Celebrate the Season With These 40 Modern Fall Decorating Ideas (2024)

Decorating

Seasonal Decorating

Megan McCarty

Megan is a writer, editor, etc.-er, with over 13 years of experience in both print and digital media. She regularly contributes to design-focused outlets such as MyDomaine, Architectural Digest, Domino, House & Home, and Hunker.

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Updated on 11/16/23

With the smell of crisp leaves and pumpkin spice lattes in the air, it's time to switch up your home's decor to celebrate the fall season.

That doesn't just mean an autumnal gourd here and a pumpkin there—though those items are more than welcome. Fall decor come in all forms, from lush textures to natural touches, like a bouquet of dried flowers.

Celebrate the Season With These 40 Modern Fall Decorating Ideas (2)

With a few easy refreshes in your home, including your living room, kitchen, bedroom, and beyond, you'll be cozied up admiring your brilliant decorating skills before you know it. Read on for 40 modern fall decorating ideas we love—and you will, too.

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Add Plaid Accents

Plaid and autumn go hand-in-hand. Add a plaid accent, like a classic red-and-black throw, to the end of your bed or on the back of a chair for a cozy (yet practical) touch. It fits in especially well with warm wood and leather tones, yet the overall lightness of this space prevents it from feeling too cabin-like.
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Bring Touches of the Outdoors In

This living room begs for a good book and a dark beverage on a chilly autumn day. It's rustic yet refined, with an outdoorsy feel thanks to touches of natural elements.
Get a good look at the tripod floor lamp, the rattan chaise, the weathered coffee table, and (easiest of all to pull off yourself) the vase full of fall branches.
18 Inexpensive Fall Decorating Ideas You'll Want To Copy
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Color Coordinate Your Décor

Fall's color scheme is pretty definite, but you can streamline your space by sticking to just a color or two in various shades. Perhaps white and brown, like this Kate Marker Home design.
Fill your couches with a variety of throw pillows in different sizes, shapes, and patterns, but all within the same limited color scheme. It creates a calm, soothing atmosphere with plenty of beautiful decor that doesn't compete for your attention.
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Switch Out Your Bedding

By the time the first leaf changes color in the autumn, consider it time to change out your lightweight summer bedding for cozier layers. Goodbye linen, and hello, flannel duvets.
Even better? Deck your bed with bedding in fall-friendly colors, like cocoa and burnt orange.
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Top Your Bed With a Chunky Knit Throw

Cozy, cozier, and coziest—that's how the elements of your bedding should feel come autumn.
Our recommendation? Drape a chunky knit throw as the top layer. Not only will it keep you warm on the first chilly nights of the season, but its weighty presence adds an autumnal aesthetic to even light, bright bedding.
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Add a Smattering of Pumpkins

You can't deny the charm of pumpkins, real or faux. These velvety ones offer a hint of autumn on open shelves, and especially pop against a backdrop of not-so-fall-like botanical wallpaper. Use these as proof you don't need to spare a lot of room to infuse the season into your decor.
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Decorate Your Open Shelves With Fall Garlands

Don't leave your kitchen out when it comes to seasonal decorating—just make sure you do it in a way that doesn't impede on its functionality. After all, you still have to bake pumpkin muffins somewhere.
Keep the clutter off your countertops by draping a fall garland along your open shelving. It adds a seasonal flair to your space without feeling crowded.
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Highlight Warm Metallics

A traditional autumn color palette is full of oranges, yellows, browns, and reds. There's no need to limit yourself to those colors and those colors alone, though.
Warm metallics, such as brass and copper, fit right in with the natural warmth of autumn colors. Bring the trend home in small decor pieces, like a brass table lamp or a set of copper candlesticks.
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See Also
64 Fall Décor Ideas to Make Your Home Cozy and Festive 65 Fall Decor Ideas for an Autumn-Inspired Home 35 Breathtaking Farmhouse Fall Decor Ideas To Transform Your Home 40 Fall Décor Ideas to Get Your Home Ready for Autumn
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Makeover Your Mantel

There's no better time to rearrange your fireplace mantel than the start of a new season. Come fall, you can put plush pumpkins to work, adding color and texture to any mantel.
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For an unexpected take, opt for pumpkins in nontraditional hues, like the jewel-toned ones that coordinate with the artwork on this mantel.
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Hang Fall Wreaths in Windows

Wreaths are a given during the holidays, but what about during the fall season? Hit up your favorite home goods store or DIY a few seasonal wreaths to decorate your door, windows, or mantel this autumn.
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Switch Up Your Throw Pillows

One of the easiest and most inexpensive ways to add a jolt of newness to your decor (whether in your living room or a bedroom) is to switch out the throw pillows. Shop for ones in fall colors or patterns that you'll be excited to pull out of storage each September.
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Use Muted Colors

There's no need to deck your house in floor-to-ceiling bright orange or jet black. For a gentler approach to autumn decor, use muted fall colors instead. If you feel more bold as Halloween approaches, you can layer in more standout colors as the season goes on.
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Display Fall Flowers

Flowers are a decor must-have all year long. Save the bright hues for spring and summer though. Come autumn, display moodier-colored flowers, like mums or African daisies, in rich reds, oranges, and neutrals.
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Design Motifs on Shelves

Open shelves are the ideal place to design a fall-themed vignette. Using pumpkins, candlesticks, vases, and other object you can show off both your favorite fall items and your eye for styling.
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Add Orange Accents

Just a hint of orange may be all your space needs to feel fully fall. Arrange a small bouquet of orange flowers, likeBecca Interiorsdid in the living room above, or rely on a hint of the hue in a throw pillow, blanket, or (of course) a pumpkin or two.
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Lean on Accent Lighting

For ultimate cozy vibes this fall and winter, consider your lighting sources. String lights and candles—the more, the better!—instantly add a warm, welcoming ambient light to any space. As the sun sets earlier and earlier, you'll be putting your accent lighting to work a little more every day.
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Display Nature-Inspired Items

As much as we adore pumpkins, they aren't the only nature-inspired decor item you can add to your home this autumn. Try feathers or dried flowers in soft, neutral tones instead of (or in addition to!) pumpkins.
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Let Leather Shine

There's no wrong time of year to showcase a leather couch, though it really shines in the fall. Just think: leathery tones pair perfectly with touches of autumn, so it's a breeze to layer fall style atop and around it.
Add a few pillows, a throw blanket, and a stack of books you've been meaning to read and voila! May cozy time commence immediately.
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Add a Rich-Toned Area Rug

Switching out an area rug is no small task, especially if it involves a lot of furniture rearranging, but it's one change that can provide a major impact. Take this deeply-colored red rug in a space by Ashe Leandro as an example. It checks all the boxes: color, texture, and coziness.
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Think Soft

When it comes to fall decor, the softer, the better. That goes for high-piled area rugs, faux fur throw blankets, velvety pillows, and feather accents. Combined, they make for a stylish living room that begs for serious lounging.
See Also
20+ Fall Living Room Decor Ideas for the Cozy Months Ahead - Caitlin Marie Design
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Display Lanterns

Lanterns aren't only meant for outdoors. Consider them a seasonally-appropriate substitute for a cloche, as they fit in well with other fall decor. Add one to a coffee table or a vignette of a few in different heights at the end of a hallway or in an entryway.
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Layer Textures

Wicker is a material often associated with summer, but its natural tones and cool texture work just as well in the fall too. To make sure it feels perfectly in place, juxtapose wicker accents with warm autumn colors and softer textures.
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Switch Out Your Drapery

For an impactful switch up this fall season, store your summery curtains away and break out heavier ones instead.
Take this living room designed by Bespoke Only as inspiration. Its deep green drapes add depth and weight, all while keeping the cold air out. Changing drapery isn't an easy task for everyone, but if yours are a breeze to switch out, go for it.
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Have Fun With It

Decorating should never be taken too seriously. If your style veers towards lighthearted and quirky, lean into that this fall with pom-pom garland, glittery pink pumpkins, and plenty of pampas grass, just likeModern House Vibesdid.
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Forage Branches

There's no need to break your budget on fall decor. For a statement piece of modern fall decor, look no further than your backyard. Trim a small branch covered in bright and boldly-colored leaves for an instant bouquet. Hurry—the colors never last as long as we'd like.
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Hang Fall Decor from Your Light Fixtures

Whenever you think you're out of space to add more fall decor, just look up. Your light fixtures may be the perfect spot to add another dose of autumn charm.
Take this dining space by MSTARR Design Studio, for instance. Simply string a garland of dried flowers, berries, and twisted branches through your chandelier.
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Go Maximalist

Minimalists, keep scrolling. This example of modern fall decor is pure maximalist, proving you can pack a serious punch in a small space. Don't be shy about layering your favorite fall decor items with cozy textiles and plenty of ambient lighting.
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Indulge in a Pumpkin Pillow

Who can deny the charm of a pumpkin-shaped pillow? They're seasonally very specific, but a joy to pull out of storage every fall. Remember: decorating should be fun!
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Arrange Grasses and Grains

Here's proof it doesn't take much to add a touch of fall to your home. A small bouquet of dried grasses and grains is a subtle yet seasonally festive way to celebrate fall.
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Add a petite vase to a coffee table, dining table, entryway console, or anywhere, really—it's a small piece of decor that makes a big impact.
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Arrange Small Décor Vignettes

Don't get overwhelmed at the thought of completely overhauling your living spaces with fall decor. Instead, take a bits-and-pieces approach, creating small vignettes with touches of fall.
Try adding a pair of candlesticks to your mantel, a vase of dried flowers to your coffee table, and intermixing a pumpkin or two among your everyday decor. This bite-sized approach is a budget-friendly way to bring fall into your decor, and allows you to rearrange the pieces year after year for a new look each fall.
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Switch Out Your Gallery Wall

If your gallery wall is full of summery scenes, now is the time to switch out your artwork.
Head to an antique store to stock up on vintage prints, or shop around your house for meaningful memories worth framing. Mixing vintage pieces with modern ones creates a mix 'n' match feel that's all your own.
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Keep It Light

There's something special about the sunlight in autumn. Enjoy every second of it by decorating a room in shades of cream. It balances lightness and warmth in a way that makes you want to curl up with a cup of tea.
Plus, if your space is low on natural light, white decor will trick the eye into thinking the room is sunnier than it is.
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Think Minimally

You don't need to fill a cart full of autumn decorations to embrace the season. Sometimes all it takes to bring a feeling of fall is a simple bouquet of fall-colored flowers. Arrange them in a modern vase, then consider your decorating done for the season.
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Display Seasonal Fruits

Time to visit your local farmer's market. Seasonal fruit (like apples, pears, figs, or whatever else grows in your region) make for a beautiful display on your kitchen island or dining room table. For cool contrast, arrange them in a metallic bowl, like this one silver one from Sabavi Home. Bonus: they're delicious too.
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Add a Spooky Touch

Fall decor and Halloween decorations are a match made in seasonal decorations heaven. Take this arrangement of decor from Kate Marker Home, for instance. Texture pumpkins are sprinkled amongst dried florals, a pair of candlesticks, an autumn wreath, a scented candle, and a mummy.
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Lean Into Neutral Colors

Creams, beiges, and whites can evoke the lightness of summer, but add some additional warmth and the neutrals can be just as appropriate in the fall. How do you do that? It's easy: candlelight and plush throw blankets.
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Take the Decor Outside

Fall decor isn't limited to indoors. A smattering of pumpkins makes for a particularly warm welcome on your doorstep too. Arranging pumpkins in a variety of sizes and colors leading up your home will surely make you smile every day. Here's betting trick-or-treaters will appreciate them too.
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Play With Color Schemes

If your walls' paint colors are far from fall-themed, now is a great time to push the boundaries with color combinations. Try burnt orange pillows with jewel-toned walls, as Erin Williamson Design did here. If you have a neutral-toned couch, all the better—that acts as a calm in between to go wild with colors in your decorations.
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Create a Cozy Nook

As a kid, did you have a secret hideaway spot where you could sneak away to read and play? This is the adult version. Amp up the coziness level in a corner, asHerzen Stimme did, with a pillow and blanket-filled nook. A fall-scented candle is a must, and so are delicate string lights. Consider this the perfect fall reading corner.
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Embrace Halloween

Come the couple weeks before Halloween, add an additional layer to your fall decor with a subtle yet spooky touch. A colony of faux bats blends in perfectly with Lucky Plot 13's stairway, with its black-and-white theme.
Once the last of the trick-or-treaters have come and gone, you can take down the Halloween decorations and leave your fall ones in place until it's time to break out the Christmas decor.