Decorating with Natural Elements for Fall

Fall living room decorating ideas using natural elements along with a white and woodsy color scheme that’s a little unexpected, but comfy and autumn cozy.

Fall has arrived at my house this week. First in the entryway/foyer and now in the living room. It is ready to go for the “comfy-cozy-at-home” season.

Since moving to the lake, I have been drawn to a new kind of comfy-cozy warmth… a connection to nature that I see out every door and window of my house.

The views are serene, blissful and relaxed all at once.

So much so that they inspired me to use the colors and textures I see outside when decorating my living room to create a relaxing spot for bonding and simply enjoying the quiet moments of the fall season that happen now up until the holiday season begins.

Any other color scheme feels off, not right or too contrived to fit into some mold of what fall decor should be.

Over the last year, I have been slowly adding to the “White & Woodsy” look I am going for when decorating my living room. I tweaked a few decorative accessories I already owned to be more in line with my vision.

How I Added Natural Elements Around My Living Room

I like the reclaimed wood planter box that I made over the summer so much that I kept it up and replaced the green plants with dried hydrangeas from my yard. I also added branches from a dead shrub that I found in the woods.

It is a nice change to see the hydrangeas spread out across the mantel instead of gathered in a vase as I usually do each fall.

Life happens in the living room. It is the center of my small home. We don’t have a dining room or family room. This room and the kitchen table are where we spend the most time.

Fall is the season that the big recliners become my favorite part of the room. They may not be “designer approved” but they have a higher standard – perfect for adding extreme comfort and coziness for the occupants – Ed and I. :-)

The chairs recline, rock and swivel all the way around so I can turn to see the TV, a fire in the fireplace or out the sliding glass doors to the lake.

What they lack in style, they exceed in function. The recliners make it feel like we are at the movie theater when watching movies on the wall mounted TV across the room that swivels as well to the kitchen or living room.

Nature Inspired Decorative Details For Fall

Here are a few of the ways that I add the cozy factor to the room.

Layer for the Season to Create Warmth

Soft textures layered for snuggling comfort and warmth create welcoming spots to get comfy.

My white slipcovered sofa is extra deep which makes it easy to get curled up to read a good book or take a late afternoon nap listening to my favorite tunes as soup simmers on the stove for dinner.

• I have used this cozy faux fur throw for years now. It washes beautifully and comes out of the dryer like new – soft and fluffy. When my daughters are visiting, we all reach for it. It was a little pricey, but I haven’t bought a throw since – nothing else is as warm and cozy.

Add Wood and Woven Accents

I don’t want to buy all new decor each year as I don’t want to feel like a stranger in my own home. I enjoy finding new uses for my favorite decorative accessories season after season in different ways and rooms.

• Take a look through your home to find items with texture or made of wood to place in the room. This small burled wood box was made by my dad in his high school shop class. It is dear to me and makes me happy to find a purpose for it. It holds my ear phones for my computer and phone.
• The wicker basket DIY table that I added this past summer to the room looks right at home for autumn.

Create a Cozy Mood With Lighting

• Put all the lights in the room on dimmer switches. Did you know you can add a dimmer switch to a table or floor lamp. It is 1..2..3 easy.
• Lit candles at dusk are the coziest. I am saving up to get these – they truly look like real candles. Perfect when you don’t want to have lit candles on all evening long that could provide a fire hazard if you leave them unattended.

Use Books as Small Item Risers

When you stack a few books on a table and place smaller items on top, the elevation gives them more importance in the room as well as creating flow across the tablescape.

• Remove the book jackets from your books to find spines in colors that will coordinate with your decorating color scheme.

Gather Items From Nature and Display Them As If They Were Art

• I found this piece of tree bark on a walk this summer when I was visiting my daughters. I loved how white and woody the pattern on it was – it looked like art to me. I displayed it like I would an objet d’art.

Same goes for the driftwood that rolls up along the lakeshore. Placed as a collection on a white tray makes it look interesting.

Add a Large Crock

Large crocks, no matter what the style – traditional country or modern in design say fall.

• Fill the crock with cut tree branches from your yard, flowers or firewood kindling.

Baskets of any style and size make any space feel cozy and fall-like. Fill with flowers, branches from your yard, extra pillows, throw blankets, books, magazines or firewood.

I will keep this basket filled with birch logs until we start using the fireplace. It is still a little too warm outside.

Stone or Concrete

Adding decorative objects made of stone, plaster or concrete will add to any style of fall decor this year. They are trending in the decor world and DIY decorating bloggers are creating many versions of them on the cheap. :-)

The vase is my first attempt, I got better when I covered the plastic orange pumpkin using a few altered steps in my method. I will share how I did this early next week.

Music and Scents

You can’t see some of the room’s decor, but if you were in this room you would smell bread baking, soup simmering, and apples being made into applesauce.

Scented candles make me sneeze, but I do like to diffuse clove, cinnamon, orange and cedar essential oils when I am not in the kitchen.

You would also hear music softly playing in the background. I find playlists on Spotify and create my own to listen to all day long. In Love With Crooners is what I am listening to lately.

I hope this post inspires you to decorate in your own style for fall this year and what feels right to you.

It may not be all pumpkins, hay stalks and a brown, rust or orange color scheme. Go with what feels best for your comfy-cozy needs.

• Two-Toned Crock in which I have firewood.
• Wood Bead Garland in dough bowl behind sofa.
• Thick Glass Cylinder Candle Holder on coffee table.
• Pop of dark moody plaid color is from Target’s Dollar Spot.
• Aged Velvet Pillow – Found it in Clearance this past summer at HomeGoods.
• Faux Greenery Globe – HomeGoods
• Terracotta Crock on floor with globe – Local nursery

Related Posts

If you have a question about something you see in the room, you can find out more about the items in these posts:

• Aged Wood Mantel Planter Box
• Wicker Basket Side Table
• DIY 2 x 4 Mirrored Coffee Table
• Raw Edge Fringe Pillow DIY
• Large Fixer Upper Style Wall Clock
• Faux Barnwood Paneling