Style Your Home for Every Season

In summer, we look forward to bathing suits, eating watermelon at picnics and drinking lemonade. During the winter, it's great to cozy up in a scarf, drink spiced cider and eat pumpkin pie. The same way seasons influence fashion and food trends, it can inspire your home's decor. So take a cue from weather, and stop feeling blase about your home's interior design month after month.

Kishani Perera, celebrity interior designer whose clients include Molly Sims, Josh Duhamel and Vanessa Marcil, talked to eHow Home & Garden about easy tips to update your home season after season, even if you are on a budget.

eHow Home: Why is it good to change up the space you live or work in?

Kishani Perera: For me personally, it makes me feel the space is fresh and new. For example, I like to pull out different sets of sheets in my room every season. In summer, I have these ivory sheets, and for winter, I have a pumpkin-colored sheet set. It gives the room a totally different feeling. I take so much inspiration and comfort from the room I live in or work in, so I like to keep it fresh and new.

eHow Home: What is the first thing you should think about when you want to change your decor by season or trend?

KP: If you have a couple of good basics, especially if you don't have a budget to redecorate from top to bottom several times a year ... having a good neutral couch and neutral drapery will give you a great background. From there, you can add and embellish and do fun things that will change the look of the space. One thing you should consider is you will have a great blank canvas with these neutral pieces, but the style of the sofa is going to determine the style of the room. For example, do you have a really big, oversized, stuffed sofa or a modern, sleek sofa? With lighting and color and accessories, you can definitely change the feeling of the room, but you won't be able to necessarily change the room from modern to traditional.

eHow Home: What are the best fabric options for a sofa?

KP: Go for a fabric like cotton or linen because it will transition through the seasons better. The last thing you want to do when it's hot and muggy out is curl up on a velvet couch.

eHow Home: What makes the biggest impact in a space?

KP: Paint makes the most dramatic change in any space. Also, things like changing up top cushions on your sofa will make an impact. These are things you could easily change every season. Just think of light, breezy colors for spring and summer. Earth tones for fall and winter are great because they make you feel warm and cozy.

eHow Home: How do you feel about wall coverings?

KP: I love wallpaper! However, it can be much more expensive than paint. It's trendy and prices have gone up. On top of the [cost of] paper, you may have to get an installer because it can be difficult to install yourself. It's also a bit more of a commitment than paint. A good alternative with wallpaper, to keep it affordable, is to do just one accent wall. Then it's not such a big deal to get rid of it or change it. Another cool thing is decals. When they first came out, they were a bit juvenile, meant more for kids rooms and teenage rooms, but now there are great patterns that work well for grown-up spaces as well.

Seasonal Scents

Just like decor can change the mood of your home, so can the smell. Whether you prefer candles, reed diffusers or oil burners, you can instantly evoke an inviting seasonal feel by just adding a scent. For spring and summer months, think light, vacation-inspired scents like jasmine, fresh linen, citrus, coconut and tuberose. When the weather gets colder, create a warm feeling with scents like spice, cranberry, fig, pomegranate and vanilla.

eHow Home: What are some changes you recommend staying away from?

KP: Window treatments and floor coverings tend to be more of a splurge since they are more expensive pieces.

eHow Home: What if you really want to change your curtains?

KP: For me, it's all about texture. In spring and summer, I love light, airy fabrics like linen or gauzy cotton sheers. I tend to like lighter colors as well. For winter, I like heavier fabrics that are really rich and give a sense of enveloping warmth, like velvet. If you can't afford to change your curtains every season, then a heavier cotton is great and transitions really well. If you get bored, then you can do a DIY project on the drapes you have, like adding an embellishment or trim. For example, take a colored ribbon or tape and add it as a stripe along the bottom and it's an instant update.

eHow Home: What are colors and patterns you recommend for the different seasons?

KP: Really good spring and summer patterns are anything "flower" or that is fresh and bright and fun. I also like block prints because they can be very bright. For winter, I like to go for velvets and stripes. Again, for me winter is more about the fabric and texture than the color. It's great to incorporate rich, decadent fabrics like velvet, mohair and chenille. Rusty colors, like burnt orange, cranberry and Bordeaux are great for fall and winter.

eHow Home: What are great seasonal accessories?

KP: I love old leather-bound books and distressed boxes for winter. Candles are also great. I also like greenery, something like fresh pine cones in a bowl. Twigs are also great. You can arrange twigs in a vase and, for the holidays, hang ornaments or you can spray them with glue and drop glitter on them and then you have a dreamy wintry feel. It's super easy to do. Fresh flowers and fresh fruits are incredible accessories for spring and summer. I really like exotic fruits that have interesting shapes and colors, like star fruit and rambutan. Fresh flowers, fruit and natural things add great textures and colors to any room.

eHow Home: What are some cool trends that can easily be changed up?

KP: Industrial has been a trend that has been around and is still great. I like incorporating little industrial pieces because you can do that on a budget. You can head to a vintage shop and get something like an old metal box or an old science scale. This is an interesting accessory that can start a conversation rather than something typical like a vase. Another trend is that beachy, worn-out patina look. Again, this is something you can find at a vintage shop or even somewhere like Restoration Hardware or eBay. Maybe look for a cool side table that has the distressed finish. You can easily find something like this for under $100.