Have you decorated for fall yet? It always amazes me the cascade of fall photos I see flooding my social media as soon as the calendar flips from August to September, especially since it’s not like the weather flips at the same time! Regardless, by the middle of September I find that I too am ready to start pulling out my fall stuff and preparing myself for the fact that yes, summer is just about over (according to the calendar) and colder but cozier days are ahead.
Color
One of my favorite things about decorating is the array of colors. I love seeing the different color palettes for each season, as well as how they change from year to year. I tend to be a bit of a traditionalist when it comes to the seasonal color palettes. I like the traditional red and green at Christmas—fall is the only time of year when you will find orange in my house. I am really not the biggest fan of that color!
However, this year I have decided to stay a lot more neutral. Perhaps life seems a bit more chaotic this year but I am wanting calm and simple in my décor so for the first time not a speck of orange will make an appearance. Instead, whites and creams, muted shades of green, and just a touch of amber brown will be in my color palette.
This year some of my favorite fall color palettes are:
· Creams, whites, greens, and navy
· Whites, creams, browns, and burnt orange
· Whites, creams, and deep purples
· Very saturated burnt orange, wine red, and mustard yellow—because it is fall!
Going Simple but Keeping the Details
I’m not going crazy this year creating elaborate vignettes and looking for more surfaces to decorate; instead I’m keeping my vignettes simple (check out my post Vignettes: Tell Me a Story for details on what exactly a vignette is) and adding a few subtle touches such as a dried sprig peeking from under a pumpkin, or just dried wheat rather than a flower arrangement in a vase.
Limited Color Palette
I have talked a lot about color palettes, (see my post about creating a cohesive color palette here, and how to use a color palette here) but this year I am really keeping it simple with just neutrals, and a touch of brown and green. If you are feeling the need to bring cohesion to your decor, or to simplify your decorating, just pick 3 colors, and only use decor if it is in that color family.
Bringing in Nature
Nature never goes out of style and thank heaven for small blessings like that! Take a walk outside and gather some branches, acorns, and pinecones and use them in a vase or an accent bowl in your house. I can get carried away adding different elements and colors to my accent bowl but this year I did reel myself in and stuck with my color palette and am very happy with it.
Lights
Whether it’s real candles, lanterns, fairy lights or cafe lights, a little bit of light added in small doses can go very far in creating a cozy feel.
Creating One or Two Showstoppers
Rather than creating a bunch of different small vignettes, create one or two really nice ones and let the rest go. I really enjoy creating a centerpiece. Our home is fairly open and the table is visible from every living area in our house so a fall centerpiece goes a long way to adding the seasonal element to our home. Check out my post on Fall Centerpiece Ideas for more fall decorating inspiration.
I hope this helps give you some fall decorating inspiration! What are some of your favorite fall decorating ideas this year? I’d love to hear from you! Connect with me on Pinterest and Instagram where im@essentiallyemmamarie. I look forward to hearing from you!