We can’t believe it’s nearly the end of summer and that means fall is right around the corner. Where did all the time go?
It’s time to plan the decorations for fall in your kitchen with bright colors, autumn vibes, and cozy living.
Coming from an east coast person, no one knows how to do the fall season better than back home in the region north of Boston, Massachusetts. Growing up in New England with four seasons spoiled me rotten and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. We have a long autumn season, lasting anywhere from two to three months or more.
Generally, the first snowfall of the year happens as early as late October or as late as after Thanksgiving! It mixes in with unraked leaves and leaf piles, with some still clinging onto their tree branches for dear life.
With the brilliant changing colors come red, orange, yellow, and even purple leaves. Not to mention apple picking, pumpkin picking, and lots of first hot chocolates of the season with cinnamon sticks. Warm hats, comfy sweaters, campfires, lattés...you get the picture.
So, with all the excitement from fall, one of the best ways to bring in the new season is to decorate the heart of the home: the kitchen.
We’ll go over some of my personal favorites and traditional decorations my family used out in New England.
Grab your warm apple cider, a comfy blanket, and curl up on the couch as we bring you these beautiful fall decorating ideas.
Wheat Centerpiece
A jar, vase, or pitcher of wheat is a great big centerpiece for your kitchen. And they’re easy to pick up at your local grocery store or retail store, too. These can either be real or fake.
We recommend adding a scent to your centerpiece like pumpkin spice, cinnamon, or apple pie.
The Simple Table Decor
A fall scented candle and a small pumpkin seated on a lazy Susan are great additions to your fall decor. Pair that with some wooden coasters, and you’re golden.
Some of my favorite fall scented candles are mulled cider, fall festival, and pumpkin nutmeg pie. Many of these can be found in your local grocery store.
Candles, Placemats, and Pinecones
What better way to invite cooler weather and sweaters into your home by creating a beautiful kitchen table display? A plethora of wheat in a pitcher is flanked by a few unscented candles, and plenty of pinecones.
The makeup of the seats is also gorgeous. Woven placemats with beautifully sculpted napkins make this dinner setup one for the books. Can we get a table for two, please?
Change Your Tea Towels!
One of the easiest changes you can make in your kitchens is to change the tea towels hanging in your kitchen!
This also applies to your kitchen rug and runner, and even your curtains, if you have those in your kitchen. It will feel much more like autumn in your house, and also keeps your kitchen looking fresh and updated. Your family and guests alike will love these small changes!
One of the easiest changes you can make in your kitchens is to change the tea towels hanging in your kitchen!
This also applies to your kitchen rug and runner, and even your curtains, if you have those in your kitchen. It will feel much more like autumn in your house, and also keeps your kitchen looking fresh and updated. Your family and guests alike will love these small changes!
Pumpkin and Leaf Display
One of the easiest displays for your kitchen table is leaves and pumpkins. Yep, just like that! Leaves can either be real or fake, and the same goes pumpkins and squashes. Maybe toss in a few cinnamon sticks for some pleasant scents and you’re ready.
Fall Garland
Want to keep your decor simple yet noticeable? A fall garland may be your best option. As long as you don’t mind the extra abundance of color, these garlands are a great, low-budget way to bring fall indoors. Garlands like these can be picked up at your local grocery store, Walmart, and Target! Nicer garlands but pricier stores include Homegoods, TJ Maxx, and Michael’s. Remember, it’s about the investment!
Similar Palette Across The Board
If you’re looking for a farmhouse neutral, then look no further. Match your tea towels to your decor, and you’re good to go. Bushels of wheat, candles, and tableware are all included in this display.
Fall Themed Basket with Wild Corn
This fall basket is a wonderful centerpiece that adds a piece you may not use often. The wire basket is a great tool to keep your decor in one spot, but has spaces so you can peek between the cracks.
Wild corn, berries on branches, and some flowers make this display a stunning colorful display. Most of the time, these decorations are fake. But you can find some real displays, or life-like displays if you look hard enough!
Autumn Themed Wreath
Wreaths aren’t just for the Christmas season; they can be used in all seasons! One of the best usages for a fall themed wreath include the above image: wheat! There are plenty of other themed wreaths that include sticks and branches of fall colors, pinecones, cinnamon sticks, and small fruit buds.
Mason Jars Galore
Mason jars are great to stuff things in. And yes, I mean stuff!
My mason jars are filled with rocks collected from different seashores. But these can easily be filled with leaves, acorns, pine cones, fall leaves, and more. Then, you can switch them out in the winter for evergreens, and holly branches!
Check out this example below of another decor idea with mason jars!
The All-Out Fall Decor Enthusiast
Yeah, so here’s your crazy all-out fall enthusiast! From a fresh new board in the kitchen to couch pillows and table decor, here’s one household that is fully embracing fall.
Pumpkins on the barstool, a yellow blanket, and a few more pieces of fall wall decor round out this small portion of the kitchen.
Candles, Pinecones, Pumpkins
Candles always put us in the cozy cabin mood! The best part about these candles is they’re unscented. So you can enjoy the flickering flame while sipping hot apple cider without strong scents wafting throughout your kitchen.
Match these candles with some pumpkins, squash, and a few table plants for maximum coziness!
Plaids and Poppies - Bring On The Color!
What speaks more volumes than plaid and poppies for fall!? Not much! This table setup is quite beautiful and colorful. This goes to show that you can bring forth natural colors and bright colors to create a wonderful fall display. A candle in a pumpkin shaped holder is a nice touch, too!
Vases of Flowers
Simple is good sometimes, and the simplicity of some neutral colored flowers is wonderful. You may want to spice this up with some more colors, and a great way to keep it low-key would be to add a fall themed candle to the mix. It’s practical, smells good, and can be small or large!
Full Table Spread
This is reminiscent of my mother’s dining room table back in New England: she loves a good full table spread if she can help it! She often gets pumpkins and squash from farmer’s markets around town or from the grocery store. They’re pretty cheap, too.
Then, she’ll swap out her regular candle stands with some fall themed stands, and gather leaves, pinecones, and some spruce branches from the yard. This brings a nice, fresh natural scent inside the home.
One Last Summer Fling
In early fall, pick some sunflowers to spice up your fall decor! They’re beautiful and they give echoes of summer too. Throw in a pumpkin or squash and you’ve got a beautiful centerpiece.
Wreaths On the Range Hood
Wreaths of any type are a beautiful addition to your fall decor layout, and placing one on your range hood is particularly beautiful!
Cinnamon and Spice
Doesn’t it make everything nice? Well, it’ll add some lovely aromas to your kitchen, and isn’t that what fall is all about? We definitely recommend adding some aromas to your kitchen, and one of the best ways is to add cinnamon sticks. Look on Pinterest for some ideas and you’ll surely find one you love!
Apples to Apples
We had something similar to this fall decoration in my kitchen when I was growing up. I knew the apples were fake and that was confirmed to me years later when we had a little 2-year-old over who bit into the apple....keep away from small children!
Get That Autumn Themed Table Spread!
My family always has a table spread going year round – we trade in the sand and seashells from summer to apples and pumpkins for fall. Often we’ll use real apples and squash! We just periodically eat the apples so make sure you keep buying them!
Candles For the Evening
Candles are incredibly common for fall kitchen decor. They are a perfect way to get creative and show off your fall spirit! This works great in your dining room, kitchen, bedroom – wherever you like.
The Lazy Susan
A lazy susan is an easy way to add some fall kitchen decor, and you can decorate it differently every season.
We Love This Vase….
We seriously do love this vase, spotted in a fall home tour recently. The vase is nice and bright and the colors coordinate as well. This is key to elegant fall kitchen decor. Stick to oranges, browns, reds, yellows, and the like.
Candles Part II
If you don’t want to get colored candles, this alternative allows you to keep the candles throughout multiple seasons. Just change the decor around the candle!
Themed Tea Towels
One thing my mother absolutely loves is tea towels or hand towels that match the seasons. They add some extra charm and are an easy addition to add! The trick here is to get some towels for that particular season, and then others that have colors that can be used for multiple seasons!
Letter Boards
We had one of these in the house I grew up in. It wasn’t in the kitchen but rather on the wall of the stairwell headed to the kitchen, but it was always fun writing little messages on it to my family.
Your Outdoor Setup
Time to bring fall kitchen decor to your outdoor kitchen. We love the idea of a fall picnic or barbecue! This table setup gets away with more since it’s most likely temporary, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have one last barbecue!
Wreaths for the Chairs
If we can have wreaths for the range hood, why not have wreaths for the chairs? This is a nice addition to your kitchen. You could even make the singular wreath on the range hood larger and with more features to distinguish it from the wreaths on the chair!
Get Those Fall Mugs!
Something that’s beautiful to add to your kitchen decor is fall themed mugs! I have plenty of mugs in my inventory, and I would love to get some that are fall colors or even a couple holiday themed ones! It’s a wonderful addition to your fall kitchen for sure!
Get Retro!
This fall decorating idea is absolutely beautiful. Are you getting any farmhouse kitchen vibes?
An old toy would work perfectly for this DIY project. Or you can most likely find items like this in stores. I wonder how this would look with a tractor!
Autumn Themed Vases
One of the simplest fall decor ideas is fall themed vases. Grab a vase and start decorating! Again, keep color coordination in mind. Notice the orange flower is the focal point of this piece. This could look great in the center of your kitchen island where everyone can enjoy its beauty.
Perks Of Being A Sunflower
There’s honestly a lot of ways to use sunflowers for fall home decor. They look beautiful in your kitchen, and combined with pumpkins and pine cones as seen above, they can also make quite the impressive table decor! The old book adds to the spread, so grab one of your parent’s old books to give your kitchen a vintage look.
Apple Cider, Apple Pie, Apple Everything!
Love this unique setup on a lazy Susan! It’s like a jar for ice cream money but in envelope form! This is a creative way to motivate family members to chip in change for apple cider – a delicious fall treat. With apple cider comes cider donuts….and those are next level!
A Bright Table Spread
Here’s another fall themed take on a table spread for your dining room. This version is packed with bright colors and features a plaid pattern! The vintage candles add to the 1700s style look too. It helps you get right in the mood for fall, doesn’t it?
Soapy Hands
Fall themed or scented soap is one of the easiest decorating ideas on this list. The best thing is that it is temporary! Use different kinds of soaps all throughout late September, October and November. This is easily one of my mother’s favorite things to do!
Themed Hot Chocolate and Coffee!
Yep, this is a thing and it’s beautiful. This is another one of our temporary fall decorating ideas, but there are ways to make it more permanent. Beyond latté art, you can look for fall themed mugs and glasses. These will last for years; all you have to do is pull them out every fall season.
Signs Galore!
Signs in the kitchen are one of my favorite things – and not just for fall decor. You may know where everything is in your kitchen, but signs can be a purely decorative element. They can really personalize the space and make it feel like home.
This photo is proof that there’s no wrong way to add these to your kitchen - and you can never have enough!
Rugged Is The Way To Go
A nice rug in front of your sink is a pretty decorating idea and it can be changed with the seasons! You can go small as in the above photo, or large depending on your kitchen design. Don’t be afraid to really spice up your fall decor!
Here we have another farmhouse kitchen, too. By now, you can hopefully see how well farmhouse design complements fall decor.
An Alternative Lazy Susan
If you’re into DIY decorating ideas (see also 'Kitchen DIY Ideas For Your Apartment That Won’t Cost You Your Deposit'), this is the one for you. Don’t have a lazy Susan? No matter; just DIY your own using a cutting board, a raised platter, and an old pitcher. This getup is stunning and creative. Pitchers used as vases are beautiful, and this design executes it perfectly!
Deck Out Your Coffee Station!
Have a coffee station? Well, deck it out with some fall colors and fall decor! Bring on the pumpkin spice lattes and cinnamon sticks to boot. If you have fall themed mugs, this is the place to add them for sure!
If you don’t have room in your kitchen, you can put your coffee station in your dining room too! It’s just as accessible and you can tuck it into a corner so it’s out of your way. Another great spot for your coffee station is the entryway – make a strong statement with fall decor immediately when friends enter your home.
White Pumpkins
By now, you’ve probably seen several orange pumpkins. But what about white pumpkins? In your kitchen, you can add them to an elegant centerpiece. That’s not your only option though.
When should you start decorating for fall?
Decorate for fall in early to mid October. This is an ideal time because as you are putting up fall decorations, you can bring out your Halloween decor as well: pumpkins, witches, scarecrows, and more!
How do I make my house cozy for fall?
Some of the best and simplest fall decorating ideas to make your home cozy are candles, pumpkins, cinnamon sticks, table spreads, fall vases and mugs, and much more.
How can I decorate for fall cheap?
Target, Wal-Mart, Marshalls, Homegoods, and other big box stores are great options to decorate for fall cheap. They have a wide range of fall decor available to you depending on your budget. The dollar store is another reliable option: it’s cheap and a lot of the products there are quite durable.
How do I make my room more welcoming?
People are generally more welcoming to bright, warm colors. Reds, oranges, and yellows are the warm colors on the color spectrum, so filling your home or kitchen with as many of these shades or highlights as possible is a great starting point. Definitely consider warm colors if it’s the fall season as well. You don’t have to make a permanent change such as painting your room, but there are plenty of decorating ideas such as adding fall mugs, rugs, vases, wreaths, and much more.
Blacks, whites, creams, and other neutral colors can help balance out the room, dampening the brightness of your accent colors. These are great options if you’re going for a more muted look – not to mention that neutral colors are not as jarring on the eyes.
The autumn season is one of the best seasons in my heart, and it isn’t complete without an obscene amount of decorations! From fake leaves to apples and pine cones, the opportunities to decorate your favorite rooms and the heart of your home are endless. Pinterest is one of the best places to get your inspiration from. Check out our board for fall themed decor ideas today!
We have boards with dedicated kitchens sections, so if you’d like to check out some ideas, head on over and see our farmhouse design board, boho design board, and British colonial design board! We’ll be pinning to each of these boards every week, so you’ll have plenty of ideas to scour through as you plan for this upcoming fall season.
Happy planning, and happy fall!
When should you start decorating for fall?
How do I make my house cozy for fall?
How can I decorate for fall cheap?
How do I make my room more welcoming?
Blacks, whites, creams, and other neutral colors can help balance out the room, dampening the brightness of your accent colors. These are great options if you’re going for a more muted look – not to mention that neutral colors are not as jarring on the eyes.