How To Change Your Home From Summer To Fall on a Budget

In anticipation of the upcoming fall season, I want to share some ideas for how to change your home from summer to fall on a budget.

If you’re anything like me, you are anxiously awaiting the arrival of cooler weather like a child anticipating Christmas morning.

I live in Texas and we have at least another month of temps around 100 degrees.

Since the weather is still really warm here until the end of September (and some years it’s even still warm well into October) it’s really hard for me to start decorating for fall.

I enjoy pulling out the fall decorations when there begins to be a little chill in the morning air.

However, this time of year, I get really anxious to change things up, so I’m beginning to make some simple changes and transition my home from summer decor into fall decor.

Simple and subtle changes can make a big impact, while you’re waiting to pull out all the pumpkins.

So, if you need some inspiration for how to change your home from summer to fall on a budget, let’s get started.

how do you simply decorate for fall?

Some simple ways to decorate for fall are bringing in natural elements.

Using natural elements is not only easy, it’s often free!

Consider filling decorative bowls with pine cones, acorns, or sweet gum balls.

Also, using larger natural items like gourds, horse apples, or tumble weeds to fill baskets can make a huge statement.

Filling vases or wall baskets with dried grasses, pampas grass blooms, wheat stalks or branches is another great way to incorporate nature into your early fall decor.

Dried sunflowers, leaves or wheat stalks are a few other beautiful elements and easy ways to add to your decor, as well.

how do you transition to fall decor?

I like to begin by removing anything with lots of color from my summer decor.

Typically, I’m an all neutral girl, but a few years ago I began incorporating some blue into my summer decor.

When I begin to transition to fall, I remove the blue and bring in warm tones.

I also change out anything that really looks more like summer decor.

For example, I filled this vintage soup tureen with seashells this year, but changed it out this week for some patty pan squash I found at our local farmers market.

Then adding in the natural elements and using them in different ways, like I mentioned above, will add another layer of fall to your existing decor.

simple fall decorating ideas…
(how to change your home from summer to fall on a budget)

layering –

Layering fabrics and textures is a wonderful and easy way to create a fall look.

Add throw blankets to the end of a bed or over chairs to create an inviting and cozy feel.

Layer cozy blankets and throws inside a large basket for easy access and it also adds to your autumn season home decor.

Consider layering rugs. I like to add a patterned vintage turkish rug over the top of a solid or jute area rug to create interest.

throw pillows –

Changing out throw pillow covers from summer colors to warmer hues is an easy way to make a big change.

If you purchase pillow covers only, you can save money and it makes storing seasonal pillows so much easier.

I am currently changing my blue floral pillows for brown florals and my blue and white check pillows for brown and white check.

I also have a few blue toile pillows I will change to brown toile.

You can make this change with sofa and chair pillows in your living spaces and decorative bed pillows in your bedrooms and it makes a big impact.

dishes

If you enjoy displaying your dishes or serving pieces, this is also a great way to change things up for fall.

For example, I use blue and white transferware in my china cabinet during the summer months.

When I change things up for fall, I remove the blue and white transferware and replace it with my brown transferware collection.

If you don’t have a collection of different colors of dishes, you can always display white dishes and add elements of fall.

Picking up white dishes from thrift stores is an affordable way to accumulate a nice collection to use in your home decor.

Consider placing a pinecone inside of a teacup.

Fill a bowl or soup tureen with small pinecones or mini pumpkins.

Place a small wheat or grass wreath inside your china cabinet for a unique element to your fall display.

bookcase fall decor

As you can see, I have incorporated vintage books with lots of textured spines in my living room bookcases.

I like to turn some of them around backwards to expose the pages too.

A basket filled with dried hydrangeas, some of my brown transferware collection, a basket tray, and a bowl filled with pinecones all have warm textures and colors that lend itself to fall.

The other side of my bookshelves has a large french market basket filling an entire shelf, more of my brown transferware and a collection of vintage wicker demi johns.

Even though I only use neutral colors, the different shades add interest and different textures add dimension and layers.

fall front porch decor

I typically start any seasonal decorating with my front porch.

Bringing fall colors to my porch gets me excited to start the transition inside my home.

I usually start with a plan for my front door decor.

I try and change it up every year, but still keep it very budget friendly and sometimes repurpose some of the same elements.

For example, I have used this woven wall basket many times for lots of different seasons.

A couple of years ago, I filled it with all sorts of dried elements. Most of which were foraged.

Last year, I created this garland over my front door, with grapevine, dried sunflowers, faux leaf stems, dried hydrangeas, cornhusks, gourds and some dried grasses.

Pillows with warm colors replace blue and white pillows I use in the chairs on the front porch.

I have a chalkboard that hangs on the wall, and I love to change out the sayings with a fun seasonal quote.

And when the heirloom pumpkins are available in my area, I love to put groupings of them on either side of my front door, or stacked in large urns.

table decorating for fall on a budget

Creating tablescapes is one of my favorite things!

And since fall is my favorite season, it’s a wonderful combination.

There are so many things to incorporate into table decor that are natural elements and so budget friendly.

In fact, you can forage your yard, a friends yard or your neighborhood to collect so many things.

Dried leaves or bleached pinecones make a great addition to the top of a place setting.

You can see how to bleach pinecones here.

Cornstalks placed down the center of a fall table makes a great table runner.

Here is an example where I used cornstalks for a fall centerpiece on my dining table.

table centerpieces

Pampas grass, dried branches and branches filled with leaves in a large vase or basket are beautiful and dramatic centerpieces for fall.

Dried flowers, grasses, and leaves and make wonderful table centerpieces. Fill boxes, tins, or baskets with an assortment of these things to create a unique and beautiful fall display.

Preserved moss inside of long and narrow glass trays makes a very unique display for silverware.
I think these are actually made for holding corn on the cob, and they can often be found at thrift stores.

Here are some tablescapes where I incorporated this idea. You can click on the photo to see the entire post and details.

Using woven placemats or cutting boards for plate chargers add a warmth that lends itself to the look of fall.

how to change your home from summer to fall on a budget – using dried hydrangeas

This is one of my very favorite ways and also an inexpensive way to decorate for fall!!

I grow the limelight hydrangeas in my yard and love them so much.

They make beautiful arrangements in the summer, and dry so easily.

Sometimes the traditional variety of hydrangeas (the pink and blue hydrangeas) are a little finicky to dry.

However, the limelights dry so much easier.

I love to enjoy them fresh during the summer months and just let them dry to use for fall decorating.

If you need details about drying hydrangeas, there is some good information in this post.

They are wonderful in baskets, vases or just tied in a bundle and hanging on a door or wall somewhere in your home.

other decorating tips for transitioning from summer to fall…

Wreaths made with natural elements like wheat, fall grasses, cornhusks, leaves, or acorns are a lovely addition to a home for fall.

Bowls filled with seasonal fruits or veggies make amazing and unusual decor for fall.

Garlic, pears, figs, apples, artichokes, and white pumpkins (when you are ready to incorporate pumpkins) are just a few that work great!

Baskets and vintage books with the beautiful textured spines are great for creating interest and texture.

Large dried sunflower heads, wheat bundles, and even spray painted horse apples make great additions to a dining room table or coffee table display.

I picked up some of the bright green horse apples from my yard and spray painted them with matte gold spray paint to add to a holiday tablescape last year.

Not only was it free decor, it made a really unusual but elegant addition to my table.

tumbleweeds, dead plants and gourds

If you really want to use some “out of the box” things for fall decor, try using a dead plant branch on top of a side table…

I used this branch on a table in the hallway at our Airbnb. It rests on a vintage book and I placed a woven basket on the shelf below.

It was so simple and is one of my favorite displays in the house.

Another unique display in the house is this huge tumbleweed a friend brought to me from South Texas.

I propped it on top of an old porch column for a dramatic display in the dining room. Another one of my favorite things in this house.

Dried gourds are a perfect natural element for fall.

These can be used in a huge basket for a table display, or strung together to hang on the wall for very unusual and creative wall decor.

A great place to shop for some seasonal decor is an estate sale or thrift stores.

If you keep an eye out for things when they are out of season it is a good time to really get some great deals.

Faux pumpkins, dried flowers, a fall wreath are all things you could easily pick up at great prices.

And lastly, one of the easiest ways to begin to feel the fall vibe in your home is lighting your favorite fall scented candle or filling your diffusers with fall scent essential oils.

Some of my favorite fall scented oils are clove, cinnamon, thieves (a young living exclusive) and orange.

I hope you have enjoyed seeing some ideas of how to change your home from summer to fall on a budget.

Hopefully, you find some inspiration to create a cozy fall home you will love!!

blessings,

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