Autumn is a beautiful time of year. We get a break from the heat of summer, but it's still pleasant to spend time in the cool crisp outdoors. It evokes a feeling of wanting to get cozy at home. Check out these simple ways to warm up your home with fall decor:
Stay in your Style Lane
If your home is already decorated in beachy pastel tones or shades of white, a sprinkling of pumpkin-colored accessories will probably garner the wrong kind of attention. Focusing on textures and scents may be a more stylish way to go if you prefer a very specific décor style. A nicely textured blanket, some wooden picture frames, a vase full of bare twigs and candles that emit classic autumnal scents will create the look and feel you want without compromising your personal style. Pull in a few accessories that are darker, heavier versions of your existing color palette for a finishing fall touch.
Blankets and Pillows: Add heavier blankets to your family room and bedroom. Blankets with plaid patterns or more texture look cozy on the couch and bed. They will also keep you warm during chilly fall weather. Switch out throw pillows as well or purchase pillow covers to go over existing ones.
Picture This
One item people rarely think of changing is their picture frames. But switching out frames is a great way to enhance seasonal décor. Look for frames made of wood, dark metals or those painted in autumnal hues. If you’re handy at crafts, use double-sided tape to recover your existing frames in burlap and other fall-inspired fabrics. When it’s time for winter decorating, recover them again in velvet and brocade.
Fireplace: Decorate the fireplace mantel with all things fall. Use a fall garland or scatter pumpkins and gourds. Add candles at varying heights, fall pressed leaves in frames and/or branches in vases for a festive fall fireplace.
Candles: Fall means the days are shorter and the nights are longer. It's a great time to use some candles. Use candles as center pieces, on the fireplace mantel and all over the home. Put candles in a tray and surround them with pumpkins, gourds, nuts or other craft picks. Using fall scented candles adds even more to the cozy ambiance.
Porch Decor: Create a welcoming front porch with fall decor. A fall wreath on the front door is always festive. Make a pumpkin topiary out of real or craft pumpkins to place in planters. Mums add beautiful fall color to your porch. Using small bales of hay will add a layer of different heights for your decor and visual interest to your porch.
General Fall Decor: Beautiful fall leaf and/or berry garlands can be used on top of kitchen cabinets, bookcases and fireplace mantels. Scattering pumpkins, gourds or fall craft picks around your home will add to the fall atmosphere. Don't forget fall scents! Potpourri in pretty fall colored dishes makes an impact visually as well.
Natural Is Best
There’s no better time than fall to bring the outdoors in. Take a walk in your backyard or favorite park and see what nature might provide. Fill a wooden bowl filled with acorns, dried flowers and colorful leaves for a stunning centerpiece. Arrange russet-colored twigs in a tall vase and place it in the entry way to set the tone. Some artificial decorative items can look extremely realistic, but avoid using anything glittered or in too-trendy colors if you want a classic look.
Table It
It’s not necessary to fill every flat surface with fall décor, but accenting an entry table and/or dining room table will go a long way to enhance a fall theme. Start with a fall-hued table runner, and add a few select pieces such as a beautiful pottery bowl and a seasonal candle. Keep the scale of fall decorations large and chunky. Less is more, but bigger is better.
Decorating With Mini Gourds
Mini gourds, winter squashes, pumpkins - these hold so much potential for autumn decorations. Cluster gourds on your mantle or create a table centerpiece by piling gourds on a platter. To create a fun door wreath, stick mini gourds into a store-bought wood wreath using floral picks. Brighten things up by spraying mini gourds with glitter spray paint.
Decorating With Apples
Green and red apples add color to the fall tablescape and showcase another classic fall crop. Crabapples and small apples can be strung into a wreath or garland for display in or outside the home. Fill a tall, clear glass vase with apples, and then stick a branch of vibrant autumn leaves inside for a show-stopping centerpiece. Or place a cute basket of apples on a side table to encourage healthy snacking and celebrate fall. Dried apples add additional possibilities for fall decoration ideas. Dehydrated apple slices can be strung for garlands or used in wreaths. By curling slices and rolling them together, you can create cute fall-themed roses for use in centerpieces.
Decorating With Pumpkins
Pumpkins are fun to carve into Jack O'Lanterns, but you can do so much more with them too! By hollowing out a large pumpkin, you can create an instant vase for a decorative winter kale or a hardy mum. Indoors, use the same hollowed-out pumpkin as the vessel for a floral centerpiece.
Wheat and Corn Decorating Ideas
From golden stalks of wheat to mottled ears of Indian corn, there are so many ways to celebrate the harvest season by using wheat and corn in fall decorations. Go beyond a simple corn cob on the door with a full wreath made of corn cobs. Surround a large candle with corn cobs to make a fun centerpiece. Place a sheaf of wheat in an elegant vase for a rustic centerpiece or make a garland or long table centerpiece by braiding together clusters of wheat.
Decorating With Fall Leaves
Fall leaves add vibrant color and texture to your home decor. For 5-minute decorating ideas, gather a bouquet of leaves or string leaves to make a garland. If you've got more time, create mason jar lanterns by using real or fake fall leaves and decoupage paint. For a kid-friendly craft, make paper prints of leaves you can frame and hang. Or paint leaves with fabric paint and press them onto napkins or table linens to make fall foliage linens.
Hot Beverage Station: Nothing warms you up better than a nice hot beverage. Make up a small station station on your kitchen counter, bar cart or console table with your hot beverage appliance, mugs and a basket of your favorite teas, hot chocolate, assorted coffees and fixings.