I don’t do a lot of traditional decorating for fall. If I’m going to pull out actual seasonal decorations, it’s usually for Halloween and then, before I know it, we’re moving on to Christmas.
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Fall itself is a little different for me. Decorating for fall is less about the decorations and more about changing the feeling of our home. As the days get shorter and we start spending more time inside, I find myself wanting our rooms to feel warmer, cozier and a little moodier.
Usually that means working with what we already have. I’ll move things from one room to another, bring out pieces I’ve thrifted and haven’t found a home for yet, restyle shelves and surfaces, and lean into the colors and materials that feel right for this time of year.
Sometimes I’ll add something new if a room needs it, but I’m not necessarily looking for anything that says “fall.” It might be a new blanket to snuggle up with, a few artificial stems to pop in a vase, or simply something that adds another layer of warmth.
This year, I’m limiting the spaces that I restyle to just our guest bedroom and back family room. Our living room and dining room are a bit of a mess as we work through some changes. But with some leftover faux florals, I did make a second arrangement to enjoy in the dining room while I work among the chaos.
I don’t have a finished look in mind for either room. I’m just pulling things out, moving pieces around and letting myself play a little. Knowing I can keep adjusting things until something feels right.
Styling the Family Room Bookcases for Fall
Our semi-custom built-in bookcases are one of my favorite spaces to restyle when I’m decorating for fall. Not only does it give me a chance to play around with different arrangements, but I can also swap in pieces I have tucked away in my decor closet for a new look without having to make a purchase if I don’t want to.
I had a couple of pieces that I knew I wanted to work into the shelves, but mostly I was open to seeing what felt good.
I’d been on the hunt for a few boxes to store items I didn’t necessarily want out on display. We needed a place to keep doggy bags for picking up the backyard. I also wanted somewhere to store fabric and paint samples.
I found this small wooden three-drawer chest and put it on the bottom shelf on the right. Easily within reach to grab a bag as I head outside with the dogs.
On the other side, I added a wooden box with a latch. In it I tucked away the samples that had previously been thrown into the bowl that was here before it.
I added some of the leftover hydrangeas to my favorite blue and white vase. Adding some much needed texture next to the wooden chest. I also left a little breathing space between the two.
Styling with Books and Collected Pieces
Next, I moved to the middle shelves. Here I usually like to go heavy on the books. Placing them vertically and horizontally to create variations in height and places to highlight different pieces.
I pay close attention to the colors of the books I use and how they relate to one another. Mixing olive greens with dusty gold. Deep navy with raspberry and plum. I even pulled some of the Reader’s Digest books in those same colorways from the top shelves to mix in.
When I’m decorating for fall, I always bring out my cloches and stash of dried foliage. Together they make for the perfect little collection of curiosities. The colors and variety of specimens are perfect for this time of year and give that subtle nod to fall that I’m after. They turn out a bit different every year, but the texture and interest they add to the shelves is my favorite part.
This year I wanted to find a proper way to display the turtle shell I found at the Springfield Flea in May. This display easel ended up being the perfect way to hold the shell upright while adding even more texture to the shelves.
Adding the Finishing Touches
I selected a few pieces of art based on their size and colors to add some dimension to the shelves. Also, I pared back the upper shelves. Keeping some of the blue and white and books I had there previously while mixing in other books left over from the lower shelves.
I couldn’t help myself and tucked a couple of little ghosts in as a surprise for anyone who stops to linger.
I love how the shelves turned out, but I do miss the rechargeable lamp I usually have tucked into the second shelf on the right. They’ve been relocated to the upper middle section, but I miss the glow they provide within the shelves. I’m sure I’ll end up working them back in at some point this season.
Restyling the Guest Bedroom
Our guest bedroom is another favorite space of mine to style. It really only gets used around the holidays. Making it an easy space for me to play around and restyle till my heart’s content.
At our local farmers market, I grabbed some sunflowers for our home. I popped them into one of my favorite thrifted glass vases and styled them on a small footed silver tray with a blue and white trinket dish.
A few weeks ago, I shared that I was ready to get back to working on this room now that the family room is in a good place. I decided to start slow and add a few new pillows for fall. I shared a round up of some of my favorites that I thought could work in the room.
There was one pillow combination I kept coming back to. The brown ticking stripe pillows with the pretty ruffle and a creamy, open floral long bed pillow. So I decided to order those to test out in the room.
I fell in love with the color combination and the scale of the pillows on the bed. It was also the kick I needed to start decorating for fall in this room as well.
Mantel
With the bed sorted, I moved to the mantel next. I spent the day shopping our home and pulling out some of my favorite pieces that I thought could work on the shelf. When I’m decorating for fall, I naturally gravitate toward darker, richer colors like chocolate brown, deep burgundy and touches of black.
Once I had everything pulled out, I started playing. I added books to create variations in height and layered in different pottery pieces for texture.
Finally, I grabbed a mirror I already had and placed it on the wall. But when I stepped back, it didn’t feel right. The whole thing felt heavy and overdone, so I pulled everything off and started again.
This time, I selected just a few pieces. I started with pottery I’d recently found at a local antique store in colors that felt perfect for fall. One stack of books highlighted the new modern mochaware mug and created some variation in height between it and the chocolate brown pitcher.
On the other side, I fought my desire to create symmetry. Instead added a couple of my favorite blue and white vases.
On the wall, I swapped the mirror for a large portrait and brought in two smaller portraits already in the room. A few blue and white plates added dimension and texture without the heaviness of my first attempt. A couple of candlesticks brought in a touch of warm brass.
I love this final pared-back look. It hints just enough at the new season without feeling like I decorated the mantel specifically for fall.
Dresser
I knew I wanted to source some faux foliage for this room. I typically have dried hydrangeas from our yard in a vase here. This year though I wanted to change it up a bit.
Since I love a moody color palette, I wanted to find some branches with dark leaves that would contrast against the creamy white walls.
I landed on this 6 Pack of 26″ Artificial Cimicifuga Leaf Sprays. When they arrived, they needed a bit of fluffing and manipulating out of the box. I removed the dried hydrangeas and dropped the new branches in their place. But, I wasn’t sold.
I tried tweaking them a bit to see if they just needed more fluffing, but that wasn’t it. There seemed to be a lot of leaves right around the top of the vase. Instead of looking like an airy, natural arrangement, it just looked like a pile of leaves.
Then I got the idea to grab my favorite faux olive branches and mix them in with the new branches. They come in a pack of five, so I started with two as the base. Then I mixed in some of the darker branches for height and contrast.
Finally, I popped a few of the dried hydrangeas back in to round out the arrangement. And you know what? I LOVE it.
So much so that I took the extra olive branches and dark foliage downstairs and made a second arrangement. I added it to the console in our dining room, tucking in more of the dried hydrangeas there as well.
It’s such a small change, but it really changes the feel of both spaces. Plus it gets me excited for the cooler weather ahead.
Final Thoughts
I think that’s what I enjoy most about decorating for fall. It doesn’t have to mean completely changing a room or filling it with things that are obviously seasonal. Sometimes it’s just looking at what you already have a little differently.
When I’m decorating for fall, I’ve found that a few darker colors, dried foliage, warmer wood tones or even moving something from one room to another can be enough to change the way a space feels.
And I think giving myself permission to play without having a finished look in mind is what made these little changes so much fun. Some things worked right away and others took a few tries, but that’s part of the process.
For now, both rooms feel a little warmer, cozier and more layered. Which is really all I was after as we head into fall.
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