What You Can Learn from the Little Black Dress

Interior design often takes its cues from fashion catwalks, where colors tend to come and go. Yet despite fluctuating tastes, most closets contain a must-have item for all seasons: the little black dress. This wardrobe number dresses up or relaxes with smart accessorizing, such as classic pearls or a bold scarf.

Like the black dress, home essentials-furnishings that anchor a setting-don't change on a whim. But with a few budget-wise changes in accessories, you can refresh the look and mood of a room from season to season.

Warm Up Fall and Winter

With the arrival of cool months, the desire to get cozy kicks in. "Invest in a great-looking rug, which adds warmth to wood or stone floors," says Jill Cotton of Soco Interiors. Tapestries and draperies layer living areas in tactile luxury, as do quilts and throws.

Incorporate pillows and table linens of chenille, silk, and velvet in solid colors or in a distinctive pattern. Deep colors such as red, pumpkin, persimmon, gold, and brown embellish a scheme.

Lighting also contributes warmth. Let candles glow and use table lamps and floor lamps with low-watt bulbs rather than a single overhead fixture. The hearth is a natural focal point, so pull up deep, comfortable seating for conversation, and include your favorite chair so you can read by a crackling fire on a cold night.

Apply the same principles to bedrooms. Complement a duvet in a warm color with a throw or quilt in a heavier fabric. Layer throw pillows in rich fabrics and trims. If there's space, angle a bergere chair cushy with down and an ottoman in a corner for reading or simply putting up your feet.

Finishing touches enhance every room in the house. Candlesticks, small sculptures and architectural remnants made of bronze or iron add weight and interest.

"Also play with artwork," says Cotton. "Juxtapose different types of art on one wall. Art is art; it doesn't have to match your furniture. Have fun and be creative. For instance, children's paintings and black-and-white family photos always make a great combination for a family room."

Also, introduce scents of the season. Spruce up for the holidays by trimming the banister, mantle and foyer mirror with fresh pine sprigs. Place pinecones in crystal bowls to emphasize pattern.

Cool Down for Warm Weather

As the days lengthen, lighten up by rearranging key pieces. For example, push back furniture that you may have pulled up in the winter.

Take a look around the living area and consider replacing dark-framed pictures, heavy candlesticks and ornate ironwork with pieces that incorporate glass, Lucite and light woods. You'll find that fewer accessories open up the space.

Lamps look like new when you trade dark shades for those made with floral or light fabrics. Taking up rugs to reveal bare wood creates a summery look and is soothing to the feet. You may want to pull back draperies or hang sheers.

"Toss out your old, tired pillows if you're tired of looking at them," says Cotton. "Add punch to a room with new pillows from one of the discount stores. They're so inexpensive that you won't feel guilty replacing them once a year. Sometimes just a small accent pillow, such as a faux animal print, can help create a new look."

If dominant colors tend to be dark, experiment with pillows in lighter shades. Drape a lightweight throw in white, cream, light taupe or pastel on a sofa.

Whether easy-sew or professionally fitted, slipcovers offer another way to banish winter weight. White or off-white slipcovers complement dark woods, such as walnut and mahogany, as well as lighter woods. Solid fabrics and simple prints also work well. In most cases, a furniture grouping looks best when slipcovered in the same fabric.

Relegate highly patterned fabric to a small piece. For more punch, introduce yellows, blues, or greens-as pale or intense as you prefer. Most slipcovers are easy care; just toss them in the washer, then dryer.

The fireplace leaves a gaping hole during spring and summer. Bank it with candles, easy-care plants or fresh arrangements.

In a classic formal setting, use cream-colored candles, notes Donnie Saxon of Saxon-Clark. In a family room, candles of different colors-but not too many-are lively. A fire screen decorated simply in a flower-and-urn motif, for example, provides instant cover.

Nature particularly inspires this time of year. "Add a live tree and/or colorful plant such as an orchid or bromeliad," says Cotton. "Avoid artificial trees and plants if at all possible. If you're crunched for time and money, walk outside and prune several branches off of a leafy bush or tree and stick them in a vase with water. I do this all the time."

In a casual space, such as a cottage, try growing herbs in pots and putting their flavors to work in the kitchen. Hang artwork with a botanical theme. Arrangements of dried-sticklike plants, and grasses stabilized by river rocks and set in tall, streamlined glass containers lend a sculptural feel. Seashells clustered in bowls or framing a mirror add soft colors.

Your bedrooms will also benefit from dressing down. Remove heavy bedspreads, blankets, area rugs, ornate pillows and other winter wear in favor of linens in white, off-white or pastels. Window treatments and pillows sporting a floral pattern coordinate with solid colors.

Pull It Together with Color

Color remains a top way to alter a room. "Selecting a new paint color makes a nice change," says Cotton. "There's no need to repaint an entire room; just painting an accent wall will do. Choose a paint color that will provide enough contrast to make a difference. For example, paint one wall chocolate brown and the remainder a soft blue or green."

When determining your color palette, carefully weigh your life stage and what you're willing to live with. Remember that color elicits emotion. Red, orange and yellow communicate coziness, comfort and energy whereas blues and greens create tranquility.

"More conservative homeowners, often retirees, like shades of green from sage to mint," says Ron Nowfell of Robb & Stucky. "Green has been popular for a long time and imparts a nice cool feeling when used in pillows, rugs and accents. Lime green and orange are suited to more daring tastes. The geometrics and colors of the 1970s-pink, brown and blue-have resurged."

For a pleasing look, layer in colors. "Avoid mixing certain cool and warm colors," says Saxon. "For example, you'll never see a gray car with a tan interior." Deft repeating of particular colors in fabric and accents ties together the elements of a room. Too many colors overwhelm a space, so decorate judiciously. "Everything-furnishings, fabrics, trim, walls, candles-need to complement," says Saxon.

If you're just starting to acquire essentials, consider choosing major pieces in a neutral color. For a bit of oomph, use solid fabrics with pattern and texture.

With this easy strategy, you'll take pleasure in strategically using accessories and color to create a new "wardrobe" for each room as the seasons change.