It’s time to refresh your home with cozy fall decor. I’m sharing the essential dos and don’ts for bringing warmth and style into your living spaces with simple, budget-friendly ideas.
I started my Design Mistakes series many years ago. It began as a way to showcase some of the mistakes I made around my own home while helping others learn the dos and don’ts when it comes to home design. Well, it quickly turned into my most popular series here on the blog!
Here are some fan-favorite posts from the series. Or you can peruse them all right here.
Fall Decorating – Dos & Don’ts
With fall officially here, it’s the perfect time to talk about the dos and don’ts of fall decorating. I’m not one to go all out with seasonal decor, but I love making a few simple swaps to embrace the cozier vibes that come with this time of year. Even small touches can instantly make your home feel warmer, more inviting, and ready for the harvest season.
Now, before we dive in, a quick disclaimer: decorating is personal! These aren’t hard-and-fast rules, but rather suggestions to inspire you. At the end of the day, you do you! My goal is to help you discover a few easy changes and simple ideas that can elevate your home’s look and feel this fall season.
Don’t Skip Fall Planting
Fall decorating starts outside, and there’s nothing I love more than adding natural elements like seasonal flowers and plants to our home’s exterior. Last year, I experimented with some new plants, and it was such a fun way to refresh the space.
By September, my summer flowers have usually met their crispy demise, which makes it the perfect time to refresh my outdoor spaces during early fall.
This year, my mom and I discovered a new-to-us nursery and had a blast picking out fall plants. (The nursery is Chalet, in Wilmette, for those local to the area.) In this post, I share my favorite go-to plants that I use every year for fall planting. It’s fun to choose different fall colors for the autumn season.
These fall beauties typically last me a solid three months, sticking around until the end of November, when I swap them out for my holiday season window box.
Do – Try Some Faux Mums
I adore mums! Every time I walk into the store in September, I’m drawn to their vibrant colors and can’t resist scooping some up. Most years, I end up doing just that.
But here’s the thing—no matter how hard I try, my mums always meet a slow, sad demise. I’ve tried every trick in the book to keep them alive. I water them religiously, dunk the pots to soak the roots… you name it, I’ve done it! Yet somehow, by the time Halloween rolls around, they’re always brown and crispy.
A couple of years ago, I decided to try my hand at a faux mums planter, and it actually turned out pretty well! I’ve been tempted to go all-in with faux mums ever since. These are on the pricier side, which has held me back, but I’ve heard such great things that it might be time to finally take the plunge.
Do – Upgrade Your Doormat
Before we head inside, I have to talk about one more area—our front steps! Every fall, I love swapping out our doormat for something fresh and seasonal on our fall porch.
Since our front porch is fairly large, a standard doormat ends up looking like a tiny postage stamp. To fix that, I found this Buffalo check outdoor rug to layer underneath a 24×36 doormat. I opted for the 3’x5′ size for the rug, and it fits the space perfectly.
On top, I added a monogrammed doormat, and the combination turned out better than I imagined! These simple upgrades have made our porch look festive and welcoming, creating the perfect entrance for the season.
While you’re at it, consider swapping your wreath. I really love this magnolia wreath with the ribbon for a seasonal touch. There are always so many pretty fall wreaths, so it’s hard for me to choose just one.
Don’t Plaster “Blessed”, “Thankful”, & “Harvest” Everywhere
You probably saw this no-no coming! One of the biggest fall decorating mistakes I see is plastering words all over your home—”Thankful” pillows, “Harvest” kitchen signs, and “Blessed” wall art are everywhere this time of year.
I’ve touched on this rookie mistake before in these posts (Why your home shouldn’t be so chatty!) and this one (All about avoiding coffee and wine decor clichés). But it’s worth repeating for fall.
While I love the sentiment of gratitude, you don’t need to spell it out in your decor. Instead, opt for more subtle seasonal touches.
Do – Try Some Fall Stems
While I don’t overhaul all of my home decor for the new season, one easy swap I love is changing out my greenery for fall stems. I keep the same vases throughout the house, but I replace the spring and summer florals with richer, cozier options for fall and winter.
Sometimes I’ll even bring in real tree branches from our own backyard to add a natural touch. Just be sure to inspect them for any unwanted critters! A good once-over and a coat of hairspray will help keep them looking fresh for longer. without any surprises.
As for faux stems, there are so many good ones these days that look real. I really love these maple leaf stems displayed in a large vase.
Don’t Forget Lighting
As the days get shorter (Nooo!), it’s the perfect excuse for cozy, romantic evenings at home. Lighting plays a huge role in setting the mood. (I’ve got a whole post on lighting rules you can check out here.)
Once the sun starts to set and the natural light goes away, our lamps automatically turn on—thanks to Finn, who’s all about making our house as smart as possible!
If you haven’t already, I highly recommend adding table and floor lamps to your living room for a more cozy look. This way, you’re not stuck relying on overhead lights. Layering different types of lighting makes the room feel so much cozier, and it creates a softer, more flattering atmosphere.
Do – Swap Your Blankets & Pillows
As the temperatures drop, adding warm textures like chunky knits and cozy throws instantly brings a fall feel to your home. I like to drape throws over chairs and couches for easy access, so we can cozy up at a moment’s notice! I usually opt for warm colors for most of my fall accessories.
We always keep at least four blankets handy in the family room—everyone seems to want their own for family movie nights. I like to keep the extras in this basket.
Along with chunky knits, it’s also fun to add in a few new throw pillows. I only opt for pillows with zippers so I can store the throw pillow covers flat in our linen closet. I like to display pillows with more saturated hues during the cooler months. These moody fall colors go a long way to usher in the cozy season.
If you need additional help with pillow sizing, this blog post breaks down my best pillow buying tips.
Do – Bring in Good Smells
In years past, I’ve shared my fall stovetop potpourri recipe, and oh my goodness, it’s always a hit! This recipe is especially perfect if you’ve gone apple picking and find yourself with a surplus of apples. That’s actually how it came to be!
While adding lovely scents to your home isn’t technically fall decorating, I think scent plays a huge role in creating the cozy, seasonal vibe we all love.
Candles are another easy way to bring fall smells into your home. I share some of my favorite candles right here, along with tips to light them properly.
Don’t Show Ugly Candle Labels
Once you’ve picked up some new fall candles, try my simple trick to hide those ugly labels! Just take a knit sock, cut it, and slip it over the label to create a cozy, custom candle holder that adds even more fall vibes to your space.
I have a full step-by-step tutorial for this easy DIY project over in this post, but trust me—avoiding the eyesore of exposed labels is a fall decor must!
Shop These Goodies!
Have you decorated for fall yet? Do you love this season as much as I do?! I’m eager to go pumpkin picking soon, but the squirrels in our neighborhood sure do like to feast on them!
Casey