It was past time to turn my attention to fall decor for inside as well as out.
And by fall decor I do NOT mean Halloween decor. I was at Home Goods earlier this week and Halloween was out in full force…am I the only one who loathes Halloween decor??
I mean nothing says “welcome” like a sparkly skull doormat, and a coffin shaped mug.
Even though the calendar says we have FOUR MORE DAYS of summer (and I am clinging to every one of them), the weather says otherwise. It is crisp and cool and very fall-like here this week.
I like my fall decor to last through Thanksgiving until it is time to transition to the winter holidays.
I managed some peach-orange flowers from the grocery store the other day, but I really needed to change over the tablescapes to fall, starting with the large centerpiece in my dining room.
My dining room centerpiece for spring/summer was arranged in a large shallow wooden box/tray/basket (?!) with a handle. I’m not sure what to call it, but its one of my favorite pieces - about 12” x 24” in a celery green color that seems to look good with everything.
I love having my table arrangement in a basket/box or on a tray because then is is easily moved if we want to add a tablecloth or we need that real estate for serving dishes…or whatever!
SO, out came the pink and white hydrangeas, the crabapple stems, the real bird nest (bequeathed by our window box robins!), and the cloche of faux eggs.
In went the fall decor I could find rummaging in my stash!
3 Mercury glass pumpkins
A bin of glittery large acorn ornaments
Glittered and gilded pinecones (really Christmas, but they’ll do for now)
3 stems of faux Chinese lantern plants that followed me home from Home Goods recently
2 strands of faux bittersweet vine
3 faux ivy bushes (2 of these came out of the summer arrangement). Faux ivy is an incredibly versatile filler - highly recommend having some on hand.
Just like any floral arrangement, there are some “rules” that lend success
Use odd numbers of items
Groups of odd numbers, usually 3 for larger items and sometime 5 or 7 for smaller scale additions, make for the most pleasing and dynamic arrangements
Vary the heights and textures
Vary the heights so you get an interesting “skyline” to your arrangement. Adding contrasting textures creates a tension that adds depth. Rougher textures stand out more against smooth or shiny textures.
Use the 3 types of items: thrillers, fillers, and spillers
In this case our thrillers were the foundation of the arrangement - our large glass pumpkins which are 3 different sizes and shapes. I arranged them so that some are tilted for variety.
The spillers were the ivy, bittersweet and Chinese lanterns that tucked in around the pumpkins and spilled over the edges of the basket at random points for a lush, natural, abundant look
The fillers were the pine cones and acorn ornaments which were tucked into the spaces that needed filling in.
Arrange things so there is a rhythm to the color and pattern throughout the arrangement.
While the majority of this arrangement is neutral in color (silver, gold, and green), the colorful orange pieces are in two different scales - the larger Chinese lanterns and the small bittersweet berries.
The colors are distributed casually, but somewhat evenly throughout the composition.
My front door and front porch got it’s upgrade to fall last week too, with a new arrangement in my willow basket for the door, and new mums in the urns to replace the VERY sad and leggy impatiens.
fall door basket
fall front porch decor
I still need so acquire some pumpkins to add to the mix and finish the porch for the season, but we are almost there!
Happy Fall!
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