Skip the Pumpkin Spice and Change Your Decor for a Real Autumn Vibe

The air turns crisp, the leaves change and everyone wants to get super cozy at home. Freshening up your rooms to reflect the changing season and be more comfortable is a natural desire as we start spending more time at home in the dark evenings and chillier weather.

Redoing your space for fall doesn’t have to be a major undertaking and you might even be able to accomplish it with things you already own. You might already have some favorite seasonal pieces that define fall for your home, but adding some other elements can ramp up the appeal.  Check out these fall decorating ideas and see what can work in your own space.

Add A Rustic Touch

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The autumn months bring up images of vintage and farm elements that are a touch rustic, which resonates with the changing season. Adding a piece that has a rustic feeling is a great way to summon up fall season vibes. This should work for just about any decor style, as long as the piece you choose blends with what you already have. A set of rustic nesting tables is a functional addition to your room too, and will come in handy if you have extra family or friends visiting.

Use Some Reclaimed Wood

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There’s nothing like a wall clad in reclaimed wood to bring about a cozy autumn vibe. These stylish boards are from Stickwood and are super easy to install on your own. If a whole wall of wood is not for you, incorporating a piece of furniture, a frame or accessories made from reclaimed wood can add a good dose of the fall feels. Decide where you want to add wood and then see what you can find at flea markets, vintage stores or from online sources.

Embrace a Neutral Palette

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One element that is sometimes overlooked when trying to freshen up a space for autumn is serenity. If you want a space to feel relaxing and cozy, it can’t be too frenetic or energetic, so a serene, neutral palette is your best bet. If you already have one, you’re already a step ahead. To ramp up the autumn theme, it’s easy to toss some cushions or a throw in fall colors onto the furniture.  

Incorporate Warm-Toned Wood

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A big part of transforming your rooms for fall is creating a sense of warmth and an easy way to do that is with wood. While you’re probably not going to be installing new flooring or making major changes, adding a piece of wood furniture that has a warm finish is a quick way to cozy up a room. This particular is also rustic, which gives you more autumn bang for your buck, but you can add warm wood in any decor style to achieve the same end.

Focus on Aged Natural Materials

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Elements made of natural material that show some age present the impression that they have some history behind them and this adds interest. These are great additions for creating an autumn vibe because they fit with the falling leaves, dying grasses and the end of summer growth. Here, old wood plank style table boards are paired with glass cloches that have an old, vintage feel and even the grasses in the vessel have a dried-out look.

Go Natural With Stone

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Natural stone is another material that’s key for a room that aims to be more fall-like. While it can certainly take the form of a stone fireplace or other such permanent feature, a small table or larger stone accessories are other ways to incorporate this tactile surface. This coffee table has extra texture and appeal because it is highlighted by natural fossils.

Pile on the Textures

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This may be one of the easiest ways to freshen up your home for fall: Adding piles of throws, layering rugs and incorporating tons of nubby or furry textiles is the quickest ticket to a fall-friendly living space. If the excess is not your style and a slightly cleaner look is your preferred type of decor, even a single textural element like this bedspread with a shaggy linear pattern makes a big impact.

Use a Piece of Architectural Salvage

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Anything with a weathered look will go a long way to creating a fall atmosphere and architectural salvage is a great example. These pieces have had a previous life somewhere else — and even perhaps as something else. These salvaged door panels can be used as a headboard, used with a mirror as a decor element or even as a replacement door for a cabinet that you already have. Use your imagination and architectural pieces can become a focal point in your fresh fall decor. 

Add Some Dark Paint

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Contrary to conventional wisdom, painting an area in a dark color can make a space feel cozier and more cocoon-like. While it’s not for everyone, if you’re game to paint a room a very dark blue, green, brown or even aubergine, you’ll be rewarded with a moody space that envelops you during the chilliest days.

Whitewash the Brick

Whitewash the Brick

Lots of homes have a fireplace — which is great — but many are red brick, which is about the most basic style that you can have. Red brick is not always the most attractive style either, but a quick and inexpensive way to give it a whole new look is to whitewash the brick.

Watered-down white paint gives the brick a weathered, old-school look that lets some of the natural brick color to show through. The best thing about whitewashing is that you can decide how much show-through you want. Not opaque enough?  Just do another coat! Whitewashed brick is also very trendy right now and is most definitely brighter and more attractive than its unwashed original.

Use one of these ideas or all of them — they’re easily customizable to your home and adaptable to the type of home you have. And, as we already said, it’s possible that you can achieve a fresh fall look withouth spending much at all if you can repurpose things that are already in your home.