How to (pumpkin) spice up your home on a budget this year.
Autumn, despite the dropping temperatures, is the time when nature offers us the cosiest of colours, with warm orange leaves and rich brown conkers all around. We've out together some budget friendly autumn decor tips for making the most of pumpkin season.
Bring The Outside In
The cheapest and also most effective autumn decorations to use are the ones you can find outside. Autumn is defined by the changing nature and a autumn walk, collecting some bits to decorate your home, all wrapped up, with coffee in hand sounds like a great way to spend an afternoon. Pinecones, conkers, funky shaped branches and twigs and dried out leaves are all great to use. You only have to open your phone to find a million and one tutorials for autumn crafts. Why not rope the kids in and entertain them for a few hours too?
TIP: Heard about conker laundry detergent yet? Google it. Save some pennies and thank us later.
It's Pumpkin Season!
There's so many things you can do with a pumpkin or ten... They look great as they are or you can paint them, draw patterns, carve them, it's endless and a trip to a pumpkin farm makes a great autumn day out. If you're on a budget - pumpkins are everywhere - just grab a couple from the local supermarket or florist. They don't have to go to waste either, once you've finished using them as decorations you can get creative with some autumn recipes, pumpkin pie is a firm favourite.
If you're not into the real deal you'll find all kinds of pumpkin shaped decor in the shops that you can pop away and save for next year too.
TIP: If you're using real pumpkins inside and not planning on eating them afterwards, give them a diluted bleach bath in the sink and pop a bit of petroleum on them to make them last the season.
Get Crafty!
As much as we love a pumpkin, autumn is really all about the leaves and they're free so why not? Picking leaves to stick together in a collage is a great activity to do with the kids. Hanging leaves from a branch or the ceiling with some fishing line or thread makes for gorgeous decorations (you'll see for yourselves in our Autumn window display). We also love leaves displayed on cards like the photo below.
TIP: If you want the leaves to be perfectly flat for your projects, pop them between some paper towels and put them between the pages of a heavy book and leave them to dry for a few days.
Everyone Needs an Autumn Centrepiece
A centre piece on a coffee table or dining table can be a really quick and easy way to bring the autumn vibes. It doesn't have to be a labour of love or very costly either. Throw some foraged pine cones into an old vase, add in some fairy lights and you've got yourself an autumn centrepiece.
Use Your Fireplace to Showcase Seasonal Décor
If you're lucky enough to have a fireplace in your home, don't let it go to waste. A roaring fire might be the cosiest thing in the world but if it's just decorative and you're not using it to heat your home it makes a great spot for some autumn decorations. Pop in some dried leaves and pine cones or little pumpkins, and gourds with some fairy lights or electric candles.
Who Doesn't Love a Cushion?
Cushions as autumn decorations are still reasonably inexpensive and are an easy way to change up your interior for the season. You could even choose to get a cushion cover and just swap that over so you don’t have too many excess cushions to store! Go for oranges and mustard yellows or browns and fluffy and soft materials. Tartan is a good way to mix it up and add some depth with country/rustic vibes. Some woolly blankets also add to the cosiness and are great to snuggle up with on a cold evening.
I smell... Autumn
Try hanging cinnamon sticks or even baking as a short term way to get the scent of the season to fill your house. Light a scented candle, pick up a reed diffuser, think spices and warm smells like wood smoke. You could even boil a pot of spices or start mulling your favorite drinks (wine, apple juice, cider, whatever floats your boat) for an intense smell - use cinnamon sticks, cloves, and nutmeg to instantly transport your home into autumn.
That's it for our autumn decor tips but if you need advice on dressing your home to sell during these colder months - we're your people.
Happy Autumn!