5 October, 2017
As the air turns crisp and the leaves start to change, you may feel an itch to update your living room to match the season. Without a little advanced planning, the frequent holidays can make you feel as if it’s time to take down your decorations as soon as you get them up. Use this guide to simplify your seasonal update and bring the joy of autumn into your home.
Start with Strong Base Pieces
Fall home decor comes in phases. September might feature basic harvest decorations, but as the autumn months roll by, so do the holidays. The first step of decorating for fall is starting with strong base pieces that you can build off of from holiday to holiday.
Fortunately, Halloween and Thanksgiving home decorations tend to follow a similar color scheme. Neutral, warm colors allow you to add more colorful, but coordinated, accents throughout the season.
Well-picked furniture like classic couches, bookshelves, rugs, and coffee tables will coordinate nicely with any holiday decor throughout the year. Wood pieces are particularly suited for creating a classy autumn ambiance.
Let Mother Nature Guide Your Color Choices
When you think of fall colors, you might think of browns, oranges, and yellows. However, if you look to nature, you may find that your color palette is larger than what you might think. As the Fall leaves change, you’ll find stunning purples, reds, blues, and greens. While warm colors like brown might make a solid base, you can choose great accent pieces in a variety of colors.
Another great resource for selecting a color palette is Pantone’s Fall 2017 Fashion Color Report, which features a mix of traditional autumnal colors as well as unique accent colors like Golden Lime and Ballet Slipper.
Lean Into the Rustic Look
Fall is a perfect time to bring the cozy, rustic farmhouse look into your home. If you plan it right, your harvest decorations will complement any Thanksgiving or Halloween decorating you choose to do.
Nature can do a lot of the heavy lifting for your decor. Select some fall foliage (either fresh or faux will do) to tie in some natural colors into your living room. You can also add a tasteful wreath that matches your color scheme.
Bring the harvest into your home with decorative squash, gourds, and pumpkins. Healthy pumpkins can last 8 to 12 weeks under the right circumstances, which means your decor can likely last for the majority of the fall season.
Bowls of fruit can add to your decor. As you inch closer to Thanksgiving, consider adding in a cornucopia of flowers, fruit, and corn.
If you’d like a more understated rustic look, add subtle accents using wicker baskets, burlap, and lace.
Add Relevant Holiday Decor
If you’ve chosen a good base of fall-friendly furniture and decor, decorating for Halloween and Thanksgiving won’t be too much of a chore; half the work will already be done. When it comes to holiday decorations, you can be as subtle or ostentatious as your personal style dictates.
For those looking for a more subtle holiday look, choose pieces that flow naturally with your established decor. Rotate your normal throw pillows and blankets for festive, holiday-themed options. Place decorative, holiday wooden blocks on your bookshelves or mantle. Simple pieces such as themed coasters shaped like jack-o-lanterns for Halloween or turkeys for Thanksgiving, can bring the holiday spirit into your living room without dominating it.
Instead of carving pumpkins for Halloween, paint them so they’ll last longer without rotting. Those looking for a trendy option could try painting patterns on pumpkins in gold paint. Those same pumpkins, if subtly painted, may go well with your Thanksgiving home decorations. If not, buy a few more heirloom pumpkins in November.
Fall offers so many opportunities to play with vibrant colors and textures in your living room decorations. Take advantage of these decor tips and transform your home into a celebration of autumn.
