I’ve got some serious love-hate feelings about summer turning into fall – while I love the cooler weather, anything and everything pumpkin, and a good pair of fall boots, I hate that it’s the gateway to winter (which is soooo not a fun season in Connecticut). So I’m going to enjoy summer while it lasts and not jump into any fall decorating for a few more weeks but that doesn’t mean that my wheels haven’t started turning about how I’ll be adding some fall touches to my home this year. I know some of you are starting to think about it too and luckily there’s a whole lot of fall inspiration coming your way today because I’m joining seven of my favorite bloggers to share our best fall decorating ideas from past years to help you get a jump start on your fall decorating this year!
My favorite fall decorating tips and ideas are the ones that are simple and don’t take a lot of time to put together (post includes some affiliate links – see my full disclosure statement {here}):
Look No Farther Than Your Own Backyard
There’s nothing that you can buy from a store for fall decorating that rivals the beauty of colorful fall leaves so simply clip fall branches and use them in the same ways that you normally use flowers! One of my all-time favorite fall tablescapes is this one where fall branches are the star of the show:
Just know that fall branches don’t last nearly as long as flowers or other greenery so if you’re using them for a tablescape it’s best to clip them just a few hours before they’re needed. And while acorns are a great backyard find too, I had an ugly worm incident a few years ago that I’d rather not repeat so a few years back I bought {these faux acorns} that you see in my tablescape and I reuse them each year – they have faux nuts but real caps so you can’t tell the difference from the real thing! You can check out more pics of this fall tablescape {here}.
Another backyard find that I love to use in fall decorating is hydrangeas – they have the most beautiful hues in the fall and can be cut and used fresh or hung and displayed dry. Last year I cut some fresh blooms from our backyard to use in the nesting herb crates in our kitchen:
and in a vase on the console of our home office:
Use Inexpensive Fabric Remnants to Bring in Fall Colors
I’m a little bit of a total fabric hoarder which makes it easy to add colorful, seasonal touches to any space. Use a fabric remnant with your favorite fall hues (you can often get great deals on small fabric pieces on Etsy if you don’t have your own stash!) to tie around a potted plant, frame as art, or wrap around books like I did with the stacked books on our entry console:
Making a temporary fabric book wrap is as simple as ironing down the ends of your fabric to fit the width of the book and tucking the short edges inside.
Use Sunflowers to Make Beautiful, Simple Arrangements
If flower-arranging isn’t your forte, go with a simple sunflower bouquet for the win! Our local farmers market and grocery stores have an endless supply of sunflowers at very reasonable prices this time of year so I often have several small bouquets throughout our house including one by our kitchen coffee station:
I’ve also used sunflowers as a centerpiece in our dining room mixed in with some eucalyptus:
and individually in teacups as part of each placesetting:
Don’t Forget to Eat Use Your Veggies
When you’re working on your fall planters and window boxes, don’t forget about your veggies! Ornamental cabbage, kale, and peppers make beautiful, colorful additions like these that I mixed in with mums, pumpkins, and gourds for our fall window boxes a few years back:
Ornamental cabbage and kale are also beautiful mixed with flowers in centerpieces – a combination you might find me playing around with this fall!
Get Your Kids (or Grandkids) in on the Decorating Game
My girls love to craft (wonder where they got that from?!) so it’s fun to get them in on the fall decorating action and see what creative ideas they come up with. One fall my daughter and I worked together to create these simple salt dough name tags using letter stamps from Michaels:
Not only is it fun to have a little helper to craft & decorate with but you end up with decorations that are uniquely yours and that your kids are proud of having created.
Choose Accessories That Easily Transition to the Holidays
By the time most of us get our fall accessories out, it’s only about two months before it’s time to switch things out for the holidays. Choosing accessories that can transition from fall into winter and Christmas is both a time and money saver. Last year I placed two of {these lantern trios} on our front porch in the fall to decorate for the season:
and kept them there through the new year by simply dressing them up with some holiday ribbon:
You can do the same thing with lanterns inside your house too, filling them with acorns or small gourds for fall and then with Christmas ornaments or candy canes for the holiday season. And of course there’s endless options for sizes and colors to fit the style of your home:
That wraps up my favorite fall decorating ideas….ready for some more ideas and inspiration? I can’t wait to see what my talented friends have to share! Your next stop is Eclectically Vintage where my friend Kelly is sharing her best fall decor. Be sure to pop over and say hello to Kelly and her little Boston terrier sidekick “Sushi”! She’ll direct you on to the next blog to visit from there but here’s the full list of my fall inspiration blogging buddies if you want to make sure you don’t miss any:
I hope you guys enjoy all of the fall inspiration!
So pretty Kris! You always pull off some gorgeous seasonal looks. I’m with you – I love fall, I just wish we could skip over winter and go right to spring! 🙂
Thanks Jenny! I always said I would NEVER live anywhere colder than Cincinnati and then just look what I went and did! 🙂 A fall to spring transition would be perfect!
I love all your natural decorating ideas. I too had an unfortunate worm incident with my acorns – it was the stuff of nightmares!
Thanks Kelly – yes!!!! People are like “well can’t you just bake them?” but I am taking no more acorn risks after my worm incident 🙂
Kris, I don’t think I can pick a favorite! WOW! Those leaves in your dining room, your perfect entry with lanterns… or maybe those ridiculously adorable window boxes! I want you to come “do” fall at my house this year!!
Thanks Kelley! I’m excited about getting some fall on in my home soon!!
Kris this has me so ready to get started decorating! I love every bit!
Thank you so much Sarah!
Kris,
I love this season! In Southern California the only way you can tell autumn is near is the changing of the leaves and the cooler mornings when you get out of bed. As a native I naively have always wished we had pronounced seasons, including winter (complete with snow). But I’ve heard from many of those that live through bitter cold winters that I should be careful what I wish for! 🙂
I love your ideas—especially using branches and cuttings from the yard and local park!
xo,
Karen
I think I’d trade Connecticut weather for Southern California weather in a heartbeat but I hear what you mean about missing out on the seasons! When you have big shifts in weather, it does get you more in the mood for doing some seasonal decorating! 🙂
Oh yes! I’m a huge of fan of anything fresh from the garden! So many pretty details Kris.
Thanks Rene!
I always enjoy your blog. You have the best ideas & your photography is beautiful, too! Always plenty of eye candy! Would you mind sharing the source for the urns that flank your front door?
Thanks so much Amy! The urns are from a project that I did last year with Hayneedle – unfortunately the price has gone up quite a bit. Here’s my direct affiliate link: http://rstyle.me/n/bxpp9a7wbe
Thanks for reading!
Kris
Kris, so beautiful! I loved your tips – especially the one about using fabric remnants, that is so clever/pretty! xo
Kris, I love every little bit of this post! Every pic is gorgeous! Love the fabric book covers! So good!
This is my first time at your lovely site. What an abundance of ideas, charmingly placed throughout your home. I am interested in the herb boxes you used for one of your displays last year. I am going to attempt to source them. If I am unableto locate them, stencils are good. I also like your bread dough name tags. How fun and versatile they are. I will be popping onto your site occasionally. Good job!
Oh, Kris, you have set my mind for fall – my favorite season! I love the black lanterns. Are they for outdoors? I am concerned they may rust….
Hi Nataliya! I don’t think they’re specifically made for outdoors but I had mine outside for several months in a row last year and there is some rust that developed near the base where water pools once they get rained on but overall they’re still in good shape and I’ll be using them again this season. Hope that helps!
Beautiful vignettes, Kris!! Love the front entry. I’m not feeling Fall yet…but I am sure I will eventually!
Thank you! I’m not there yet either but think I will be once my kiddos go back to school next week!