Arrange flowers in a pumpkin vase for a non-traditional table centerpiece. ATTRIBUTION: Jodimichelle (Flickr)
When most people think of fall décor, they picture orange pumpkins, brightly-colored mums, and festive wreaths, but that doesn’t mean that you have to go that way when you’re adorning your own home. This fall, explore some other fun color palettes, textures, and themes. By switching out the classic autumn colors and décor for something more creative, you can incorporate a stylish and sophisticated design scheme in your home.
Creative Painted Pumpkins
You don’t need to carve your pumpkins to make a design statement. With a little paint and a brush, you can create a posh pumpkin that adds an air of elegance to indoor or outdoor décor. You can either freehand a design or use a template to make the process easier. Try making some glitter spiderwebs, vivid flowers, a chevron pattern, or an ombre effect using a non-traditional color. For a fast and inexpensive project, consider spray-painting your pumpkins with gold or silver metallic paint.
Floral Centerpiece in Earth Tones
Complete your fall tablescape with an eye-catching floral centerpiece. Instead of traditional fall colors like red, yellow, purple, and orange, use earthier tones like brown, green, and tan. One idea is to add moss, greenery, and miniature pumpkins to weathered pots. You might also try putting white pumpkins on a serving tray surrounded by fallen leaves and dried white hydrangeas. If possible, take advantage of foliage found in your own backyard or garden for a more natural look.
Handmade Fall Décor
Your fall decorations don’t have to come from a store: You can create your own décor using tools and supplies found around your home. For instance, try making an industrial metal pumpkin using perforated metal hanger straps, compression spring, hobby wire, and screws and nuts. The metal strips come together to create a pumpkin shape, and the compression spring and wire create the stem and vines. Not into the industrial look? Cute fabric pumpkins can be made from fabric scraps, stuffing, and extras like twigs and ribbon.
Decorative Copper Accents
Metallic tones remain popular, adding a unique texture and luster to any sort of decorating project. Incorporate metals like copper into your fall décor to create a warm and inviting space. One easy way to add a touch of copper to your home is with a metallic copper paint pen. Found at most craft stores, these paint pens can be used to add elegant lettering to white pumpkins. Use hammered copper vases to showcase a bouquet of fall flowers from your garden, or attach copper-hued letters to a wooden base to create a seasonal piece of wall décor.
Neutral-Colored Mums
Avoid mums in common fall colors like gold or burgundy. Instead, focus on mums in white or other neutral colors. Place your mums in a hollowed-out pumpkin or an antique crock, or simply wrap the pots the flowers came in with burlap. Small bunches of mums can also be placed in miniature pumpkins to use as place markers at your table. Outdoors, add neutral-colored mums to window boxes or create a front door display using mums, Indian corn, and small gourds.