Decorating for Fall
Apple season, harvest home, Halloween, Thanksgiving: How to get through it all
I love using Pinterest to create a seasonal aesthetic. Taking the inspiration and doing something real with it, however, is relatively new to me: in the past I have preferred to enjoy the image curating process rather than actually fit the ideas into my space! I like to mostly reuse all my decor pieces so that I don’t have to buy and store extra decor, but the wide variety of mini-seasons encompassed by Fall sometimes means extra items can come in handy.
Last year I was all about bringing the harvest into my home, something that could carry me from September through Thanksgiving: wheat, bright orange colors, gourds, orange leaves — it was all geared towards what we see and experience in the middle of October. My one concession to the increasing darkness of the season was dark brown candles. I know, I live wildly.
Last year’s mantle decorations
But what about All Hallow’s Eve? My decor seemed almost too cheery and colorful for that part of the season, though afterwards the wheat carried me through Turkey Day until the Christmas season. My little Halloween heart yearned for just a lantern or two, something slightly spooky. But it was not to be.
This year I wanted something a little more moody: festive enough for a mid-October day while adding the dark coziness of cuddling up with a Harry Potter movie near Halloween (I’m too much of a scaredy-cat for actual horror films!) So I went with black accents and muted harvest colors in a variety of textures.
I kept my pillowcases the same, despite their not completely matching my new decor. I’m too frugal to completely change things up every season and I still loved the pillows’ look! Lint rolling any tiny hidden dog hair from these bad boys took longer than anticipated and was an adventure all of its own. But it was worth it, and I’m sure any guests would agree.
I also found a different home for last year’s bright orange wreath: the Kitchen! The bright color really made the space cheerful and makes me want to bake all the fall goodies! (More posts on those coming up in later weeks.) And it coordinated with our terracotta wall color.
The Great Outdoors
In previous years I’ve simply bought a few mums and a large pumpkin, dumped them on the porch, and called it a day. Good enough for me, and (sadly?) more than enough to make the dog bark like mad upon first look. (Like really, chill out dude. It’s a seasonal gourd.) This year, however, I really wanted to give our porch something that made me smile when walking through the door.
I found these mini straw bales at Michael’s on sale early in the season. I wanted to use purple asters to give a pop of unusual fall color. I love the white and purple together, and will add orange once it’s actually cold enough for a real pumpkin!
Yes, I left the plastic wrap on the straw. I don’t need any critters nesting on my front porch for the fall, thank-you-very-much! I also set them up on 2 x 4’s to keep the bottoms from getting gross.
I also couldn’t resist buying some mums that would last (hopefully!) to Christmastime, so I bought some white ones in a hanging basket.
All the Fall Things
Don’t feel badly if you don’t have a lot of seasonal decor or don’t have the money or space (or time/desire!) to keep up with yearly trends. This is only the second year in our home that I’ve actually gone all out, and I am still shocked by how much time, effort, and funds some influencers online put into this season throughout their homes.
You could say that the best way to decorate for fall is still with scents, foods, and drinks for the season: experiences instead of objects. Or, blankets, warm socks, a visit to the pumpkin patch, and a cozy sweater can be all you need to get into the spirit of Fall!
In the next couple weeks I’ll have some fall recipes for seasonal treats to keep you warm and happy, so stay tuned!