Simple And Organic Fall Home tour 2023
How to add simple and organic fall decor to your home. Get inspiration and lots of ideas for creating a fall home you will love.
Welcome to our 2023 Simple And Organic Fall Home Tour! I’m so thrilled you stopped by. So grab a cup of something and a nibble. There’s lots to see! I post very long home tours. If you are taking the time to tour my home, I want you to feel like you have lots of inspiring things to see and good ideas to take away with you!
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The buzzword for this year’s fall decor is simple. We live in our second forever home, being downsizers. I love simple! Simple does not have to be boring or uninspiring. It means distilling down all the important things about home to those things that are the best!
Because it is so early in the season, I lightly sprinkled fall decor throughout our home. I like to curate layers of the fall as the season progresses. I feel like seasons ebb and flow. My home changes as a season is ushered in and keeps changing until the season is at the height of its glory. And changes still more as the season comes to an end. I think this is a lovely way to decorate. My home does not get overwhelmed with seasonal decor as I edit and add all season long.
You might like to see how I decorate for fall. Make sure to check out The Smart Girl’s Guide To Easy Fall Decorating.
A big thank you to Kelly at The Tattered Pew for hosting this Fall Home Tour! Kelly is the sweetest girl, and her home is so cheery and bright. I met Kelly at a blogging conference several years ago, and we became fast friends. Kelly was a kindergarten teacher (me too) and is a talented DIY blogger! Make sure to visit her and thank her for all her hard work!
Our door is open, so come on in!
The Front Door
One of the first things I do every new season is hang a big cheery wreath on our front door to welcome everyone who passes by! I made a new wreath for fall, but it’s too early for pumpkins, so I hung up my Lunaria wreath. It works perfectly for early fall. I am all but obsessed with this wreath! It is just so gorgeous in real life. I like it so much I could almost hang it on the front door all year long!
The black and white bow is a StoneGable/Tanglewood House signature. I use this ribbon so often when I make a wreath or need to make a bow. Even the pillow on the bench outside the door is made from this ribbon. It was such an easy DIY project!
We put a hello decal on our front door. You can see how easy it is to add the decal HERE.
I’m not ready to give away any future decorating plans, but I can say this ribbon will be used in my Christmas decor!
The Foyer
Like many home decorators, sometimes the ideas in my head are hard to actually create. Do you ever feel this way? Giving birth to an idea is sometimes almost as taxing as delivering a real baby! However, sometimes is almost magical. And this year was a magical year!
The inspiration for my decor was these very unusual and attractive gourds.
I found them at a local shop and scooped up three. Over decades of decorating, I’ve come to learn that there are just some things I should buy in pairs and some things I should buy in a trio. And I knew I needed to buy these in a trio.
One would have been nice, but it would not have the same impact on my overall fall design. I have a good sense of what things I like and will use over and over, and these interesting gourds will be a favorite! Sorry, I cannot find a source for them. This little pumpkin is the closest thing I could find.
I’m really not much of a shopper, so when I do head for a store, I have laser vision for items that I need to fill in the gaps in my decor. It’s not about browsing for me. It’s about the hunt! If you are near Lancaster, PA, you might like Cocalico Creek Home, where I got the gourds and other things for this tour.
Our foyer is long, and the ceilings are very high, so I use a console table near the front door to make it feel more welcoming.
I like to decorate my front door and foyer, so you have a little taste of what you will see in the rest of our home.
A little (really a lot) off the subject of fall decorating. See that swingy door on the right side of the image below? I love that door. I push it, and the heavy door swings back and forth. This tickles me! It takes me to what I call the secret passageway. Actually, there is nothing secret about it, and it is not a very big passageway. It leads to the laundry and our kitchen pantry. And there is also a door to the garage in this space too. On the other end of the secret passageway is another swingy door that leads to the kitchen. These doors are very heavy and remind me of something you would see in a home from the 1920s. I think they are fabulous in our relatively new home. Okay, back to fall decorating…
The foyer was the first thing in our home I decorated this year. And it came together easily. These are my colors! Actually, the colors you see here are the colors of my wardrobe. Whites, blacks, camels, and honey.
Did you know that honey is the 2023 fall color of the year? When I read about this earlier this summer, I was thrilled. It’s such a beautiful color in all its tints and shades. I have so much decor that is either honey or works with that color. You can read more about the 2023 Fall Decor Trends You Will Love here and what I think about them.
I’ve always kept a tight color palette when it comes to decorating. All my seasonal decor is down in our basement, and much of it looks like the colors in our foyer.
As I was foraging around in the basement, I found two black lanterns that hung on either side of our front door at StoneGable. They were dusty and a bit worse for wear. So many memories of our front porch at StoneGable flooded back to me! I just knew I had to use them somewhere on this home tour. You can see where to find them here. I must have had these lanterns for well over a decade.
They are quite oversized and make a big statement.
I added gold candlesticks with white candles inside the lanterns. I’m burning down honey-colored candles and will put those in eventually instead of the white ones. I used leafy stems from a wreath I cut apart a few years ago to make the candle rings. The makeshift candle rings are the same as the wreath hanging on the mirror. Just another example of buying more than one item and using it in different ways.
The tangled leafy wreath on the mirror is from a shopping trip to a local store a few years ago. When I saw it, I knew it would work with my decor and colors, so I bought three. I cut one apart for “fluff” and have used the other two for fall and Christmas decor.
I hung the wreath just above the center on the round mirror with another black and natural-colored ribbon. This ribbon is my secondary signature ribbon. You can see the red and natural version of this ribbon on the tree on last year’s Christmas tour. I keep all the ribbons in clear plastic boxes in the basement and keep using them over and over again.
The vertical coat hook in the foyer gets lots of practical use. I hung a camel-colored cashmere wrap and a patterned scarf along with my black felt hat on it. I use these items often! And the straw market basket is waiting to head out to a local farmstand.
Heading Towards The Living Room
There are not many full walls to place furniture like bookshelves here at the Tanglewood House, and I miss that. So, a couple of years ago, we added a bookcase to the end of our foyer. One of the fun pleasures of shelves is rearranging them. I’m so pleased with this handsome piece of furniture, it was really worth the splurge.
On the second shelf from the top, the white books on the left and the black books on the right are some of my most prized possessions. Three years ago, when my oldest grandson was 3, my daughter Jacqueline and family gave me Chatbooks for Christmas. Chatbooks are 60-page books I get every month with my family’s most recent pictures from their iPhones. What a gift! Most of the images are of my six grandbabies. I have 31 books so far, not counting this month’s, which should be here any day. My grandchildren love to pull out these books and look through them. In the picture below, you can see the spine of a couple books are a bit over-loved.
There is nothing too overtly fall-ish in the bookshelf except another faux gourd. This one is more squat than the ones in the foyer. On a second trip to Cocalico Creek, I picked up three of these gourds. Next year’s fall tour will feature all of them together in some sort to bowl! The little picture on the left is our daughter Jacqueline when she was five and our son Christopher when he was four. This picture has been in that little frame for over 30 years! Another precious possession!
As a blogger, it’s hard to have personal pictures around our home. So I mostly keep them in my office and in our bedroom. Where is your favorite place to display family photos?
The Living Room
Just like the foyer, the living room is lightly decorated for early fall. As we walk from the foyer to the living room, this is what you see. Actually, this is a slice of what you see right in front of you. One of the things I like most about the Tanglewood House is the white walls (Ben Moore Simply White). They make color pop! I used the 2023 Fall Color Of The Year, honey, as an accent color in this room, and it really stands out!
One of the most difficult pieces of furniture to photograph in this house is the sofa. If I take a picture from the front of it, you see the foyer and banister, and I can never get a good shot. So the sofa only makes cameo appearances.
The white buffet loves to be front and center! Or side and center, it does not matter.
This year I added two branches of fall oak leaves in a pottery urn to the end of the white buffet. I like something big or showy on this end of the buffet. Mostly, I follow the Less Is Best philosophy of decorating. Over the years, I feel I have honed my decorating skills and use a lot less layering. Most often, I have a lamp on the left side of the buffet, something showy and seasonal on the right side, and something low in the middle. The Rule Of Three works every time!
One item I did not particularly want to use for this early fall tour was pumpkins. I like to start adding them to our home after the middle of the month. When I was not blogging, another lifetime ago, I would start using pumpkins the last week in September. However, I tried so many different things in the bowl on the buffet I knew nothing would work as well as pumpkins. So, while I was decorating, my lovely assistant Bobby headed down to the Amish greenhouse and Facetimed me so I could pick out the pumpkins I liked. He is a keeper! Someday, I will write our story. He is truly an amazing husband.
These pumpkins must have just been picked out of the field. Look how green their stems are!
These are not fancy, perfect pumpkins. I’ve come to embrace the dinks and scratches and spots of a pumpkin from an Amish greenhouse or farm stand. That’s what you get for fifty cents.
Pumpkin Tip
If you have followed StoneGable for any time, you probably know what I’m going to tell you about pumpkin stems! I’ve said the same thing for 14 years on this blog. Don’t get rid of your pumpkins until you pop the stem off. The pumpkins must be very soft, and then you can put your thumb next to where the pumpkin stem and the flesh meet and pop the stem off. If it won’t come off, cut it out. Then, let the stems completely dry out and put them in a paper bag. Next fall, pop the stems of all your faux pumpkins off and glue the real stems in their place.
One of the nice things about having this big mirror behind the buffet is the way it reflects things in the room. At StoneGable, I had a mirror above my mantel for a couple of years. And I did not like it. The mirror was very pretty, but I just could not put my finger on why I disliked it. Bobby liked it, so I left it up. When we removed it and added a piece of art, I had an AHA moment. It was not the mirror I disliked, it was what it reflected… the ceiling of the kitchen. And there is nothing pretty about most ceilings! The lesson is to only put a mirror where it can reflect lovely things!
Another new addition to our fall home is a pair of back and natural diamond lumbar pillows. At first, I put large honey-colored pillows behind them. But then I tried the lumbar pillows alone on the spindle chair and liked the look so much better.
This is the first fall with the Corner Farm print over our fireplace. So, I’ve been learning that a few candlesticks work best as fall decor. I used black and antique gold candlesticks with honey candles. And I did add one extra thing…
I have one faux gourd left. It will probably go in the sunroom.
If you have been following my coffee table angst, this makes coffee table number eight in the living room.
It’s just like the white bench I used here in the spring and summer, but this rush-seat bench has black legs. It is not staying in the living room since I borrowed it from the dining room. But it’s standing in as a coffee table until I find one I like.
I found a Lunaria wreath locally and picked it up to be used as a big candle ring. Originally, I was going to use it on the dining room table but liked it here better.
I will probably use the wreath in my Christmas decor.
There is more to see in the Living Room, but I’ll shave that for the next Fall Tour on Sept. 13th. So, let’s head to the dining area.
The Dining Area
Our dining area is a small space that lives large! I kept it quite simple for fall. Because it is small and can be seen from the living room, kitchen, sunroom, and loft, I am very careful about what I put in it.
This is dining table number three in here! I had a round table when we moved in that I gave to my daughter, a rectangle table with a concrete top I sold, and decided I liked a round table in here, so I got the one I have now. A round table seats more people than a rectangle, and this one has a large leaf. We can sit 12 adults and children around this table. It’s full, but our family likes to be cozy!
I could write a book about young grandchildren and eating at our table. We love it, but our upholstered chairs and rug don’t love it so much! I have the chairs professionally cleaned often, and this rug is an indoor/outdoor rug that cleans up wonderfully. We have six acrylic ghost chairs for the little ones, but that does not keep them from running their messy hands along the back of the chairs. I am not complaining, just sayin’!
This fall, I found these leaf stems in the most beautiful burnt orange. They make a striking and easy-to-do centerpiece.
The centerpiece is flanked by two candlesticks on each side with honey candles in them. I like using candlesticks with different metals together. One is gold and the other black. Black is a predominant accent color this fall.
I’ve had the burlap runner on the table for about 10 years. I hardly take it off. It feels like home to me. I will always love a little bit of nubby burlap in my decor. And fortunately, burlap and fall go so well together!
How and where do you keep your long faux stems and branches when you are not using them? I’d love to hear. Right now, I keep mine in tall plastic kitchen garbage cans by color with a cut-up old sheet over them. I don’t want them to lie down because of crushing, but I wonder if there is a better way?
In the background is a pillow I picked up for this tour. It has honey and a bit of burnt orange in it. I found napkins in the same print. When you come back for the second half of the tour on September 13th, I’ll set the table so you can see them. And there will be another surprise in the dining room I can’t wait to show you.
I hope you have enjoyed this year’s fall tour. Thank you for stopping by, and have a very happy and blessed fall season!
Now, please head over to my dear friend Julie’s home. I also met Julie from My Wee Abode at a blogging conference, and we also became fast friends! Julie is like a sister to me. Her spirit and commitment to Jesus are an example to be followed. I’m so excited, she is traveling across the country to visit me for 10 days in December! Please visit my dear friend and tell her I sent you!
Shop My Home
Bloggers’ Best Fall Home Tours
This week I am joining some of my blogging friends for the Bloggers’ Best Fall Home Tours. Thirty talented and creative women will be opening their homes up for you to tour all week long. You can visit each Fall home tour by clicking the links below.
Monday’s Tours
The Tattered Pew // StoneGable // My Wee Abode
Cottage On Bunker Hill // Bricks n’ Blooms // My Thrift Store Addiction
Tuesday’s Tours
She Gave It A Go // Midwest Life and Style // Open Doors Open Hearts
Peacock Ridge Farm // Cottage In The Mitten
Wednesday’s Tours
White Lilac Farmhouse // Shiplap and Shells // The Ponds Farmhouse
WM Design House // DIY Beautify // This Is Simplicite
Thursday’s Tours
Eleanor Rose Home // Robyn’s French Nest // Worthing Court
Southern Home and Hospitality // Amy Sadler Designs // Our Crafty Mom
Friday’s Tours
White Arrows Home // A Life Unfolding // County Road 407
Thistle Key Lane // Pasha Is Home // My Family Thyme
I love the “hello” on your front door! the door is welcoming!
Thanks, Becky!You can see how to add a decal to your front door here:https://www.stonegableblog.com/how-to-apply-a-front-door-decal/
I love your simple and organic fall home tour!! It’s perfect!! I love your pumpkin tip. I’m not perfect at saving the stems, but every year that I don’t I’m so disappointed in myself the next year haha so glad to do this hop with you!! And have fun with Julie in December!!! How fun!!!
Thanks, Aliya! Good luck with saving those stems.
Always an inspiration! I’ve been eying that Crate & Barrel wreath since last year, it looks fab on your door. I had to giggle when you said you’ve learned that it’s best to pick up things in multiples…I’m glad I’m not the only one!! Sometimes I feel guilty and think “Should I leave one for the next person”… but nah!!
Hi Jennifer, I think buying multiples is actually more economical. I can find lots of ways to use three like things than one. Thanks for visiting!
I’m going to show my husband your comment!! I usually get the eyeroll when I’m strolling down the aisle with an armful of something fantastic that I found!! But see, I am definitely being economical. You’re the best!
LOL! This gave me a good giggle. My husband knows better to even bat an eye.
The foyer lanterns with the candle sticks is such an elegant choice. I’m always looking for candle wreaths that aren’t so expensive so your deconstructed wreath idea is brilliant.
Finding things like wreaths and garland to deconstruct and use in other ways is a designer secret. Good for you!
Love your home styled for fall Yvonne, it’s absolutely gorgeous! You have such a talent for creating an elegant home while still maintaining the feeling of coziness. Thank you for opening your home to us, Happy Fall!!!
Heidi, thank you so much! I admire your style greatly! And I’m so excited to get every newsletter. Happy Fall. Looking forward to seeing your beautiful home.
Hi Yvonne, Those gourds are wonderful–I love the texture and color! I’m also a fan of white pumpkins and yours are displayed beautifully. Blessings, Cecilia @My Thrift Store Addiction
I absolutely love this early fall tour, Yvonne! As always, your home looks great. And I”m loving the fact that there aren’t pumpkins every where you look. I’m convinced that when I start my fall decorating, I will simplify and simplify again this year. Pumpkins are great, but you have shown that a home can look like fall withouth being filled with pumpkins! I have a question about your dining room table. The link provided in the “shop my home” section is not a link for the table you show in the pictures. Do you have a link for the table you now have? Thanks! And happy fall to you and your family!
Hi Judy, I don’t have a link for the dining room table. It came from Ethan Allen and they are not affiliates. But I’m sure you can find it there. Happy Fall!
Thanks for the information. My current table is from that store, so I’m sure I can find what I’m looking for there. 🙂 Have a great day!
Yvonne, everything looks just lovely. I love the color honey you have used and the black accents are perfect. FYI, I use two tall plastic gift Christmas wrapping paper containers I purchased at Target to hold my tall flower and leaf stems. It comes with a snap on lid and the flowers don’t get crushed or dusty. They are perfect for this.
Toni
Hi Toni, another brilliant suggestion! What a great idea. I’m so glad you enjoyed this year’s fall tour.
Your nod towards Fall decorating is wonderful. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the “coffee table!” The touch of black is perfect and a nice pop of color. You asked about how we store our long faux stems and branches. I gather the bundle together at the bottom, tie up (just like when you are hanging herbs to dry) and then put in a clear dry cleaning bag, pushing the tied end through the bag’s hanger hole and hang from the ceiling of wherever I am storing my wreaths etc. I like the dry cleaning bags because they are so light and add no pressure to the leaves in the bundle and they have the hanging hole already cut out.
Thank you for your suggestion! It is perfect! I hope my reader will read your comment and find this simple and effective way of storing their long stems. Hugs to you!
What a beautiful home tour Yvonne! Love the subtle touches of fall and the neutral color scheme is so pretty.
Hi AnnMarie, how kind of you! I’m so looking forward to your fall home tour too!
I think I’ve been sitting here at the dining room table going over your post for over 30 minutes! First, I LOVE those gourds! I may have to give Calico a call and see if they can ship them! I’m SO excited to visit them in December, not to mention YOU and Bobby, of course! (Seriously, you cannot even imagine how much I’m looking forward to the trip!) And, I LOVE all the black touches. So perfect for Tanglewood! I may have to purchase your lovely dining room rug, too! I think it is JUST the look I’m going for in our living area! Hugs, dear friend. I’m sure I’ll be coming over again, soon!
Hi Julie, thank you for your lovely comment! I heading over to see your home right now. And yes, your visit can’t come soon enough. LOVE!
I look forward to your home tours each season, but this may be my favorite! I am a huge fan of natural, organic vibes and am loving the color honey so you are speaking my love language here! Gorgeous!!!
Hi Libby, how kind! Coming from another blogger this meas so much to me! I’ll be heading your way soon.
Beautiful tour, Yvonne!
Hi Cindy, Thank you. Happy fall decorating.
Hello Yvonne! What a lovely Fall tour you shared today. I always love your entry and have to say I can see why the black and white ribbon is your favorite. I am excited to see it again at Christmas too. I am thankful for your friendship and hope you have a wonderful transition into Fall!
Happy Fall Kelly! Thank you so much for inviting me to your beautiful tour! I enjoy being a part of them so much.
Yvonne, your early fall home tour is simply lovely! I am always so inspired by your home tours and decorating tips. I followed your advice a few years back and save my pumpkin stems now. They look so much nicer on faux pumpkins. Thank you for opening up your beautiful home. Happy Fall!
Hi Michelle, I’ve been talking about popping off the stems of pumpkins for years. It’s good to know that someone is listening. Happy fall.
Hi Yvonne,
I must compliment you on your choice of colour-palette. It is really gorgeous!
I must say that your collection of accessories is amazing ! I love the lanterns in your foyer. Goes to show that purchasing classy classics is worth the investment
Hi Loise, Yes it is!!!! And it is important to know what you like and keep your decor updated too.
It’s always a treat to tour your home Yvonne. I must say the honey and black accents look fabulous for fall. I think I need to start looking for colored candles to update my brass candle stick collection. As always, thank you for the inspiration!
Happy Fall, Michelle
Yvonne what a lovely tour! I enjoy popping over for a season tour in your home because you have such a gift for cozy decorating. I adore all of the simple touches and honey accents you used throughout your home. Oh and those cute little gourds are perfect for early fall! I love that giant vase too in your living room. It’s really gorgeous with the fall foliage!
Thanks, Stacy! I was in awe of your beautiful fall home!
The pops of gold color look great in your home and I love all the wreaths and faux stems. Great tips too. Happy Fall!
Happy Fall, Cindy!
Yvonne, your home looks beautiful for the fall season. I love going to Cocalico Creek Home. It’s about 3 hours from me. Whenever I go to Lancaster, I love popping in that store. My daughter-in-law took me there a few years ago. How exciting that Julie is coming for a visit in December. I know you both will have a great time together.
Cocalico is full of fall decor!
It’s always such a treat to tour your home for the seasonal changes Yvonne. You have the most beautiful style. The front door wreath is so gorgeous! I need one. ❤️
Hi Kim, you won’t be sorry if you get the wreath! Happy Fall.
Yvonne, your home is always just beautiful! I especially love the gourds you found in your entry way. There are always so many pretty items, it’s hard to pick just one. Happy to tour with you!
Thank you so much Kim
Please share source for the block print rectangular pillow on the bench under the window.
I really like your pared down look for Fall.
Here you go Mildred, https://rstyle.me/+3o5VEtD4URSSjp-wUKBD1g
Hi Yvonne,
I love your fall home tour style, so sublime!
Can you provide a link for the hurricane and 3 wick candle on the coffee table?
Find the hurricane here:https://rstyle.me/+bf9WrjjzAxS1W6LYIj2_Og
The candle came from a local shop.
Yvonne,
Your home tour is stunning, as usual. I love those gourds and will be keeping an eye out for some similar. Thanks for sharing all your ideas and talent with us.
Happy Fall, Rachel!
Yvonne, your home and style are so lovely! I had a BIG smile when I saw your tip about saving pumpkin stems. I’ve done it for years and have quite a collection. I also glue them on real pumpkins if necessary. Sometimes the heirloom varieties I see have nubs for stems. A pumpkin’s not the same without a great stem!
May I quote that! So true!
You may! 🙂
Another little tip: Sometimes nubs are hard to remove from real pumpkins. There can be kind of a “seam” where the glued-on real stem meets the nub. I’ll tie some raffia to hide the seam. Works great, looks great!
Thanks for the great tip, Becky.
Yvonne, I love all of your organic fall touches with the honey and black color scheme and that your home is always so light and bright, even in fall! And I never thought about it, but I don’t know why swinging doors ever went out of style for laundry rooms because they’re always closed to cover up the mess in there—genius! lol
Hi Kate, Happy fall!