Fall decor, to me, is a little tricky. Just the whole dried gourds/wheat/pinecones/orange/tartan thing…it’s very easy for it to feel dated and a little too fussy for my taste.
But I’m also kind of bummed every time I scroll through my Instagram feed and see photo after photo of my New York friends running around in the leaves with their kids – I used to live in the epicenter of the Grand Autumnal Experience, and here it’s…well, it’s like 80 degrees outside. I saw some leaves on the ground; that was exciting. But it is not a New England fall, and despite the fact that no number of pumpkins are going to make it feel like one, it’s still nice to pretend.
I’ve been collecting Thanksgiving ideas over on my Fall Inspiration Pinterest page, and have come across some more modern, minimalist takes on traditional fall decor, so I thought I’d share.
Presenting: Five Fall Decor Ideas I Don’t Totally Hate
First, I’m crazy about that pink-and-white pumpkin pile pictured above; it’s just such a casual, cool-looking display. AND. That isn’t paint! (I know; I thought it was too.) It’s just pink and white balloons with the ends snipped off, stretched over mini pumpkins. I cannot believe how much I love this idea.
Obviously these pumpkins win fall. I mean, STOP. They’re like the pumpkins at school who are so cool they won’t even talk to your pumpkin.
How to make them: just paint an assortment of small pumpkins in different shades of matte chalkboard paint, and glue on studs and spikes (you can find inexpensive ones at Jo-Anns or Michael’s).
More traditional – but still nice and simple – is this fresh-looking twist on a gourd centerpiece. Wood box, succulents, white pumpkin, a couple of pinecones. Done.
I’m not whipping up puff garlands anytime soon, but there are elements of this display that would be totally easy to incorporate into a party (the framed “Happy Thanksgiving” print, for example, or the white cake plate dessert displays). For the last couple of parties we’ve thrown, I yanked the cake plates that I’ve sprinkled throughout our home into the dining room and used them to make centerpiece, with hors d’oeuvres and brownie squares and such on them. It’s a nice way to save space – the food itself becomes the centerpiece – and the staggered heights of the plates create a really beautiful, striking arrangement when they’re all grouped together.
And finally: this. This is one of the most gorgeous centerpieces I’ve ever seen, and I may actually try to mock up my own version for Thanksgiving using the antler that our friend gave us for our wedding, a few white mini pumpkins, votives and hydrangeas.
P.S. If you want to try this look and have trouble finding white pumpkins (or just think they’re too expensive, which they kind of are), you can always spray-paint regular old orange ones or faux craft-store pumpkins.
