As much as I love a good pumpkin, I also love to branch out beyond gourds when it comes to autumn decor. From leaves to acorns, apples to owls, there are some great fall decorating ideas that are completely pumpkin-free.
Rustic Leaf Wreath
Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.
Celebrating fall foliage is one of my favorite fall decorating ideas. With all those colors and shapes, there are any number of projects you can make with them. In this case, an old cheese box lid has been transformed into a decorative sign and door decor.
Boho Color Palettes
Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.
Modern weaving projects like this are a great way to learn a new skill and decorate for Fall in a boho, natural way. Some dried stems in a vase add to that end-of-season harvest feeling that goes hand-in-hand with autumn.
Tweed Acorns
Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.
Plush acorns made from tweed jackets are the unexpected fall craft you didn’t know you needed until now. And their cap? A thrifted salad bowl, believe it or not.
Pumpkin-Free Fall Signs
Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.
There are a LOT of great Fall quotes out there that are perfect for capturing on festive fall signs like this. This quote says it all, doesn’t it? And I love how the natural wood from this thrifted cabinet door lends a warm and golden glow to everything.
Fall Decorating Ideas with Books
Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.
A stack of decorative books is always a nice addition to your decor. But wrapping them in flannel gives them a cozy touch for autumn that doesn’t require a single pumpkin or gourd.
Wood Block Apples
Image credit: Sustain My Craft Habit.
Blocks from scrap wood and a steady hand- that’s what you need for these festive and colorful Fall apples! They’re just charming in your Fall decorating, especially if you love to go apple picking in autumn.
Elegant Harvest Wreath
Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.
This fall wreath idea is simple and understated, but it captures the look and feel of the season perfectly. Feathers are a fun touch to your fall decorating plans, and you can even buy humanely-sourced feathers online if you’re an animal lover (like me).
Acorn Pillow
Image credit: Salvaged Living/Hunt and Host.
Vintage buttons are a dime a dozen at antiques shops- and you can often find glass jars filled to the brim with an endless variety of buttons. Putting them to work as a decorative acorn cap on a pillow is a fun way to upcycle them in a pumpkin-free way.
Fall Decorating Ideas with Amber Glass
Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.
When most people think of decorating with colorful bottles, they usually envision cobalt blues and seafoam greens. But when autumn rolls around, it’s amber, amber, amber. The golden glow of brown and amber glass is simply perfect in Fall decor.
Corn Garland
Image credit: House of Hawthornes.
Dried corn or Indian Corn is a staple of Fall decor, especially as Thanksgiving approaches. And while I normally just see small bunches of corn in autumn vignettes, this dried corn garland is a fresh DIY idea to use in your Fall decorating plans.
Fall Decorating Ideas with Gold Leaf
Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.
Wooden leaf dishes are pretty enough on their own. But the addition of multi-color gold leaf flakes capture the entire spectrum of autumn colors in one single craft project.
Fall Decorating Ideas with Owls
Image credit: House of Hawthornes.
The hooting of an owl on a crisp Fall night is quintessentially autumn. So, incorporating owls into your Fall decor is a great departure from typical pumpkins- like this DIY wood slice owl, for instance.
Fall Apple Candy Dishes
Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.
Apple and caramel are a match made in Fall flavor heaven. So, a bowl full of caramel candies should be apple-shaped, don’t you agree?
Fall Decorating Ideas in Flannel
Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.
The cozy flannel shirt is a fashion staple during the autumn months, which means it’s a great fabric to incorporate in your Fall decorating ideas. This abstract leaf wreath used upcycled flannel shirts for a variety of “leaves” in Fall-colored plaids.
Indian Corn Decorations
Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.
These Indian corn dishes are so lovely with their autumn color palette, but they actually didn’t start out this way! They started as bright yellow and green corn dishes from the thrift store!
Quiver and Arrows
Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.
An old leather quiver– even a newer one!- is an unusual but seasonally appropriate item to use as door decor in autumn. Filled with arrows and fall foliage, it’s a curiously stylish nod to the harvest season, with nary a pumpkin in sight.
Back to School
Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.
Perhaps most appropriate in August in September, but vintage school supplies are a great way to usher in (early) Fall without pumpkins. Vintage globes, flashcards, chalkboards, and more come together on a mantel for one of the cutest fall decorating ideas out there, if you ask me.
Upcycled Wreath
Image credit: Pillar Box Blue.
Vintage maps are always fun to upcycle with, and this fall leaf wreath is no exception. The map graphics give extra interest to each “oak leaf” and even the acorns are upcycled, too.
Fall Decorating Ideas Without Pumpkins
Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.
Whether you call it Fall or autumn, it’s a season so fabulous that it needed too names. And with elements such as leaves, acorns, apples, and owls, there are plenty of fall decorating ideas that are gorgeous but gourd-less.
Craft on!
S
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Sarah Ramberg is the owner of Sadie Seasongoods, a website that celebrates all things secondhand. From upcycling ideas and thrifted decor to vintage-centric travel itineraries, Sadie Seasongoods is a one-stop shop for anyone who loves thrifting and approachable repurposing ideas. Sarah is also the author of “Crafting with Flannel” and has been featured in numerous media outlets and magazines.
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