Traditionally,
Thanksgiving marks the onset of winter holiday festivities. A wonderful
way to highlight a designated theme using today's "hottest" contemporary
color schemes, a carefully executed display of hallway and landing
color often provides the visual thread that can link together the entire
Thanksgiving holiday home. Part of the joy of decorating for the holiday
season is that there are no rules! Regardless of whether you choose
to implement an earthly fall-like palette or a shimmery white winter
wonderland, the opportunities to add paint color to hallways and landings
are ever-expanding and limited only by the imagination!
Painted
floors in hallways or on a stairwell landing represent an unexpected
way to add whimsy to the home decorated for Thanksgiving. Rather than
commit to painting the actual hard surface floor covering, consider
painting directly onto a canvas area rug that can be strategically
placed atop the floor surface. Border designs look particularly striking
when applied to long, narrow hallways. Border motifs can be painted
easily and conveniently onto a runner for elongated, dramatic looks.
Examine your existing color scheme and try to select a combination
of holiday hues that harmonize with the home's existing color palette.
If your home abounds with deep tone hues, you may opt to inject burgandy,
forest green, russett gold or other rich colors into the mix. Using
fall's colors, geometric repetitive patterns are particularly appropriate
for the southwestern styled home. Winterberries on a vine and sprigs
of pine bring to mind nature's imagery that sets the tone for winter
and the upcoming holiday season, particularly within the home that
boasts a primitive or country styled decor.
Landings
present an ideal opportunity to inject a touch of earthy fun for the
holiday home, and are charming when highlighted amongst any style of
decor! Put a unique spin on any large basket, filled to the brim with
oversized pine cones and sitting on a landing. Reiterate the pine cone
theme by incorporating wall art that mimics the identical motif! Consider
painting a mural that features pine cones falling from a large tree
on an accent wall that sits adjacent to the landing. Or, paint the
same design on a large piece of poster or foam board. For those who
are less artistically inclined, simply locate interesting images of
pine cones. Matt and frame the pine cone images, then hang on the accent
wall for a "less permanent" committment! Rather than purchasing a pricey
store-bought frame, why not paint your own "frame" directly onto the
wall? You can determine the frame's size, width and colors! Spotlighting
up to the minute colors of the 2003 season, incorporate several of
today's natural tones, including wheat, sage, linen, rosemary, and
clay. To create dimensional effects, consider painting the design (or
the frame) while the paint is still wet. Gently and evenly, rub off
part of the paint in order to allow the background color to show through,
creating subtle variations in color.
Twig
garland can be easily spray painted to reflect the desired Thanksgiving
color scheme. Affix painted garland to railings on stairways, then
hang tiny gourds, mini pumpkins and other seasonal "picks" (many of
which can also be spray painted!) that are readily available at the
local craft or discount store. Spray paint an oversized twig wreath
the Thanksgiving color of your choice, then dress it up further by
tying tiny fabric bows using coordinating fabric patterns and colors.
Cornucopia baskets reflect traditional harvest decorative accessories
that can be spray painted and placed on "flea market find" accent table
to add seasonal charm to any lackluster hallway or landing. The Thanksgiving
holiday offers a lovely way to utilize any "flea market find" storage
related items that have been hanging around the garage or attic. Baskets,
trays, pottery and other containers can all be festively hand painted
or spray painted. Depending upon the size and shape of the item, stuff
with natural seasonal goodies ranging from simple acorns to long twigs.
This Thanksgiving,
there's no need to limit colorful and creative holiday touches to simply
one area of your home! Instead, visually integrate those overlooked
hallways and forgotten landings with other areas of the home using
easy to achieve, colorful designs and the magic of paint!
Article courtesy of Paint Quality Institute
www.paintquality.com
