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Ready or not, fall is on its way! Get a head start this year on your fall home decor planning with these budget-friendly ideas. Then, when autumn does arrive, you’ll have a fall decorating plan in place to easily transition your home from warm summer vibes to a cozy, comfy fall feel.
Coming into the fall season is a favorite time for many of us home lovers. I think it is the comfy-cozy aspect the season that makes us eager to even start thinking about it in August. We are getting tired of the heat and humidity and thoughts of welcoming fall into our homes is one way to get the heat off our minds.
It doesn’t feel at all like fall around my house, in fact as anyone who lives in the south knows…. the heat will stick around well through October.
Although my mailbox tells a different story.
The first signs of fall have begun to arrive in my mailbox in the way of home decorating and fashion catalogs.
The catalogs make for great mindless browsing while relaxing on the beach or simply chill-laxing on your porch or patio enjoying a summer afternoon or evening.
I usually find inspiration in the catalog pages that get me thinking what I can make myself as well as how I want to decorate my home for the fall season.
I went into decorating action yesterday after browsing through Pottery Barn’s Fall Lookbook. It gave me the inspiration to start playing around with adding a few warmer colored and textured pillows to the sofa in my living room while still keeping the summer blue pillows. I liked it, transitional, but not totally fall yet.
Then I headed outside to save a few still not “dried to toast” from the heat hydrangeas blooms. There weren’t many, but I was able to get enough to fill the hanging basket hanging in front of the fireplace cover I made using the wood panels of an antique file cabinet.
Just a few touches in the direction towards fall without going all out yet.
When To Start Decorating For Fall
So if you are asking, Is it too early to decorate for fall?
I would say no, but it is not too early to start thinking about it.
When to put out fall decor is a personal choice. Over the years I have slowly transitioned from summer to early fall, then to full autumn over a few weeks time.
I have also paired back quite a bit when decorating the house for the fall season. I used to have bins full of fall decorations, faux apples and gourds, wheat stalks, and more including Halloween, but with each passing year, I have been giving most of it away.
The novelty and orange decorations were beginning to feel too fussy and unnecessary to me.
What feels better to me now is simply creating a warm and cozy feeling by adding some fall color, and dried foliage as well as textures around the house and less about bins of stuff.
I found this classic leopard print throw pillow cover I made years ago in my decorating stash. To me is says comfort and fall just as much as an autumn-hued tartan plaid pillow.
Fall Home Decorating Style Starters
My favorite fall decorations are now much simpler… like piling acorns or pinecones found on a walk in a bowl, lighting the first fire in the fireplace and getting out the fur throw blankets from the closet to place on the sofa. ( I do have to admit – the fur throws pretty much stay out even in summer as they are so nice to cuddle under when the AC is on high. )
Here is my list of 11 things you can start planning or doing right now to ready your home for fall once you are ready to decorate for the season.
Edit The Fall Decor You Already Have
If you have bins full of fall decorations, now is a good time to go through it to decide what you like and don’t like anymore.
Sell or donate what you don’t want or need anymore.
Also look through your all-season decor stash in search of warmer colored objects.
For instance, this collection of vintage doorknobs are not typical fall decorations, but when gathered together, they have a warm look to them that says fall to me.
As I mentioned above, mix in a few fall colored pillows to your seating with your summer pillows for a warmed up end of summer look.
Gather Candles
Now is a good time to look for battery-operated flicker style candles that may be on sale.
Keep An Eye Out for Items Made from Trees
If you have a birch tree or any tree for that matter in your yard, you can trim the branches and save them to use in a vase, place in a basket or to display in an unused fireplace.
If you have a fireplace – birch logs look nice piled in a basket. You can buy them at the craft store now before they sell out.
When out on a walk and you see a small tree trunk down, bring it home and cut it to use as risers for your smaller decorative accessories.
Look Around Your House
Look at every surface to come up with ideas on where to place fall decor or a pumpkin come October.
Shop Your Yard
Flowering plants or hydrangea blooms with faded color look nice when used as fall florals or in wreaths or centerpieces.
My hydrangeas are no longer vivid pink and purple. I have found if you cut the drying stems from the bushes now before they get brown and then place the stems with fading leaves in a vase of water they will retain whatever color is left that looks aged, but not dried and all brown.
Start and Finish a Fall Project
August is the hottest month of the year in most parts of the country. If it is too hot to sit by the pool or relax outside, why not begin to make a simple fall wreath or decoration like a raffia tassel to use to accent a mantel, a door knob, or key hanging from a drawer.
The tassels are easy to make and you can find many colors of raffia at the craft store.
Large Platters and Plates
Look in your china cabinet for plates, platters and more to create a new fall display and a warm welcome in your kitchen or dining room.
Plan a Trip to the Thrift Store
Search for white covered books there or books that are of a similar size that you can paint any color or cover with textured fabric.
Use them as risers for small items you want to put into focus. Or get crafty and make a stack of books with a favorite fall saying or quote.
Once fall is over, remove the fall saying and use the books to add height to a lamp or vase on a table.
Never Overlook a Basket
While you are at the thrift store look for square or rectangular wicker baskets with handles that you can easily remove to make chic storage organizers to use in any or every room of your house.
Wood Cutting Boards
When out shopping at places like HomeGoods and Target, keep an eye out for breadboards and cutting boards.
Breadboards of any shape give any style kitchen that comfy-cozy feeling.
Kraft or Brown Paper
Begin to save brown paper bags from the grocery store – When mums and fall plants start to be sold everywhere, you can make a free planter cover to hide the plastic pot.
Now you can see that even though it may be too early to start decorating for fall, it is the perfect time of year to start thinking ahead and planning for it.
What are your favorite ways to transition your home decorating to fall?
