Transitioning to Fall

By Kate Riley August 30, 2012

Hey everyone, are you getting excited for the long weekend?  We’ve got plans to make a quick trip to a special location to celebrate the last official weekend of summer, but I can *almost* feel fall in the air!  

I’ve invited Shannon of AKA Design back to share with you a list of five natural elements that make it easy and inexpensive to transition your home for fall.  Welcome back Shannon!

“Hi everybody!  Some say spring is a time for new beginnings and perhaps that’s true.  But to me, fall has always been the season to begin exciting new adventures.  Maybe it’s because I fondly remember school starting each fall, with new classes, friends and teachers (truthfully it was the pristine new binders and perfectly sharpened pencil crayons that got me!).  Or that the cooler weather is so crisp and refreshing after the summer heat. Or maybe it’s that Christmas (and all the joy that comes with it) is right around the corner once autumn arrives.  Who knows.  But, I do know that fall is one of my absolute favourite seasons for decorating!

Decorating in autumn is made fabulous by its sheer simplicity – all you need to do is bring the outdoors in using various elements from nature and you instantly cozy up a space!  Here are a five natural elements that make transitioning to fall easy. 

1.  Pumpkins & Gourds  In the fall, there are so many readily available pumpkins and gourds in various shapes, sizes and colours.  There are real and faux versions, as well as painted, glittered, and blinged out squash varieties. They can be stacked up, lined up or used to create any manner of vignette. 

autumn display

Pottery Barn

 

white fall pumpkins

My Home Ideas

 

pumpkin decor

Country Living

 

Vermont Halloween Party

Better Homes & Gardens

 

2.  Apples   Johnny Appleseed worked very hard to be sure that apples were available to all.  In autumn, apples are ripe and plentiful, is the perfect time to put them to work as decorating objects.  Whether you simply fill a bowl with the juicy fruit or go to more elaborate lengths by sprucing them up with typography or candy coating, apples are always a wonderful prop for fall decorating.   

fall wreath with apples

Michale Partenio

 

dreamy whites apples in bowl

Dreamy Whites

 

caramel apple

Martha Stewart

3.  Sticks and Twigs   What could be easier than to go outside and collect random branches to fill an over-sized vase? Or a handful of twigs to tie with the Thanksgiving silverware? Even if you live in the city and have to purchase your sticks, florists and garden centers carry generous bundles in the fall.

twigs and berries

Better Homes and Gardens

 

twig bouquet

Marni Mattner Photography

 

branches indoors

Apartment Therapy

4.  Fresh Flowers  Some of the most beautiful flowers and foliage bloom in the autumn. Among a few of my favourites are black-eyed susans, chrysanthemums, hydrangeas and daisies. The colours in autumn’s flowers are so warm: persimmon, cinnamon, rust, bronze, eggplant, green and tan.  Oh the flowers one can decorate with in the fall!

1088601_Pumpk053

Southern Living

 

mini pots of mums

Country Living

 

fall centerpiece

Country Living

 

finding home hydrangeas

Finding Home Online

 

mums on porch bhg

Better Homes & Gardens

 

5.  Pine Cones   Readily available and oh so versatile, pine cones are such an easy way to add natural texture in the fall.  Much like sticks and twigs, they are easy to find and inexpensive if they must be purchased.  Pine cones are easy going mixed in with other fall elements, strewn haphazardly down a table runner, or displayed randomly in a glass bowl.  Pine cones can carry through to winter and Christmas decorating, making them all the more beautifully useful!

pine cone table decor

The Sweetest Occasion

 

pine cone in bowl

Better Homes and Gardens

 

pine cones in silver urn

Factory Direct Crafts

So while you unpack the sweaters and bring out the cool weather throws, consider how you could bring the outdoors in with these and other natural elements this fall.”

Thank you so much Shannon!  I’m ready for those autumn walks to collect some twigs and pine cones to create fall vignettes in bowls, vases, and on mantels.  Who else is ready to start transitioning your home for fall?  .

20 comments

  1. The number one reason I love Fall is I feel like all the beautiful elements give permission to all of us to bring the outdoors in. These are awesome ideas for using natural elements. I cannot wait to try some at home!

  2. love all your suggestions – this year though I’m doing pears! I don’t even know if it’s the season for it, but heck, I got some green, glittered faux ones that looked perfect for my tablescape. Thank you!

  3. One of my favourite times of year. We have a huge collection of pumpkin and autumn paraphenalia waiting to jump out of boxes. Great photo ideas.

  4. I’m sooo ready to be rid of this heat and on my way to fall! I always buy one or two potted chrysanthemums for decorating indoors each fall and plant them out front before the ground totally freezes. So far, the planted ones have come back each year, too!

  5. I agree, Fall is a time for a fresh start, too. I look forward to Fall so much! Your photos are inspirational for fall decor. I usually do dried real fall leaves and gourds but this year the apples look like fun to try.

  6. Love all the fall decor, such great ideas. I especially love the twigs in the vase, such a fun organic feel!

  7. Great ideas! I need to go and collect some sticks and leaves for my mantel. I’ve already taken down my summer mantel and am working on my Fall masterpiece. Can’t wait to see it all come together!

  8. I love the pumpkin/berry chandelier. It is gorgeous. I don’t know if I could pull it off, but I’m tempted to try… Thanks for sharing.

  9. I am SO over summer. It is has been stinking hot and dry here since mid-April. I had the hardest time transitioning my late winter/early spring look to summer this past year, that I finally gave up and have hated the way everything looked all summer long. The pictures and tips you show here for fall decorating are so inviting, but now I’m feeling like I’m not going to be at all successful after my summer bust. Ever have one season that was just ho-hum or not there at all followed by a recovery the next? I hope so!

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