By Hannah
September 10, 2022
Simply Decorating for Fall 2022
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“OH, it’s the most wonderful time of the year!”. Yes, yes, I know that song is about Christmas but what about my favorite time of the year? Autumn or better known as fall in America is without a doubt my favorite season. Not just because I was a fall baby… but it helps. But how could you not love fall? For those of us who live in a four-season climate the color changes alongside the crisp morning air are a hallmark trait that fall is in the air. Even if you live in an area without a definite fall outside why not invite fall into your home with us all? Apart from pumpkin pie, changing leaf’s, hayrides and corn mazes decorating for fall is a great way to celebrate Autumn.
But as an aspiring minimalist, homemaker and homesteader… How do I decorate for fall?
The answer is Simply. Honestly, I have never really been the person who wants to have an in-your-face home decor in any season. Fall is no exception to my rule even with my undying love for the season. This works for a person who wants to have less stuff cluttering their home. As well as to have little or no change to cleaning difficulties when it comes to their weekly routine. That being said if you want to go all out for fall or any other season then do it. I’m not here to tell anyone what they should or shouldn’t do with their own home. Unless that is of course you want to know how to simply and tastefully decorate for fall using minimal time and decor. Then I’m your girl.
The first place I start is back with my decor from last year.
You already have it. So why not save some money and use it again? I never buy anything I don’t absolutely love to decorate my home. (Excluding my first year I moved out dollar store panic buy items…yikes!) Of course, there will be items that you’ll open your fall decor box and grimace at. But if you bought items that you loved last year there isn’t anything wrong with still loving and using them this year. That is one of my pet peeves about yearly trends. For some reason they always tell you that you NEED new items to make your home look beautiful which is simply not true. If you buy your items thoughtfully and purchase the ones you love, it doesn’t matter if you bought them this year or ten years ago. I get into more about buying new items with a minimalist mindset down below if that is on the agenda.
Starting out I usually set all of my decor on my dining table.
I have exactly one storage container for this season with Halloween filling ¼ of the bin on the bottom. That means all of my decor fits onto my table. It’s okay if you have more but setting it on a surface together can help with planning its home out. Last year I did something out of character and set aside a larger sum of my budget to revamp my fall decor. A lot of my decor was from the dollar store kept from my first fall living out of my parents’ home in 2018. Now there isn’t anything inherently wrong with using the dollar store to decorate your home, but the items are a dollar for a reason. Alongside that for some reason most of the decorations belonged only to Halloween. Meaning I didn’t really have fall decor that could span from September through November. So, to remedy this I spent a small fortune at Michals and other locations to overhaul my fall decor. And let me tell you… I don’t regret any of the purchases I made. I smiled at every piece I had brought into my home when I took them out this year. Quality items that you love will change the decor is a huge game changer.
Things will change
This year was a big year for us. It brought a lot of changes, good and bad. One of those changes was we moved into an apartment. That means my whole set up for my old home inside and outside was not going to work this year. Everything is in a different room or placed differently according to how the apartment layout permitted. Some things did end up in a similar area to which they lived last year during fall but other things I placed in a different spot. One of my biggest tips for when you go to decorate your home is to start with a clean slate. Do a general pickup and clean of every room in your home and make sure it is clean. I do this so I can see how the item looks and feels in each room without clutter and dust ruining the vibe. In my home I have very few things out on my surfaces. It helps make the house feel open and relaxed. Each piece of decor that is kept out year-round has a purpose and is well placed. (In my opinion!) and when I go to add the seasons touch, they really are highlighted. For that reason, I stick to “a little goes a long way”. My dad told me that when I was a kid using wood glue on a project and honestly it applies to far more than just glue (Thanks dad!). Fall would be my favorite example of it since the season literally slowly creeps into our lives, gradually bringing change to the world around us. So, by adding hints of fall in our home it really shows homage for the season.
The last step if you haven’t already started is just placing the decor you love in the areas you feel looks good to you. There is no need to impress anyone with it since let’s be real. The decor you set out should be things you love and in places you like because we live in our homes, not our guests. Don’t make a home you think your guests will like; create a home you love living in. If you truly hate something and it doesn’t fit into the style of your home and with your other decor just let it find a home with someone else by donating it. That way it can live out its life in someone else’s home that may really love it and won’t clutter your house up.
But wait. This doesn’t feel finished or isn’t the look that I wanted but I’m trying to simplify my life.
Oh, I get this so much. Like I said I spent big money on replacing my fall decor last year. I went with a more neutral palette that compliments my home style. Now that fall has rolled around this year, and I am in a new home I feel like my decor doesn’t hit exactly like it did last year. The house even though I now have half the square footage makes my decor come off as obscure and simply too quiet. So even though I am content with the decor I have this year I will be buying a few items to finalize my look. This is okay since I will be discarding a few items that I just don’t want in my home. Even if I weren’t discarding some items to make room for new ones, that’s okay. Some people get caught in the minimalist fallacy of if you bring something new in you should discard the same number of items or more. While this is an excellent tool for beginning your journey there is a certain point where you can relax the rule. It took me about 15 minutes to set out my decor. Plus 30 minutes prior picking up my home the night before (hand washing the dishes as well). That is a doable amount of time in my busy life.
It is all about finding the balance of how you like your home to look and the amount of time you are willing to give to maintain each item. I dust several times a week and that will now include the photo frames and decor out. For counter space it means that I will lift the item and wipe under it. (That means after every meal for the dining table cornucopia). I plan to add two burlap runners, one old fashion “Farm truck” replica, and pumpkins for my deck. That adds three things I will have to clean extra and store. But I feel if I add those accents to my home, it will have a positive effect on how my decor will fill the room. I am willing to trade my time on this earth to maintain this decor instead of doing something else with that time. Given it will only be minutes a week. If you don’t want to trade your time for an object to maintain it, then don’t buy it. It will never really recognize the dream you had for it when you bought it. I hope this helps with your simplified fall decorating and have a happy autumn. May it have chilly nights with a cozy blanket and a warm drink.
