How to Style Your Shelves for Fall

Shaun Anderson | 07 September, 2021

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SEP 7, 2021

How to Style Your Shelves for Fall

Ready or not, fall is here. We love cozying up and bringing subtle hints of fall decor into our home starting in September. We love layering in simple fall elements throughout the season to keep the fall decor feeling fresh. Personally, we love to start simple and amp up the fall motifs and colors more and more as the season goes on. We generally keep our fall decor up through Thanksgiving and then switch to winter and Christmas decor. Because this shelf decor sits on our walls for three months, we like to take a little extra time putting the look together in a way we love.

Image:The Beauty Revival | Get the look with Painted White Shelves fromUltra Shelf

To Color Scheme:

Image:Modern Glam

If you love a color scheme add in Halloween decor that fits with your current look. You don’t need to roll out the orange, red, and black to make a seasonal splash. While we love custom decor and DIY fall creations, it’s really easy to find simple fall decor that matches your current color scheme. If you have a color palette that’s very specific, check a craft store for customizable craft decor that you can tweak to match your home perfectly.

Super Subtle:

Shelves: Ultra Shelf Walnut Natural

Less is sometimes more, especially when it comes to fall decor for yourfloating shelves. If you’re not big into decorating but want to add a few subtle pops of fall, start with small items that add a few fall motifs to the home. We love starting with pumpkins because you can find small decorative pumpkins in about a million colors and shapes and sizes and patterns these days. And while Target is usually our first stop for really inexpensive fall pumpkin decor, check out local stores or a big-box craft store like Michael’s for more fun pumpkin decor.

Another subtle way to incorporate fall into your shelf decor is by adding fall stems. Swap out your bright, leafy greens for stems with softer and more muted tones. You can even collect dead branches and throw those in a cute vase. Sounds strange, but if you pick the right branches, it’s actually really fun and fall-ish.

Image:Shannan Leigh

Our last go-to for incorporating fall decor into our open shelves is candles. We know, we know, people are split 50/50 on whether candles make good decor items, but we are pro-cute-candle, so we definitely add fall scented candles to our shelves. If you’re not interested in fall scents, add candles in tins and jars that look fall-ish. Stick to dark colors and smooth textures. And if scented candles aren’t your look, head to a thrift store and find some candle holders for classic pillar candles. We love pillar candles and though they definitely work all year round, they are especially warm and inviting in the fall. If you don’t want your candles to be the same height in the holders, just melt one down a little. It’s an easy hack that adds a lot of charm.

Spell it Out:

Image: Jessica Ryckman | Shelves: Ultra Shelf White Oak Nature

If you love letter boards, signs with cute phrases, or banners with catchy sayings on them — this floating shelf decor tip is for you. Letter boards are a really fun and versatile way to shake up decor without having to break the bank. All you need to do is add a fall phrase to your board and boom, instant cozy feelings. If letter boards aren’t your style though, we do have a few other word-art-oriented suggestions.

Vintage is big right now, so consider snatching up a cute, vintage-inspired chalkboard and writing a fall phrase there. The newMagnolia collection at Target has a really inexpensive, small chalkboard that is perfect for shelf decor.

Banner: Uptown HeritageMini Thankful Banner

We also love pennants and banners. A quick peek at Etsy will show you that there are tons of fall banner options, and tons of options for custom banners. Banners, pennants, and flags are a fun way to shake up traditional fall shelf decor in a really subtle way. If you’ve got a Cricut or a Silhouette cutting machine, you can easily DIY this decor for a completely custom look.

Go All Out:

Image bySarah Joy

If fall is your favorite, don’t hold back. Go all out with your fall shelf decor and really live it up. Pack up your normal decor and give yourself a clean slate to create a little fall magic. When we do a complete fall overhaul here are a few basics we start with: pumpkins, fall stems, fall-ish textiles, old books in our color scheme, and candles. We also really love using baskets that have warm tones and fun textures.

If you want to add the fall decor feeling from your shelves to the rest of your home, add in fun, fall textiles and lots and lots of cozy elements. We always pull out a fall-themed tea towel or two as well.

How do you add that fall feeling to your home? Tell us in the comments below.

Written by Maddison Driggs

Maddison is a copywriter who has been working in the interior design and home improvement area for the last five years. From hands on projects to writing for your favorite HGTV home reno couples, Maddison has developed a deep love for a well-styled room with the perfect personal touch.