countdown to Christmas begins!
As the nights start drawing in, the air turns cooler, and the trees start turning red and gold, channel that autumnal feeling by snuggling up in an indoor space that feels invitingly cosy and warm.
Here are our top tips to get your home ready for the new season.
1 Deep clean
Spring is traditionally the time to do this – but now is the ideal time to have a refresh, too, leaving you free of clutter and ready for a calm autumn season.
Give everything a thorough going over, hoovering, dusting, and generally clearing away after the long summer holidays.
Don’t forget to clear those gutters, and keep checking them as the leaves start falling so they don’t get clogged up through the season.
If you have a fireplace, prepare it for autumn fires by sweeping up any ashes or dust, and using baking soda, warm water and a wire brush to clean the worst of the soot off the brick.
Before you start your autumn clean, consider natural alternatives to your usual cleaning products – we have lots of information on good, eco-friendly alternatives here.
2 Autumn scent
Bring in the scent of autumn with fragranced candles and diffusers. Look for cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cedar wood and even log fires to give you all the cosy autumn feels. Flickering candlelight sets the perfect atmosphere, too!
3 Cosy accessories
You’ll already be thinking about packing away your summer clothes, so do the same with your summer accessories.
In the bedroom, swap your cool linens and cottons for cosy flannels, bring out your warm duvets, and add soft throws and bedspreads.
In your living space, use sheepskin rugs on the floors or over the back of sofas, stack up the chunky knit throws, and invest in soft velvet cushion covers in gorgeous autumnal colours.
4 Favourite flowers
Flowers always brighten a room, and it’s no different in autumn. Choose fresh blooms in reds, oranges, warm yellows and soft greens, or opt for dried flowers like dried hydrangeas or grasses.
5 Stay outside...for a while
There’s no reason to move indoors quite yet – it might be getting chillier in the evenings, but you can still make the most of your outside space by taking the chunky throws and cosy cushions outside – and light the firepit if you have one, too.
