Fall Decorating Guide

Fall is the season of change. And after a long year of uncertainty, the inevitably of this cycle coming to a close can feel like a welcome relief. It’s the perfect time to get back inside and pamper yourself with books, hot cocoa, and speciality pies. If you’re looked to get ready for the last full season of the year, start here with our fall decorating guide. We’ll help you transform your home into a cozy haven, the perfect place to enjoy the many holidays and celebrations of autumn.

Dial in the Color Palette

First things first — set a color palette. Do this first, as it sets parameters for the rest of your choices. It also serves as a fact-finding mission. Your decorations will depend largely on the already existing look of your home. For example, orange is an obvious “autumn” choice, but it isn’t going to work with every room’s hue.

In general though, you can get a lot of mileage from quiet and muted colors. Start with grays, from smoke to charcoal, and browns, from cinnamon to chocolate — tones these will work in many different situations. Keep in mind that creating continuity between rooms will make your house hum. But if you have a prized heirloom or antique decoration that sings autumn to you but doesn’t fit, don’t worry. Give yourself permission to please yourself.

Get Cozy

You can get a great look for fall without breaking the bank. That’s because seasonal decorations are all about adding to what is already there. You can create a mood through accents that builds on your room’s style. After all, it would be pretty impractical to add a “fall” sofa to your collection — one that has to be stored in a closet every spring!

Autumnal decor is all about making your home extra cozy. So you’ll be filling up your life with soft, fuzzy things that demand to be touched. That sounds pretty nice, doesn’t it? Throws and blankets can transform furniture into safe havens for sipping tea and eating slices of pumpkin pie. Easily change your chairs with fall-colored seat covers. Add a decorative pillow that features an autumnal scene or design. And you don’t have to use patterns if that’s not your brand. You can remain trés chic with a burnt orange velvet seat cover while still getting into the season.

Go Outdoors

Fall is the perfect time to spend a day outside. That’s partly because winter is just around the corner, and then all you’ll want is to stay curled up by the fireplace. But we also feel a need to go outside in autumn to prance around the backyard in our fall sweaters. However you slice it, autumn is full of perfectly crisp days. We cherish those special moments where the humidity drops, the leaves change, and a pleasant breeze can make a day into a timeless memory.

So don’t forget to add seasonal touches to the outside of your house. One easy fix is outdoor mats. These can be very affordable, and with a few careful buys or a little work, you can change the look of each of your entrances. Wreaths are another way to accent your doors, and they aren’t just for Christmas. Skip the holly and ribbons and go for DIY project like this affordable option. Finish the scene with arrangements of seasonal flowers in planters that telegraph “autumn” to any passerby.

Light the Scene

The next essential step is creating the perfect luminesce for your fall decor. Overhead lighting tends to wash out your design choices, so avoid chandeliers. Instead, embrace the deepening twilight as the days get shorter and don’t be afraid to go with something overall dimmer and more evocative. One option is to use sconces and floor lamps to set the scene.

But the perfect choice is candles. These will become your secret weapon for creating the perfect autumnal scene. And we don’t mean plain Jane candles — long, skinny, and milky white. Forget tea lights too and get creative. Candles come in all sorts shapes, sizes, and colors. Look at adding some large and wide candles, either in black or charcoal grey. And play around with different scented candles to really drive home the idea of “harvest.” There are lots of options that will add spicy aromas that positively whisper “mulled wine.”

Gourds and Dried Plants

For most folks, fall equals pumpkins. But you don’t have to get stuck into the same cliché trap. Sure, adding some festive pumpkins is a great idea, perhaps even a necessity. But you don’t have to only use them; you can also do something a little more inventive. First off, there are lots of gourds that will evoke the season without being your average orange pumpkin. Use different shapes and colors to accent your room’s natural color scheme.

In the end, fall means abundance, so switch it up and diversify. You can arrange wood piles into decorative scenes — think steel pail in the entryway. Driftwood is another great accent; you can even mount it on the wall. Don’t be afraid of greens either. Try succulents if you want something easy to take care of; they go great on mantles. Fill in the remaining spaces with smaller accents: dried herbs and dried flowers, leaves and petals, and red berries. Turn these ingredients into setting for vases and set them about on open surfaces.