Keep the look of your home fresh with seasonal accents. These accents, which go beyond wreaths and flower arrangements to include fruit, grass, pine cones and even animals, can reconnect you with nature and stave off the decorating blahs permanently. Here are some tips:

When it gets cold, replace spring and summertime arrangements of flowers and foliage with vases of dried grasses, cattails, and pods.

If springtime seems too far away, forcing bulbs in late winter provides that first glimpse of desperately needed color. Daffodils, tulips, hyacinths and crocus come in colors to match every mood and dcor.

Pine cones and interesting rocks work all year long. Arrange them in a container and then add seasonal accents like fall leaves, flowers or dried grass

Fill a bowl with seasonal fruit and vegetables. In autumn and winter, gourds and squash are excellent bets, as are oranges in the Christmas season. Large blown-glass bowls come in a variety of colors to match every season.

Go out on a limb and get a bird! The African orange weaver, also known as the red bishop, is a finch whose coloring changes throughout the year. During the summer months when the species breeds, the male sports dapper orange and black plumage which changes in fall to yellow and brown.

Start your garden indoors. Plants like basil, tomato and peppers, which can be transplanted into the summer garden, make beautiful springtime accents on south-facing windowsills.

Using classic and even avant-garde seasonal accents to freshen the look of your home is not only inexpensive and inspiring, its also an effective way to maintain a connection to the great outdoors.