5 tasteful fall decorations to add to your home, and 3 tacky ones to skip, according to an interior designer

Interior designer Ashley Childers told B-17 that she “lets nature guide seasonal decor” by using naturally found colors and textures for fall.

The arrival of fall means pulling out the pumpkins, moody autumnal colors, and cozy throw pillows and blankets.

However, while some fall decorations can make your home feel warm, elevated, and inviting, others can drain your space of energy and border on tacky. Seasonal decor can also get expensive, so investing in a few timeless pieces that will last from year to year can end up saving you money in the long-run.

“A lot of times, I feel like the holiday decor is disjointed from what the aesthetic is of the actual home that you live in. It should be cohesive, in my opinion,” Ashley Childers, an interior designer and home furnishings and accessories designer based in Arkansas, told B-17.

“On the opposite end of the spectrum, I see a lot of people that have very curated style who feel like they can’t decorate for the holidays because they don’t want it to be tacky or cheesy,” she said. “If you want to decorate for the holidays, you can do it in a beautiful way.”

Here are five tasteful fall decorations to add to your home, and three tacky ones to skip, according to Childers.

Let nature guide the colors you incorporate into your fall home decor.

A living room decorated with neutral decor accents.

“I love to really let nature kind of guide seasonal decor,” Childers, who’s worked in the design industry for 13 years and in interior design for six years, told B-17. “So, we always lean into beautiful wheats and burnt oranges, burgundies, sage greens, even into deep forest green, camel.”

“All those warm rich colors that you think about when you think of fall are what I love seeing brought in to fall decor,” she continued. “I just think if you let nature guide you, you’re never going to make a mistake.”

Switching up your fall decor with a wool throw blanket can add texture to your space.

A bed with a cozy knitted blanket and cushions.

“I think a really beautiful wool throw blanket is iconic for fall, in my opinion,” Childers said. “It can really be a capsule piece for your home regardless of the season.”

In her own home, Childers said she frequently changes her throw blankets from season to season.

“I love fall and winter the most because the textures get so nubby and cozy. So my recommendation and tip would be to always choose natural fibers if at all possible,” she said. “With throws and blankets, we usually opt for beautiful linens, wools, something that’s made out of organic cotton. Anything like that is going to stand the test of time and be a really good investment piece for your home.”

For an elevated look, use more natural, organic-looking florals inside the home.

A vase with naturals on a table.

Childers said that when it comes to fall centerpieces or wreaths in her home-decor designs, she frequently uses dried plants to give a more organic feel.

“I think they’re so obviously organic and beautiful, and there’s just nothing like a real plant or a real dried plant or flower or something like that,” she said.

For example, she frequently uses grapevine wreaths and more architectural wreaths that are made out of sticks, branches, wheat, and other materials naturally found outside.

Textured pillows in organic materials are another tasteful addition to fall home decor.

A stack of fall pillows and blankets.

“We always opt for natural fibers — whether it’s bouclet or a beautiful linen or gorgeous Dupioni silk,” Childers said. “Anything like that just adds a textural layer. And then, if you add in that warm fall color, you’re just going to just layer in so much coziness into your home.”

Using real pumpkins and gourds can also elevate your outdoor and indoor fall home decor.

Colorful pumpkins and flowers decorative display on the stairs leading up to an old brownstone home in New York City during autumn.

Childers said that while less long-lasting than faux pieces of decor, real pumpkins or plants inside your home or on your home’s exterior can bring energy to a space.

“I just think keeping it natural and beautiful inside the home or outside is perfect for the fall season,” she said.

Actually, the biggest mistake people make when decorating their home for fall is going overboard with faux pumpkins, leaves, and plants, Childers said.

A house decorated for Halloween.

“Faux pumpkins, faux plants, faux everything, in my opinion, drains the energy out of a space,” she said.

Childers added that living in Arkansas, she understands many people want to start decorating early — even when it’s still very hot outside — so real pumpkins, flowers, and other living decorations wouldn’t be practical.

“I would say maybe opt for dried branches and dried leaves and dried berries, those types of things that you can still get early in the season,” Childers said.

Busy patterns and bright colors can also lean towards being tacky, and they’re not the most soothing options for your living space.

A plaid sign that says “Hello Fall” and an orange couch with a yellow pillow.

Childers said that many of the traditional autumn colors you’ll find in home and craft stores are “harsh,” and make it difficult to create a serene, soothing environment in your home.

“They’re not as naturally occurring. You see the faux pumpkins and things at the craft store, and you’re like, ‘I don’t know if that’s a color that’s in nature. I’m not sure about that,'” Childers said, recommending that sticking to more natural colors like dark auburn, sage green, and forest green can be more soothing than bright orange and black.

Colorful ribbon is another slightly dated trend that can make your fall decor look tacky.

A white pumpkin tied with a brown bow.

“If that’s your style, go for it,” Childers said. “I would say maybe that’s not going to give you an elevated look. So with us, our style is a little bit more on that end. We usually don’t go for a plaid, orange and yellow and black ribbon.”

However, Childers said there are no hard and fast rules about what does and doesn’t work in a home, and that people should experiment with what brings them joy.

Decorative electric pumpkin lights hung up.

“If you bring something in and it’s not jibing, then maybe it doesn’t work,” Childers said. “You have to try things out. It’s OK if something doesn’t work. It’s your home. It’s your laboratory. You get to try and see what you like.”

Childers also said that from year to year, she likes to change up her seasonal decor and try new decor pieces and trends.

“It’s easy to add pieces like throw blankets and pillows that give you an opportunity to inject a new feeling into your space, without having to invest in new furniture or lamps or something like that,” she said.