Simple Fall Decorating: Easy Ways to Welcome Autumn

October 13, 2025

Today I’m sharing some simple ways to welcome Autumn to your home!

Every year we host a churchwide fall party at our home, and I thought it would be fun to bring you along and show you what I’ve done to get the house ready.

Gradually over the years I have moved towards a very simple, neutral fall look in my home. I used to decorate with the bright oranges, reds, and yellows, but those colors don’t really play nicely with the neutral look of my home. (If you love all the bright colors, then go for it!) I like the simplicity of using natural elements because it’s easy to set out, and more often than not, the items are disposable (ie, I don’t have to store them!).

Simple Fall Decorating: Sprucing Up Outside

When decorating outside, I am not as strict about “neutral only” colors. There’s something cheerful about a little pansy greeting you with its upturned face, and mums are just charming. Believe it or not, I usually keep my pansies all winter long here in South Carolina! So I view them as a worthy investment through the fall and winter months.

Surprisingly, Walmart supplied us with some unique heirloom pumpkins. Walmart would not have been the first place that came to mind for interesting pumpkins, but I was pleased with the $7 or $8 price tag per heirloom pumpkin. We also found bags of small pumpkins (including white!) for a reasonable price at Walmart.  For traditional orange pumpkins, I like to shop at Aldi as they seem to have the best price.

My kids and I headed to Lowes and picked out some pansies and mums to fill various pots and containers around our backyard. My children, eager to help, planted pansies alongside me in our rusty sage green wheelbarrow, several metal tubs, and 2 ceramic crocks. We tucked the burgundy mum alongside of an orange pumpkin friend in a wooden crate nestled beneath a vintage ladder.

Simple Fall Decorating: Adding Cozy Touches Inside

I don’t get overly fussy inside with fall decorating, but I enjoy seeing touches of fall around our home in subtle ways that gently nod to the season. In South Carolina, many days are still in the 80s, and getting motivated to decorate for a time that speaks of warmth and coziness seems off-putting to this hot-natured girl. (This Ohio-born girl longs to live someplace colder. Hubby says he’ll come and visit me if I move. Of course, this a tease. But should a charming farmhouse somewhere a little colder call us…)

A few simple touches accomplish the autumn look in our kitchen. A charming (and delicious smelling) beeswax candle from a dear friend beckons fall along with a simple white pumpkin atop a vintage-inspired tray. A tuft of dried oats tucked in a milky white vase completes the seasonal look on my kitchen table.

In the living room, not many changes have happened but enough to delight the senses. A white pumpkin sits atop a thrift store find—a beautiful, unfinished oval box. Dried hydrangea blooms from my garden complete the harvest look on my music cabinet.

My most treasured acquisition of the season rests on the back of our loved and very worn couch—a stunning oatmeal-colored afghan rich in touchable texture and recently completed by my mother. My mom crochets afghans faster than my mind can comprehend, and we are so grateful for this new treasure. I love the neutral color because I know that I can use it in any setting.

 

Simple Fall Decorating: Creating an Easy Tablescape

For our fall party, I kept the main food table simple but charming. A long table borrowed from church gets an instant upgrade with neutral-colored painters cloths. I love using painters cloths as tablecloths because they are easy to source, inexpensive, match just about anything, and are incredibly durable. Plus, I don’t have to iron them! Who likes ironing tablecloths?

Harvest fruits of the season steal the show in this autumnal vignette; no fancy staging necessary here to pull off an authentic look. A large heirloom pumpkin pairs beautifully with butternut squash and a traditional orange pumpkin. A few scattered apples complete the relaxed harvest scene.

Well, friends, that’s all for today! I hope you enjoy some simple fall decorating, and I hope you found some inspiration for welcoming the season into your home, too.

Happy fall!

-Ashley

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