The temperatures are getting chillier and the leaves will soon be turning bright colors. Fall is in the air and you may be itching to get outside to experience this glorious season. This is also a great opportunity to change up your home décor to reflect the bountiful harvests, colorful foliage, and intoxicating aromas all around.
Fall is a time for gathering with friends and family. So, let’s explore some interesting ideas for making your home more seasonally inviting inside and out.
Create Comfortable and Cozy Seating Areas
This is the time for sinking into a couch with a cup of warm cider and having a conversation or just reading a great novel. Here are ways to make seating a priority.
• Rearrange couches and overstuffed chairs to create intimate seating areas.
• Go for shabby chic with big fluffy pillows.
• Place soft throws and blankets around for curling up.
Add Some Plaids
Plaids definitely speak of autumn. Think of all those coats and jackets lined with plaids in red, green, blue, and caramel hues. Here is where you can add some plaid:
• Pillows and blankets in guest bedrooms
• Dining room seat cushions
• Porch bench covers
• Scarves hanging on hooks in the entryway or mudroom
Embrace Fall Flowers and Foliage
The fall season produces some of the most colorful flowers and foliage. You can place cut flowers inside and potted plants outside.
• Place a large vase of sunflowers on the kitchen island or table.
• Fill your front stoop and steps with red, yellow, and mauve potted mums.
• Create table centerpieces featuring branches, colorful leaves, and pinecones.
• Hang a wreath of twigs and corn husks on your front door.
Infuse the House with Seasonal Aromas
Think about tasty pies and steaming beverages. While you can’t always have an apple pie in the oven, try some of these ways to infuse some classic aromas around the home.
• Place pumpkin scented votive candles in hollowed out gourds and miniature pumpkins.
• Put a pot of water with cinnamon sticks in it over low heat on the stove.
• Stud oranges with whole cloves and place them in small bowls on bathroom vanities.
Pull Out the Pottery
There is something about pottery that evokes comfort and nature. Rustic earthenware and stoneware especially speak to this theme.
• Switch out your matching dinner china with handmade clay plates and serving platters.
• Place clay bowls on bedroom dressers for guests to place their personal items in.
• Use heavy stoneware candlestick holders as part of your table setting.
• Have a pottery pitcher of water and a cup on your guests’ nightstand.
Display your Bountiful Harvest
Think of apples, pumpkins, corn, cranberries, and pomegranates. These are all foods that have fairly long shelf lives and can be displayed for some time.
• Have a big wooden bowl of apples on the kitchen table.
• Stencil or carve orange and white pumpkins for your portico and terrace.
• Hang some yellow and blue dried corn at the front door.
• String cranberries to hang across your fireplace mantle.
• Display pomegranates on your dining room table centerpiece.
Set out Sturdy Outdoor Furniture
Sitting outdoors in the fall can be invigorating and mind clearing. Make it as comfortable and inviting as possible.
• Give a couple of backyard Adirondack chairs a fresh coat of paint and place a plaid blanket on each.
• Wooden benches on a back porch or deck can be dressed up with colorful cushions.
• A rocking chair on the front porch is very welcoming.
• Set some hay bales up in a circle in the yard.
Light a Fire
Nothing says fall more than a glowing and warming fire indoors and outdoors.
• Light a wood burning fire in your fireplace.
• Place lit candles in a non-working fireplace.
• Don’t ignore the ambiance battery powered candles can provide.
• Build a circular fire pit in the backyard that you place your feet up on.
• Buy an affordable chiminea for your terrace and light it up.
Go for Luxurious and Faux Fabrics
Don’t be afraid of splurging on a few items that give the warmth and feel of fall luxury.
• Pick up some velvet pillows in dark greens and reds for your sofa.
• Soft ultra-suede shawls and blankets can adorn the end of a bed or back of a couch.
• Faux fur pillows and throws can be used form lounging on the floor in front of the fireplace.
Set out Fall Snacks and Beverages
Make your guests feel at home with generous seasonal snacks and beverages placed around the kitchen and living room.
• Fill a couple of decanters with ruby port wine or ginger brandy. Place on a tray with sipping glasses.
• Have large bowls of walnuts, almonds, and peanuts in their shells with nutcrackers and another bowl for the shells.
• Trail mixes with dried fruits can be placed in a candy dish with a wide spoon for grabbing a handful.
• A wooden cutting board with hard cheeses, apple slices, and whole grain crackers can sit out for an afternoon.
• Keep a pot of warm, aromatic, spiced cider or mulled wine on the stove with a ladle and some mugs nearby.
Area Rugs and Table Runners
You can pick up some affordable and colorful small area rugs and table runners to soften up a room and add a bit of autumn colors and patterns.
• Place small rugs at entryways, in front of the kitchen sink, in bathrooms, in front of a fireplace, or on a screened in porch.
• Table runners or even foliage patterned scarves can be used on top of bedroom dressers.
Strategically Place Clothing Items
You and your guests might need a little extra outdoor clothing when it is really chilly outside.
• Put up some iron hooks in your mudroom or hallway and hang some unisex quilted or waxed jackets on the walls with the sleeves rolled up for the plaid to accent the room.
• Hang some cozy and colorful wool or cotton scarves on hooks or over the backs of chairs.
• Put some pairs of gloves and mittens in baskets and do the same with some woven hats.
• Have a few pairs of tall rubber boots displayed under a bench
