Fall into fall

KAREN WIGHT

Southern California may not get nature’s dramatic change of seasons,

but that gives us even more reason to shift the mood inside. Fall

gets bonus points for being a simple transition to make and even more

kudos for the length of time it can stay in the house.

Since fall has officially arrived, get to work, your autumnal

transition can last all the way through Thanksgiving. You can even

eat the decorations at some point -- you’ve got to love that.

The Wight House leapt into fall this week when I brought bags of

pumpkins and gourds home.

The dining room table was the first target. I brought a big urn in

from the backyard and stuffed the bottom with newspaper, then mounded

mini-pumpkins on top until it looked bountiful -- and beautiful.

Since you can see the dining room from the front of the house when

you walk in the front door, I get big mileage out of those little

pumpkins. If you don’t have a table that you want to disable with a

big display, put some pumpkins into smaller urns and have them flank

the front door or put a pair of glass vases filled with pumpkins on

the mantle, or line a few bright orange beauties on top of an armoire

or buffet.

Now we’re moving up the scale: big pumpkins. The more, the

merrier. You can use them for decoration, carve a few for Halloween

and cook a couple for pies (“Sugar” pumpkins are best for baking).

Keep a couple for fall’s swan song, Thanksgiving -- or should I say

turkey song -- and you’re done.

Ornamental grasses are another easy favorite. Purple fountain

grass is spectacular all by itself in a great container. Ornamental

grasses grow like weeds, literally, so you can’t hurt the landscaping

plan by cutting handfuls of feathery stems. They don’t even need

water: grab, cut, plunk, wow.

Candles in our house seem to have multiplied exponentially. I’m

not sure how it happened, but candles are everywhere. There are in

candlesticks on the mantle, on the walls in sconces, by the bathtub,

on the kitchen counter and in the powder room. Change out your

“everyday” candles with orange, rust, dark gold or brown. It’s

amazing how fast the mood of the house shifts with this simple

effort. If you like to keep fresh flowers in the house, fall gives

you a great opportunity to use colors and contents you wouldn’t

usually consider.

A vase full of stunning “cocoa” roses, drippy amaranth stems,

orange dahlias and branches with small peppers make an eye-catching

combination. On a practical note, fill a big bowl with walnuts,

pecans, hazelnuts and almonds. Nestle a nutcracker amid the display

(and maybe a small empty bowl for the shells). I guarantee that

you’ll be surprised now much attention it gets.

Harvest a few of your own ideas and reap the benefits.

* KAREN WIGHT is a Newport Beach resident. Her column runs

Thursdays.