Thanksgiving is time for our homes to become especially warm and inviting as we welcome dear family and friends for the holiday. The colors in the world around us are changing, and in the same way our home decor can change to reflect the beloved traditions of this heartwarming season.

This fall, surround yourself with color and textures that echo those seasonal “hearth and home” feelings that bring cheer to young and old alike. It doesn’t require a major remodeling effort. Here are a few Thanksgiving decoration ideas to ready your home for fall, Thanksgiving and the seasons yet to come.

Beyond the Expected Fall Colors

Oranges and browns are traditional seasonal colors, and your Thanksgiving-themed home should have plenty of them. But don’t stop there. An accent color brings a surprising new liveliness to the classic color scheme. Just a little bit of red is an eye-catching pop of pizzazz. Cool contrasts such as blue and green make the usual fall tones brighter and spirited.

Here’s a sure-fire way to throw your color choices around a room: throw pillows. It’s one of the simplest and cost-effective routes to a makeover of the space’s personality. Solid colors are excellent, but sometimes a pillow with fall-themed patterns or words brightens the sofa it rests on.

Don’t ignore the power of neutrals. They’re a great backdrop for Thanksgiving color, and they add an interesting twist when you mix them in with the decor.

Thanksgiving at the Farmhouse

You can layer a Thanksgiving theme atop any decorating style, but there’s something about the farmhouse style that recalls the charms of the season in a special way.

Thickly textured rugs and blankets in seasonal colors set the background ambiance. Autumn-look plaids exude a particular warmth. They’re great for tablecloths, but if you have a table with a rustic wood look, you might show it off and opt for placemats or table runners.

Any kind of furniture with a weathered finish plays into the countryside look. If you have a rustic coffee table, you might top it with some uniquely shaped pumpkins and gourds and maybe a vase with late-season flowers.

Not ready to add farmhouse-style furniture just for Thanksgiving? No problem! A mixing of styles, a blend of vintage and contemporary, might be just the harmony your room’s been looking for. Think fringy seasonal pillows on a sleek sofa or a display with vases both old and new.

Create Focal Points

There will be a centerpiece on almost every Thanksgiving table, but fall displays don’t have to stop there. Use some of these ideas to add a touch of the season to mantels, tables and walls throughout the house.

• White pumpkins are stunning both by themselves or mixed in their more familiar orange cousins.
• Ceramic or other decorative pumpkins with cute fall sayings make an easy decoration that won’t rot before the end of the season.
• Fall gnomes bring a whimsical touch to your holiday display.
• Terra cotta bowls and dishware go wonderfully with dried flowers, whether they’re in the bowls, in vases or laid out on a surface.
• Mantel displays are a mainstay of seasonal decorating, but they don’t have to be on the mantel. Floating shelves, sideboards and coffee and side tables are all fair game.
• Working at your residence near the holiday? Cheer up your office with a display of Thanksgiving home decor.
• Amber glass vases and bottles are a perfect fit with autumn colors.
• Fall colored and decorated milk cans fit right in with farmhouse décor and make a festive holder for fall stems and florals.
• Hang fall landscapes and Thanksgiving wall art in place of summer floral paintings and artwork.
• Food can be presented as a Thanksgiving display. Intersperse desserts with decorative baskets and floral decor on a sideboard or bar. Arrange cocktail fixings amid a display of pumpkins and gourds.
• Don’t forget your front door. Arrange large baskets, pumpkins and cornstalks along steps and walkways. Bring fall life to windowboxes with mums or dried flowers and a few carefully placed gourds.

Transition into Christmas

With a little planning, you can sneak some Christmas-y touches into your Thanksgiving decor. It will set you up for a seamless transition into the season of red and green. One way is to add a few red, silver and gold accents to your various Thanksgiving displays. They foreshadow the wealth of Christmas colors that will soon join them.

If you’ve incorporated elements of the farmhouse decorating style, it’s a style that’s happy to stick around through both Thanksgiving and Christmas. For example, black and white checks and plaids, in napkins, table runners and throws, mix well with both the colors of both seasons.

If you’re hungry for a foretaste of Yuletide, why not hang a Thanksgiving wreath or two. Such as a farmhouse wreath of grapevine adorned with pine cones and a big checked ribbon. Such as a decorative arrangement with mums, maple leaves and cranberries. When the time comes, pull it down and put up the Christmas version in the same spot.

You can even repurpose your Christmas ornaments. Bulbs and stars may scream “Christmas only!” but you probably have toys, trains and favorite little fabric animals that don’t. They’ll be more than ready to migrate from the fall display to the tree when the time comes.

Thanksgiving is a great season to experiment with new design and decor ideas. It’s just fine to put it all away when the season’s over, but you may find some inspiration you can bring to your home decorating the whole year through.