So excited about today’s post! Our family room is ready to welcome a new season! I’m sharing how I’ve decorated this space for Fall along with a few of my favorite Fall decorating tips and ideas. But that’s not all! *Sorry if that just sounded like an infomercial.. can you tell I’m excited? ;) I’m joining a group of incredibly talented blog friends and together we are sharing 30 Tips for Fabulous Fall Decor. So if you are in the mood to decorate your home for this season.. look no further! Inspiration galore is coming your way. :)
If you are visiting from my beautiful friend Bree’s blog hello and welcome!
Bree is one of the most talented designers I know and I absolutely LOVE her style. You won’t want to miss her Fall decorating tips or anyone else’s! So much talent in this group. These girls all inspire me daily. I’ll link to all of their blogs at the bottom of this post!
This year I really wanted to go neutral for my family room Fall decor. I love neutral spaces and I love spaces with color which is why you see a mix of both throughout my home. My family room is an easy space to change each season because all of the main furniture is neutral.
I was in the mood for neutral, light, bright and airy this year! A nice change after the pops of color I had in this room for summer.
Simple pictures of my family and a few pumpkins from Target on the shelves. My favorite fig is still looking fabulous. Finally figured out the secret to keeping this plant alive. ;)
{frames/vases/chair/lamp/throw/pillow}
The only new purchase in this room is this adorable pumpkin pillow. I couldn’t resist! The burnt orange and green in the pillow worked so well with my neutral decor this year. It’s clearly so happy in my chair. :) I also absolutely love these West Elm frames. They are great bookshelf fillers and look great with any decor I bring in. I loved highlighting them with some of our favorite Fall pictures.
I had so much fun styling my mantel this year! I wanted to keep it simple. With all of my decor on the console table I’ve found that less is more when it comes to my mantel decorating.
I just used real pumpkins and vintage books! Having them stacked and layered this way feels so cozy to me. When I think of Fall the word cozy instantly comes to mind. I’m sure that’s why so many of us crave this beloved season.
Now for my 3 tips and ideas for Fall decorating!
TIP #1: If you are trying to create a new look for Fall (or any season for that matter!) it helps to clear out the space you are decorating and live with it empty for a bit.
This is what my family room shelves looked like during the summer.
Instead of trying to just move things around, I took everything off and left them empty for a few hours. I loved having a clean, blank slate!
I slowly started placing only neutral items back on the shelves and tried different items in different spots and within minutes I was happy with the new look. If I would have just pulled out a few things and added some pumpkins this space would have be harder to transform into a different look. Seeing and feeling a space clean and empty for a while helps creativity come out! This is especially helpful if you are decorating a space that just never looks right to you. Move everything out and live with it empty for a few days and then try again. Sometimes that’s all it takes! It’s magic. :)
Tip #2: Use a combination of real and faux items when decorating for Fall.
In a perfect world, everything in my home would be real! Fresh flowers and plants around every corner! But life is busy and not many of us have the time, money or skills to keep up with real all the time. You all know I love faux decor! So easy to maintain! But if everything in my space is fake, things can feel a bit flat.
This year I used faux leaves and mini pumpkins on my console table.
But I brought in real pumpkins for my mantel.
I also added real flowers (my BHG photoshoot hydrangeas were perfect in this spot!) and real acorns on my coffee table. My kids gathered the acorns in my parents’ yard last Fall. :)
Bringing in some real decor breathes life into your space and makes a lot of the faux items also look real! I’ve found this to be especially helpful with Fall decorating because so many of the items we use are fake. Cut some branches from your yard, use a few real pumpkins.. it makes a big difference!
Tip #3 – Use photographs to decorate for Fall.
This picture! When I look at it I remember everything about my sweet little boy at this age. It all comes back to me. Photographs are so precious and help us all remember fun family memories. Don’t just let them sit on your computer! The holidays are such a fun time to get a few developed and display them around your home as part of your decor.
I always use family pictures to decorate my spaces during holidays and Fall is a great time to do that. Kids at a pumpkin patch or pictures of a fun trip your family took one Fall.
Every year during this season I display past pictures of my kids in their Halloween costumes somewhere in my house. They absolutely love it and look forward to it every year! Last year I put them on my mantel. I’ll show you where they are this year in an upcoming post. I’m sure a lot of you can guess. :)
Decorating with pictures for the changing seasons is one of my favorite things to do. It helps remind us of fun family memories and all we have to be grateful for.
Coziness and gratitude and enjoying the little things. Isn’t that what Fall is all about? That is definitely my wish for all of you this Fall. :)
Family Room Sources:
*affiliate links used
I hope these tips and pictures were helpful! Next up is my friend Jen at Decor Gold! You’re in for a treat. Her home is absolutely stunning!
And here are the rest of my friends sharing their Fall decorating tips and ideas! {Click each picture to head to their blog!)
Happy Fall everyone! xo
Your living room looks fabulous, Erin. I really like the whole feel of the space. Cozy and welcoming definitely comes to mind. You are very good at what you do. You have a great eye for what looks good in different spaces. I like the mix of real and fake and that you are realistic about what time you have availabe and embrace the faux. A couple of things I really enjoyed are the photos. Great tip on those and that one tray on the console with the mixture of items on it. So pretty. That pumpking pillow is gorgeous! Love the books and pumpkins on the mantle. And the fact that your kids gathered the acorns on the coffee table. That struck a chord. All around beautiful room. I will look forward to seeing what your friends have done, too. Great job! Thanks so much for sharing and inspiring! Hugs! :)
What a kind compliment Jeanne! I need to publish all of your comments in a book some day! They are so thoughtful and genuine and just bring a smile to my face immediately. What a gift! You are always thinking of others. We need more people like you in this world! Thank you so much sweet friend. I’m thrilled that you like everything! xo
Perfection! Love the addition of fall pics hanging on your mantle.
Could you share the source for your family room console table and coffee table?
Thank you so much Vick! They are from Restoration Hardware. :) xo
The mirror above your fireplace is to die for!! Where did you get it? I have been struggling to decorate my full wall of built-ins/fire place with a vaulted ceiling and this is exactly what I have been looking for!
Love all your fall décor! Thanks for sharing :)
Thank you so much Heather! That mirror was from Pottery Barn but unfortunately they’ve discontinued it. :( xo
Erin I just love your family room and your tips are amazing! I love the photo idea!!
Thank you so much Tamara! That one is always a big hit with my kids. :) Love you cutie! xo
ERIN!!! LOVE your tips and LOVE that mantle!!! Hooray for decorating with vintage books! Love you girl!! Xo
Thanks sweet Haneen! So happy you like it! We were book twins this year. ;) Love you cutie! xo
Erin! I love your family photos and your tip on clearing the shelves out before you start redecorating is genius!!! Love your family room and your whole home!! Always smitten with everything you do and I’m so glad we are doing this tour together, as always lately:). And thank you for the sweet shout out at the start of your post. Love you to pieces my friend!!! :) Xoxo
I’m so happy you like that tip Bree! It has helped me a lot! You are such a sweetheart and you know I love you too! You are an easy one to brag about. ;) Thanks so much cutie! Loved doing this loop with you. xo
Love it, Erin! Simple, yet stunning. I adore the pumpkins and vintage books…what a neat idea. I have wood floors similar in color to yours…how do you keep them looking so clean??
Thanks for all the great inspiration.
HAPPY FALL!!!
Thank you so much Pamela! Oh dark floors are hard to keep clean aren’t they!? I talked about my cleaning routine in this post:
https://www.thesunnysideupblog.com/2016/07/7-secrets-keep-house-clean-organized/
I have a little help! I also vacuum my kitchen/family room areas most nights quick and spot mop anything that stands out. And we don’t wear shoes in the house which helps a lot! But they aren’t always clean! The struggle is real. ;) Thanks for your sweet comment! I’m so happy you like the pumpkins and books! xo
Erin, seriously?! So stunning! It’s amazing how great a few books and pumpkins look on your mantle. So simple but beautiful. I absolutely love the changes you made, I saw that PB pillow too and thought it was so cute, looks lovely on your chair :) I’m totally going to take your tips and use them in my home. Thanks so much for sharing!!
I’m so happy to hear that Julia! Pumpkin pillows are too much fun aren’t they!? Love this time of year. Thank you so much for your sweet comment! It made me so happy . :) xo
Erin I love your simple fall tips! It makes me want to go print a bunch of photos of my kiddos now! You have the biggest heart and I love how it shows in everything you do! xo
Oh you are the sweetest Randi! I could say the exact same thing about you. Thank you dear friend! Absolutely loved doing this loop with you! xo
What a perfect list of tips! I was going to pick a favorite, but I love them all. Clearing the shelves is so simple, but so necessary. Faux mixed with real….yes yes yes! And using pictures…you touched my heart with this one! xoxo, Jen
Thank you Jen! I’m so happy you liked them! Your home was just drop dead gorgeous for Fall.. just like it is for every season. So fun doing this loop with you! Love you cutie! xo
Erin i love all your Autumnal decor! Here in the UK we don’t do Halloween on the scale you guys do, but i do hope we catch up! I love reading your blog, you’re very inspiring. Keep doing what you’re doing, you’re amazing at interior design!
Such a kind comment Joanne! Thank you! It makes me so happy you enjoy my blog! :) xo
You’re family room is gorgeous. Have to get out my grandkids pictures. Love the sectional. Where did you get it? Also, I’m in the process of starting to paint my FR and ugly brown crown molding. Can you please share your wall color, and the white on the ceiling and fireplace surround? Thanks so much Erin.
Thank you Carol! That sectional is from Pottery Barn and I linked to the exact one at the bottom of my post (just click the little picture of it). I wrote all about my paint colors in this post:
https://www.thesunnysideupblog.com/2016/04/favorite-gray-paint-paint-colors-throughout-house/
Hope that helps! xo
I too love the softer side of fall! What an easy way you embraced fall with neutrals. Thanks for the tips and ideas. Your home is fabulous, Erin!
Thank you Nancie! I’m so happy you like it! Hope you are having a good day so far! xo
Can you share where you got the little wooden looking pumpkins on the shelves that look like they have little flaps? I love those. We are building a house right now and I love looking at all your beautiful home and great ideas. Thanks so much for sharing!
Those are from Target last year Dee! I’m not sure if they have them this year or not. I thought they were pretty cute too. :) Congrats on building! That is so exciting! I’m so happy my blog has been helpful! xo
Erin, your living room looks amazing for fall! Your mantel may be my favorite part; so adorable! And, I need to decorate with fall photos; I do that for Christmas but never thought to do it for fall! Brilliant!
Thanks so much cutie! I’m thrilled you like it! :) xo
I love your idea of using photos to decorate. Last year I framed a photo of my son on his first Christmas and will bust it out every year. I need to do the same for Halloween!
Thank you! For sure! I started with Christmas pictures too and my kids loved having them out so much I started decorating with pictures more during other holidays. They especially love seeing past pictures of their costumes! So fun. :) xo
Erin I LOVE how you use old photos of the previous seasons to decorate. I do too! Especially the ones of the boys at the pumpkin patch sitting in little wagons. I don’t think I can get Austin to sit in a wagon anymore…lol! (my manchild…sigh). What a great idea to clip photos of their halloween outfits on a string! I’m going to copy that one! I always get those warm and fuzzy feels from your home. So much love within those walls. Happy fall sweet friend!
xoxo
ps. those acorns…too cute and I love the memories behind them.
Thank you so much Shauna! I know.. holiday pictures are the best, aren’t they? Our sweet little kids growing up way too fast. Loved hearing from you today! Safe travels! Can’t wait to hear all about it when you get back. :) xo
Erin, your idea of displaying pictures from past Halloweens is the best!!!! I’m totally going to steal that one! And you know I’m a huge fan of this space – every detail is gorgeous, even more so with its new fall look!
Thank you so much Kris! Love hearing from my roomie! I miss you! xo
Does your husband miss his clock?
Margo! This made me laugh out loud!! Ha! YES! He noticed it was gone the second he got home after I’d changed things around and wasn’t too happy with me. So now the clock is sitting on our coffee table right smack in front of him. Too funny you remembered that! :) xo
Oh my gosh, so many great ideas here! One of my favorites is probably removing everything from the shelving and letting it sit a while empty. What a great way to get a fresh perspective and new ideas! Your home looks beautiful.
Thank you so much Aime! I’m so glad you found that tip helpful. It always seems to work for me! Happy holidays! xo
Erin, I love your darling mantel with the vintage books! And all of those fall pictures with your kids… Brilliant and precious! Love your tips, friend! xoxo!
Thank you so much sweet Summer! xo
I love it! Amen to removing everything and starting with a clean slate. It makes ALL the difference. I redecorated our nursery last year, and I knew what I wanted to do with one particular wall, but there was this little shelf hanging on it that I didn’t bother taking down. I kept struggling with the wall, not knowing how to make it work, and then it just hit me that I was changing my whole design plan for that one little shelf! I immediately took it down, the whole room started coming together, and now I am so happy with how it turned out. :)
I do have a question for you, Erin. Where do you keep your seasonal pictures and decor? Do you store the frames with the pictures in them, or do you keep using the same frames and switch out the pictures? Also, do you have a storage space for other decor? I decorated more seasonally in the past (before we had kids!), but now I have very little storage space, so I’ve donated most of it, and only kept my favorite Christmas decorations. I’m just wondering if you have a good system.
So true isn’t it Jenny! Your story sounds like what I do all the time! We try to work around things that just aren’t working and clearing out a space completely makes such a huge difference! I keep my seasonal pictures with my seasonal decor so my Halloween pics are with all of my Halloween stuff, etc. Most of my seasonal decor is in our attic. I shared pics of it in this post: https://www.thesunnysideupblog.com/2015/02/organized-attic-bonus-room-holiday-decor/
I know what you mean about having little space. That was my situation for so long in past houses so I put my attic in our new house for that very reason! xo
Erin, thank you so much for linking to that post! It’s one I somehow missed, and is full of inspiration! :) I’m hoping to create a similar area in the house we’re planning to build. For now, I’m going to look for creative spaces to store things like you did with your Christmas village. Also, I understand about keep thing the boxes. I have Christmas tubs full of ornaments, and then Christmas tubs full of ornament boxes. My husband doesn’t get it. Ha. :)
*keeping, not “keep thing.” :)
Oh I’m so glad that post helped Jenny! Yes! Definitely look around for creative places to stash holiday decor. In my last house I had things in 4 or 5 different places! My husband has never understood any of it either. ;) xo
…is the mantel in the formal living room the same height?
Definitely need to get my holiday pictures together. Such a cute idea to change decor seasonally.
Sorry. I asked about height of your family room and formal living room mantel but not sure if I asked about width if you can share as well. Thank you so much. Getting so much inspiration from your home. It’s def my fave go to out of all the ig decor accounts I’ve come across 😍☺️
So sweet of you Celine! Thank you! I’m happy you found me. :) Here are the measurements! (From the ground up)
Family room mantel: Height – 76 in. Width – 84 in.
Formal living room mantel: Height – 65 in. Width – 57 in.
Love your home..especially the colors. Would you mind sharing the HW floor color? Thanks so much.
Thank you so much! I wrote a post all about my hardwood floors here:
https://www.thesunnysideupblog.com/2013/11/the-scoop-on-my-hardwood-floors/
What sheen did you use on the walls with Seattle
Flat! :)
I love the “Enjoy the little things” sign. Do you mind sharing where you got it?
Thank you Amy! That was from a shop called “House of Belonging” on Etsy. :)
I love your tips, they are so simple and easy to apply but things I never thought of before! Thank you
Thank you Denise! xo
Where did you get the 2 vases? Love them!