Decorating golden rule: Live with what you love.

With Fall officially here, I thought this would be the perfect time to round-up some of my favorite decor pieces that I am crushing on for the season. This Fall decor round-up includes essential pieces that you can use year after year. Not only that, but you can use many of the pieces all year round. The Fall decor I’m sharing is not only beautiful, but it’s also traditional which means it will never go out of style. 

As each season arrives year after year, I find it hard to resist the new seasonal decorations that come out in stores. It’s always so tempting to follow the trends each year. Retailers really know how to sell the sizzle! The displays in stores are like eye candy. The catalogs that arrive in the mail have glossy pages brimming with beautiful seasonal decor and styling ideas. If money was no object, I’d love to change my seasonal decor every year, that, however, is not a reality for me.  Therefore, I do my best to limit my spending and the temptation to buy new decor pieces each season.

Here are some simple guidelines I follow when it comes to buying home decor and more specifically, seasonal decor.

Have a plan.

With the arrival of each season, I spend some time thinking about how I want to decorate the farmhouse. Some years, I decorate more than others. The first year we moved into the farmhouse I got really carried away. I did NOT have a plan and it showed very clearly. Talk about decking the halls! I’m pretty sure it was after that holiday season that I enacted these guidelines which I now live by.  

As time has gone on here on the farm, our slower-paced life has helped me realize that (for me), less is more. With each passing year, I find myself being less concerned with decorating and more interested in making memories and cherishing the traditions of the season; cooking and baking with the family, taking care of all the animals, and enjoying the farm, just to name a few. My decorating goal now centers around adding thoughtful and meaningful touches of the season throughout our home. Simple as that.

Set a budget.

Since money isn’t growing on trees here at the farm (wouldn’t that be wonderful), every season I set a budget for new seasonal decor. I am happy to say that sometimes I don’t come close to reaching it (sometimes). Not only is it important to set a budget, but it’s even more important to stick to it. It’s very easy to get carried away when shopping for seasonal decor.

I’ve said it before and I’ll continue to say it, nature is one of the best seasonal decor stores we’ve got and the best part is, it’s free!

Need vs. Want

Anytime I am looking at purchasing decor for the farmhouse I ask myself, “Do I need or do I want it?” This is always a good checks and balances system to use when shopping for your home. Yes, everyone needs a good throw to cozy up in when they’re sitting in their favorite chair. Pillows are a great way to add comfort, color, and texture to a space. Candles are a wonderful way to add ambiance to a room. All of these are facts. However, how many of them do you truly need? The answer is just a couple of good ones that you really love. Believe me, I know, they are hard to resist!

I also make sure that if I do buy a new piece of decor that I think about how I can continue to use it year after year and even better, throughout the year. The big question I ask myself is, “Is it timeless?” If the answer is “No,” then I usually pass on the item.  

With these guidelines in mind, I want to share with you some of my favorite Fall decor finds for this year. 

Cozy throws in Fall are a must.

Fall and winter are the seasons of cozy. Having a quality and comfy throw to enjoy in the home is very important. Not only do they add warmth, but they also create a cozy feel to your home and add color and texture to a room. You can never go wrong with a neutral color throw blanket. My favorite is cream or taupe. I do however love to add touches of color for each season with a throw blanket.

Pillows add the perfect pop (of color).

It’s no secret that one of the easiest and more affordable ways of adding color to a room is through pillows.

In the last couple of years, I have stopped buying throw pillows. Now I have a handful of pillow inserts and I change out the covers for the seasons. Not only are pillow covers typically less expensive than a throw pillow, but they are much easier to store when they’re not in use. I hang my pillow covers that aren’t being used on a skirt hanger with clips. It’s so much easier than having a bunch of pillows stuffed in a bin in the attic or on shelves in a closet! 

I have been working hard recently at making sure that the pillow covers I use in the farmhouse can be used for other seasons too. They don’t necessarily need to be used year-round, but if I can get a couple of season out of them, I consider that a win. 

Celebrate with Fall touches. (That can be used for more than one season.) 

I love the challenge of finding ways to use everyday home decor for seasonal decorating. Pitchers are a perfect example. Yes, they make serving beverages on a table very convenient. They also work great as a vase for fresh or faux flowers. Bowls are another great example. A ceramic or wood bowl can be great to keep fruit in on a kitchen counter, but they can also be beautiful centerpieces on a table filled with seasonal pieces like mini pumpkins in the fall. (Add a little moss around them and voila!) Finding multiple uses for everyday things is a huge money saver when it comes to seasonal decor. 

After all, it is Fall, y’all.

It is Fall after all which means a little sprinkling of pumpkins and Fall florals around the home is a must. I try to use real pumpkins and Fall florals whenever possible. However, it’s also fun to have a collection of faux pumpkins, whether they be ceramic, wood, or even concrete. (See my DIY Concrete Pumpkins post to make your own.) There are also incredible faux florals available now. Today’s faux stems are not like the ones our moms used to use. They are so beautiful and realistic looking!

The warm glow of candlelight.

There is nothing like the warm and inviting glow of candlelight in the Fall. Whether the candles are on a table, a mantel, or on a kitchen island, they add so much beauty and ambiance to a room. I find candlesticks to be especially fun to use in Fall because you can mix and match styles and sizes creating a seasonal whimsey to a space. 

I hope you find my personal seasonal decor shopping guidelines helpful. I also hope you find these Fall decor pieces in my round-up beautiful and traditional enough that they can be used every Fall and also in other seasons throughout the year.  Happy decorating!