By Nanette Wiser
REFRESH YOUR ROOMS
Update your home with adorable autumn foliage, centerpieces, wreathes and pumpkin spice candles, a Halloween throw pillow or accent fuzzy throw. Better yet, grab your paintbrush and update your room with the 2024 Colors of the Year. Paint a wall, ceiling, crown molding or door trim, even the back of a built-in bookcase. A vivid pop of color livens up a tiny room or cozies up a large room. Swoon for stunning shades that are earthy and nature-inspired such as terra cotta and rich forest greens. Blue is still popular, and Valspar’s 2024 Renew Blue’s soft sky shade evokes balance and calm. This coastal accent is perfect for a bathroom and when paired with bright white, gives the kitchen a crisp, cool vibe. Also trending is Sherwin Williams cheery Persimmon, a tangerine with a neutral, pastel-like undertone.
SANCTUARY SPACE
Transform your with music, candles, fragrance and color. Designers suggest warm peach tones for relaxing, dark midnight blue for meditating and bold shades in smaller bathrooms and powder rooms mixed with patterns for a modern, elegant feel. Other bathroom improvement ideas include replacing outdated tiles or peeling laminate with durable porcelain, ceramic, or cement tile floors or making a statement with a gorgeous new vanity, with ample storage and a quartz or granite tabletop. Give your tub some TLC; you can resurface with long-lasting white epoxy paint to make them look brand-new. In the shower, re-grout or replace the tiles to refresh the room.
HOW DRY I AM
If planted in the right landscape, drought tolerant plants thrive and can be watered only as needed. Consider Sunshine Mimosa (full sun, no salt spray), Blue Pacific Shore Juniper (full sun, well-drained soil), Linope (partly sunny), Blue Porterweed (attracts butterflies, full to partial sun), Matchweed (attracts butterflies, salt tolerant, full sun to full shade), Dwarf Jasmine (full sun to full shade), Purple Queen (partial sun), Carolina Wild Petunia (full to partly sunny) and other Florida-friendly plants. Other drought tolerant annuals and perennials include aloe, blue daze, bush daisy, coontie, cardboard plant, lantana, rosemary, passionvine, shore juniper, butterfly milkweed, coreopsis, black eyed susan, purple coneflower, beach dune sunflower, blanketflower, portulaca, salvia, lavender, gaura, gazania and spider lily. https://ifas.ufl.edu/