Adding subtle expressions of the season to your décor can make any space feel like autumn. For example, layering cozy blankets and textural art on the walls creates a welcoming atmosphere.
Create one-of-a-kind autumn decorations by transforming a traditional children's activity—fashioning leaf rubbings into napkin adornments—for a distinctive table display. Add a few sprigs of berries to the mix and you have an eye-catching centerpiece.
Color
As the days shorten and nights grow chilly, your home's color palette should shift from its light summer neutrals to deeper hues that welcome the season. Draw inspiration from the natural world and bring in shades of earthy green, brown, terracotta, and copper. These warm tones ground a room and are the basis for a seasonal decorating scheme that feels sophisticated and timeless rather than cliché.
Whether they're worn and weathered or sleek and streamlined, natural materials like wood and leather lend a rich fall vibe. The look can be achieved through large decor pieces, like this rustic table, or through smaller touches, such as the repurposed gourds used as place cards for a Thanksgiving meal. Add a personal touch by handwriting a name or date on each card. Then, tie the cards to simple stems that are slipped inside each gourd. Finished off with a hint of metallic silver paint, the result is a beautiful centerpiece for your holiday feast.
If your style leans toward classic or traditional, autumn hues like rust red and mustard yellow work beautifully in any interior. Alternatively, opt for warmer versions of neutrals like beige and creamy white, as well as muted shades of gray. Earthy hues also work well in this decorating scheme, especially those with brown undertones like moss and olive.
For a more modern take on fall, consider a rich red hue such as burnt orange or burgundy. It works best when combined with warm wood tones and muted shades of grey and green for a balanced, earthy effect. Avoid cool blues and pastel pinks, which are too bright for true autumn colors and can swallow up your natural warmth.
If you're a true Autumn, your favorite colors are those that reflect the season's landscape and harvest—think pumpkin oranges, burnt oranges, and earthy tones such as brown, ochre, and terracotta. You may also enjoy a more muted version of this season's trending butter yellow or a warm golden tone that leans towards ochre.
While your best hues are warm and earthy, true Autumns can also pull off a high-contrast look with a little savvy. Use this decorating trick to introduce a few bolder accents and give a room a moodier, more fall-like feel without overwhelming your naturally warm coloring.
Texture
The warmth and coziness of autumn colors can be translated to your home with the addition of textures. Add woven blankets, knit throw pillows, and velvet accents to your decor. These fabrics evoke the feeling of snuggling up with a book and a cup of pumpkin spice latte.
Wooden crates serve as excellent fall decorating elements, offering a multitude of creative applications. They enhance the farmhouse charm and serve as ideal containers for blankets, decorative pumpkins, and seasonal items. You can also stack them up and use them as a rustic bookshelf. Another way to use crates is by filling them with twigs, branches, or pinecones and using them as a unique centerpiece for your home.
Another way to bring texture into your fall decor is by adding a touch of wool. The rich, warm tones of this material are perfect for autumn, and they pair well with rattan furniture or wicker chairs. Add a wool rug to your living room or dining area, and it will instantly transform the space into one that feels welcoming and cozy for the season.
Copper is a popular texture for fall, and it pairs well with wood, brass, and pottery. Whether you use it as an accent piece or throughout your entire home, this metal will bring a sense of warmth to the space.
When decorating for autumn, make sure to avoid the overuse of patterns. It’s okay to have a few pattern-based accessories, but try to keep most of your fall decorations neutral. This way, the seasonal elements can stand out and be more effective.
If you’re going with a more colorful theme, opt for saturated hues instead of bright ones. For example, orange is a classic autumn color, but choose an earthy pumpkin shade rather than a neon orange.
While you can build your fall decor collection over time, it’s always a wonderful idea to start with simple pieces like wreaths and neutral-toned pumpkins. From there, you can add more themed decorations to celebrate Halloween and Thanksgiving. Just be sure to store these pieces in a cool, dry place to prevent mold or mildew.
Light
Using light as a decorating element adds ambiance, and it also helps warm up a room when the sun sets earlier. Whether you use a few strands of fairy lights in a lantern indoors or a strand of pumpkin-colored string lights outside, a little glow gives your home a cozy feel when the season changes.
Natural Accents
Adding a few natural elements to your decor is a quick and affordable way to bring fall to your home. Try displaying pine cones, acorns, and other natural objects in glass jars or woven baskets. You can even create a seasonal centerpiece for your table with a mix of these items arranged in a rustic wooden tray or vintage bowl.
A simple display of lovely leaves and pinecones on a coffee or dining room table can be a lovely touch too. Grouping a couple of lanterns with some flowers or pinecones is another lovely, laid-back way to make a small decorative vignette.
If you want a more substantial change to your living space, swap out your regular kitchen linens for textured options like waffle weave dish towels and plaid napkins. You could even add a coordinating table runner or a removable kitchen backsplash in a fall-inspired color.
Displaying branches adorned with pinecones, berries, or twigs is an easy way to add more nature-inspired decor for autumn. You can find a lot of these pretty branches at the craft and big box stores in the fall, and they are inexpensive too. You can also hang a twig wreath or grapevine wreath from the door or drape a twig garland around a banister.
You can also add a bit of sparkle to your decorations by putting a few glittery branches in a glass container. This can look especially pretty on a mantel. Finally, you can create a pretty, sparkly fall vignette with a few strands of glittery starlights or fairy lights. These lights are also available in a wide range of colors, so you can easily match them to your existing décor. You can also place a few of these sparkling lights under a cloche or in a lantern for extra lighting.
Plants
Fall is the season for harvest, so bring elements of nature into your home with plants. Pumpkins and gourds add a touch of color and texture to your table, while evergreens offer a lush green complementing your other decor. For an eye-catching centerpiece, use a hollowed-out pumpkin (real or faux) as a vase. Line the inside with floral tubes and fill it with a bouquet of autumn-colored leaves or flowers.
If you're looking for a more rustic display, try a natural hanging vase. Cut a 1- to 2-inch hole near the top of a swan-shaped gourd, then fill it with a bouquet of flowers and place it on your porch or patio. This look is easy to recreate for a table centerpiece or mantel decoration, like Velveteen and Grace did, by placing trinkets in jars, gourds, and pumpkins.
Chrysanthemums, known as mums, are a standout among fall flowers with a variety of bloom shapes and colors. They're easy to grow and look great in a variety of containers, including planters positioned around your porch or garden. Mix other plants with your mums to create a dynamic arrangement. Tall grasses, mid-sized flowers, and trailing plants like ivy or creeping Jenny give your display depth and dimension.
Another way to add natural elements is to comb your lawn or nearby trees for fallen branches and twigs. Then, collect them in a vase or basket to use as a rustic table centerpiece. The natural imperfections, like tiny holes and rumpled edges, create a genuine, organic look. To add even more textural appeal, scatter a few tillandsia air plants, also called dragonfly ferns, among your collection.
The porch is an ideal space for casual entertaining, so dress it up with cozy fall textiles to encourage guests to sit and stay a while. Replace brightly colored pillows and blankets with earthy-colored versions, then add a decorative accent like a wreath made of leaves or planters filled with flowers and pumpkins for a welcoming entryway.
If you have a fireplace, light it and add fall-colored candles for a warm and inviting gathering spot. If your patio or deck has seating, add a small rug and pillows in fall hues to invite guests to linger over dinner or cocktails.