How to Use Your Fall Decorations in New Ways

I “shop my house” instead. Or as I like to call it, I go on a “treasure hunt” through the house to unearth items I already own to use for fall decorating.

I go from room to room, peek in closets and drawers, my attic decor stash and even head outside on my deck—and ask myself as I pick out items, “How could I use this differently?” How could I change it? What can I add to it, or remove from it to make it work for my needs?

Suddenly that throw blanket stuffed in the back of the guest room closet, a lantern on the deck or mixing bowl in my kitchen cabinet can become an item to decorate for fall that I hadn’t considered before.

I pull out the items that I think will work to fit my vision and gather them in one place.

This year I placed all of my finds and the contents of my fall storage bin on the floor in my living room so that I can now challenge myself to use each of the items in new ways from how I used them in past years.

Doing this and thinking of unique ways to use my stuff is when the style magic happens.

As you can see I have plenty of faux florals, pumpkins, acorns, pillow covers, and cozy throw blankets to work with.

The process for finding new ways to display your fall decor is about seeing more in the things you already have and creating a fresh new look that will add new energy to your rooms so your fall decor won’t become become static year after year.

Last fall I showed you How to Style the Same Faux Fall Branches in 3 Different Ways. It was a very popular post, so I thought this year I would expand on the theme showing you a few other “done-in-minutes” ideas on how you can change what you own.

No craftiness needed for these ideas. They are more about how you display and style them, then making anything from scratch.

Best of all, you will save money as you won’t have to buy anything new to decorate your home in a stylish way this fall.

It’s a nice feeling when I don’t feel the need to buy new or trendy fall decor being sold at Target, Walmart, Hobby Lobby and other retailers that will make my decor look like everyone else’s who bought the trending fall look or items.

Some of the items I gathered are not even specifically “fall only”.

Many can be used for all seasons.

If anything is damaged, before tossing it, I take it apart and save good parts that I may be able to use to create a new look for something. I am not sure what I am going to do with the parts I saved from this yet, but stay tuned as I may come up with something and show you in a few weeks.

Don’t Forget to Look In Your China Cabinet

Your china cabinet is a gold mine of decor you can use to create fall displays around your home. Autumn colored plates can be lined up against an open shelf in your kitchen, bowls can be filled with acorns to hold a candle. Platters can become decorative trays to place on a coffee table.

Try Using Favorite Fall Items in a Different Place

Sometimes creating a new look is as simple as moving pieces to a new room. That lantern that usually sits on my deck could become a star on my sideboard filled with pinecones. The little pumpkin that lives on the entry table? Maybe this year it’s nestled into the bathroom vanity for a charming surprise.

ReStyle Your Collections

If you’ve been collecting and displaying pumpkins for years in your home like I have, you probably have a whole little army of them in every size and texture. The key to making them look new is to stop using them in the same way year after year.

One year in my previous house I tucked my smaller collection of mini pumpkins into a glass hurricane on my sideboard. The next year I placed the same pumpkins in a basket filled with shredded book pages for a completely new look.

The following year, they became part of my dining room centerpiece.

A few years ago, I used only 3 of the mini pumpkins on a tray lined with dried beans.

And here is a way I can consider using them this year. I can make my own version of this Pottery Barn mini pumpkin wreath.

Break Up Sets

I have a few sets of decorative fall spheres that are classic and I don’t think will ever go out of style.

In my previous home, I placed 4 of spheres on my foyer sideboard.

Another year, I placed 3 of them in a tray along with a fall candle and a stack of books with a ceramic pumpkin on top.

Another year, I lined them up on my fireplace mantel.

Then used only three on a tray on my living room sofa table.

Last year I used only one. By placing it all by itself on a pedestal on a shelf in my kitchen added a nice contrast of textures against all my smooth and shiny plates.

And the whole collection of my pinecone spheres simply piled on a white ceramic platter creates fall decor in an instant.

Be Bold – Go Oversized

If you would like to add the look of dried branches in a vase to a sideboard like you see in decorating magazines, just look outside your door. You don’t need to buy faux branches when you can cut a few the size you want from your yard or a nearby woods.

When gathering items outside to use to decorate, I keep an eye out for branches, dried leaves, pinecones, twigs, acorns, and pieces of tree bark.

To really make a decorative statement, create larger scale real or faux fall floral arrangements instead of smaller size ones.

They can be created in large vases, planters and pitchers. They make a kitchen island, dining table, sideboard or foyer console look like it is right out of a decorating magazine or catalog.

You can easily create one yourself by cutting and bringing in branches from your yard. If the leaves are dried up on your branches or you you don’t like the color, strip the leaves off and replace with craft store faux leaves. Use hot glue to attach them to the branches to add an infusion of fall color.

Mix Metallics with Rustic Decor

Fall decor often leans rustic, but a little shine can make the colors and textures of autumn pop.

I pulled out a silver tray one fall—something I usually only use at Christmas—and styled it with candles and acorns. The mix of shiny and natural textures felt elegant and fresh.

Try mixing in metallics like —silver candlesticks, gold trays, or even a mirror propped casually against a wall behind a vignette will make rustic fall items feel more elevated and fresh.

Put Finds from Nature Front & Center

One fall, I filled a ceramic mixing bowl with pinecones and placed a votive in the center. It looked quite nice on my entry console.

Another year, I grabbed a wicker basket and filled it with dead branches that had no leaves—it suddenly looked like a statement arrangement you see on the Pottery Barn website.

Nature provides many ways to decorate a home – like a slice from a tree trunk turning into a perfect pedestal for a pillar candle.

Mix Faux With Real to Create a Larger Display

When you don’t have enough of one type of faux or real fall foliage – mix them together to fill the vase or planter to create more impact. Doing this works very well in the fall, when rustic can look high end.

Add Separate Fall Leaves to Just About Anything

I love the colors of faux leaves. I have collected quite a lot over the years. Some come packaged up at the craft store. Others I have pulled off of faux stems I didn’t use anymore.

I like to place them in bowls and glass vases.

Don’t Underestimate Vase and Bowl Fillers

Some of my best free fall finds I pick up on my morning walk. One of my favorite free finds I found in the parking lot at my local Panera.

After eating there and heading back to my car, I passed a grassy spot with a tree. The grass was covered in these very textured and large acorns. I found a big bag and took as many as I could.

I have used them in many different ways since then. Here they surround a candle in a dessert size plate.

And here they are lined up on a bean lined tray.

These acorns and tops have lasted for years, even stored in my hot attic.

I have left them in their natural state, but one of these years I may spray paint them, crush them, string them on twine to make a garland, or add a mix of orange and brown glitter to them. They never have to stay the same.

Other Fillers

I can’t remember where I got these orange berries, but I love the pop of orange they added to my fall decor one year.

As does this berry twine that I found at Hobby Lobby a few years ago.

I have used the twine not only to accent a basket that holds a candle, but I also made fall napkin rings using it.

Embellish Items with Ribbon

Little added embellishment can take an all-season item and make it look fall-like using ribbon. I always have a few rolls of brown, orange and velvet ribbons on hand to tie on or wrap around to turn anything into fall decor.

I even use it when setting a fall table setting. A simple way to make ordinary items appear fall-like.

Add Rustic Details to All-Season Decor

If you have any twine, twisted paper, raffia or rope, consider wrapping it around a vase.

Or gather a bunch of twigs and tie them around a plain cylinder crock or vase and before you know it, you created fall decor.

A little rustic texture is easy to add and will go a long way when you’re going for that cozy, autumn feel.

Textiles Add a Soft Touch

One idea I use almost every year is to use all types of fabric items around the house. A plaid throw that’s usually on the sofa could be folded and used as a makeshift table runner.

Even clothing can sneak into my fall decor—scarves make beautiful toppers for side tables or can become the bow on a fall wreath.

I have quite a collection of pillow covers to choose from every fall.

If you don’t have any, did you know you can use fabric yardage, scarves and even dishtowels to make no-sew instant throw pillow covers?

Display Brown and Fall Colored Items

I always search for brown and fall colored stuff when I go searching my house for items to use for fall decor.

One year I placed a collection of marbled brown, black and white vintage doorknobs on a tray with books and a low bowl filled with pinecones from my yard.

Even though they aren’t actually fall decor, they blend in very nicely and add a bit of shine to all the fall textures.

As do making these simple shiny glass bottle candle holders filled with dried corn.

Now It’s Your Turn

I hope that before you head out to buy what you see being promoted via affiliate links on blogs or being advertised, wander your house with a fresh eye. Open closets, peek into drawers, and look at your everyday objects with new curiosity – to then embellish them with a fall touch.

Being creative and using what you already own is what I love most about decorating—it’s not about following rules or keeping up with trends, it’s about having fun and making your home feel welcoming in a way that’s uniquely yours.

Share Your Creative Fall Ideas!

Now I’d love to hear from you. Do you have a favorite way you’ve reused your fall decorations in a new way? Maybe you’ve tucked pumpkins into an unexpected spot, or turned an everyday item into a seasonal arrangement you loved. Share your ideas in the comments—I know they’ll inspire me and everyone else who reads this post.