Autumn Decorating Inspiration Home Tour
Fall decorating ideas that can be done on a budget.
Nine months ago, my husband and I moved from suburban Philadelphia to Lake Murray in South Carolina to live our dream of living in a house along the water’s edge.
We bought a 1970’s waterfront home complete with a gazebo over the water and dock. We even bought a boat.
The house is in good shape and just needed a few tweaks along with updating in the way of decor. Since we moved in, we have tackled many projects living in the house as we update it to suit our life + style. It truly feels like home now.
You can see the before shots of the house: Before Photos of Lake House
Fall Home Decor: Living Room
FALL DECORATING TIP: Go with one color and make it pop throughout the house.
This stone fireplace used to be a flat brick wall. It was one of the first big projects I took on when we moved into the house. You can read all about it in this post: Fireplace Makeover
I love classic orange pumpkins. Finding them was pretty easy in mid September back in PA. See my previous home decked out for fall.
I can’t even imagine not having a few pumpkins around the inside and outside of the house for fall.
Here in the south though, there is no way to rush fall. There was not a pumpkin in sight no matter where I looked, until yesterday and I found one at the supermarket. :-)
Now I feel like my house is truly ready for fall.
I like to use mostly white when decorating so it is easy to change the color by seasons or just on a whim. Everything goes instantly.
FALL DECORATING TIP: Shop your house and yard for items to add autumn warmth to your home.
I went around my house and yard to find items to use to decorate for fall. When we moved, I only saved one small box of fall decor. If you have been reading my blog for awhile you may see a few things re-purposed from my previous house.
FALL DECORATING TIP: Use a stack of thrift store books to raise a too-short lamp or a vase of flowers. Paint the books in your favorite color.
Fall is all about adding layers and texture to warm up the interior, but also layering as life evolves. I use some of my favorite items every fall. I don’t need all new. I like my true friends that make me smile. I am not after perfection either, just comfy functional style that reflects the season and layering in the things I love while creating a home that is unique to me and my family.
FALL DECORATING TIP: The fall leaf bouquet is from the craft store, but as soon as the leaves start to turn in your area, cut a few branches to decorate your home.
I bought these indoor outdoor swivel rockers back in the spring. I love that they make it easy to watch TV or have conversation when they face out into the room, but what I like best is that I can simply swivel around…
…and face a fire in the fireplace. I can even put my feet up on the hearth.
AUTUMN DECORATING TIP: Save elegantly shaped glass bottles to hold long stems or branches in. The small opening they have make it easy to hold them in a vertical position. Both bottles are the same height. If you look closely at the taller bottle you may see that I have it placed on a spool of ribbon to add height. Shhhhh! The leaves cover it…no one will ever know. :-)
My style is truly a mix, eclectic but a cross between casual, laid back and a mix of cottage with a few modern touches thrown in. I refer to it as Cottage Chic. I don’t decorate to obtain a certain style of decor, I just enjoy putting together what feels right to me visually. Everything has to have a function and most of all be comfy. If it isn’t, it doesn’t make the cut. I wrote a post all about it, you can read it here: How To Decorate So You Feel at Home.
Brightly colored leaves placed in a basket is so easy to do for an instant autumn touch.
DIY Project: Tuna Can Topped Candy Canister on a side table.
FALL TABLE DECORATING TIP: Group a few fall accessories together in a tray. Cover a stack of books with this French script free printable.
DIY Project: Repurposed Mirror Coffee Table is grand central for placing accessories in the living room.
My first real pumpkin of 2016 :-)
Fall is not just about decor, but the change of coming back inside and enjoying inside activities. Soon I will be spending more time indoors and not out on the lake. I am enjoying The Inspired Room’s Coloring Book.
It is a great stress reliever and a way to get my needed daily dose of color therapy. It also looks pretty sitting out and ready on the coffee table.
Fall Home Decor: Kitchen
In the next few weeks I am going to begin to update the kitchen with paint, a new backsplash and more. Until I start, I added a basket of autumn color to enjoy and break up some of the brown wood.
Most of the wood work in the house was brown, I am almost finished painting all if it. Once that is done, I will deal with the painted wallpaper that is peeling off the walls.
When I saw the OPEN sign at HomeGoods, I smiled big time. Ever since we moved to this house we have had a steady stream of friends and family staying with us to spend time on the lake. It feels like a bed and breakfast on some weekends. The sign is quite appropriate. :-)
I also wanted to find something black. We have a big black TV hung on the wall in the living room. It kind of sticks out. To help it blend in, I added the sign and the clock above the sofa in the living room to create a visual triangle of color balance in the two rooms.
Fall branches in a simple glass vase.
Fall Home Decorating: The Exterior Deck
The deck wraps around the water side of the house. There is plenty of space to set up a few different seating areas. This view looks down into the cove on the left side of the house.
After the heat of the summer dried up some of the flowers I had planted in the planters that line the deck, it was time to clean them out and add some pretty Kale and Celosia to get the deck ready for fall.
It is still pretty warm here, but as soon as the weather turns, you will find me right here, looking out at the water.
I hope you enjoyed my fall home tour, if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask in the comments.
