Coastal Autumn Decor
Autumn is my very favourite time of year. Warm days, cool nights, sweaters, pumpkins, pumpkin lattes, pumpkin patches…. do you sense a theme? And then the coast is my very favourite place to be so combining them together into Coastal Autumn Decor results in setting my heart ablaze!
simple is often best
Adding white faux pumpkins to my ottoman tray vignette, which is already in similar tones, transitions the decor instantly from summer to autumn. A glass fishing float, sea stars, wood beads, a faux white pumpkin and my favourite book about patterns, all on a seagrass round tray subtly says Coastal Autumn Decor without having to hit one over the head with it.
incorporate natural elements in you coastal autumn decor
When it comes to autumnal decor, I am drawn to natural elements – real pumpkins but in unusual shapes and colours along with gourds, dried hydrangeas, leaves such as ivy or eucalyptus, driftwood and shells found on the beach, the warmth of a candle’s glow and equally its scent. I used to love everything orange when it came to fall decorating but then the white “ghost” pumpkins were introduced and I was drawn to the calming palette. But then, last year I discovered blue pumpkins! Be still my beating heart! Nothing says coastal more than blue.
And if you can't find natural blue pumpkins, make your own
With this vignette, I decided to lean into the blues with the gorgeous glass beads and my painted faux pumpkin. Isn’t anything under glass instantly elevated? The faux coral under a glass cloche beautifully reflects light. Doesn’t everyone match their pumpkins to their backsplash? LOL.
It’s so easy to paint the foam pumpkins that you pick up from the craft store. If you start with a white base, you won’t need to use as much paint as you would with an orange base. For this project, I used some left over Fusion Paint from another project but really any type of craft paint will do. The beauty of these pumpkins is that you can co-ordinate with other colours in your home and no need to compost afterwards! Simply store for next year to use again and again.
And if you’re not feeling particularly crafty, you can purchase them already in a lovely shade of green here.
I still do like a touch of orange
After all, orange is opposite blue on the colour wheel and therefore extremely complementary. Every year, I grow and dry the stems from my Chinese Lantern plant. In my area, it’s considered invasive so it’s grown in a planter rather than directly in the garden where it could spread. So fun watching the little lantern ripen. There are some amazing faux Chinese Lantern Stems available if you don’t want the bother of growing your own plant.
Simple ways to decorate for fall throughout the house
Every area of your home can benefit from simple autumn touches. The trick is to remove other decor, say your summer touches, so that the look is curated not cluttered. Box up your summer decor and store away and then you’ll have a fresh look again next year. This is precisely why rubbermaid bins were invented! You should see the stacks of them in my storage area with labels such as Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Winter and on and on. Christmas alone must be at least six boxes. I am a holiday junkie. I used to decorate for my kids but now I just do it for me because it makes me feel good.
Tablescapes
For this project, I raided my craft supplies and my garden. I had burlap ribbon left over from when I made a cord cover for the TV. That became the runner. English ivy is growing up one of my trees so I cut some of those vines to lay as a base. With the cooler weather, the hydrangeas are turning amazing colours. I donned a raincoat and headed into the downpour to cut some. The mini pumpkins are placed strategically to hold down the vines. I interspersed all this with some sand dollars that I’d collected on the beach this summer, some birch bark and faux antlers.
coffee table
Combining natural elements such as the shells, glass fishing float, sea star, driftwood and pinecones with painted pumpkins creates an instant Autumn aesthetic that reads coastal. Assemble it in a tray or basket and place on the coffee table.
By adding some hydrangeas from the garden, it elevates it even more. I love how these blooms change colour through the season. These ones started out blue but are now a beautiful shade of green.
Mantel
Simply adding a hand painted pumpkin to either side of the mantel creates an instant coastal autumn aesthetic. It’s very simple to paint the pumpkins. I bought these ones from a craft store and then painted with Fusion Paint. Try the colours Little Whale or Champness for blue and Brook for green.
Or add in some ivy, hydrangeas and coral along with painted pumpkins for another take on coastal autumn decor on the mantel. Don’t have any hydrangeas in the garden? No worries as you can buy some realistic faux ones that you can use year after year.
Entrance
Even if you don’t get many guests, make sure that this area is decorated if only to make you smile when you arrive home. It’s pretty simple – just hang a wreath, buy a cheap pot of mums from Costco and place in baskets and add a pumpkin or two, or three, or… Easy peasy and it’s like a warm hug every time you step through your door. This wreath is faux but one of the better ones that I’ve seen. It’s something that I’ve used year after year after year so well worth the one time investment. It stands up well to the weather too. And the times that the Southeasters blow it right off the door.
The power of scent
This candle is my new favourite autumn scent. It’s not sickly sweet like some of the others. For me, it invokes the scent of fallen leaves on a country trail. I had better stock up in case Sand + Fog decides not to make this Pumpkin Spice scent next year.
Use the beach as your inspiration for your coastal autumn decor
This design board takes its cues from the beach scene. It’s autumnal in the dried out grasses and the greys of the sky and water – this could be any beach in late September or early October. What it isn’t is an in your face fall scene full of orange leaves and orange pumpkins.
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