September 28, 2011 THE VILLADOM TIMES I & III • Page 27 (ARA) Bringing your home from summer to fall is simpler than you think. It all begins with taking inventory of your home to determine which nonessential items you can eliminate or switch and where you can add. “Start with anything fabric,” said Maria AguerriGomez, academic dean of The Art Institute of MichiganTroy, a branch campus of The Art Institute of Michigan. “You can change your couch covers, pillows, and your throw blankets, add a duvet to your bed, change your window treatment or bathroom towels; or simply add a table runner to bring fall into your home without breaking your budget.” Take couch covers from creamy and off-white tones to fall tones and colors. Choose earth tones such as reds and browns to bring depth and warmth. Navy blue can also be a great color to add in fall that can transition to winter. Not completely committed to bringing that much color into your living room? Change your pillows or throw blankets to develop an accented atmospheric change. Take a look at your window treatments and consider a heavier fabric with possible prints. “Paisley is coming back this fall.” Aguerri-Gomez added. “Use paisley prints on curtains or pillows, or venture out and buy a paisley arm chair that can nestle nicely into an unused corner in your bedroom or living room.” Elizabeth Polish, an interior design instructor at The Art Institute of New York City and owner of Elizabeth Polish Design, said bird prints are making their way into homes via lampshades and carpets this fall. Keep the cold away by adding rugs. Overlapping rugs is a trend that can bring contrasting elements together, while unifying sections of a room. Aguerri-Gomez recommends taking a bamboo or wicker rug and overlapping it with a more classical rug. “It’s a great way to bring contrast, color, and texture to the room,” she said. Aguerri-Gomez predicts that mustard will be a key color this fall. Add a mustard table runner and change up your dinnerware and placemats to bring your table from light and airy to warm and welcoming. Don’t want to part with the lemons and limes nestled inside your glass vase as Fall accessorizing trends include mustard and paisley table decor? Try compromising and replace the citrus with artichokes and pomegranates for a fall touch. For those who like to have feng shui elements in their home, know that gold is making a comeback. Try mercury or gold canisters, vases, and accents. In the past, gold and mercury were reserved for the holidays or special celebrations, but now you can bring them out earlier to bring that shiny pop the room will need. The last touch to bringing your home from summer to fall is mood lighting. Polish recommends using energy efficient LED lights and bulbs. Because you have most likely added thicker curtains to keep out the cold, make sure key areas are lit. Where you don’t need too much light, go for the dimming effect. “Change your lampshades if you can’t dim your lights. Make your living space as cozy as you can while saving energy at the same time,” Polish said. The Art Institutes (www.artinstitutes.edu) is a system of more than 45 education institutions located throughout North America. The Art Institutes system is America’s Leader in Creative Education providing an important source for design, media arts, fashion, and culinary arts professionals. Several institutions included in The Art Institutes system are campuses of South University. To learn more about The Art Institutes schools visit www. artinstitutes.edu.