Decorating our Hallway for Fall 2018

The upstairs hallway is one of my favorite spots to add seasonal decor.  This year, decorating that little console table area for fall was a MUST on my to-do list.  I have experienced a big shift in how I decorate lately and I am loving more simple decor.  I know it might not be apparent to the masses….but FINISHING spaces (like anything over 95% done) is a huge help to my sanity.  AND those finished spaces are my favorite for seasonal decorating.

So let’s talk about decorating!  During the summer, I had simplified this area.

I like to classify home decor and furniture into three different categories….FOUNDATION, SEASONAL and FLEXIBLE.

Foundation pieces are ones are the items that don’t change.  The wallpaper and console table and mirror and lamp are all foundation pieces in my mind.  They stay and don’t change with the wind…or the season…or really ever.  This is their home and they live here (at least until my kids break something….knock on wood!).

Seasonal pieces are exactly what they sound like.  They are decor items or furniture items that would change with the season or holiday.  These would be the pumpkins, the christmas trees, and the easter bunnies of the world.  They are the signs that say “The Bower Family Hay Ride” and wouldn’t transition to other holidays or seasons because they are specifically referencing one certain time of the year.  In this look, I categorize the blue ombre pottery as seasonal.  It looks like the ocean to me and so I think of it as summery.

Flexible pieces are the decor that play nicely with others.  They are the boxes, jars, books, frames, baskets and stools that transcend seasons and can be incorporated no matter what holiday is next.  In this case, I would consider the stack of books, the stool and the jar with greenery all to be flexible.

Now, that being said – the first thing I do is remove ALL the seasonal and flexible pieces and start over to create my new look.

And here is it’s new look for fall…

I started with this scarf as my inspiration piece and it is so affordable and easy to use as home decor.  I love using scarves as home decor.  They are basically like a runner.  Except cheaper.

I loved the colors – they aren’t orange which is a typical color you would expect to see during this time – but the burnt red and the browns make it seem definitely like a “clean” version of fall.  The way I gathered it on the console was to make a triangle shape.  I wanted it to draw the eye down and over and kind of cap the corner if that makes sense.  It ties in all the items that we had going on – both on the floor and on the console table.

The next thing I did was use one of my versatile pieces – this big jar from Hobby Lobby to balance out the height of the lamp (my foundation piece on the opposite side).  It already had the eucalyptus leaves and the lambs ear stems in there so I added some wood disc stems as well.  I got them at a local christmas shop so unfortunately I can’t share a link 🙁  BUT the idea here to add some brown elements to make it feel like autumn is easy to do with anything brown so even a branch from outside with some red leaves would work!

Next to the terra-cotta looking jar is a lower flexible piece….the low round basket.

These type of baskets work really well as a gathering spot for just about anything and the height variety helps the overall look of the table.  I liked this one especially because of the round circle handles that just give it an updated look.

Inside the basket I wanted to add a whole bunch of my favorite fall potpourri.  This mix has cinnamon and nutmeg and cloves and is literally heaven in your nostrils.  It’s like a big ole angel flew right up your nose.

I like to add one big element in the lower basket – this time it was a very seasonal item…a bronze colored pumpkin.

The hint of metallic in the basket adds just a little sparkle and plays very nicely with both foundation pieces (mirror and lamp) and balances out the other bronzey gold item – the candle holder.  It is also a nod to what is going on beneath the table without being too matchy matchy.

Below the table, I managed to squeeze a basket (different color than the round one but still is close enough with undertones to play along) and fill it with faux creamy white pumpkins.  These are ones I got last year and had outside but this year we are supposed to get lots of rain so I decided to keep them indoors.

I love the fact that from the front, they are also doing a very functional thing by hiding that outlet.  Good job pumpkins.

On the other side of the table, I kept the same lamp and had to balance it out with two other items.  Remember that we group in odd numbers and so adding TWO things would keep things looking balanced and even.  The two items also needed to add variety in height and nod to the color we were using on the other side of the table.

I picked out two of my favorite fall items….a red pumpkin (that feels like the more sophisticated cousin to the orange pumpkin) and a gold candle holder.  Since they were playing off the colors across the aisle and were varied heights…it was a match made in heaven.

See how pretty the bronzey color looks across the table and how it picks up the mirrors undertones?  And the red is tied in with the blanket scarf?  And the textures are all different?  Soft from the lambs ear stems, hard from the ceramic pumpkin and jar, metallic from the small pumpkin, rustic and earthy from the potpourri and basket, ridged on the candle holder and smooth on the lamp?  It is basically a tug of war of textures that makes it work!

The only thing that I want to change is that I wish I could do the paneled look on the wall next to it.  I like the look of clean modern shiplap and would totally do it on the hallway but I have to convince Jeremy and it’s not on our 2018 to do list…..so FAT CHANCE.  But don’t you think it would look so good?!

Anyhoo….this was my fall hallway decorating and I tried to explain the best I could about how I tackle the decorating.  When I asked on Instagram what kind of content you guys like seeing, the explanation of how I do decor was a frequently mentioned item.  If you like this kind of post, please let me know so that I can be sure to keep doing them!

And for one final moment of fall fun….here is the before and after….

SOURCE LINKS (linked similar ones if unavailable)

• console table
• faux white pumpkins
• wallpaper
• lamp
• terra cotta jar
• rectangular basket
• mirror
• red pumpkin
• candle holder
• round basket
• Potpourri
• Blanket scarf
• Lambs ear stem
• Eucalyptus stem
• Bronze pumpkin – Pier 1