For those of us still suffering daily temps in the 90s and with no changes in the color of surrounding cacti as a clue, it’s kind of hard to fall into step with everyone who actually lives in an area where you have a change of seasons (other than hot, hotter and hottest). Fortunately, we have connections with some incredible interior decorators and designers around the country. So we reached out to see what they were seeing and doing design-wise to make the transition to fall. Here’s what we learned.
One common thread was a trend away from the use of more traditional colors associated with fall, such as oranges, reds, browns and black, to neutrals like Kirsten Yanasak of the brightyellowdoor in Washington state uses.
“I just love the changing seasons, and fall is absolutely, without a doubt my most favorite season of all. I love the changing of the leaves, the excitement of the crisp mornings. I love seeing all the Halloween costumes show up in the stores, and I have to admit, I absolutely adore pumpkin spice lattes! What I don’t love, though, is chaos. And I don’t love messes and feeling boxed in. What bright oranges and lots of yellows and too many black and white checkers patterns do to me in decorating is make me feel stressed, boxed in and itching to pack up my fall decor weeks too early. That’s why my solution has been to decorate with calming, soothing, simple neutrals. I find when I do not decorate with overly bright colors I am happy with my fall decor right up until Christmas time. And I find I can add a lot of it, like A LOT of it!”
Another trend is pumpkins. Lots of pumpkins. Besides buying pumpkin spice creamer for her coffee, Andrea Francavilla of Pineandprospecthome in Michigan shared her super simple way to get ready for fall.
“I’ve always loved the look of fabric pumpkins, and last year I actually attempted to make some, but I didn’t like the way they turned out,” admits Andrea. “When it was time to throw out all of the mini (real) pumpkins I purchased last fall, I decided to save all of the stems for another attempt at cloth pumpkins this year. I don’t know if the real stems made all the difference for me, but I just love the way that these pumpkins turned out this year! Plus they were so easy and fun to make!”
Our neighbor down in Tucson, Natalie Kolter at myvintageporch, shares our pain about it still being “blazing hot” here in Arizona, but she also shared how she was using one of the coolest trends in home decor, hand-made wooden signs, to bring a feeling of fall inside. “I’m not much of one for measuring, so I eyeball where the lettering should be,” she said [a woman after my own heart :-)]. “Sometimes I use my finger for measuring or my pencil to measure the area. I know, I’m real professional.”
Cooler fall temperatures in Texas inspired Southern Farmhouse Designs‘ Ashley Moore to create a simple yet classic fall table. Her secret to creating this stunning masterpiece?
“Don’t over think it. There is no need for fancy, or extravagant spending. Keep it simple and classic, but most important, don’t stress,” she advises. “Less is more in my opinion, and the less time it takes to put together the better. The most important thing with any dinner table is to enjoy time with the people around it. Putting forth a little effort to make it look nice is just one way to make your guests feel welcome and loved.”
Of course, the best thing about the change of seasons is ushering in the holiday season. To kick things off, citygirlmeetsfarmboyKelly Ballard, showed us some of her creepily creative Halloween decor.
“Ribbon – I love it! You can do so much with fall decor by adding small strips of ribbon to your pieces. Try tying them in little knots for a rougher look, or bows for a more dressed up feel. I love to shop my local dollar store to find some simple steals that aren’t very expensive. Adding a few plastic rats or creeping cloth can totally add a new element to your Halloween and fall decor.”
I hope you’ve enjoyed these ideas as much as I have. (Makes me miss fall even more now.) Many thanks to our Inspiring Decorators for sharing. How have you decorated for fall? Leave us a comment with some of your tips!
