As depressing as it can be to have to watch those lazy days of summer roll to a close, there’s definitely something magical about the arrival of fall. Maybe it the human preoccupation with beginnings and endings that hits us with such a palpable sense of finality as we see the year dwindle and pass. Perhaps it’s the longed-for comfort of having to bundle up in warm clothes for the first time in months that reminds us of the safety and security of youth. Maybe it’s the imminent arrival of beloved holidays that causes our excitement levels to rise once the days start to get shorter. Whatever the case, the approach of fall is, for many of us, a time to be celebrated, and that means decorations.
But beyond putting out a few jack-o-lanterns and hanging up some paper skeletons for Halloween, how can you decorate your apartment in a way that will help you maintain your fall momentum all of the way into December? We’ve considered this exact question, and have come up with several easy fall decorating ideas that will help you give the harvest season the welcome it deserves.
1.Colors
Perhaps more so than any other season, autumn is indivisibly connected to its representative colors. The reds, yellows, oranges, and browns that color the falling leaves (and cover your lawn) carry with them the most basic essence of fall. As such, some of the easiest DIY fall decorating ideas are the ones that take advantage of fall-centric color schemes. That having been said, there’s more to decorating for the season than just changing the color of the paint on your walls. Here are some suggestions that you might not have considered for using fall colors in your apartment decor.
Warm it up. Although fall tends to herald the imminent drop of thermometer mercury across the world, the colors that best fit the season are warm ones. So, if you’re looking for cool fall decorating ideas, some of the best are going to be ones that use colors that heat things up ever so slightly. For example, fresh flowers that add a hot burst of color are generally easy to come by, inexpensive, and take little to no effort to display (just get a vase). Or, consider covering the inner back of your bookcases or cupboards with brightly colored paper. This will add warmth to your scheme, without completely throwing the rest of your decor out of whack. Chairs are a great place to easily add warm colors, either by picking out some warm fabric and reupholstering them, or—for wooden chairs—just by slapping on some paint and a protective clear coat
Think outside the Orange. Quick, what color comes to mind when you think of Autumn? If you said any color other than orange, we’re downright impressed. But just because orange is the most obvious fall color, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you should rely solely upon it for your fall color scheme. Instead, branch out. Bright reds, deep greens, tans, creams, browns, and even certain shades of purple can all be easily incorporated into your home design, and still bring the enchanting ambience of autumn into your apartment. If you’re not sure about fully committing, start small. A few couch pillows or a runner can give your room a splash of fall color. And if you’re interested in painting a wall (but don’t want to get stuck with something you don’t like), designate a single wall to serve as an ‘accent wall,’ and see what your color choice looks like on its own.
Sew sew. With the cold weather moving in, fall is the perfect time to get nice and cozy. Your decor should reflect this fact. One way to add a sense of comfort to your apartment, is by creating a fun, fall-themed patchwork quilt, and then displaying it in a prominent location. Choose individual squares of fabric that use autumn patterns, designs, or solid colors. When it comes to fall decorating ideas, DIY may seem a bit more difficult than buying something readymade, but the truth is that many DIY projects take very little time and effort, and often cost significantly less than their store-bought counterparts. And, as for the satisfaction of creating something beautiful to put on display in your home, well, that’s priceless. Here is an easy step-by-step guide to creating your own quilt. Once it’s finished, you can use it to bring fall colors into your home, by either draping it over the foot of a bed, using it as a throw, or even hanging it like a tapestry on a blank wall.
Wreath some havok. While the archetypal wreath may be more closely associated with winter and the Christmas season than it is with autumn, a simple arrangement of harvest related flowers, stems, leaves, and twigs can really bring fall colors into your apartment. There are a number of simple tutorials online that will show you how to make the perfect fall wreath for your apartment, and best of all, these wreaths can be used in a variety of places. Hang one on your front door to help welcome guests (because when you live in an apartment, fall decorating ideas for your front porch can be difficult to come by), or on one of your inside walls. Or, defy convention and use a fall wreath as a table centerpiece. Just add a few candles—electric ones, just to be safe—and see how much more festive you can make your coffee table or dining room table. Decorations for fall, after all, should play to the idea of harvest and thanksgiving, so it’s never a bad idea decorate the table where you and your loved ones get to enjoy the fruits of the season. And, speaking of decorating tables…
2.Tables
As was mentioned above, the table plays a very important part in the celebration of the harvest season. As a result, fall table decorating ideas are vitally important to those who wish to bring autumn decor into the home. One of the most important things to remember, however, is this: When decorating a table, don’t overdo it. Keep things simple, and try not to take up too much of the available space. After all, your centerpieces should encourage meal-time conversation—they shouldn’t overshadow it. Keep your centerpieces below eye level, so that guests can speak to each other freely without having to lean around anything to establish eye contact, and never sacrifice table space that should be used for serving dishes. With all of that in mind, here are some of our favorite table decorations for fall.
Let your candles bear fruit. With fewer hours of daylight, it’s kind of nice to enjoy a fall meal bathed in the flickering glow of candlelight (either conventional or electric). You can easily make your own autumn candle holders, by hollowing out the top of a small piece of fruit (we recommend either apples or small pumpkins, but other fall fruits may work just as well), and then inserting a small votive candle. The candle should sit just about level with the top of the fruit, so that the flame is unobstructed and can provide the highest possible illumination. Place a few of these DIY candle holders in the center of your table, and enjoy your harvest-themed candles while you enjoy your meal.
Toot your own horn. The cornucopia, or ‘horn of plenty’ is an easily recognizable symbol of autumn, and is inseparably linked to the idea of the harvest. Take advantage of this association, and create your own cornucopia centerpiece. The easiest way to do this is to simply visit a craft store, and to purchase a readymade horn of plenty. These are generally made from woven wicker, a look very nice when filled with things such as small pumpkins, sprigs of wheat, fall fruits, flowers, or even leaves. Or, if you’d rather go with something more complex, try your hand at baking a cornucopia made from delicious homemade bread, for a tasty centerpiece that will inspire second helpings and stimulating conversation. Hey, there’s nothing that says that beautiful fall dining room table decorations can’t also be edible.
Knock on wood. For an easy centerpiece that nonetheless manages to capture the feeling of fall, go back to the basics. A small log (with its bark still intact), surrounded by a few leaves, small pumpkins, and other fall decorations helps bring a certain rustic harvest charm to the dining experience. For added fun, hollow out a few shallow indentations into the log, and place small tea-light candles inside (just make sure that any live flame isn’t going to catch the log itself on fire).
Run along. A table runner can help play up the cozy aspects of autumn, making for a more intimate dining experience. Simple runners can be made from basic length of fabric, but to really go all out, bring back some of your quilting fabric and sew something special. Here is a step-by-step guide to how you can create your own quilted runner. Combine it with your favorite centerpiece for a comfortable and festive fall look.
3.Outdoors
Most apartments don’t have much in the way of outdoor space that can be decorated, and even if they do, the responsibility to decorate that space often falls to the property manager. That generally leaves only the area around the front door, spaces around windows, and possibly the balcony area as potential design locations. So, here are some fall outdoor decorating ideas for porch, window, and balcony that will help you extend your apartment’s autumn design theme into the outside world.
Be in the frame. Using the same principle as the autumn wreath, a fall door frame bouquet welcomes visitors to your home through a mixture of warm fall colors and rustic harvest charm. Using flowers, wheat sprigs, leaves, and cornhusks, you can frame your door in a fun and festive display of autumn ingenuity. All it takes is an eye for arrangement and some wire to help string everything together. And, when combined with a homemade wreath, it creates an exquisite display that makes the entrance of your home seem all the more inviting. This tip can also be used to decorate outside window frames and balcony railings.
Go to the mat. The doormat is one of the first things that visitors will see upon entering your apartment, so give them something that will help them get into the spirit of the season. A simple, solid-colored doormat made from stiff fibers can be purchased from a number of places, and then decorated using waterproof paints. Paint images of leaves, pumpkins, or other fall symbols, and consider adding a fall-themed phrase to welcome your guests. Or, of you aren’t quite as handy with a brush, purchase some stencils, and use spray paint to quickly create something that is both stylish and easy.
Chalk up some pumpkins. While jack-o-lanterns tend to be associated strictly with Halloween, decorative porch pumpkins can be used to help celebrate the season all the way into the beginning of winter. One unique way to use pumpkins for outdoor decorating is by covering one or two in blackboard paint. Then, once the paint has dried, use chalk to decorate your pumpkin with fun phrases, welcomes, or simple images. Place a few of these pumpkins on your balcony as well, for a nicely contrasting bit of decor.
Leaf your mark. One of the most recognizable and applicable symbols of autumn is the fallen leaf. And, as luck would have it, it’s also one of the easiest decoration supplies to come by—just step outside and gather an armful. Pick out the best looking, most intact leaves from the bunch, and set them aside. Now, with just a large sewing needle and some thread, string the good leaves together into a festive fall garland. Garlands such as this one can be hung outside, draped across window frames. And, given the fact the materials they are made out of are free and readily available, you won’t have to worry too much if bad weather wears them out.
4.Mantle
There are few places in the home that are as uniquely suited to seasonal decoration as the mantle. After all, the mantle really doesn’t serve much of a purpose other than to act as a high-visibility display shelf. So, make use of it, and turn your boring mantle into a shrine for the close of the year. Here are some great DIY fall mantle decorating ideas to help get you started.
Jar it loose. For a quick and easy project that still manages to look great, just get some basic mason jars, and place candles inside of each one. Next, simply collect some nice-looking fallen leaves, and use Mod Podge to attach the leaves to the outside of the jars. WIth the outside of the mostly covered with leaves, light the candles. The flickering illumination will shine through the leaf membranes creating dancing, multi colored shadows that will fill your room with autumn spirit. Place the jars on your mantle, and light them up when the sun starts to sink.
Frame the season. A mantle is a great place to display framed family photos. But did you know that those same frames can be used to give your apartment mantle a very classy fall look? Just pick out a few small picture frames, and then in place of photos, place inside each one a single colorful leaf. A colorful mat can likewise be included, to give your composition a bit of added flare.
Play with shadows. For a classic look that harkens back to earlier times, create and frame some silhouette portraits of yourself, your family, or your friends. To create these, have each individual sit facing sideways in front of a black piece of construction paper. Shine a bright light towards your subject, and then have someone use white chalk to trace the subject’s shadow onto the black paper. Then, cut along the traced lines. Alternatively, photo editing software can be used to turn regular digital photos into printable silhouettes. This can be very useful, as it allows you to resize the silhouettes to fit smaller frames. For best results, place the silhouettes in circular frames, and then hang them above your mantle. Place some small pumpkins along the mantle below them to complete the effect.
Separate the wheat from the chaff. As we’ve previously mentioned, flowers are an easy and effective way to bring a bit of color to your autumn decor. But flowers aren’t the only plants that you can place in a vase. Get some simple white vases, and inside of them, place a bouquet of wheat. Include a bit of lavender and maybe some dried flowers. Set the vases on the far sides of your mantle to create a fall framing effect for any other items you may wish to display.
What did we miss? Share your own fun fall decorating ideas in our comments-section!
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