I do love Fall, and Saturday was the first day of autumn so it’s officially here! I love when it’s cold enough that I can sleep with the windows open at night, although my husband and I are still working through some temperature control issues that remain the most serious threat to our continued domestic bliss. I enjoy having to wrap up in a blanket to sit on the screened porch, and the fact that I don’t even sweat when I walk the dog in the early morning! Fall means hot tea in the afternoon, a pumpkin spice candle burning on the counter, hot soups and comfort food for dinner, and most fun of all, changing things up to bring a little bit of autumn into my decor.
Here’s my front entry table, dressed up for Fall:
I have a mantel in this house, in fact, I have a really huge one, but hanging above it is my most prized possession–the stained glass window from the church in which my parents were married. So I never decorate the mantel itself, because it just takes away from the beauty of the window. So I content myself with decorating the dresser I use in my foyer for each holiday.
Here’s a picture of the stained glass window when it lived in the formal living room in our old house in North Carolina. I feel like even the simple Christmas decor in this photo was too much:
My front hall is painted a taupe-gray, and the white chippy dresser that I snagged out of someone’s trash is set off nicely by the wall color. A dresser in the foyer may sound strange, but it holds dining room table linens and even a few extra serving pieces. The painted mirror is from a thrift store (read about its transformation HERE) and cost me all of $8. The dried hydrangeas are from my neighbor’s bush back in North Carolina, and the gumball pinecones (does everyone call them that, or is it just me?) are from our back yard when we lived in Virginia Beach. Why, yes, thank you, the movers do think I’m completely crazy for having them pack and move dried flowers and pinecones when we move!
The dough bowl was a wedding present from some wonderful friends of my mom and dad’s who lived on Smith Mountain Lake in Virginia. Sometimes it holds fruit in my kitchen, and sometimes it even holds bread dough, but it’s perfect for fall decor.
An apothecary jar holds mini pumpkins and gourds. Some years it holds pinecones, and some years I mix it up and use white pumpkins. This year I’m trying to use what I have, so these are faux pumpkins and gourds (I find that the real ones sometimes get moldy when they’re in covered containers–yuck!). A burlap strip cut off a feed sack brings a bit of brown into that piece.
The “Welcome Autumn” sign was on clearance at TJ Maxx last year for $2 and I thought it would be fun and add a little color to the wall. I had intended to try a burlap runner on the dresser top, but I seem to be running out of feedsack, so perhaps I’ll use canvas drop cloth material instead–it’s the right color, after all!
We’ll be posting some more of the fall decor in our three houses over the next couple of weeks. Happy Fall, Y’all, and thanks for stopping by!
Yes, I call them gumballs, too. In fact, my brother and I used to shoot them out of trees with his bb gun. Fun memories.
I love the wall color in your foyer. What a clever idea to let that table double for dining room use! The hydrangeas look beautiful spilling over the dough bowl.
Sharon
Okay, another vote for gumballs. Thanks for stopping by—I saw on Facebook that you’re hard at work on an organization project of your own!
What a lovely vignette you created! The chippy dresser and the mirror are fabulous, and all the natural elements bring the colors of the Season in!
Thanks, Cristina. I just enjoyed reading about your front porch–looks like you used a lot of natural decor, too!
What a wonderful mood set with such simplicity! Nice to see a use for those sweetgum balls. Usually all they are ‘good for’ is stabbing bare feet at my in-law’s lake house. Great shade tree, but who plants one of those in the yard where people will almost always be barefooted? 😉
I would never have guessed the mini pumpkins and gourds were fake. That’s a great idea to avoid the real ones going bad, plus you can reuse these in your decor next year.
And I LOVE the idea of a dresser in the hallway. There are so many things you could use it for!
Thanks for sharing!
Too funny, Diane! I stepped on a bunch of those as a kid, too. Glad you stopped by!
Love the mirror and the dried flowers!!! So pretty!
xo,
Shannon
Thanks so much, Shannon. I just stopped by your blog to follow you on Facebook and Pinterest–and now I may never leave!
The all the natural elements!
I would love to invite you to Homa Style’s No Orange Autumn Display Link Party going on now.
Here’s the link…
http://homastyle.com/wp/2012/09/25/no-orange-autumn-decor/
Hope to see your table there!
I just linked up, Jeanette, and followed you so I can keep track of what you’re up to! 🙂 Thanks for stopping by.
Thank you so much for linking to Homa Style’s No Orange Autumn Display Link Party. Wonderful welcome home. I was excited to show it to my readers. Homa Style will be hosting a Simple Holiday Handmade Gift Idea Link Party {Please no sale items} on Oct 31. Hope to see you there. Thanks again!
Thanks, Jeanette. I’ll put it on my calendar!
I LOVE your entry and I actually have a dresser in mine as well. Do you know the name of the taupe-grey color on your walls? I have been looking for just the right one and I love this! 🙂
Hi, Monica–Glad you like it! The paint is Fawn Brindle (#7640) by Sherwin Williams. Hope that helps. Christy