Easy Fall Decor Ideas

I love seasonal decor. We’re lucky in a lot of ways that we live in a place that so clearly has four seasons. (Talk to me in February and I’ll be singing a different tune…) Nevertheless, that period of time in between two seasons is always so fun and exciting. As much as I love summer, after a while, I always get a little tired of wearing the same clothes, using the same colour palette and being surrounded by the same kind of energy. Exchanging the pink flowers for red leaves around the house always adds the final dot to the ellipsis of summer’s end for me. These are some of the ways I like bowing down to autumn as I open the door to her passing visit.

1. Mantle Garland

The warm colour palette of fall is spectacular. Although normally, I’m not a huge fan of orange, something about all the reds and yellows and browns, along with orange, just feels like everything is infused with the brightest of golden sunsets. One of the great things about having a fireplace is the many decor possibilities it presents. It acts as a real focal point in the room and just begs to be dressed up, no matter what time of year it is. I picked up a bunch of odds and ends at the dollar store, mostly fake leaves, some fake berries and a bunch of pine cones (which happen to be cinnamon-scented!) and arranged it all in a haphazard way in front of the mantle mirror. I topped it off with a cute mini white pumpkin and fake sunflower, just to break up the symmetry a bit.

If you don’t have a fireplace mantle, you could still make an attractive garland for your dining table or stairs/any other kind of railing. If your garland has to be suspended, just make sure you substitute the loose leaves with a pre-made garland, which could easily be dressed up with additional pieces and accents.

2. Pumpkins, Gourds and Pine Cones

One of my favourite fall rituals is heading over to Atwater Market here in Montreal where you can find the cutest mini pumpkins and weirdest gourds. Many grocery stores also have them, and I love throwing them around in different places throughout the house, just to add a touch of colour and interest.

I love pumpkins and unlike for most things, orange really works for them. Still, sometimes it’s fun to put a twist on the expected. You can use simple chalk paint to paint them different colours or use markers to create designs. This year, I opted to just buy some white pumpkins so I didn’t have to paint them and used gold, silver and black Sharpies to decorate them. Since orange is such a strong colour, I do find that mixing in some white from other pumpkins and brown from the pine cones helps to break up the intensity and ground the displays. Still fun, but a bit more chic!

3. Front Door Vignette

Since moving into our house, I haven’t left the front porch (which is not really a porch) bare for one minute. It would be such a missed opportunity to greet the world with enthusiasm and colour. The door is always adorned with a rotation of seasonal wreaths that I cobble together from the season’s greenery. Again, the dollar store is my go-to for all the bits and bobs you could ever need to dress up your door and porch.

Normally, I always get real pumpkins and gourds, but I’ve learned that squirrels consider my displays to be all-you-can-eat buffets (and why shouldn’t they?) so this year, I invested in some fake pumpkins for the open basket and kept the real stuff inside a closed lantern for viewing pleasure only.

I also got some chrysanthemums for added colour because, hello….Flower addict over here. And when I saw this little guy at a secondhand store, I couldn’t resist. He sits atop a wooden crate, guarding the house with his mischievous grin. I love building vignettes and little moments throughout the house like this. They just make me smile.