The turn of seasons brings exciting changes—crisp air, colorful foliage, comfort food, and cozy layers, to name a few. It’s also the perfect opportunity to give your home decor a refresh, whether that means swapping light linens for something warmer and more textural or bringing moody, seasonal colors into your space.
However, there’s a fine line between a cozy fall home and one that borders on feeling overdone. While the season brings plenty of opportunities to embrace warm hues, rich textures, and festive accents, it's easy to go overboard and miss the mark on creating a space that feels truly cozy and inviting.
“Fall decorating should feel like a natural extension of your home's style, not like the aisles of an overstock store. With a shift in textures, richer colors, warm lighting, and thoughtful details, you can capture the feeling of fall without screaming it,” says Terri Brien, founder and principal designer of Terri Brien Interiors.
To help you strike the right balance, we asked interior designers what fall decorating mistakes they wish people would stop making. Here’s what they want you to avoid, along with designer-approved tips for what to do instead.
1. Wordy decor
Wordy decor is notoriously unpopular with interior designers, but it seems especially popular in fall and winter decorating. Seasonal pillowcases, welcome mats, accent rugs, wooden signs, and wall art with words and phrases may feel like an easy way to bring the season home, but designers agree these pieces can have the opposite effect.
“Signs and pillows with phrases like ‘Thankful’ can make a room feel overly themed. Let color and texture bring in the season instead,” says Julia Newman, founder and principal designer of Julia Adele Design.
2. Too much faux foliage
Decorating with seasonal foliage is a great option year-round, but designers say using real plants is key. Those bright orange and red faux maple leaves aren’t doing what you think they are for your space, and yes, everyone can tell they are plastic.
“Resist the urge to add armfuls of fake leaves, plastic greenery, branches, and pumpkins. When you can, source real items from local farmers’ markets or florists. A few real pieces create a curated look that a pile of imitations never can,” says Jody Jones, founder and principal designer of Blue Indigo Designs.
3. Relying on overly literal fall motifs
Pumpkins, maple leaves, and pickup trucks may be hallmark signs of fall, but designers agree you should resist leaning on them when it comes to decorating your home for the season.
“I love pumpkins just as much as the next person, but do we really need them on every surface? When pumpkins start appearing on the mantel, coffee table, dining table, kitchen island, and every other available spot, the effect becomes a little overwhelming,” says Brien.
That’s not to say you can’t decorate with pumpkins, of course, but designers agree that restraint is key. Instead of relying solely on traditional fall motifs, let texture and color do the talking for a subtler, more elevated seasonal touch.
4. Cluttering the space
With so much beautiful fall decor at our fingertips, it can be easy to go overboard and buy every piece we love. However, over-decorating can leave your home feeling cluttered and visually overwhelming rather than cozy and inviting. The key to decorating your space for fall like a designer is to make small changes while keeping the foundation of your decor consistent, says Jones.
“Fall decor is about restraint. A few thoughtful swaps, rich textures, and natural elements will make your home feel cozy and seasonal without looking like a store display.”
5. Overdoing orange
There’s no doubt that orange is a staple fall color, but it’s not the only one! Autumn offers such a rich, varied palette that limiting yourself to the same predictable shades does a disservice to the season. Instead, draw inspiration for your home’s color palette from the entire fall landscape, not just the bright orange and red tones of the nearest sugar maple tree.
“Try mixing earthy tones like moss green, chocolate brown, ochre, clay, and warm neutrals. I especially love incorporating these colors through textiles like plaids, stripes, and richly textured solids. They feel appropriate for fall without announcing it to everyone who walks through the door,” Brien says.
6. Ignoring lighting
Lastly, don’t discount the impact that lighting can have on your space during the cooler fall and winter months. “You can have the most beautiful fall decor, but if your room is lit up like a grocery store, you're missing one of the easiest ways to create that cozy autumn feeling,” says Brien.
Use warmer bulbs, task and accent lighting, dimmer switches, and turn off those overhead lights for a cozy, enveloping feel. And don’t forget to light a candle every now and again. According to Brien, “A little candlelight can do more for a room than an entire shopping cart of seasonal decorations.”
Cori Sears is a freelance writer who covers all things home-related, including interior design, cleaning, gardening, houseplant care, and DIYs. Her words have appeared in outlets like Better Homes & Gardens, The Spruce, Apartment Therapy, and more. When she's not working on the next story, you'll find her enjoying a cup of coffee, tending to her garden, and working on at least one home DIY project.
