Finding Fall in the Familiar

There is a point every year when the light begins to change before the temperature does. The evenings come a little earlier, the garden looks different, and suddenly the rooms that felt just right all summer seem to want something more.

Our first instinct is often to go looking for it.

A new pillow. A fall arrangement. Something decidedly seasonal to announce that autumn has arrived.

But before adding anything, I think it’s worth taking another look at what we already own.

Some of the best elements for creating a warmer, richer home for fall aren’t seasonal at all. They’re the things we live with year-round—pattern, aged metals, wood, leather, deeper color and pieces brought in from outdoors. Autumn simply gives us an opportunity to see them differently.

Let Pattern Do Some of the Work

There’s something about a familiar pattern that feels particularly at home in fall.

Plaids, checks and stripes don’t need pumpkins or autumn leaves printed across them to suggest the season. Their appeal is quieter than that. They bring structure and familiarity, particularly when they’re surrounded by deeper colors and substantial materials.

Rather than buying a pillow specifically for September, look around your home. A patterned textile that nearly disappears in one room may become the piece that anchors another when it’s moved into a fall arrangement.

That’s one of the things I enjoy most about decorating: context can make an old piece feel entirely new.

Look for Warmth, Not Necessarily Orange

Autumn has a much broader palette than the seasonal aisle would have us believe.

There are the browns of fallen leaves and tree bark, the greens that remain in the garden, the amber of late-afternoon light and all those wonderful tobacco, caramel and russet tones in between.

I like those colors even more when they’re interrupted by something reflective.

A little mercury glass, aged silver or glass catching the light keeps a room from becoming too heavy. Fall can be warm and layered without becoming dark.

Metals Are More Interesting When They Don’t Agree

I’ve never thought every metal in a room needed to match.

Copper lanterns, brass candlesticks, bronze accessories, silver trays or an old piece of pewter can all have a place together. Something polished against something with years of patina makes the combination even more interesting.

In fall, those finishes become especially useful because they respond so beautifully to warmer light. Copper becomes richer. Brass feels softer. Tarnished and aged surfaces reveal variations that a perfectly matched collection simply doesn’t have.

The goal isn’t to create a “mixed metal look.” It’s to allow different materials to contribute their own character.

Bring the Outside In — but Leave It a Little Wild

Some of my fall decorating begins in the yard.

A branch doesn’t have to be perfectly symmetrical. Magnolia leaves don’t have to look like they came from a florist. Seed pods, magnolia pods, branches, clippings and greenery are often more beautiful because they’re imperfect.

And what’s growing outside your own door gives your home something no purchased arrangement can: a connection to where you actually live.

Put a few branches into a vessel you’ve owned for years and suddenly both look different.

Wood and Leather Need Very Little Help

Few materials bring warmth into a room as naturally as wood and worn leather.

Look for the wood that may already be around you: a burled or marquetry box, an old frame, turned candlesticks, a wooden bowl, a small piece of furniture or even the warm tones of a well-used cutting board. Mahogany, walnut, oak and other natural wood finishes introduce warmth without needing to be overtly seasonal.

Leather does much the same thing. A worn leather box, an old belt or strap, leather-bound books, a small leather accessory or even the aged leather on a piece of furniture can bring another layer of warmth and texture. Leather is particularly appealing when it has softened, darkened and developed the marks that come from use.

I don’t think those signs of age need to be disguised. They’re what give these materials depth.

Against greenery, pattern and the glint of an old metal finish, wood and leather also provide something important: a place for the eye to rest.

Maybe Fall Decorating Isn’t Really About Adding

For me, decorating for fall is less about transforming a room for the season and more about seeing familiar things with fresh eyes.

Move the plaid. Bring the copper forward. Clip the branch. Pull out the wooden box that’s been hiding on a shelf. Let an old piece of leather become part of an arrangement rather than something purely practical.

None of those things were made for fall.

And perhaps that’s exactly why they work.

A home doesn’t need to become a different place every season. Sometimes it only needs a few small shifts that remind us to notice it again.

Before buying something new for fall, take another look around your home. You may already have exactly what you need.

And when there really is a space for something you don’t already own, choose something you’ll still want in the room long after autumn has passed.

-Colleen

Pheasant & Fig

Explore the Pheasant & Fig collection for pieces chosen to live beautifully beyond a single season.