Stylish Fall Decorating Ideas

By Writer Sara Reimer; Photographer Pete Krumhardt; Project designer Jan Carlson
A spicy mix of flowers, pumpkins and dried leaves brings the best of autumn indoors in these elegant displays. Nature never looked so chic!
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Setting the season

Vibrant dahlias in carved-out mini pumpkins delight at place settings. (We used a candle carver-a small tool that removes candle-size chunks from fruits and veggies.) Insert a votive holder as the "vase" for water and blooms. For the centerpiece, a row of cake stands raises pumpkins decorated with tisue-paper leaf silhouettes. Download our free instructions and templates for the silhouettes below.

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Welcome basket

Spray-paint a quarter-peck basket white, then place flower foam in the base. Insert dried bittersweet, ginkgo branches and white-painted dried pencil cattails. Tie on ribbon and twine adorned with Chinese lantern pods. Hang it from burlap ribbon wrapped around the basket handle.

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Shelf switch up

Dried allium, goldenrod and wheat in a group of vases turn a shelf into a seasonal display. Leaves, acorns and gourds accent the arrangement.

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Leaf card art

This display is a biology lesson and wall decor in one! Tape leaves to identification cards created with crafts store materials or printed from our free templates below. Then place them along a card-holder tree.

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Season opener

Instantly add spark to glass panes in doors or windows by attaching leaves with double-sided tape. It's an easy, inexpensive way to enhance an entry.

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Rope in decor

Replicate a chandelier with leaves instead of lights. Drill a 1⁄4-inch hole in each canning jar lid. Pull a separate piece of rope through each hole, then tie a knot under each lid. Place single leaves in jars, and tightly secure lids. Tie rope pieces together and hang from a heavy-duty ceiling hook.

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Tissue paper pumpkins

Don't let these pumpkins fool you; the designs may look painted, but the patterns are actually created with tissue paper. Download our free patterns below for instructions and templates.

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Make leaves last

The easiest way to preserve colorful fall leaves for crafts projects is to press just-picked leaves between sheets of white paper. Top with a heavy book and keep in a cool, dry place for one to two weeks. They are ready to use when completely dry.

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