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INSPIRATION
story
Living in Singapore, less than two degrees north from the equator, sometimes makes you forget about the seasons. Mother nature has been kind on the bustling city state and treats us to two flavors: wet and dry. But usually sunny and humid,
which gives the air a slightly heavy and sweet taste. Occasionally a cool breeze sweeps in from northern Asia, bringing temperatures down to a spine chilling 24 degrees Celsius — at which point my Singaporean friends break out the cashmere sweaters and the weather people get all excited.
Quite a distant experience from my time in Amsterdam, where the end of the short summer season is silently announced by the change of colors of the leaves and the distinct scent of autumn in the air. The wind blows both warm and cold air, as if someone is opening and closing the door of the fridge, until ultimately the door remains open for a long time and we start dreaming of a white Christmas. But not so fast. Autumn rivals summer as the favorite season in the year. While nature is getting ready to creep into its sleepy state, I find that the third season fills me with energy and new interior design ideas to get our home ready for fall and beyond as we all know that winter is coming! Bringing autumn colors into your home is the best way to combat winter blues setting in prematurely. Why not embrace the inevitable and enjoy all the lively shades nature has in store for us.
The trees and plants in our Singapore garden appear to ignore their proximity to the equator and happily change leaves and flowers every other week or so, leaving big heaps of beautiful big brown tropical leaves, sun dried flowers and other by-products of nature right at our door step. I have used them in these images and sprinkled them around our house to create a bit of an autumn feel far and away from our hometown in the low-lands.
The color palettes will fade away over time as autumn draws to a close, but before they do, you will have enjoyed many variations of the best natural colors — not to mention the earthy scent of leaves turning brown that no home fragrance can beat. There are some amazing yarns in autumn colors that you can introduce in your interior decor quite subtly. Make eye-catching accessories in season-matching colors and combine with ceramics or vintage heirlooms to create a crisp yet pleasant and intimate wintery feel around the house. -x-
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