9 Simple Tips to Cozy Up Your Home for Fall

Today I’m going to give you some fall decorating tips that are really easy and quick things you can do to welcome the fall season into your home.

I think transitioning your home into the colder seasons is all about making your home feel like it’s giving you a warm hug when you come in. With that being said, here are my top tips:

1. Warm Up Your Color Palette

The first thing that comes to mind with fall decor is probably the color palette. As we know, in many parts of the world, nature’s palette shifts dramatically in the fall, and it can be nice to echo that change in our interiors.

If, like me, you’re not really into the red, yellow, and pumpkin orange colors, you can still bring in warm tones to echo what’s happening outside in nature, but you might just lean a little more muted and neutral:

The fall palette I always think of consists of earthy tones and natural elements. Think rust, terracotta, clay, and tan tones; olive greens; deep, rich reds; browns; plum; mustard; and navy. For your darks and lights, you could look at using deep charcoals, creams, and warm whites.

If you don’t like warm color palettes or are partial to cool color palettes—or if warm colors just don’t work with your current decorating scheme—what I suggest is focusing on bringing in actual materials that communicate warmth. Think things like wood, wool, leather, woven baskets, rattan, sisal, stone, dried foliage, and ceramics. All of these materials will play well with most color palettes and will do a really great job at introducing warmth into your home.

2. Focus on Throw Pillows and Blankets

If you remove your throw pillows and blankets for the summer season, it’s time to bring them back in and dress them up for fall. You could get updated throw pillow covers in some of the warm tones we mentioned before, like rust, amber, gold, mustard, creams, and terracotta.

Make sure you get a good mix of solid colors, a couple of different-scale patterns, and different textures with your textiles. Try to introduce cozy textures like velvets, heavy knits, and faux fur.

3. Have Extra Blankets on Hand

I also think it’s really nice to have extra blankets on hand in the fall. Make sure you drape them over some of your chairs, over the sofa arm, and put them in baskets in the living areas where people hang out in your home.

If you’re lucky enough to have an outdoor fire pit or if you’re still using your outdoor space in the cool fall evenings, then definitely make sure you’ve got blankets readily available for those moments.

4. Swap Out Your Curtain Panels

Light, sheer curtains are great for the hot summer months since they let in all that beautiful sunshine and can really make a space feel bright and airy.

But when it gets chilly outside and the days start getting shorter, you might want to consider swapping out your window dressings for a more substantial fabric like velvet.

Not only will this help keep the heat in when you close them, but the thicker fabric gives off a completely different feel—much cozier and cocoon-like. And while you’re at it, make sure your curtains are hung properly.

5. Bring Back Your Rugs

Some people like to remove their rugs for the warmer season, so if you’re one of those people, make sure you bring your rugs back in for the fall and winter.

If you’re tired of looking at the same old rugs every year, try experimenting by putting them in different locations in your home.

You can also layer rugs if you’re looking to try something new.

Besides being pretty to look at, rugs obviously also provide some nice extra insulation for your feet on those cold days.

6. Change Up Your Home Fragrance

Using scent year-round in my home is a non-negotiable. Check out my video on how to make your home smell amazing—I think it’s a good one! I know that scent is a very subjective thing, but for me, it’s very fun in the fall and winter to switch out the types of scents that I’m using. In the summer, I might use more floral, fresh scents, whereas in the fall and winter, I crave woodier, smokier scents.

In the fall, you might also want to try scents that are a bit more gourmand, but it’s obviously a totally personal preference. If you’re not normally a scent person, I definitely recommend you try introducing some form of scent this year just to see. I think it really adds to that cozy autumn vibe in the home.

7. Candles

Candles are always a vibe, whether you choose to use scented ones or not. There’s nothing like lighting a candle to make your home feel instantly welcoming and warm, so be sure to have plenty of candles on hand to create the ultimate autumnal mood.

If you’re forgetful, accident-prone, irresponsible, or have small children or pets that are unpredictable, consider using fake candles instead. It’s pretty much the exact same effect, but they won’t burn your house down if you knock one over.

8. Bring in Seasonal Greenery

No matter the season, we always want to be bringing natural elements into our homes and decor. It can be as simple as a vessel with some branches in it, or it can be an extravagant centerpiece—it’s totally up to you. But definitely try to make sure to sprinkle some greenery around your home during the fall season.

For an understated yet really chic look, I recommend experimenting with elements like long sculptural stems and branches, dried flower pods, eucalyptus, and things like wheat and dried grasses.

It doesn’t have to be an expensive, store-bought bouquet or anything like that—you can just go outside and clip from the plants and trees in your neighborhood.

Not everyone is a pumpkin person, but if you are, then obviously now is the moment to bring those into the mix.

It’s important to remember that not all pumpkins are orange. You can find lots of different types and colors, and even if you do end up with an orange one and don’t like it, you can always paint it another color.

One tip about integrating greenery and natural elements is if you’ve got a lot of color going on already in your home, then try and keep your greenery and natural elements more muted or monochromatic so that things don’t become visually overwhelming.

9. Update Your Bedding

In the cooler seasons, for me, a perfect bed consists of a fluffy down duvet and lots of cozy pillows. I actually like using two duvets to dress my bed in the winter, but in the fall, it might not be that cold yet, and you might not want to bring in your winter bedding yet.

So what you can do instead is opt to layer in warm-toned throw pillows and blankets on top of your existing bedding.

If you have light-colored bedding and you aren’t able to swap out duvet covers, don’t worry—pillows can make all the difference to your bed in the fall. Grabbing a few warm-toned pillow shams and a throw can be super impactful.

For some decor ideas, check out the Target fall decor picks in the video description box here.

Thanks for tuning in today, let me know how you’re decorating for fall in the comments, and I’ll see you next time!