Fall weather has settled into Florida, letting the holiday season come in full swing! This season of change invites somewhat lower temperatures, autumn-colored décor and a host of delectable treats. Floridians have the advantage of keeping their pools open year-round, allowing them to extend the fall festivities to their lanai. Autumn is perfect for enjoying quality time with your friends and family, so be sure to decorate appropriately. With a few simple tips, you can add a little warmth and transform your backyard into a holiday hub, creating a cozy outdoor experience.
Pick the Right Pool Decorations
Fall features two very decoration-centric holidays: the delightfully spooky Halloween and joyful Thanksgiving. While both holidays use similar decorations, they can provide differing atmospheres based on how they are used. Create your ideal environment with these suggested items:
1. Pumpkins: an autumn staple, pumpkins have numerous creative uses for the season. During Halloween, people love to carve designs to create Jack-o’-Lanterns. If you want to create the right mood for potential fall pool parties, you can design several and line them around your pool. This can become a seasonal alternative to the Summer-favorite tiki torches.
For Thanksgiving, you can artistically arrange pumpkins to create the perfect photo opportunity for the family. You can also demonstrate the versatility of pumpkins by repurposing them into planters for flowers, making them an inexpensive decoration. Smaller ones can also be prominently featured on tables, especially helpful for adding a fun element to an outdoor kitchen area!
2. Lights: After the first day of fall, the days become shorter and the nights are longer. This change in daylight can be a perfect opportunity to go all out with fall pool lights, providing a bright spot for your evenings. Around Halloween, you can make use of Jack-o’-Lanterns for a creative way to use light. To get your pool ready for either holiday, floating lights can be used on the water and you can even extend this spooky or inviting feeling to your outdoor area by stringing together LED lights.
If you expect your guests to use your pool, one way to get your pool in the spirit is by changing the color of the pool’s light. Waterscapes pools use LED lights and with the wide variety of colors offered in stores, you can find one for each holiday. If you want toil without the trouble, a green light can make your pool look like a witch’s cauldron. When you arrive at Thanksgiving, you can create an inviting feeling by using lights matching seasonal colors such as red, orange and yellow.
3. Flowers: Fall offers a beautiful backdrop for peaceful swims any time of the day. In a season emphasizing warm colors, utilize flowers to make a fall statement. You can place these around your pool deck in terracotta pots, using ones matching your preferred colors. This time of the year, mums truly are the word as their color range hits on every color for the season. Other popular options for fall pool flowers include Pansies, ornamental peppers and Black-eyed Susans. These pops of color can make time in the spa all the more relaxing.
Decorate Your Entertainment Space
Florida gives residents the rare opportunity to enjoy any holiday outside. While you can enjoy Halloween and Thanksgiving indoors, your lanai space and outdoor kitchen can provide a feast for the eyes with magnificent food spreads and views of your backyard.
Waterscapes is proud to offer the option of creating stunning outdoor spaces for our pool owners to make holidays even more memorable. If you want to take your holidays outside, make a few decorative changes to provide some autumnal ambiance:
1. Decorative Plants: Fall is a perfect time of year to bring nature into your backyard with a variety of plants, and it requires minimal effort on your part. Any time of the season, some popular options are to put out vases and mix pine cones, straw and ornamental wheat together, creating a simple but effective aesthetic.
2. Cornucopias: A common Thanksgiving decoration is a cornucopia, made of weaved wicker and filled to the brim with an assortment of autumn foods. These would make the perfect centerpiece for an outdoor table at your next fall pool party. You can usually buy empty cornucopias at stores and then customize them at home. For an attention-grabbing piece, you can fill yours with autumn leaves and use fruit and vegetables (such as gourds, Indian corn and apples) to bring out the fall colors.
3. Fall-Hued Furniture: Many love the fall season due to the variety of colors used in decorations, so incorporate this warm color palette into your furniture. If you prefer entrance rugs, pick one using earth-tone colors. You will also want decorative pillows and blankets with autumn colors to offer a feeling of warmth whether it’s sitting outside at night by the fire pit or relaxing after a dip in the spa. Want to add a nice touch for drying off post-spa? You can always use towels featuring autumn hues!
Fall décor should also extend to your tables. Using appropriate linens and festive silverware seamlessly tie into the season and entice guests to enjoy more time outside in an area that creates a picture-perfect fall day.
4. Add Warmth: While Florida temperatures don’t vary too much, this season will bring about somewhat lower temperatures and for many, a desire for seasonal drinks. For those looking to entertain family and friends during the fall, you can make your outdoor area the place to be! You will want to stick with a design scheme that uses the popular fall colors, creating a cozy feeling when you step outside.
When you have evening guests, turn your entertainment up a notch with a festive drink bar. Some popular drinks great for keeping warm include hot cocoa, coffee and apple cider. While you spend time with family and friends, you won’t need to worry about the nuisance of pesky bugs as our lanais offer screened cages, bringing nature close to you while keeping unwanted pests out. Set up a station for these treats outside and enjoy a night under the stars.
Fall is always exciting as it gives way to one of the most colorful times of the year. By decking out your pool area with autumnal décor, you create an enjoyable atmosphere while celebrating another new season!
