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9 Things I’m Not Buying This Fall
We’re heading into the -ber months — my personal favorite stretch of the year. For a long time, our approach to fall decorating was purely additive. The bins came down from the attic, and the inside of the house was decorated about fall rather than actually feeling like it. This year we’re going about it differently. Instead of themed pieces that announce the season, we’re leaning on things that carry it much more quietly, like color and texture. A color palette of oxblood, cobalt blue, moss and olive greens, alongside silver and nickel tones. For texture we’re bringing in jacquard, velvets, tassels and fringe.
Together these elements read as autumn without a single pumpkin motif in your home, and the pieces don’t have to come down the first week of November!
Here are nine things we’re not buying this fall, and what we’re reaching for instead.
1. Pumpkins
Let’s start with the most controversial: No NEW pumpkins. Now, this doesn’t mean we’re not putting any out! They’ll almost certainly still wind up on the porch, because we have some faux ones in storage. (Some traditions aren’t up for debate.) But for styling inside our home, we’re going with seasonal fruit: pears and especially plums. That deep purple against silver is The. Whole. Moment. Spilling over a tiered silver stand or piled on a glass pedestal, they do everything a pumpkin does for a table without reading as a holiday centerpiece.
Pressed Glass Pedestal
We can imagine so many ways to use this — as a cake stand, serving platter, or (our personal favorite) piled with fruit in the kitchen.
2. Brass Everything
Brass has had it’s moment and it’s not going anywhere (for good reason). But when every metal in a room matches, it starts to feel formulaic rather than collected. That’s the opposite of what I want. We’re mixing our brass with polished nickel and vintage silver tones.
Alice Glass Teacup
I just got these for the kitchen and the polished silver adds so much to our kitchen shelves.
3. Oversized Ceramic Lamps
Oversized and round has had a long, good run. What I’m drawn to now is a tall, narrow base. It draws the eye up, and it takes up far less of a nightstand. That matters more than you’d think once a lamp, a book, and a glass of water are all competing for the same space.
Keya Crystal Table Lamp
These just got ordered for the primary bedroom, and I’m picturing them with an empire shade.
4. The Classic Autumn Still Life
Fruit art is sitting this one out. We’re gravitating toward darker botanical prints instead. Same richness, more restraint, and they don’t have to come down when the season turns.
Antique Curiosities Blue Flower with Black Butterflies Print
We’re loving these moody botanicals for fall. This one would look beautiful styled in a bookshelf nook alongside collected vintage finds.
5. Tortoiseshell
Our tortoiseshell pieces aren’t going anywhere, but we’re not adding to the collection. Instead we’re layering in bolder animal prints like tiger and zebra stripe — a trend that’s going to be everywhere soon. Used in small doses, on a pillow or a lampshade, it does what tortoiseshell does but with more presence.
6. Mums
Mums have also had a long run, but it’s time for something else. This year it’s aged sunflowers — or “naked” sunflowers where all of the petals are gone, leaving just the green leaves around the brown center. In a vintage-style silver vase, they’re a show-stopper in any room.
28″ Faux Aged Brown Sunflower Stem
Faux stems are the easiest decor there is — grab a handful of these for your favorite vase and your work is done.
7. Figural Leaves
I’m trading them for tassels and fringe. It’s the same instinct — something decorative on a surface — but the interest comes from texture rather than a literal shape. This one stopped me in my tracks, and it would look beautiful weighting down a stack of coffee table books.
Hotel Key Brass Candle Snuffer
We’d style this on a tray or on top of a stack of coffee table books and romanticize our nightly ritual of putting out the candles.
8. Chunky Knit Throws
These feel like the obvious answer for fall, which is exactly why we’re skipping them. We’re reaching for a dark floral jacquard instead: still something to pull over your lap, but with a pattern and a weight that reads more like upholstery than a blanket.
Olive Green Botanical Floral Pattern Woven Blanket
A throw is such an easy way to transition your living room to the next season. The olive green and burgundy tones of this one already got me to checkout.
9. Scented candles in every room
One or two, absolutely. But instead of layering them everywhere as decor, I’m leaning on tapers for the atmosphere. A single candlestick on a nightstand, or an entire mantle lined with them at slightly different heights — it’s the most tailored thing you can do to a room in about thirty seconds.
White Dripless Taper Candles
The winner of our dripless candles test and what I keep in stock all year long.
As fall approaches we want to usher in the season through intentional pieces that add color and texture rather than through props. If you want to see what that looks like all in one place, I’ve pulled together everything that’s inspiring us this season in the Fall Shop. It’s the best way to take my fall inspo and realize it in your own space.
