Ideas for transitioning your home into fall
Flat lay for a Dickson Design Group project
Goodbye airy summer pastels. It’s fall, which means it’s time to warm up our homes with chunky knits and rich fall colours. Grab your pumpkin spiced latte and enjoy this post on ideas and tips for transitioning your home from summer to fall.
THE BEST COLOURS FOR FALL DECOR
When I’m doing seasonal decorating, I like to start with colour. There are endless palette options, but for fall, lean into warmer hues and switch from stark whites to cream tones. Consider autumnal oranges. The trick here is to avoid the Halloween look by selecting a rust tone and using it as an accent.
If you typically mix a few colours together, this year try a monochromatic palette. Monochromatics aren’t just for fashion runways — they’ve now entered showrooms too. In fall and winter when we layer and use heavier materials, a monochromatic palette keeps the space from looking too busy or overly full.
Finally, every room needs a little black to ground the eye. Try a black toss cushion, candle holder or lamp base.
Here are some fall palettes we love:
Of course, blues are always in. But aim for rich blues, not wishy-washy ones. If you love pink, it can still work. Just shift to a muddier pink with grey tones so that it feels subdued. Burgundy is also wonderful.
Last but not least, consider going with this season’s hottest colour: dark green. We are huge fans of Benjamin Moore’s Essex green, BM PM11 (it’s second green from the left in our green palette below).
Ideas and tips for fall decor
Once I have my palette, it’s time to roll up my sleeves. I start by packing away my summer decor, then I look at what I have on hand that works with my chosen palette. Year after year, I re-use my black and off-white items, like cozy knit blankets and luxe silk pillow covers, and buy a few new things to round out the rooms.
If you are shopping for an expensive decor item that you plan to use for years, then buying it in a warm white or grey is a good bet. Just make sure it has the right undertones (more on colour undertones in this blog post).
Next, I shop for a few pieces to finish off the room. Here are some great finds available right now:
Style Garage Trillium Stools
CB2 Throw Pillows
EQ3 Rhea Pot
Think, too, about bringing nature inside. Gourds are a perfect example. Sometimes I get crafty, too: I spray paint gourds or pieces like vases and frames.
Fall is also the time to replace patterns with layers, particularly in bedrooms. The rule is to dress your home like you dress yourself—as the cold weather builds, so do our layers. This is also the time to replace linens and light cottons with luxe fabrics like chenille, glam silks. As the snow approaches, we’ll layer on our heaviest, most cosy materials like thick wool blankets.
That’s enough talk about snow! If this blog post has inspired you, please share your fall decor photos with us on social media—just tag @dicksondesigngroup.