How Heather Can Re-Energize Your Hamptons Home This Fall

I’m one of those annoyingly optimistic types that usually sees the bright side, the blessing in disguise, dozens of half full glasses. At this point, therefore, I foresee many more weeks of sand between my toes, refreshing ocean plunges and the seasonal indulgence of lobster rolls at seaside bars. Labor Day weekend always catches me by surprise as the evening chill returns and we awake more often to a cold, wet morning dew underfoot. As the seasons gently turn we can start to consider a few changes around the home to re-energize the coming months. Refreshing our homes makes for healthier, happier and more productive humans. September is the perfect time for new beginnings… for setting dreams in motion and manifesting our highest intentions.

One of my favorite magazines for home interiors, The English Home, carried a truly inspirational piece this issue illustrating how to use the many tones of heather in decorating ideas for the upcoming season, combining them authentically with highly fashionable tweeds and plaids. By setting aside the traditional colors of Autumn they created refreshing, graceful interiors depicting just the kind of charm and cosy feel we like in our Hamptons homes this time of year.

If time and disposable income are on your side, consider repainting your breakfast room or home office with an imaginative Fall color. Benjamin Moore paints collaborated with Ballard Designs to create a seasonal palette. Northcroft Fabrics of the UK offer traditional velvets, sumptuous silks and fine damasks in gorgeous colors for upholstery and drapes, and are distributed in the US.

A speedier way to achieve a fresh Autumn feel, however, is to change a lamp or two in the living room, or to switch the bedding in the master suite. The beautiful aubergine blown glass lamp with hessian shade below is from Ballard Designs, as is the selection of quilts and shams in silks, linens and cottons.

In the kitchen display eggplants and gourds, or a mix of bright green and dark purple grapes in a bowl on the counter, or drop a new purple and gold rug next to the sink. A real treat for novice and gourmet chefs alike would be two or three pieces from Le Creuset’s newly extended, berry-hued cassis range of casseroles and pans. Yum.

God bless the guys at The English Home… they even found a not inexpensive, stunning eggplant colored Aga cooking range to include in their October edition. Now that’s not something you’re likely to change with the season but a perfect follow through on a great idea!

Helen Lind is an interior decorator, organizer and home stager working in Long Island and Manhattan. You can contact her at (516) 922-3518 for a proposal or consultation, or visit her www.englishivyinteriors.com.