Ready for fall? As the summer comes to a close and the leaves begin to turn and the air becomes crisper, transform your home, inside and out with some autumnal inspiration.
Here are nine fall decor ideas for your home, from scented candles that transport you to an apple orchard hayride to heavy textiles and home decor that add weight and substance to the space.
List of Top 9 Fall Décor Ideas for Your Home
1. Fall Scented Candles
As daylight saving turns our days shorter, candles can brighten a room sooner. Versatile and practical, candles make the perfect home decor piece for any season, any time of the year. But once autumn arrives, don’t just settle for any candle — ignite something with a little more spice. Evoke your favorite fall activities like apple picking in an orchard or carving your jack-o-lantern and drinking pumpkin spice lattes with an apple candle or a pumpkin candle. Plus, lighting candles offer a romantic glow and warmth to a home during gatherings like Thanksgiving and all the subsequent holidays. So whether you choose a candle in a glass container or slender tapered candles for the dining table, it’s sure to liven up a home for the fall season.
2. Add Thick Fur Textures
Another fall decor idea for the home? Incorporate some heavier textiles and textures. But not just any textile — choose hides like sheepskin and faux furs. Whether it’s in a single throw pillow that adds a minimal touch to a sofa or you go all out with a faux fur coverlet across the bed, it will make a space appear warm and cozy all autumn long.
3. Bring in the Autumn Hues
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Take inspiration from the autumnal leaves. Yellows, oranges and even deep purples scatter the sidewalks, so why not spread these fall colors throughout the home as well? Think of rich, deep violets like plum, eggplant and raisin, along with oranges like marigold and pumpkin, of course. It can even be bright reds like cranberry and subtle reddish-oranges like cinnamon. Play up any one of these seasonal colors with your existing decor, using textiles, dinnerware, throws and more.
4. Make a Seasonal Fruit Bowl
Pumpkins aren’t the only fall seasonal food you can display. Think of smaller, more manageable edibles, such as bright green Granny Smith apples, pears, pomegranates, corn, mini pumpkins and other gourds. Acorn squash has a lovely ombre effect that ranges from deep, dark green to a vibrant orange — quintessential fall colors at their best.
5. Bring Out the Seasonal Serveware
Whether you go all-out for All Hallow’s Eve or prefer a more subtle approach when it comes to fall decorating, be sure to swap out the everyday serveware and dinnerware with fall-inspired pieces. Think pumpkin-shaped bowls for your next dinner party or feast or bare twig-inspired salad tongs and utensils. Use them to serve up your favorite fall dishes, from chili and cornbread to pumpkin soup to butternut squash ravioli, reminding your taste buds it’s fall, too.
Be sure to serve your seasonal fall dishes on the right kind of dishes, too. Rotate out the pure white ceramic dishes and bring in the heavy stoneware and splatter ware. Reminiscent of campground cooking, these heavy dinner pieces can support those heavy side dishes you serve up. Swap out the smaller mugs with larger ones to hold all the pumpkin-spiced hot chocolate and hot apple cider you can drink.
6. Prepare the Fireplace and Bring in Logs
Nothing says fall like the glow of a fire and the smell of seasoned firewood, ready to go. If you have a fireplace, clear out the decorative candles and bring back the log holder. You can even arrange a stack of wood to prepare for the first chilly night. Set up the mantel and fireplace space with items you might need, such as matches, a firestarter or a decorative lighter. Last, but not least, keep a hefty log holder nearby with a stash of logs to keep your fire going through the evening. Be sure to place some fire tools nearby, too, to keep the logs and flames orderly.
Even if you lack a real working fireplace, you can bring in a stack of birch logs to lend the same effect. Then, tie them up in a leather strap to add a secondary, contrasting texture to the peeling birch bark.
7. Add More Lighting
Shorter days and early evenings call for additional lighting, especially within the living areas. Unless you go to bed super early, place additional lighting throughout the common areas so you can enjoy a good book in the evening or simply create some ambiance for family gatherings. Consider brass lamps and lighting pieces that reflect a warm, yellowish glow to fight off those upcoming winter blues. You might also want to consider adding more candles to a space and even hanging some Halloween-themed or leaf-shaped string lights to add accent lighting in the windows and other dark corners.
8. Dried Flowers
A fresh bouquet of flowers is perfect for spring and fall. But once the leaves begin to fall and you hear the pleasant crunch beneath your feet on daily walks, it’s time to mimic the same at home. Instead of buying fresh flowers, which might be hard to find anyways due to seasonality, create a bouquet of dried botanicals and sprigs. What kind of dried flowers? Think of yarrow, bunny tail, seedpods and pampas grass. These low-maintenance flowers can make a dazzling display right into the winter season, too! Place the collection in a vase or pitcher you can rest on the kitchen table or create a wreath for the front door.
9. A Cozy Knit Throw Blanket
Nothing says sweater weather like fall. But when you’re not out and about in town to show off your latest sweater, you can curl up with a cozy knit throw instead. Consider getting a knit throw or even a fleece throw made up of dense, thick materials to keep you warm as you settle in for a movie or book on the sofa. Drape it over the sofa’s armrest or across the back of a chair. You can even roll it out across the foot of the bed, when you’re not wrapped up in it, of course.