Inspiration: Red

Photo credit: Jonn Coolidge/Country Living

Red is a great color for fall and winter decorating. Despite my penchant for pink and other pastels, I like stronger colors when the temperature starts to drop. The last few years, more and more red seems to be popping up in my home as summer fades into fall.

The photo at the top is a great use of red - and one I would consider having in my home all year round. For more inspiration on using color, check out this slideshow in Country Living.

I also thought I'd share some of the red around my house, which you'll find below. You might notice all the patterns are different - I'm not a matchy-matchy person. I prefer to coordinate patterns rather than match exactly, and a like color can really pull different patterns together.

I traded my pale yellow and green floral table covering in the dining room for this red one a few weeks ago.

I found this square of vintage red fabric on eBay. I keep saying I'm going to hem the sides, but I sort of like it unfinished. The red really warms up this little corner in my home.

The red and blue pillows help soften my love's chocolate leather sofa.

I found this red dish fabric a few years ago and immediately thought of it as art, so I stretched it over a big canvas. (Some of you have seen this wall-hanging before.) This actually hangs in my kitchen all year round. The pitcher and plate are TJ Maxx finds and below is a painting done by an old co-worker of mine. I love the vividness of the red.

Wishing you colorful seasons in your home...