As the air turns crisp and leaves shift color, it is a perfect time to bring cozy fall touches into your home decor. This season, creating a warm, elegant home is about combining textures, sustainability, and personal touches—so your space feels both current and timeless.

We teamed up with Nancy Zoleta of @ahomeforkeeps to share her favorite tips for creating a warm and welcoming autumn look.

Nancy’s Fall Styling Tips

Known for her sophisticated yet comfortable style, Nancy’s fall decor ideas mix deep seasonal colors, timeless vintage pieces, and cozy textures to make every corner of your home feel inviting and stylish. Here’s how she brings the beauty of Fall indoors with ease and elegance.

1. Update Your Palette: Rich Warmth + Accent Pops

To set the foundation for fall, Nancy turns to rich autumn hues like rustic orange and burgundy.

“Once I choose a fall color, I bring it into throw pillows, blankets, and floral arrangements,” she says.

These warm tones add depth and can make a dramatic impact without overwhelming the space. By weaving these colors through different elements, you create a cohesive fall palette that instantly transforms any room.

Fall-themed living room corner with floral and velvet pillows, a textured rust-colored blanket on a white sofa, and a wood coffee table. The table displays a decorative tray with a white bust statue, candles, dried flowers in a brass bowl, and a glass pumpkin.Pro Tip: Try pairing rustic orange and burgundy with neutrals for a balanced look that transitions beautifully from summer to fall.

2. Elevated Tablescapes & Meal Gatherings

Taking inspiration from the patterns on her favorite bowls, Nancy crafts a comforting, cozy fall tablescape that feels both personal and seasonal.

If you’re unsure where to begin, follow Nancy’s approach: start with a favorite piece of dinnerware and let its colors and patterns guide your choices.

By building around this focal point, you’ll create a cohesive table setting with candles, florals, and accents that effortlessly evoke the warmth of fall.

To create a similar vibe, Nancy recommends:

• Amber Candlesticks and Black Candles:
  These add a warm, moody glow.
  
  

• Fall Floral Centerpiece:
  Nancy’s centerpiece, made from faux hydrangeas and cream roses in a black urn, is perfect for an autumnal table that feels elevated and seasonal.
  
  

3. Thoughtful Seasonal Touches

“Sensible” Pumpkins & Gourds:

Real pumpkins are lovely — but supplement with velvet, glass, or ceramic ones. Neutral colors—creams, greens, muted oranges—help them feel elegant rather than cliché.

Nancy keeps it refined by choosing glass and velvet pumpkins for her side tables, giving an elegant twist to a seasonal staple.

For a more rustic vibe, she places real pumpkins on her mantel, dining table, and kitchen counters. These touches bring a lovely, understated fall vibe to every room, seamlessly blending charm with elegance.

Sustainable Faux Foliage:

High quality faux stems that look real, especially in muted tones (deep rust, soft gold, dusty rose), offer longevity.

Scented Elements:

Incorporate natural scents: cinnamon sticks, clove, cedar, smoked woods. Candles, diffusers, or simmering pots can do this.

4. Personalized Vintage & Artisan Pieces

Nancy’s seasonal decorating includes her beloved vintage items, which she keeps out year-round but styles differently with each season. This fall, she incorporated French-style porcelain, antique candle holders, and other timeless pieces alongside pumpkins and fall foliage. These items add warmth, personality, and a sense of history to her space, making it feel both cozy and curated.

Pro Tip:

Blend vintage items with seasonal accents for a look that’s uniquely yours. Nancy suggests layering in smaller decor items like faux flowers, pumpkins, and candles to bring out the character of each piece.

5. Lighting & Ambience

Lighting can make or break the ambiance of your fall decor. Nancy recommends warm white bulbs, which add a soft glow perfect for autumn nights.

“Lighting is everything,” she says. “It makes a space feel warm and inviting.” She also uses decorative candles on tables and sideboards, choosing elegant candle stands that add both light and visual interest.

Nancy’s Go-To: Look for lighting that complements your decor while adding a cozy touch, like warm-hued bulbs or decorative candle stands with character.

Nancy’s Top Tips for Refreshing Fall Decor

For a quick and easy fall refresh, Nancy suggests:

• Velvet Ribbons:
  Tie ribbons around candlesticks, vases, or even pumpkins for an elegant pop.
  
  

• Throws and Pillows in Fall Colors:
  An easy way to add warmth and texture.
  
  

• Floral Fillers:
  Faux hydrangeas, branches, or berries add a natural touch to decorative bowls or trays.
  

  

Explore to find the perfect items that bring cozy elegance to life in your home.

It is a great time to enjoy the beauty of fall decor. Many people love to keep their autumn-themed decorations up through Thanksgiving and into the early weeks of December. This gives you more time to savor the rich, cozy tones of the season before fully transitioning to other holiday decorations.

Even if you start to introduce a few festive touches, you can easily blend fall elements with early winter or holiday decor. So, if you’re not quite ready to give up those warm fall hues and cozy textures, there’s no rush—let your fall style linger a bit longer and transition seamlessly into the Christmas and Hanukkah seasons.