Transitioning Your Home from Summer to Fall
In many parts of the country, the weather may still feel hot—we’re still reaching the high eighties here in the Denver, CO, area. Now that summer has officially come to an end, even if you’re not quite ready to put on your sweater or grab a pumpkin spice latte, now is a great time to evaluate your interior decor and make some easy, affordable swaps to get your home fall ready.
Before you say it—no, I’m not suggesting that you hang any cliché fall signs. Instead, I’m talking about making small, subtle adjustments through colors and textures (and even scents!) that completely change the vibe of a room.
Here are three simple ways to transition your decor for the cooler months.
3 Ways to Swap Your Decor for Fall
Materials. Hot and sticky summer weather calls for light materials like linen, cotton, or chenille. But when things cool down, we want the comfort of thick, cozy textures, like soft knits, rich leathers, chunky wools, and trendy bouclé.
Tones. Fall is the season to fully embrace warm tones. My signature design style always leans neutral, but I go even more saturated in Fall. Think forest and olive greens, mustard, rust, and burnt orange.
Tip: If you need a little help selecting warm fall tones, just look at the changing colors of the trees. Those greens, yellows, and reds look effortless in nature, so you know they’ll work in your home!
Scents. Fully embrace Autumn inside your house by activating all your senses. Fall-scented candles really set the mood. But they don’t need to be obvious, like an apple pie candle. Reach for something a little more subtle, like bergamot or cloves instead.
Easy Home Decor Swaps for Fall
Ok, so I realize I’m in a privileged position when it comes to changing my decor—I receive lots of home products and can frequently swap items when I choose. But you don’t need to be a home influencer to change things up in your house. Here are a few simple ways to transition elements of your home for Fall.
Change up your rug.
A rug is the foundation of a room, as it grounds the space and sets the mood. By switching your rug to something more fall-inspired, you can completely change the feel of any room. Of course, your furniture sits on top of it, so this may not be the most effortless swap, but alternating your rug can be much more affordable than changing larger furniture pieces, like a sofa. Before you commit to a new rug, just make sure it coordinates with the tones in your sofa first.
Swap out accent pieces.
Small decor is typically affordable and quite easy to change seasonally. Try alternating your console or coffee table decor for something that feels a little more textured and earthy. If you don’t know which colors to choose, try pulling them from the area rug. For example, our bedroom has a chunky wool rug layered under a sage green rug with tones of beige throughout. We used complementary beige curtains, pillows, and throws to enhance those beige tones and make the room look cohesive.
Ivory Sutton Area Rug, Eve Printed Wool Rug, Safavieh Curtain, Chambray Sheer Curtain, Plaid Throw Pillow, Asheville Lumbar Throw Pillow
Here in our living room, we used the Amber Lewis x Loloi Billie rug in Tobacco / Rust. The rug has mustard and brick tones, which we emphasized in the art above the sofa and the blush and mustard throw pillows.
Rugs (Clockwise): Loloi Antique Sage Rug, Loloi Hathaway Rug, Chris Loves Julia Terracotta Rug, Loloi Ocean Spice Rug, Loloi Vance Charcoal Rug, Chris Loves Julia Gold Sand Rug. Pillows (Clockwise): Loloi P0689 Grey Pillow (unavailable), Loloi White and Black Wool Pillow Cover, Loloi Multi Dark Pillow Cover, Loloi Tan Fringe Pillow Cover, Loloi Jute Pillow Cover, Loloi White and Black Tassel Pillow Cover
After this long, hot summer, I can’t wait to freshen up my home with a few new pieces for fall. And I’m especially excited to start shopping Target’s fall Threshold collection designed with Studio McGee as well as the Heath & Hand collection with Magnolia! Here are some of my favorite picks:
Cream Plaid Pillow, Rust Pillow, Boucle Tan Pillow, Plaid Pillow, Cream Stripe Pillow, Brown Geo Stripe Pillow, Geometric Wall Art, Glass Textbook Wall Art (Set of 2), Ivory Accent Chair, Boucle Throw Blanket, Canvas Log Holder, Leather Magazine Holder, Faux Wood Lamp, Large Cream Vase, Small Cream Vase, Fringe Cube.
Play with curtains.
Curtains don’t have to be a permanent fixture in a room. If your ceilings are low enough, you can change your curtains just as easily as your other decor!
I love our natural, creamy white curtains, but after the leaves fall and we’re left with bare trees, we needed another source for adding color against our almost pure white walls. Switching up our neutral palette, we thought the curtains would be a great way to add rich, deep color that’s perfect for fall in a really meaningful way. We tested a couple different curtains (a vibrant forest green and a lovely golden butterscotch) in our sitting room where there aren’t many other competing colors. The golden color really brings out the warm tones in our ottoman and artwork while the green makes our plants and throw pillows pop. Which do you prefer?
Even the smallest swaps can make a giant impact! I hope you’ve found these tips helpful. For more advice on changing your decor this season, follow along on Instagram to see how I’m transitioning my house for autumn!