Decorate Your Home's Consoles For Fall

(CBS)  Decorating isn't just about overhauling your home; it can also be about refreshing small areas. Design expert Susanna Salk told The Early Show co-anchor Julie Chen at a Manhattan Pottery Barn store that decorating consoles can add a breath of fresh air to your home. It's an easy and affordable way to keep up with the seasons.

Decorate Your Entry Way

Don't overwhelm the space.

Place a mirror above your entry console so you can check yourself out before you leave. Mirrors also enhance small spaces. Just make sure the width is proportionate to the width of the console.

Try the rustic look: Salk used fall colors like wheat yellows and deep reds that can be echoed inside the home using glazed vases of the same colors. Make bouquets of branches rather than flowers.

Don't cluster your decorations and don't over accessorize. Keep it simple.

Decorate Your Living Room Or Dining Room Console

Even bookcases or serving tables can be great places to decorate.

Don't mix in too many different elements. Choosing one or two fall touches to accent the console.

Glass pieces can look both formal and informal depending what is placed inside.

Salk filled a glass vessel with gourds and pine cones. She also placed dark sunflowers in glass vases with moss on the bottom.

Replace white candles that you may have used in the summer with darker ones. Try scented candles to give off a spicy autumnal smell.

In the dining room, another option is to lay down a rich red runner and add a rustic votive as your centerpiece.

Salk also says a faux swag like the one she used featuring pomegranates can last through December.

Like in the entry way, avoid mixing too many elements.

Decorating A Small Space

As an example, Salk used an espresso table. In the summer she always placed a bowl of sea shells and citrus candles on it. But in the fall, she replaces the shells with pine cones and the citrus candles with spicy ones.

To find items that can spice up the consoles in your home, visit the Pottery Barn Web site.

[susanbbb-2009]

A console is a cabinet that is on the floor and contains something like a TV, radio, record player etc. It looks like a table with doors underneath.

[speedyclick]

No idea. I thought I'd stepped into the Twilight Zone reading this. But apparently whatever they are, they require seasonal decorating, so we'd better get busy.

[ademeyer]

What's a console?