Decorating For Autumn with Natural Elements

Autumn is probably my favourite season and decorating the house with natural elements is something I love to do. Autumn days are warm and sunny here at the farm. There’s an early morning chill to the air and often fog, the promise of a beautiful day ahead. It takes until June for the leaves to turn completely, so filling the house with oranges, reds and golds doesn’t seem right. However, there are so many other natural touches I love to incorporate during Autumn for that homely country feel.

Decorating for Autumn Without Taking it to the Max

In Australia, decorating for the seasons has never been ‘a thing’ but with the rise of blogs, Instagram and home improvement shows, people are taking on the trends they see. ‘Mums’, pumpkins and golden-toned wreaths are on every home decor page of the Gram during the northern hemisphere season but this Aussie prefers a more simplified approach to seasonal decorating.

Don’t get me wrong. I love a wreath. A pot of white daisies has the ability to send me into little spasms of joy (just as lavender does) and these will often be found dotted around the farmhouse at this time of year. But for me, Autumn is more than faux ‘fresh farm pumpkin’ signs and fake leaves glued onto branches. Autumn has a vibe all its own. So how do I decorate for the season without bringing overloading on these items in my home?

My Answer to Decorating for Autumn is Simple

Actually, the answer is simple.

When considering seasonal decor, I use what I see out the window of the farmhouse. I bring the natural environment into my home. That may sound cold or barren, given much of the landscape is shedding its leaves but there’s beauty in a bare branch, simply displayed in a demijohn bottle or a rustic bowl of seasonal fruit, set on a table. If you display it well, a single branch of dried leaves can be equally as seasonal as a table laden with pumpkins.

Today, I want to share with you three ways I’ve been decorating for Autumn with natural elements from the garden. I’ve brought them into our living room and onto the verandah. I’ve mixed them with the warmer natural textures of wood and fabrics to create a cosy farm feel I’m loving this Autumn season.

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In the pictures, you can see I gathered Hawthorn, Scotch thistles, pears and branches from one of our trees to use as decor. I displayed them around the living room in a collection of vases, bottles and bowls. The red hawthorn berries add a hint of colour, tieing in with my grandmother’s travel rug, tossed over the back of the sofa. The addition of red in this small way brings warmth to the cooler season and livens up the room, even on the darkest gloomy day.

The Verandah Breakfast Table is Decorated for Autumn with Natural Elements!

When thinking about how to decorate this Autumn, my first idea involved the use of thistles. You heard right. Those plants that many of us consider weeds (including me) have become a part of the decoration on our verandah.

To collect the thistles, I put on my thickest gardening gloves and headed out with a bucket and secateurs. This style of decor definitely is not traditional or for the faint-hearted. After returning to the house, I placed the thistles I collected (and very carefully, I might add!) in a vase filled with water and sat this in a bucket. The vase didn’t fill the bucket, so to secure it so it wouldn’t tip I scrunched newspaper and stuffed it in the gaps. I infilled the thistles with purple Statice flowers and sat the arrangement on the verandah table where visitors can see it as they come up the stairs. To me, this is simple, perfect and screams country. Not to mention, totally unexpected.

Decorating for Autumn using Pears

Our pear tree has an abundance of fruit this year. I gathered a basketful to put in a dough bowl and display on the mantle.

This was easy. All I did was give then a quick wipe over and cut the bottoms off so the pears sit upright. I also piled pears in a blue and white bowl and sat it on the table next to the sofa. I love this kind of decor. It’s seasonal, but not in your face and anything looks dramatic when laid out en masse. The pears will last two or three weeks before you need to discard them. If you want to make them look super yummy and have no intention of eating them, I like to spray them with hairspray! Deodorant works well too.

Decorating for Autumn with natural elements can also extend to the kitchen. Let’s face it, nothing says Autumn like the smell of cinnamon and cloves in the kitchen, so I’ve been using my pears to cook up some pear butter and in some baking. Pear butter is so yummy and a healthier alternative to jam (Sort of. It has less sugar and you can use honey) and tastes delicious on toast. Not to mention the smells that waft around the house, giving off that real warm Autumn vibe.

Don’t Forget to Add Natural Elements to your Entry!

I made this cute Ivy Topiary for our entryway and kitchen. It’s super easy and adds a bit more of the rustic farm charm I love. You can find out how to make it in this post.

So, how will you decorate your home this year? I’d love to hear what you bring in so share the season.