Easy Fall Seasonal Decor [Shopping At Home + Natural Materials]

Fall - it’s that time of year again as we move into the last quarter of the strangest of years. Regardless, images of seasonal fall decor including orange squash, wreaths, sweaters, and pumpkin spice everything have cropped up on our social feeds like mushrooms for weeks now, even if it’s still sweltering outside.

Our weather in Northern California may actually be considering transitioning into fall. Our 100 degree temps chock full of wildfire smoke have transitioned to cooler overcast for a few days anyway. (OK we’re back to 90s by mid-week, but I’ll ignore that inconvenient fact for now.) The upside to this whiplash weather is that I can actually contemplate fall décor now.

I went for an easy seasonal decor look this year. I think many are swinging one way or another due to the craziness that’s been 2020. People either going “full pumpkin” in an effort to regain a sense of normalcy or they’re just over it all and opting for a simple, pared-down approach.

Although I’m still not quite ready to go full pumpkin, tis the season as Halloween is almost upon us, so the Great Pumpkin is on it’s way - ready or not.

As I said, I’m definitely feeling a more pared down look for this year and didn’t want to go out and buy much of anything seasonal. Instead, I decided to walk around my house looking for things I already had that fit my idea of “easy transitional fall decor.”

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If this sounds appealing to you also, then here are some fall decorating tips:

Take a good hard look at what you already have with an appraising eye for seasonal potential. Here are a few fall decorating categories:

Seasonal Fall Color

Color is an obvious one - this year I went mostly for amber/warm russets and other “harvest” fall colors. Sage greens, autumn orange, warmer metallics like brass, bronze, and muted gold, plus warm wood tones all say “fall.”

It could also be changing out a few items like vases or pottery from light and clear to darker, more substantial versions. Transitioning from from cool sea-glass colors to rustic pottery in warmer-darker hues. White or pale gray can be switched our for amber, brown, or black to evoke a fall, harvest mood.

Fall Textiles & Texture

Textiles & texture is sometimes a less obvious seasonal choice, but consider transitioning from “cooler” smooth fabrics to cozier, more textured ones. This could be changing out your throw pillows from smooth cotton or light weight linen to a heavier, nubby cotton or felted wool for instance. Add a throw blanket over the arm of your sofa or chair for extra warmth and and dare I say it? - instant hygge!

Shop The Look

Harvest Natural Materials

Natural materials always work for fall! Fall is the time of harvest after the summer growing season and before winter’s dormancy. In Napa, that mostly means the grape harvest, and wherever you live, harvest is happening near by too.

Fall gives us lots of material (literally) to work with! Acorns, gourds, pumpkins, dried grasses from pampas to wheat, fall branches and leaves, pine cones, ….the list is as endless as the creative ways we can incorporate them into our fall home decor.

Shop The Look

So here’s what I did: I literally walked around my house “shopping” looking for items that fit one of the categories above. Pulling objects out of their usual spot or with a particular focus in mind causes you to look at them in a new light and often sparks new design ideas.

Then I gathered everything that might work on my dining table. When everything was laid out together, I was surprised to find I could mostly shop my own home for my fall decor! It was amazing how much I already had that could work when I looked at it with fall decor in mind. It didn’t stop me from still picking up a few fall items, (tough to resist :) but it was minimal. (Just like my decorating mood - ha!)

Some of my seasonal fall decor “in-home shopping” items collected on my dining room table. Not many of them are traditional “fall” season decor, (it’s pumpkin-free) but they each have a quality that can make them work for a seasonal look.

So that’s a general “how to” on seasonal fall decorating. Next week I’ll follow up with more fall decor in specific areas in my home. Here’s a sneak peek at my “decked out for autumn” book case:

Check in - what’s your decorating mood this year? Have you gone full frontal pumpkin or are you feeling more spare and minimal? Or are you feeling / doing something else I haven’t mentioned?! Let me know in the comments below. Happy Fall!

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Other posts you’ll love:

• How To Bring The Outside Inside [Natural Interior Styling In 6 Simple Steps]

• Decorating With Nature & What You Already Have

• How to create a mood board to design your space (2 easy options)

• How to design a room (a home decorating step by step guide)

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