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!
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.
A bit of research and I found out that these blue pumpkins are very popular in Australia and are called Jarrahdale Pumpkins. The colours range from slate to blue/green. They’re not huge at six to ten pounds but that’s perfect for decor. And they can last up to a year! Apparently they’re also quite tasty.
I sure hope I can find more locally this year, otherwise I will be resorting to painting my pumpkins with my favourite Fusion Mineral Paint colour, Little Whale.
And if you can't find natural blue pumpkins, make your own
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.
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 white 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, 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 Champness or Brook.
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 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.
Somewhat traditional fall decor colours
If you love the traditional orange and yellow autumn colours, there is no reason why they can’t also be beachy. Just use the beach as your jumping off point as shown below.
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. The other items are subtle in their reference to the season. The texture of the tartan pillow with just an inference of orange, juxtaposed with the warm and cosy wool of the fuzzy pillow and the floral design pulling it all together. Nothing says sweater weather better than a throw and a jute basket to store them being just the right accent. Add in natural elements such as the stump accent table, the cross cut serving platter and the antlers, pumpkins, acorns and Chinese lanterns which all can be added to a mantel or tablescape. And this wreath for the front door is a welcome embrace.
more coastal autumn Decor inspiration
Still using traditional fall references such as hydrangeas and pumpkins, this mood board pulls them all together in a beach inspired pallette.
This mood board takes its cues from a similar beachscape but pulls in those coastal colours in a non-traditional way. Blue/green pumpkins are my new fave!
Hope you found some ideas for incorporating coastal autumn decor into your home this fall. I’d love to hear your comments below.
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