How to: Elegant & cozy, Fall styling guide.
I know I know, Fall doesn’t technically begin until September 22nd, but in my mind, fall begins on September 1st - which also happens to be my birthday.
There’s this intangibly magical thing about fall that stirs up so many good feelings in me. The crisp fall mornings, crunchy leaves, cozy nights by the fire watching Harry Potter, candles, baking - lots of baking. And of course, decorating! Adding a bit of fall inspired decor around the house really helps to encourage those cozy, nostalgic feelings.
So, if you’re like me and the thought of fall makes you want to hunker down, tidy up and decorate, I’ve put together a little guide to help you style your home this season.
There’s a lot of approaches out there, as you might have already guessed, I’m not big on the literal take on fall styling - lots of orange, bats, spiderwebs, pumpkins everywhere. It’s just not really my thing!
My take on fall styling is organic, subtle, timeless, cozy and functional. Think jewel and earth tones, organic textures, cozy throws and pillows. For me, the goal is to capture the essence of the fall season and to be able to reuse your styling pieces year after year with subtle changes now and then.
Just like any other time of year, I wanted this decor round up to be both beautiful & functional. In the fall months when it tends to get chilly and we all start to hunker down more often, it’s nice to focus on bringing in pieces that are inviting and make you want to curl up and stay awhile. Textures, and tones and colors do a lot to accomplish that inviting feeling.
Step 1. Color Scheme & Cozy Factor
When I was putting together this look, I wanted to start by choosing a color scheme that’s leaned towards the moody feeling of Fall so I decided on subtle jewel and earth tones. The blue and green velvet pillows are super soft, adding to that cozy factor. The jewel tones feel rich, sophisticated and moody, while the grey pillow provides contrast and balance, tying in with the blanket. This is the time to pull out all the stops for comfort so choose a blanket that you’ll definitely reach for every time you’re in the room. If you’re styling a living room and have multiple seating areas, it’s nice to have a blanket in each spot so if you have guests, they can curl up too.
Step 2. Metal Accents
I used the color choices for the pillows as a jumping off point for the rest of the decor including the metal accents. I love gold and brass so I wanted to bring in some of that, plus they both work perfectly for fall. These candlesticks from Shop Terrain are classic and when the candles are lit at night it creates this beautiful, warm, glowy effect in the room that is so magical. Playing with more metallic finishes, I chose an aged brass tray from pottery barn to gather things like coasters, a candle, maybe a vase with stems, and coffee table books. You can never go wrong with candles in Fall so I chose this Hearth & Hand candle that has a green stripe around the base to play off of the green velvet pillow plus it has some yellow tones that tie in with the metals.
Step 3. Pull From Nature
I always like to add something alive/organic when styling a space so to finish the look I chose these woven pumpkins from Pottery Barn because I love the warmth and organic texture. Plus unlike real pumpkins, you can reuse them every year! Though I do love a real pumpkin here and there. In addition to that I chose this faux arrangement from Studio McGee’s line with target to bring in more of that nature inspired, organic look and plays well with the warm metals. Last I chose this bowl from Anthropologie as a catch all for the coffee table, fruit bowl, or a display bowl for vase fillers like moss balls.
There you have it - my Fall Styling Guide. Remember, there’s a million and one ways to style your space. Guides like this are helpful for understanding the thought process behind each choice and how to mix and match, but don’t be afraid to make it your own!
As always, I love hearing your feedback and questions. Drop a comment at the bottom and let’s chat!
Want even more inspiration?
Come see what I’ve been pinning in my “Fall Styling” board on Pinterest.
Lately on Instagram
