How to Make Your Fall Decor Work Year-Round

It’s so easy to love fall. Crunchy leaves, a break from the heat, and not one, but two holidays where eating is the main activity. But those aren’t the only positives: fall aesthetics make for great home decor. You can even make some of the decor pieces work year-round – but much like picking out a pumpkin, you have to find just the right ones to keep.

Here are our tips for keeping your favorite fall staples around all year long:

Keep It Warm With Cozy (and Versatile) Blankets

Come spring, you may be tempted to put your blankets away, but when not in use, they can make perfect accent pieces for your living and sleeping spaces. Fold them over the back of the couch for a color contrast, or hang them over a chair in your bedroom to make the space cozier.

But because blankets are so heavily associated with the cold, color makes a big difference. Oranges and browns look out of place come summertime, so stick to lighter, more versatile colors. This knitted throw blanket is certainly cozy, but its light, fresh-linen color will make it look just as in place in summer as it does in winter:

 

Two more things to avoid: faux fur (yes, that means bearskin rugs) and flannel. Both make great blankets, but absolutely look like they belong in a cabin in the mountains, and are a little too warm to use come summertime. Instead, stick to knitted or embroidered blankets like this one from Etsy, which tend to be much more breathable, and work well as a unique couch accent year-round.

A Little Wood Goes a Long Way

First rule of using wood for year-round decor: no evergreen trees unless you want to be celebrating Christmas in April. A touch of wood can be a nice addition to your home. You can go the classic route and have a wood end table, coffee table, or dining set, or you can go for something more modern in the form of a wood accent wall.

This is a great DIY project that you can easily customize to your tastes, but you should probably avoid white shiplap (that gorgeous beach vibe will be out-of-place come November). Reclaimed barn or boat wood pieces will work fine. It’s key to keep the wood from being all the same color, so a few lightly painted planks, or just planks of varying tone, will add diversity and keep the room light.

 

(And while you’ve got the supplies out, why not make a few fast and easy DIY improvements to your home.)

If you’re not up to a huge DIY project, there are other simple ways to add wood to your home. This wood tray from Target is a great place to put your car keys and the mail, and this wood plank plaque from Big Lots is a bright, yet cozy, addition to any wall.

Candles Set the Scent (and the Scent Shouldn’t Be Pumpkin)

You don’t have to be a lover of luxurious baths to appreciate how a scented candle can change the vibe of your entire home. While it’s tempting to buy seasonal candles to set the mood in your home, you’ll save yourself money and storage by buying a few non-seasonal picks (no one uses the whole candle by the time the season ends, anyway). An easy way to make sure you don’t buy anything that’ll smell out of place come January: avoid any candles that feature the words “pumpkin,” “maple,” “festive,” or “autumn.”

Classic floral scents like French Countryside are perfect for those who wish they could have fresh-cut flowers, whereas Cafe Al Fresco and Bakery Air are nice if you don’t mind constantly craving cakes and coffee. And trust us, they’ll smell just as nice when you’re putting up your Christmas tree.

Plaid is Perfect (In Moderation)

No, you don’t have to limit your plaid to fall scarves and picnic blankets. While certain plaids are more tied to the season, there are still plenty of atypical plaids that work throughout the home all year long.

So how do you make it work even in the warm weather? Most importantly, avoid bright red. Bright or dark colors, like cobalt or navy, keep it modern and cut ties with the cold. These navy blue plaid pillows from Etsy are a great example.

It’s also a good idea to keep the plaid in moderation. A touch adds a cozy touch to an otherwise modern room, whereas plaid couches, ottomans, and blankets will leave your home looking like the inside of a Burberry store. Small pieces like these cute ottomans make your house look timely in fall, but stylish year-round (and if you need help rearranging the furniture to make them work or bringing them home from the store, you can book a Dolly to take care of that).

Make Mason Jars Your Indoor Garden

If you’re a fan of this Pinterest favorite, you can breathe a sigh of relief: you can decorate with your beloved mason jars no matter the time of year. But here’s the catch: don’t paint them! Orange dates them to fall, white dates them to summer, pastels to spring, red to Christmas, etc… A better way to get more use out of them? Keep one on your table and simply change out what’s inside. In the fall, fill it with acorns and put a tea light candle on top (check out this DIY for inspiration). When summer returns, opt for water and fresh flowers. It’s still a seasonal decoration, but it’s easy to work with year-round.

Avoid Anything Too Obviously Seasonal

Another easy way to make fall decor work year-round? Avoid the overtly seasonal stuff. That means keeping yourself from buying anything that features:

• Pumpkins
• Leaves or corn
• Bright orange, red, or yellow (especially if all in one piece)
• The word “thankful”
• Spiders, ghosts, bats, Halloween, black cats, witches, or cobwebs

In case it still isn’t clear, you basically want to run away from anything in this picture:

Image source: Pinterest

Looking for some help bringing home your larger home decor pieces? Book a Dolly. We can pick up your furniture from the store and bring it directly to your home, all for a fraction of traditional store delivery prices. Learn more about Dolly retail delivery here.