An Interior Designer’s Guide to Decorating for Fall

Fall decorating doesn’t have to mean covering every surface in orange pumpkins and signs that say “Hello Fall.” In fact, some of our favorite fall spaces barely use traditional fall décor at all.

For us, it’s more about making your home feel a little warmer, cozier, and more layered for the season. Here’s how we love decorating for fall (without making your home feel overly themed):

Start With a Fall Color Palette That Works With Your Home

Before buying anything new, look at the colors already happening throughout your home.

Your fall décor should complement your existing furniture, finishes, and everyday décor, not compete with them. And no, that does not mean everything has to be bright orange.

Warm neutrals, rust, olive green, deep red, chocolate brown, camel, and muted shades of orange can all bring that fall feeling without taking over the room.

If your home is mostly neutral, try adding deeper browns, warm greens, or a little rust. If you already have plenty of color, choose one or two seasonal shades that work with your existing palette and repeat them in small ways throughout the space.

Keeping the majority of your seasonal pieces neutral also makes everything much easier to mix in year after year.

Skip the Seasonal Sayings

This is one of our biggest tips for keeping seasonal decorating feeling elevated: you don't need your décor to literally say it's fall.

Instead of signs and pillows with “Hello Fall” or “Pumpkin Spice”, bring in fall through color, pattern, and texture.

Plaid, stripes, velvet, woven fabrics, chunky knits, and warm linen can completely change the feeling of a room without adding anything obviously themed.

A plaid pillow in a rich brown or olive, for example, feels like fall now but can easily stay out long after Thanksgiving.

Change Your Pillow Covers, Not Your Pillows

Please don't dedicate an entire closet to seasonal throw pillows!

Invest in good pillow inserts and simply switch out the covers throughout the year. It's easier to store, easier to change, and gives you so many more options.

For fall, look for velvet, linen, boucle, wool, and woven fabrics in warmer tones. You can also mix a subtle pattern with a few solids rather than making every pillow a statement.

One or two swaps on your sofa, bed, or accent chairs can make the entire room feel different.

Bring in Real or Dried Florals

One of the easiest ways to transition your home into fall is to look outside.

Seasonal branches, dried flowers, preserved greenery, pampas grass, and fresh mums add color and texture while still feeling natural. We especially love an oversized vase filled with branches on an entry table, kitchen island, or dining table.

If you're using faux stems, look for ones with natural color variation and texture rather than anything overly shiny or perfectly uniform. The goal is for them to feel like something you could have brought in from outside.

And don't underestimate a simple pot of mums. They're an easy way to bring a little seasonal color to an entryway, porch, or even indoors.

Don't Overdo the Pumpkins

We love a pumpkin moment. We just don't necessarily need a pumpkin moment on every surface.

Choose a few pumpkins or gourds in different shapes and sizes, preferably in softer, more natural colors, and mix them in with pieces that aren't specifically “fall décor.”

Try pairing them with candlesticks, decorative bowls, dried branches, woven baskets, wood accents, vintage books, warm-toned pottery, or seasonal fruit.

That mix makes your home feel layered and collected rather than like the seasonal aisle moved into your living room.

Use Candles Everywhere

There is something about lighting a candle in the fall, even if it is still 85 degrees outside, like it is here in Florida! 

Place one on your coffee table, kitchen counter, nightstand, or entry console. The scent and warm glow instantly make a room feel cozier.

This is also the perfect time to swap your everyday scents for something a little warmer and moodier. Our HSH fall candle is, of course, one of our favorite ways to bring that feeling home.

For another layer, mix scented candles with taper candles or simple pillar candles in pretty holders. It creates that cozy evening glow without adding more “stuff” to the room.

Let Your Groceries Double as Décor

Some of the prettiest seasonal décor is also edible.

Fill a large bowl on your kitchen island or dining table with pears, apples, pomegranates, figs, or even artichokes. It's simple and brings in those beautiful fall colors in a way that feels completely natural.

Pair your produce with a pretty ceramic or wood bowl, a vase of branches, and a couple of candlesticks, and you have an easy fall centerpiece without buying a single pumpkin.

Give Your Front Door a Fall Refresh

Your entry is the first little hint of what's happening inside your home, so give it a simple seasonal update too.

Start with a good porch clean-up, then add mums or seasonal plants in oversized planters, an understated wreath, and a fresh textured doormat.

You don't need ten pumpkins, four signs, and an entire hay bale situation. A few larger, intentional pieces usually have much more impact.

Keep the colors connected to the exterior of your home and let the plants, greenery, and natural textures do most of the decorating.

A Few Fall Pieces We're Loving

If you're looking to add a few new pieces this year, focus on things you can use beyond one season. Here are some great places to start:

Cozy pillows + throws

Crate & Barrel's Fall Pillow Covers — So many good textures and warmer colors here. We’d look for velvet, linen, wool, or a subtle pattern that can easily mix in with the pillows you already have.

West Elm's Classic Cotton Velvet Pillow Cover — Velvet is such an easy way to make your sofa or bed feel a little cozier for fall. Pick a warm neutral or deeper color and you can easily leave it out beyond the season.

Pottery Barn's Fall Collection — A good spot for cozy throws, plaid pillows, baskets, candles, and those little fall touches that don't feel too over-the-top.

Pretty things to layer in:

McGee & Co.'s Fall Collection — We love this collection for the smaller details. Think pretty vases, candleholders, bowls, stems, pillows, and warm-toned pieces you can mix right in with what you already have.

McGee & Co.'s Frederick Paper Mache Vase — A great example of the kind of warm, textured vessel we'd fill with oversized branches for fall.

The key when shopping? Don't only shop in the “fall décor” section.Some of the best seasonal additions are pieces you'll love year-round: a beautiful brown vase, an olive velvet pillow, a woven throw, or a pair of aged brass candlesticks.

Keep It Simple

At the end of the day, decorating for fall shouldn't mean completely redecorating your home.

Start with what you already have, warm up your color palette, add a little more texture, bring in something natural, light a candle, and call it fall.

And if you're dreaming of a home that feels thoughtfully designed in every season, we'd love to help. Interested? Fill out our inquiry form to learn more about working with HSH Collective.