How to style your home with sophisticated fall accents
As the nights start to cool off and you pull a sweater over your tee, it’s impossible not to get hijacked by the beauty of the season around you: the warm, golden tones in the leaves, the deep oranges of the pumpkins, the rich browns of your favorite fall desserts. While it can be difficult to fight the urge to buy 30 different kinds of tiny gourds and pumpkin-everything, your home could quickly start looking as tacky as the Dollar Store holiday aisle, if you’re not careful.
So how do you create a beautiful, fall-inspired home that’s cozy yet stylish? Here are some easy yet transformative decorating ideas to make your space homey enough for a night full of cuddling and cocoa – whether it’s in front of a Roku or a roaring fire.
Set The Scent
Your nose knows. Candles, diffusers, and incense can make it feel like you’re walking through an apple orchard or sipping a warm cinnamon chai while you’re cooking dinner. Pick scents that make you feel relaxed, cozy, and like you’re sitting in the back of a wagon on a hayride instead of on your couch.
Photo credit to Kristina Vicario
Caroline Buckley, owner of Duxbury Candle Co. explains,”Scent sets the stage in your home for every occasion. This fall cue up a spooky movie and light a warm Spiced Cider or a Pumpkin candle for the perfect cozy night in. Entertaining? Try inviting Bergamont + Ambergris to welcome guests into your home. Memories and moods are all impacted by scent.”
Trade-In Textures
Is there anything better than being wrapped in a cozy blanket for a movie night while the temp steadily drops outside? Stow away your lightweight throws and swap them for chunky cable-knits and woven fabrics. Swapping summer’s cotton for wool or flannel will add instant warmth to your space.
And don’t forget about the bedrooms! Trade the summer bedding for heavier linens in gorgeous fall colors like gold, terra cotta, and sage. Changing a few key elements like your comforter or pillows can easily create a space just begging for a pumpkin latte in bed.
Pop In Plaid
No longer just for lumberjacks, plaid is a modern day staple for the fall. Available in more than just black and red, it comes in so many unique varieties and colors that you can easily find a pattern you love. Add a touch of plaid to one or two rooms in your home to create a pleasant fall vibe. Throws, blankets, pillows, drapery, and even candles now come in this dashing pattern.
Create With Color
You don’t have to pop the top on a gallon of paint and drastically change your wall color to make your space feel like your favorite season. Create a warm, fall feel with small additions, accessories, and swaps. Changing your throw pillows, for example, is one way to bring a dramatically different look and feel to your space.
Linda, owner of Linda Merrill Decorative Surroundings in Duxbury, MA explains that, “Enhancing your house for the season can be as simple as bringing in fall’s warmer tones to your seat cushions, curtains, and floral arrangements. Adding tiny pops of color throughout your spaces can easily make it feel like autumn has arrived in your home.”
Prepare Your Porch
Don’t forget about the exterior of your home! It sets an immediate tone for your guests and family as you prepare for football parties, back-to-school gatherings, and the upcoming holidays. Add some mums to your planters with ornamental grasses and a few well-placed pumpkins or gourds and watch your doorway transform itself from drab to fall fab.
If you’re feeling particularly inspired, pick a warm red or orange paint and paint your front door for the season. Add a simple, neutral wreath to it for contrast.
Mix Up Metals
Copper is the metal of choice for fall. In the evening, its beautiful glow is so enticing, especially when placed next to a white flickering candle.
To transition your kitchen table from summer to fall, swap your glass flower vase for a copper one. Drop in some fresh cut flowers with golden, russet, and deep purple hues and you’ll instantly feel the difference in the space.
Exchange your ceramic soap dispensers for copper embellished ones. Serve food on engraved copper trays. Set out copper candles. This mellow metal is a simple way to bring a touch of autumn inside all of your rooms.
Contrast Is Crucial
One thing interior designers will always tell you: Contrast is key. This can be especially fun in the fall when you can bring in natural elements from the outdoors to mix in with your finer pieces.
Photo credit to Linda of Linda Merrill Decorative Surroundings
Try using hand-cut pieces of wood as hot plates under your vintage china bowls, place dried leaves into your metal napkin holders, and adorn your table with branches surrounding tall white candles. Have fun with it! The possibilities are endless when you mix organic elements with heirloom pieces.
Keep It Coastal
And just because the fall is associated with oranges, yellows, and browns, it doesn’t mean you can’t throw that old adage out the window and create a coastal-themed fall home. We do live on the South Coast after all!
Consider hanging a wreath made from nautical rope or dried beach grasses. Paint your pumpkins white or light blue. Cut out a seahorse instead of a jack-o’-lantern face. Or, avoid the paint altogether and wrap your pumpkins in nautical fabrics tied with some twine.
Remember: As the seasons’ change, so should your decor. Updating your interior doesn’t need to be overwhelming. Small, thoughtful changes can oftentimes have the biggest impact.