By LANNAN M. O’BRIEN
When summer makes its final exit, the curtain opens once again and nature puts on a performance: fiery reds, oranges and yellows contrast with deep burgundies and browns. Pumpkins and gourds are ready for picking and fall flowers adorn local farm stands. The season’s bounty is a dream for the home decorator—but for those of us less adept at crafting displays, the options can seem overwhelming.
As the owner of Verde Floral Design in Mashpee Commons, Hira Rafiq knows a thing or two about creating artful seasonal displays. Most often, she can be found designing arrangements at the shop, adding the finishing touches to elaborate floral arches, garlands and swags, or decorating wedding venues with her team to ensure each client’s day is picture perfect.
We asked Rafiq for her top tips on decorating outside your home for fall. Here’s what she had to say.
Q: What areas of the home should people focus on when decorating outdoors?
A: I think the mailbox area is a great spot. Definitely focus on the front steps, around the front door, and window boxes as well.
Q: Do you have any favorite flowers, plants or other elements to incorporate into fall displays?
A: We use mums every year because they come in such really bright colors, and muted tones too. It can kind of work for both types of aesthetics, because some people like to go with a brighter touch for fall décor, and others like more of a muted burgundy. Mums come in all different sizes, and they can take up a lot of space, which makes decorating much easier. You don’t have to feel like you need a lot of extra elements to fill up space.
Also, combining pumpkins with gourds, and especially using white and gray, and all of these different colors and shapes, makes any arrangement feel more organic and natural. I love grasses too, and dried out grasses—they’re always fun to add in for texture, as well as anything that’s similar to a grapevine or curly willow, just something that’s natural and twiggy.
Q: Fall décor naturally has a lot of bright colors. Do you have any recommendations on how to use a seasonal palette without going overboard?
A: You don’t want to choose every color under the sun. Pick two to three colors that you want to focus on. One thing most people don’t realize is that orange is more of a neutral color and will work with a lot of different color palettes. So [when you use orange] you can go in either direction, whether you want bright tones or muted tones. Remember: don’t go overboard—sometimes “more” is too much and can look chaotic.
Q: What are some general things to keep in mind when arranging outdoor displays?
A: The three key elements of making any kind of arrangement, whether it’s an outdoor display, dish garden, et cetera, is that you want a thriller, a filler, and a spiller. In other words, you want something that’s a focal point or a thriller, which will grab everybody’s attention right away. A filler would be something like mums or foliage that will fill in those gaps and take up a lot of space. And you always want something that spills over, too. Sometimes you can have gourds placed in a way that they appear to be spilling out of a basket or container, or you can use overgrown ivy, leaves or grass that are spilling out [from the arrangement]. You don’t want it to seem too structured; instead, you want it to feel just natural enough where it doesn’t seem like you’re trying too hard.
Q: Anything readers should know about caring for fall flowers and plants?
A: Mums love direct sun, but make sure to give them plenty of water so they don’t dry out. Gourds will start to rot if there’s too much moisture, so again, keep that in mind when you decide where to place them. If it’s raining a lot, they’re going to start to rot, especially wherever they’re touching [the ground]. For mums, you should be deadheading any blooms that are starting to die away, because it takes so much of the plant’s energy. You’ve got to keep trimming it in order to encourage new growth.
Q: How can Verde help customers who are decorating for fall?
A: If you’re looking for elements, you can always stop by. We’ll have mums available for sale, pumpkins and gourds, and branches, twigs and other items like that for decorating.
Photos courtesy of verdeflorals.com