HGTV Magazine's Best DIY Fall Decor Ideas

We've got easy fall decor DIYs, table setting ideas and seasonal hacks for every room that'll make your home feel extra autumnal.

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August 17, 2022

By: Caroline Alkire and Noelle Paredes

From: HGTV Magazine

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It's Time to Decorate

When the leaves turn orange, we gear up to refresh our homes for fall fun. Do you love to do the same? Here's a tour full of fun fall ideas for every room, showing off decor tips, DIYs and seasonal hacks from HGTV Magazine as we go.

Stop one: the front porch. Pumpkins of all shapes and sizes lead guests up the stairs. Other welcoming touches include a fall-friendly door mat and a tiered golden table decorated with chrysanthemums and gourds. Finally, cool door decor: magnolia leaves made into a wreath (get the full how-to below). So, come on in. More seasonal surprises await.

get the how-to: How-to: DIY Painted Magnolia Leaf Wreath

From: HGTV Magazine

DIY It: Faux Pumpkin Wreath

Another front porch idea: give a traditional fall palette (like this one with shades of plum, orange and yellow) a fresh twist with a DIY wreath. This pumpkin creation is easy and festive.

Supplies: artificial pumpkins; wire wreath form; hot glue gun

Here's how:

1. Attach mini artificial pumpkins to a clamp wire wreath form by poking the stiff wires into the bottom of each pumpkin.
2. Place a dab of hot glue between each pumpkin to hold them in place.

From: HGTV Magazine

A Corny-Cool Porch

Or, nix the pumpkins and welcome the season with a front door fit for a cornfield. Designer Natassja Conway wrapped the front door of her home in Powell, Ohio, with stretchy gauze fabric from JoAnn and stuck on googly eyes using Command strips. “The 9-foot-tall cornstalks were a challenge to stuff into our car at the nursery,” she says, “but easy to lean in the corners!”

see more: 5 Outdoor Halloween Decorating Ideas So Cute They're Scary

From: HGTV Magazine

DIY IT: Paper Napkin Pumpkins

If you want a pumpkin-filled porch with some color, try this DIY trick.

Supplies: paper luncheon napkins in various colors and patterns; acrylic craft paint; decoupage glue (matte finish); acrylic sealer

Here's how:

1. Tape off the stems of artificial pumpkins with painter’s tape and paint the pumpkins with white craft paint. Let dry.
2. Open a napkin pattern-side up and cut out each flower or yellow squiggly line.
3. As you cut, the layers will separate. Keep only the top printed one.
4. Attach the shapes to the pumpkins with decoupage glue with a matte finish; let dry. If they’ll be outdoors, spray on acrylic sealer.

From: HGTV Magazine

A Weather-Proof Wreath

A metal wreath looks just as pretty as a traditional one and will last through the first frost. Spray paint it a fall hue now, then freshen it up with a springy paint color to reuse it for another season.

learn more: 50+ DIY Fall Wreath Ideas to Spruce Up Your Front Door

From: HGTV Magazine

Entry Details

In the foyer, you'll find seasonal coolness. Make a statement with golden taper candles and mini personalized pumpkins arranged on a cake plate. A festive FYI: those sparkly pumpkins are perfect for place settings (check out how to DIY them below).

get the how-to: How to DIY Mini Pumpkin Place Cards

From: HGTV Magazine

Mix and Match It

Next up, the dining room. Mismatched chairs are so charming for a fall table. Plus, this eclectic look makes it easy to add seating for extra guests at Thanksgiving dinner.

From: HGTV Magazine

A Modern, Woodsy Table

Skip the tablecloth and place mats: A rustic wood table set in a single color palette will catch everyone's eye. Painting pumpkins and arranging them in a gradient ups the cool factor.

see more photos: 40+ Painted Pumpkin Ideas

From: HGTV Magazine

DIY It: Gilded Fruit Centerpiece

This bountiful centerpiece couldn't be easier to create.

Supplies: wire bowl; fresh fruit and greenery; artificial pears; gold leaf kit; acrylic sealer

Here's how:

1. Apply gold leaf to a few artificial pears following the package instructions.
2. Spray the pears with an acrylic sealer made for gold leaf, and let them dry.
3. Fill a gold wire bowl with the pears as well as real pomegranates, apples and greenery.

From: HGTV Magazine

A Layered Look

If you're sitting down to eat, a tablescape as chic as Modern Glam blogger Ashley Luengo's might be in order. Ashley used chalkboard paper (available at craft stores) as place mats, then layered in buffalo-check plates and rose gold flatware. The best part: the personalized settings. Ashley wrote out guests’ names with a chalk pencil (“It’s easier to use than regular chalk!").

see more: Our Favorite Fall Decorating Ideas

From: HGTV Magazine

Grab and Go Snacks

Looking for a less-personal tablescape? Create a casual setup around an autumnal centerpiece. To recreate this look from HGTV Magazine, grab fall fruits and veggies from the grocery store and make them look fancy atop seeded eucalyptus. Here, editors wrapped strips of copper tape around glass candleholders, then nestled in gold acorns to bring the bling.

see more: 14 Ways to Get Your Tablescape All Set For the Holidays

From: HGTV Magazine

DIY It: Grouped Gourds

An all-natural centerpiece leans into the beauty of the season. Even better: Creating this gourd-geous grouping is a cinch.

Here's how:

1. Cut off the tops of three butternut squash at varying heights. Spoon out the insides to create vases.
2. Fill each squash with water, then add flowers, berries and greenery. (We used dahlias, Hypericum berries and dill flowers).

learn more: Turn a Butternut Squash Into a Fall Centerpiece

From: HGTV Magazine

Pile on the Plaid

A plaid tablecloth playfully laid across the dining table adds a casual, cozy vibe to a formal dining room. This one is from Pottery Barn.

see more photos: Tour an Extra-Cozy, Holiday-Ready Home In Houston

From: HGTV Magazine

An Ultra-Cozy Table

Another plaid idea: To get log cabin feels right in your dining room, use a machine-washable plaid blanket scarf or two to cover the table. For a quick centerpiece, fill a low wood platter with cedar sprigs and fall fruits and vegetables. Copper mugs stand out against the dark cloth and add a touch of glam. Finish off the rustic look with faux-chalkboard menus made with black cardstock, a white paint pen and juniper sprigs.

see more photos: 20 Ways to Decorate With Fall Fruits, Veggies and More

From: HGTV Magazine

Monochrome Cool

Here's another fun dining area idea: Spray-paint mismatched thrift store candleholders the same (or a similar) color as tapered candles. If you're feeling extra matchy-matchy, cover mini pumpkins in chalk paint for a chic matte look, then add bright mums.

see more: Fall Decorating Around the House

From: HGTV Magazine

All Set for Guests

For a more relaxed gathering, place plates and utensils on a pretty tray with a bouquet of fall blooms and gilded pumpkins. Guests can grab their own settings on their way to the buffet.

From: HGTV Magazine

DIY IT: Leather Wrapped Vases

Another idea that's perfect for a buffet: leather-trimmed vases. Fill them with outdoor decor (like sticks or flowers) or put them to work — smaller vases are great for holding silverware and snacks. Nestled into your tablescape, they add instant harvest party vibes.

Supplies: raw edge 1-inch wide leather trim in mustard yellow, red and orange; clear tape; embroidery floss and needle

Here's how:

1. Cut a piece of 1 inch wide leather trim long enough to wrap around a glass vase, with the ends meeting perfectly flush. Place a piece of clear tape on the inside seam to hold it together.
2. With embroidery floss in a contrasting color and an embroidery needle, stitch four X’s over the seam.
3. Slide the cuff onto the vase.

From: HGTV Magazine

Autumnal Drink Station

Don't have a bar cart? Decorate the top of a sideboard with drinks, cups and snacks instead. You can even festive-up shelving with spare glasses and accessories, like designer and Inspired by Charm blogger Michael Wurm Jr. did in his dining room. He created the harvest banner with black gift tags, stick-on foil letters and mini clothespins.

see more: 47 Flavorful Cocktail Recipes Perfect for Fall

From: HGTV Magazine

DIY IT: Wood Grain Coasters

An extra-cozy addition to your bar set-up: wood grain coasters.

Supplies: unfinished poplar squares; rubber stamp in woodgrain; acrylic craft paint (any colors you'd like)

Here's How:

1. Use a pouncer to apply crafts paint to a stamp with a wood-grain pattern. Stamp a wood square. Let dry.
2. Clean the stamp and repeat for each color.

From: HGTV Magazine

Colorful Pillows Galore

A collection of warm-toned pillows adds eclectic autumnal vibes to any space. Add a trio of amber glass votives, and this breakfast nook is ready for fall!

see more photos: How This Homeowner's Best Friend Designed Her Cozy Kitchen

From: HGTV Magazine

A Rainbow of Pumpkins

Extra painted pumpkins? Bring some into the living room and sprinkle them across your mantel. Or, go all out like A Kailo Chic Life blogger Kara Whitten, who played with the full ROYGBIV spectrum (i.e. nine bright shades of Montana Gold spray paint). “Using an assortment of pumpkin sizes makes the display even more eye-catching,” she says. Some greenery — a faux–magnolia leaf garland — completes her look.

see more: 15 Fall Mantel Decor Ideas Under $50

From: HGTV Magazine

Birch and Succulent Display

Bring the outdoors inside with this DIY woodsy centerpiece. This natural display would look right at home on a coffee table.

Supplies: birch bark vases; succulents; sheet moss; suede cord

Here's how:

1. Pot a succulent (or a few small ones) in birch bark vases. (Amazon sells various heights and styles.)
2. Surround the top of each vase with moss.
3. Tie the vases together with suede cord.

From: HGTV Magazine

DIY IT: Plastic Fruit + Spray Paint

More stuff to spray paint: plastic fruit (make sure you pick fall-friendly hues). Arrange the fruit in a seasonal basket or oversized bowl, then weave your creation into a tablescape or place it on a coffee table.

Here's how:

1. Tape off the stems of faux pears.
2. Spray-paint them using three shades of one color
3. Remove tape while the paint is still wet. Let dry.

From: HGTV Magazine

Add a Textured Throw

Instantly add warmth to a bedroom with a chunky, colorful throw. This one is from Anthropologie. Paired with a tufted headboard and and a mix of fluffy pillows, your bed will be your new favorite spot to cozy up on crisp fall mornings.

From: HGTV Magazine

Start a Fire

Make the most of fall foliage views with an autumnal outdoor setup. You'll want to make your outdoor space as cozy as possible. First, turn on your fire pit or stoke some flames in your outdoor fireplace, then line furniture with plush pillows and warm blankets. (Don't forget to get the s'mores skewers ready.) Here, designer Brian Patrick Flynn went with a rust, navy and gray palette that complements the changing leaves.

see more: 60 Fall Front Porch Decorating Ideas to Celebrate Autumn

From: HGTV Magazine

HGTV Magazine's Best DIY Fall Decor Ideas

Related To:

Shop This Look

It's Time to Decorate

DIY It: Faux Pumpkin Wreath

A Corny-Cool Porch

DIY IT: Paper Napkin Pumpkins

A Weather-Proof Wreath

Entry Details

Mix and Match It

A Modern, Woodsy Table

DIY It: Gilded Fruit Centerpiece

A Layered Look

Grab and Go Snacks

DIY It: Grouped Gourds

Pile on the Plaid

An Ultra-Cozy Table

Monochrome Cool

All Set for Guests

DIY IT: Leather Wrapped Vases

Autumnal Drink Station

DIY IT: Wood Grain Coasters

Colorful Pillows Galore

A Rainbow of Pumpkins

Birch and Succulent Display

DIY IT: Plastic Fruit + Spray Paint

Add a Textured Throw

Start a Fire

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