How to Decorate for Fall {Without Screaming FALL}

September 28, 2021

How to decorate for fall without typical themed decor. 

Five easy ways to create a warm and cozy autumn home with these pretty accessories! 

Ahhh yes, it's the most wonderful time of the year! Well...second most wonderful. Fall has everything I love -- cool temps, the beautiful leaves, everything apple flavored, and my favorite part...NO BUGS. 

It's simply the best. I'm always ready to start warming up our home decor around August, but I held off a bit this year and started putting some items out this month. 

I LOVE fall decor -- from the cute, themed items with pumpkins and fall signs, to the more understated decor with warm, rich colors and beautiful textures. 

Over the years I've started leaning more towards the latter, at least for inside. For outside I'm still 100 percent on the traditional fall decor train. 

I've found some really lovely decor that has tons of texture and incorporates the fall color palette, but doesn't scream FALL. These easy little vignettes will warm up your home and make it feel perfectly cozy for for the autumn months. 

I'm sharing the basics for non-traditional fall decor and I'll link to each item pictured under the photos! 

Baskets or rattan decor 

First up, I a little fall vignette for our kitchen island! 

Last fall I shared some ways to decorate for fall with trays, and I'm really loving the natural look of these rattan baskets:
fall decor candle in basket tray
Oval basket tray set

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It comes in a set with three different sizes! I've used them all over the house. They're softer than most and won't scratch up your furniture. 

I thought the three stone vases would work all year round...I love the dot texture on them:
Easy fall decor in tray or basket
Three stone vase set  |  Similar purple eucalyptus  |  Decorative beads
 
Decorating tip: Everything looks better in threes (or odd numbers)
Those beads are from one of my new favorite shops on Amazon. They have a TON of gorgeous beads in all different colors and materials. These amber/brown bead strands are another favorite of mine for fall. 

I almost didn't get the black candle holders/hurricanes (they come in a set of three as well) but I'm glad I did. They are so versatile and I love the subtle fall look with the leaf design: 
Stone vase, metal candle in rattan basket
Metal leaf hurricanes

Aren't they pretty? The medium size fits my Aldi candles perfectly! (Aldi candles are SO much cheaper than B&BW!)

I use the two remaining hurricanes in my office, along with the smallest tray in the set: 
Fall decor in rattan basket
Wood bead decor with tassels

Those wood beads are an awesome find too. They'll work all year round in my decor! 

I am really loving these basket trays -- the texture is just what I was looking for: 
leaf candle hurricane in basket
Rattan basket set  |  Fall scarf throws

Oh and you can see in the background that I like to use inexpensive fall scarves as throws on furniture. They are oversized so can easily double as a lightweight throw. 

They look great thrown on the back of a chair or sofa, or piled into pretty baskets. 

Brass or gold decor


Brass ANYTHING works so well in autumn. The warm metal fits right in with fall decor. I couldn't pass up these cute brass squirrels from Target: 
brass gold squirrel figurines
Sitting squirrel  |  Standing squirrel 

I need to find some acorns and lay them in the tray. ;) I mean, come on. How adorable! 

I plan to add more to the mantel, but these guys are a good start: 
Using brass decor for fall decorating

Gold or brass accents are warmer tones that look great with deeper fall colors. I always pull out my brass candlesticks in the fall, you'll see some of those in just a bit. 

Pampas grass 

Pampas grass has made a huge comeback in the past few years! It's used in a lot boho style decorating, but I think it looks especially great as a fall accent: 
fall kitchen printables free
Small pampas grass

These little tiny pampas are so cute! I love them. 

Don't forget that fall printables make for easy fall decor as well! I shared how I created this watercolor print from a photo and I always bring this and the pear print out when the cooler months hit: 
DIY watercolor art from photos

I also found tall pampas grass that looks great in my tall umbrella holder: 
Pampas grass in tall basket
Tall pampas grass  |  Umbrella basket

These add so much texture and you can find them in a bunch of different colors. 

Wood accents

Fall filler around here typically consists of tiny pumpkins or acorns, but I wanted to try something new this year. I LOVE this wood ring filler!: 
Modern wood ring filler for fall
Wood ring decorative filler

It's so cool and a great alternative to the traditional fall fillers.

I filled up one of my pretty wood vessels with them: 
Wood ring filler in vase
Wood wick fall candle (smells amazing!)

Decorating tip: If you don't have enough filler, use plastic grocery bags first, then fill with your decor. 
The wood rings would look great in a bowl surrounding a candle, or filling tall glass hurricanes. 

By the way, those rings are oddly satisfying...they made a wonderful noise when they bump up against each other. :) My three year old niece spent a good 30 minutes stacking, laying and counting them out on the table the other day.

I feel like my style and our home is made for fall colors. I love using deep accent colors like blue and this lovely green
Dark green cabinet with decor

Everyone needs a great wood bowl in their decor, and this one is perfect. It's new but has some character to it: 
Wood bowl decor on stacked books
Decorative wood bowl  |  Coffee table books

I started seeing these wood chains in decor about a year ago and fell in love with them. BUT you couldn't find them for under $80 anywhere. It was nuts! 

Now you can find them in all kinds of wood finishes for WAY less. I have a wood toned version in the basement, but I'm really in love with the black: 
Black wood chain decor in bowl
Black wood chain links

Bowls and trays are great because they make almost anything look cohesive. They make for easier decorating for sure! 

Just plop some stuff in and it magically looks pulled together. :)

Pillow covers in warm colors

Pillow covers are always an easy way to decorate for the seasons -- switching them out is one my go-to's: 
White sofa with warm pillows
Set of two fall plaid pillow covers

The plaid covers are new and are so warm and pretty, but don't feel too themey. The dark mauve covers are actually napkins that I made pillow covers out of

I love using that method for fall and Christmas pillows because I save a TON. I get "Pottery Barn" pillows for a fraction of the price
Seasonal Pottery Barn pillows for less

I've had the faux leather pillow covers for awhile and LOVE them so much! I used them in our basement as well: 
Faux leather pillow covers
Faux leather pillow covers

They have a slightly more modern vibe, but the different texture warms up a space beautifully. 

Interesting decorative filler

The basics always look great this time of year -- tiny pumpkins, acorns, pinecones...they all look great as decorative filler. 

If you're looking for something different this fall, check out fillers with deep colors, like my faux figs: 
Non-traditional fall decor ideas
Faux purple fig filler

Ohhhh I love them! 

I've had this wood tray forever, but any basket or wood bowl will do! 

I don't use purple in our home any other time of year, but I've really been drawn to it for fall lately: 
Faux figs in tray on table
Decorative coffee table books

In the kitchen I love my faux artichokes with their purple and green tones:
Faux artichokes in bowl
Faux artichoke filler

Of course the glass and wood beads and wood ring filler I shared earlier would look great as well! 

There you go -- fall decor ideas that aren't typical but will fill your home with lovely color and texture this season. 

I still love my pumpkins and traditional fall touches (I may do a little fall tour soon) but if you're looking for non traditional fall decor options, these will work great! 

You can use most of these accessories through the year and they'll still fit in no problem. :)

Do you use any non-traditional options in your seasonal decor? 


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Comments

  1. I'm in love with your kitchen prints. I thought ....I love that pear. Then I read the blog on changing your landscape print, & I know exactly which photo from Florence that I can do that with!

    Great ideas all around.

    This one was really glitchy on my phone today. When I would follow an Amazon link, it was difficult to get back to this page, & ads were jumping all over the place .But I made it through! Thanks

    ReplyDelete

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