Early Fall decorating on the farm is my favorite. Transitioning home decor from Summer to Fall doesn’t have to be difficult or expensive. Adding simple and subtle touches of Fall, while still paying homage to Summer, is the perfect way to transition your home this time of the year.
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I’m excited to be joining some incredibly talented friends today for a Harvest Home Tour. If you are looking for early Fall and Fall inspiration, you are definitely in the right place. You are going to love what these wonderful ladies have to share.
New here? Welcome, I’m so happy you’re here! I am excited to share some of our farm and the farmhouse with you today. I invite you to grab your favorite beverage, get comfy, and enjoy the inspiration. My hope is that you love what you see and read in my blog. If you do, I’d love for you to subscribe. I can’t wait to share lots more with you in the upcoming months.
Now, without further ado, let’s start decorating!
Where do I Begin?
When starting a seasonal decor transition, I find that it is best to start with a small space. Oftentimes, trying to decorate your entire home can be overwhelming and sometimes discouraging. By starting with a small space in your home you can make sure you love the look. If you don’t love it, it’s easier to change things around until you do fall in love. Therefore, each year I typically start my seasonal home decor transition in the same place at the farmhouse, the front porch.
Early Fall Decorating on the Front Porch
The front porch acts as an outdoor living room here on the farm. This makes it the perfect spot to try out different color palettes and styles each season. Once I find the look I love out on the porch, it’s easy to carry that same look and feel into the farmhouse. It tends to be a wave that slowly grows in strength as it flows into the farmhouse. I love when seasonal decor flows from one room to the next.
This year, my early Fall home decor color palette will include muted tones of yellow, cream, and antique brass. These colors are a beautiful way to start welcoming in and celebrate the much-anticipated arrival of Fall, while still enjoying the splendor of Summer.
Design Elements for Early Fall Decorating on the Farm
Design is a science as well as an art. The goal of interior design is to create a finished look that is aesthetically pleasing as well as functional in a home. There are seven elements of design to consider in order to create balance in an interior (or in this case, exterior) design scheme. The seven elements are space, line, shape and form, light, color, texture, and pattern.
As I begin to decorate for the arrival of Fall on the front porch, I focus on four of the seven elements of design: space, color, texture, and pattern.
Space
Balance is the key to ‘space’ in design. The positive and negative space in a room needs to be used just right to create balance. Positive space is the area in which a room’s objects (sofa, chairs, table, etc) are placed. Negative space refers to the gaps in between these objects. It is necessary for movement around a room. To prevent a room from feeling cluttered, you need negative space.
Our farmhouse front porch is long, but it is not deep. Therefore, balance is achieved by keeping furniture and decor to a minimum. It runs across the entire front of the house and leads up to the front door. Being that the porch is split in half by the entryway to the front door, each side of the porch is utilized in a different way.
There are two things one “must-have” on a southern front porch, either a rocker or a porch swing. We are lucky enough to have both. On one side of the front porch, there are two rockers. We call these our “storm watching rockers.” (This is the best spot to watch a late afternoon storm roll in on the farm.) The small table in between the rockers is perfect for holding a glass of sweet tea and some seasonal flowers. Together, these three pieces are just enough to make this side of the porch comfortable and functional.
Of course, a couple of soft knit blankets, comfy pillows, and a napping kitty are the perfect simple touches to make a mighty cozy-looking early Fall front porch!
Color
Now it’s time to decorate the other side of the front porch. Truth be told, this is my favorite side! This side of the porch is home to the ever-popular porch swing bed. A true “relaxation station” on the farm.
As I mentioned earlier, the color palette for my early Fall decorating includes soft hues of gold, cream, and antique brass. Once Fall has officially arrived I will begin adding muted tones of orange, green, and copper into my decor. These classic Fall colors compliment and blend in beautifully with my early Fall color palette. Therefore, the transition into full Fall decor should be very smooth. I love when that happens!
Cream: I like to keep most of my year-round home decor neutral. Having a neutral base makes it easy to add pops of color throughout each season. Cream is my go-to neutral color in the farmhouse. It keeps things light and bright while at the same time adds a feeling of warmth that that can sometimes feel absent in bright white.
Mustard yellow: This shade of yellow stands out beautifully from the cream. It creates the perfect warm and welcoming “pop” of color. With its muted tone, the yellow is prevented from being too much of a stark contrast against the cream.
Antique brass: The antique brass candlesticks also create a warm metallic tone for this space that pairs perfectly with the mustard yellow, cream, and wood throughout the porch.
Texture
When decorating a space, I love to add texture through throw pillows, blankets, and rugs. The cream macrame pillows on the porch are a staple year-round. Not only do they add neutrality to the space, but they also add texture. In Fall and Winter, I also love to add knits and velvet for texture. Knit pillows and throws are my favorite. Velvet is also incredibly soft and luxurious in the colder months. Both of these textiles add texture and they are super cozy too!
Pattern
Bold patterns or simple patterns?… That is the question. I favor simple patterns. Some might say I’m a simpleton, and that is okay by me. The beauty of simple patterns is that they not only add visual interest to a space, but they can also add texture when the pattern is small and repeating.
I’m in love with this Morning Meadow pattern by Piper Classics. It’s the perfect pattern to usher in Fall on the heels of Summer. The combination of chocolate brown and mustard yellow in the delicate floral pattern in the pillows is beautiful and pairs perfectly with the cream and wood on the porch. I love this pattern so much, I even added it to our bedroom this season!
Early Fall Decorating by the Pond
With the front porch decorated for early Fall, I couldn’t help but tie my decorating scheme into the picnic area by the pond. Since building this picnic table with my own two hands (and with the help of my handy husband), this is our new favorite outdoor spot on the farm. If you want to learn how to build your own picnic table, you’ll want to check out this post.
Although I love Summer and I always hate to see it go, one of the best parts of Fall is being able to eat outside again. In Fall, the air is cooler and humidity is lower which makes it perfect for squeezing in some al fresco evenings before it gets too cold.
I had so much fun decorating the picnic table with some early Fall touches. My go-to outdoor tablecloth is always a canvas dropcloth. They are incredibly inexpensive, durable, and easy to clean. Win-win-win, especially for the outdoors. Over the tablecloth, I layered a beautiful table square with a very vintage look to it. I love the pattern! It adds great color and texture too.
To give the tablescape a modern farmhouse look, I added some black metal decor pieces from another of my favorite online home decor shops, The Nested Fig. I arranged some faux Fall stems in a black metal pot which pairs perfectly with the 3-armed candelabra. Since you can’t ever have too much candlelight, I also added the set of two black metal lanterns on shepherd’s hooks. They added more lovely candlelight and ambiance to the dining area. I decorate the base of the lanterns with simple natural hops candle rings around the candles.
Bring on Fall
After spending this time adding early Fall touches to a couple of spaces at the farm, I think it’s fair to say I’m definitely ready for the arrival of Fall. Bring it on! I’m looking forward to adding more Fall touches to the farm and the farmhouse as the weeks progress. I hope you will join me here as I continue to share my decorating ideas, seasonal recipes, and easy DIYs with you. Plus, I have a few surprises up my sleeve that you’re not going to want to miss.
It was a pleasure sharing this time with you. Thank you for joining me! Be sure to check out all the ladies in this tour and their fabulous posts. Each and everyone one of them is so talented. Their homes and their blogs are filled with tons of inspiration. You’re going to love what they have to share!
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This was so fun and informative Meeghan! I guess it’s time to get tve fall bins out of the garage and get to decorating! Thank you for the inspiration! Your farm looks beautiful!
Diane
I’m so happy you enjoyed the post, Diane! Thank you for your kind comment and compliments. It’s always my pleasure to share with you and a true honor to inspire you. Happy decorating!
Your fall decor is so inspiring Meeghan! I love all the cozy textiles you used.
Thank you so much, Shawna! I appreciate the love. Happy (almost) Fall!
I just love your outdoor spaces decorated for fall, everything is absolutely gorgeous! Your backyard is amazing with the pond in the background and the table that you built is beautiful!
Thank you so much Kristin! I appreciate your kind words and compliments! I’m so happy you enjoyed the post. Happy (almost) Fall!
Meeghan you have all the right ideas in creating lovely fall outdoor spaces. I could relax here all day with these pretty colors and textures. Pinning!
I appreciate your kind words and compliments, Michelle! Creating inviting and cozy spaces gives me such joy, as does spending time outside in Fall. It’s my favorite season here in the south!
Wow, Meeghan…I’m floored by how beautiful this is! I love that you shared the “science” behind your choices too. And those floral pillows are my favorite–the perfect touch! I love it all…pinning your gorgeous ideas now! xo, Kristi
Thank you so much, Kristi! I’m so happy you enjoyed the post. It was an honor and a pleasure to share our front porch with you. I had so much fun designing and decorating it for early Fall. I appreciate the love! xo-
Meeghan, I think I would sit on that bed swing all day long! I love it and all of those pillows and throws are amazing! So happy to be on the tour with you!
C’mon on over, Becky, I’ll put another pot of coffee on and we can chat all afternoon on the bed swing! Thank you for your kind words. I appreciate the love. It’s been a true honor and pleasure joining y’all on this tour! Happy (almost) Fall!
Your outdoor space is so beautiful especially by the pond. You have done a great job decorating for fall.
Thank you so much, Sherry! I appreciate your kind words. I’m so excited about the arrival of Fall!
Meeghan,
I loved your table centerpiece and everything is so lovely. So happy to be on this tour with you.
Thank you so much, Rachel! It’s been an honor and pleasure joining y’all for this tour. So much inspiration!
Such an absolutely beautiful fall space…love the “Stay Awhile” sign! So happy to be on the tour with you. Happy Harvest Season! xoxo, Kristi
Thank you, Kristi! I’m so happy you enjoyed the post. It has been a true honor and pleasure joining you talented ladies for this tour. Happy Harvest Season to you too!
I love the colors you chose! Great contrast with your dark shutters. And that bed/swing is amazing. Love it all!
Thank you so much, Kathleen! I’m so happy you love the design. It was so much fun sharing it with you!
You nailed it with this porch. The colors, textures, and designs are gorgeous. It looks like the perfect place to hangout for fall.
What an incredible compliment, Angie! Thank you, I’m so happy you like it. We love to hang out on the front porch year-round, but especially in Fall!
Your porch is so inviting and your backyard by the pond is absolutely enchanting! Great design tips, too. I bet that swing is the favorite spot!
We love the swing, Lora, especially in Fall! Thank you for your incredibly kind words. Happy (almost) Fall!
I’m in love with the mustard yellow!! I barely liked yellow… and now I’m obsessed!! What a beautiful post!!
I know what you mean, Jennifer! Up until recently, I hadn’t been a fan of yellow either. Recently though the warm, inviting, and cheery color has stolen my heart. I’m so happy you love it too! Thank you for your kind words, I’m so happy you enjoyed the post!!
Such a welcoming and warm front porch! Love everything you’ve done with this space!
I appreciate your kind words, Jess, thank you! I’m so happy you enjoyed the post. It was fun sharing it with you! Happy (almost) Fall!
I love you fall vibe everything is so beautiful!! 🙂
Thank you so much, Tanya!
Meeghan. your porch is so dreamy!!! I am smitten with that big porch swing!! All the fall touches are so perfect!!! Love your style!!
Your kind words mean the world to me Emily, thank you! I’m so happy you enjoyed what I shared. It was fun putting it all together to share with you. Happy (almost) Fall!
Everything is just gorgeous! I love the shades of soft mustards/yellow that you used and the sweet print on the pillows.. Would you mind sharing where the striped pillows are from?
Thank you so much for your kind words, Suzy! I’m so happy you enjoyed the inspiration. I’m always happy to share sources! The striped pillows are from Kirkland’s. Happy (almost) Fall!
Meeghan, I absolutely adore all of your outdoor Fall decor! So many pretty things and the styling is superb!
What wonderful compliments, Kristy, thank you!! Wishing you a lovely Fall season ahead!
I love this combo of mustard yellow, cream and brass for fall! Looks so cozy and perfect for cooler weather on your porch.
I’m so happy you love the colors, Elaine! Thank you for your kind words. Happy (almost) Fall!
So warm and cozy. It’s gorgeous!
What wonderful compliments, Renea. Thank you!