Simple Fall Decorating

Autumn is the time of year in which you can literally smell the changes in the air. Leaves are falling, turkeys are roasting, and most people are just beginning to feel a hint of a chill. The golden brown atmosphere is taking over. The brilliant hues and colors are spectacular, hypnotizing like a sunset. Fall is some people’s favorite time of year- what with the holidays coming and nice weather brewing, thoughts turn to football outdoors, pumpkin spice lattes, presents and celebrations!

Fall also contains what are two major holidays for many: Halloween and Thanksgiving. Keep these holidays in mind when planning your fall home decorating scheme and make small adjustments in order to accommodate these holidays. Personally, I love the colors associated with autumn, firstly because they are easy to match with everything- which makes decorating easy for a lazy girl like me. The earth tones used in fall decorations range from shades of gold and orange to brown and burgundy- easily some of my favorite decorating color combinations. It gives any decor an elegant, calming ambiance. I always regret that in the US fall time is often overshadowed by Christmas. Here in Florida, Christmas music has started playing at the corner Walmart as early as September. Heck, they’ve got their Christmas trees out for sale already! It’s almost like Americans want to avoid all things fall and fast forward to Christmas time. Which, don’t get me wrong, Christmas is a great holiday too- but it is not the ONLY one, people. So I'm here to give you some ideas on how to decorate your home this fall.

One great theme to incorporate into the decorating process would be the theme of fall leaves. Leaves falling from the trees are one of the most common associations with this time of year and it is a great look to incorporate into your home. You can even find leaf garlands in fall shades at any home decor store. Leaves can also be incorporated into lovely centerpieces and floral arrangements to hallmark the look of the season.

Harvest is another common association with autumn tracing back through many cultures. Harvest is the process or period of gathering crops and it used to be a big celebration. The Harvest Festival used to be celebrated in the beginning of the Harvest season on August 1st but later harvest festivals at the end of the season. In fact, the first Thanksgiving was a Harvest celebration after the Pilgrims' first successful harvest in October of 1621. The feast lasted three days, and it was attended by 90 Native Americans and 53 Pilgrims.

Harvest themes are also rather easy to incorporate into most home decorating designs. To integrate the Thanksgiving spirit in your decorations, baskets with simple gourds can make an excellent accent piece for this time of year. These colorful vegetables can be found at very low prices at almost any grocery market. These can be used on their own or along with leaves as part of centerpieces or as tabletop decorations, they can even be used as place card holders for large gatherings. They are incredibly versatile as well as colorful and make a great addition to any autumn home decorating endeavor.

Pumpkins are essentially gourds but they have a special place all on their own in the fall home decorating scheme. Pumpkins have a special association with both Halloween and Thanksgiving (pumpkin pie anyone?) and should not be overlooked as an important fall decoration. They also add a pop of color and cheer around the house. You can decorate the pumpkin on the outer layers with paints or markers, but avoid carving them if you intend to keep them around for a few weeks. Any carving on the pumpkins will surely release the stench of rotting vegetables once the pumpkins are past their due date. Those that are carved should be placed outside and only carved within days of a celebration.

Another great go-to centerpiece is a simple, large, fall-colored glass bowl. For the first part of autumn you can fill the centerpiece with candies that are wrapped in fall colors as well, such as cinnamon candy or tootsie rolls. These are ideal for the family munchies but also for last-minute trick-or-treaters that may find their way to your door on Halloween past your bedtime. Once Halloween is over, you can fill the bowl with colorful leaves ranging from the darker burnt browns to the bright orange leaves. Throw in some gourds to complete the look. This should carry you through Thanksgiving season.

Whether you adore fall like I do or would rather “Christmas-tree” it and pretend other holidays don’t exist (like Floridians do), there is little denying that fall is full of decorating fun and color schemes. Take the time to look around your local craft stores and see where fall inspiration takes you. It's never too early or too late in the year to begin thinking about what you are going to do for your home decorating in the seasons to come.