10 Ways to Decorate Your Apartment for Fall Holidays

The air feels crisp and cool. Everyone is suddenly wearing orange and brown hues, and the leaves are falling on your walkway. 

Celebrate the arrival of fall with some simple, festive decor that doesn’t take much time or eat into your pub crawl and restaurant-hopping budget.

Since the season is over before you know it, it’s a great idea to focus on transitional decor ideas that celebrate both Halloween and Thanksgiving.

Here are ten ideas to get you started!

1. Gather Twigs and Wildflowers

Whether you’re on a budget or just love the great outdoors, go scouring for twigs and fall flowers. A few great options include sweet alyssum, beautyberry, and goldenrod.

Put your inspired creation together and fashion it into a wreath to hang on your apartment door!

But don’t worry if you don't have that Martha Stewart touch. Grab a mason jar and arrange your twigs and flowers in it for an easy DIY centerpiece that’s ready to dazzle. 

2. Lanterns Reimagined

Wrap yourself in warm, illuminated decor. Celebrate fall with a lantern for a fun and festive look! 

Choose a decorative lantern, add a tealight candle, and place it on your mantle or side table for a cozy evening at home. You can also opt for a translucent lantern and add an orange candle. 

As another option, you could skip the illumination altogether. Instead, fill your lantern with colorful fall leaves and pinecones for an inspired fall look.

3. Display Pumpkins and Gourds

Sure, you can stretch out your pumpkin decor from Halloween and Thanksgiving. But it will likely feel like you’re inching into spooky jack o' lantern territory. 

Instead, mix together pint-sized pumpkins and gourds in a brown or orange bowl to create a dinner table centerpiece.

You can also situate them on your balcony or entryway table for a casual, decorative touch that says, “Oh, this brilliant display? I just threw this together with my mad decor skills.”

4. Scatter Acorns and Pinecones

Head outside for a walk and scoop up acorns and pinecones for free fall decor. You can also mix and match this idea with your lantern, pumpkins, gourds, or dinner table centerpiece to add a splash of nature to your next dinner party. Just make sure to take it back to nature when you’re done instead of tossing it.

5. Add Fall Accents

Adding a splash of fall colors from oranges to browns turns your home into a seasonal celebration.

Invest in a few throw pillows and blankets in your favorite fall colors to warm up your living space.

You can transform some ribbon from a local craft store into a curtain tie without the need for sewing skills.

6. Change Up Your Place Settings

Fall is the perfect excuse to change up your place settings and throw a dinner party filled with warm stews, freshly made bread, pies, and hot cider.

Invest in enough place settings to accommodate your next gathering. Focus on motifs with leaves or fall colors. 

You can also add a tablecloth with fall colors. Additionally, arranging your DIY wildflowers and twigs can transform your table into a seasonal display.

7. Add a Garland

Christmas doesn’t own the market on holiday garlands. Embrace fall’s colorful backdrop as an opportunity to dress up your home. 

Look for garlands that incorporate faux leaves. Or, if you’re really ambitious, go ahead and string together your own collection and add it to a railing.

A garland of lights exuding fall’s best colors also gives your home an illuminated touch.

8. Freshen Up Your Fireplace

If you’re lucky enough to score an apartment with a fireplace, head out and gather up some firewood or buy a Duraflame log for the first light of the season.

Of course, keep safety in mind. Make sure everything is in working order with your landlord. 

Even a non-working fireplace can transform into delightful fall decor. Add your favorite candles, tea lights, or decorative lanterns to create a soft glow in your apartment. 

9. Dress Up Your Outdoor Space

Remember to give your outdoor space some love this fall.

Even a small balcony or patio can look the part with string lights, fall garlands, and brass containers filled with leaves, twigs, flowers, and gourds. 

You can also use the season as an excuse to invest in an outdoor bar cart. Then, mix up all your favorite drinks from hot toddies to apple cider mojitos.

10. Illuminate Your Home

There’s nothing wrong with passing on pumpkins, gourds, and all things outdoor-inspired.

Instead, select candles in orange, red, and brown hues. They’ll warm up your apartment without making it look like an autumn celebration exploded inside. 

Best of all, autumn candles come in tantalizing scents like pumpkin and cinnamon. Your apartment will always smell like you just whipped up a fall dessert fit for a foodie.

The only thing left to do now is to throw a fall party to welcome all your friends and neighbors. And if you have terrific landlords, you can score points by inviting them to join and making nice before your lease is up. We recommend serving up a second helping of pie and cider!