Thrifty Fall Cottage Decorating | Cottagecore Inspiration

I’m here to share my thrifty fall cottage decorating with you today! I will also be adding that twist of cottagecore that I love so much along the way!

Fall is such a beautiful time of year. The crisp smell in the air brings back a childhood kind of happiness. The cool breeze is a delightful change from the heavy and humid dog days of summer.

My favorite part of fall is that I can finally open the windows first thing in the morning and leave them open all day long. I delight in the sound of being able to hear my children play outside as I work in the kitchen.

I’m always so drawn to the kitchen in the fall. I love baking pumpkin treats, apple desserts, and it’s so cozy to welcome large pots of soup that simmer all day long back into our lives.

apples sitting in a basket with a dark and moody backround

Fall can feel more settled than summer as the routine of the school year comes into place. I love the freedom that summer brings, but as it draws to a close the predictability and routine of fall is welcome feeling.

With that settled fall feeling and the garden winding down, my attentions are turned inward toward the home. I always find myself wanting to add new touches to the home for fall, and I’m excited to share with today how I did just that.

Thrifty Fall Cottage Decorating is Easier Than You Might Think!

Fall cottage table with a pumpkin, mums in an old crock, and apples in a basket

I’m not an advocate of running out and buying all the fall things. You may already have elements in your home right now that speak fall and they just needed to be grouped together or edited to give off that vibe.

Sometimes all it requires is a fresh perspective and some rearranging.

The best way to do this is to remove all your decor from a certain area to help give you a fresh set of eyes to see your space and see your decor.

I will be listing below the types of items to look for within your own decor collection and what to keep your eyes peeled for while thrifting.

For more tips on how to decorate with thrift store finds see my 3 part series here.

1. Rich Fall Colors

open shelving filled with bronze, brown and white elements for thrifty fall deorating — Everything you see on this shelf is thrifted , except the real mini pumpkins. By sticking to browns, and bronze with pops of white it gives these shelves a fall feel without having to buy “fall” decor.

Even if you have mostly neutrals in your home bringing in some saturated autumn tones can go a long way in adding a cozy feeling to your thrifty fall cottage decorating.

For a neutral home:

Look for muted, earthy tones. Mossy greens, brick red, terracotta, conagc, amber, burnt sienna, and muted plumbs are all beautiful fall color options to add to your home. Keep your pops of pumpkin orange minimal to maintain a neutral feel. Use nature as your inspiration. Often natural elements function perfectly in neutral hued home.

neutral thrifty fall cottage decorating with stacked green and beige books, a vase of eucalyptus, and white and orange mini pumpkin

For a home with color:

Go for it! Jewel tones are gorgeous for fall. Mustard yellow, saturated greens, pumpkin orange, sunflower yellow, rich chocolate brown, plumb, and navy blues. Balance them with neutrals along the way to keep things from getting too busy, but fall is a time to bring on the color!

I added mostly plumb this year as you will see scrolling through the photos below.

thrifty fall cottage decorating by adding a green colored basket stacked underneath an antique basket around the fireplace

I love using vintage plates and platters in my thrifty fall cottage decorating. They are so affordable and easy to thrift. They provide such a clean look. In the fall, try choosing some with color.

You can add beautiful color and tons of cottage charm to a space with vintage plates. Brown transferware gives off an especially cozy fall vibe, which I chose to go with this year and I’m loving the look.

thrifty fall cottage decorating with brown transferware plate and white plate hung on the wall

I hang all of my plates using these adhesive discs from Amazon. They are completely invisible which is awesome and extremely sturdy adhesive. I have yet to try and remove a hanging disc from a plate but they say the disc is easily removable. So it may not even ruin your plate if you desire to use it as a plate afterwards.

2. Look for Cozy Textures

thrifty fall cottage decorating with a cable knit throw pillow and a green plaid scarf acting as a throw blanket

Adding warm texture is an easy way to create thrifty fall cottage decorations in a space.

There are the more obvious textures like cable knit blankets and pillow covers, wool throws, sheepskin pelts, and velvet.

cotatgecore decorating with an long handled offering plate basket hung on the wall

But then there are the less obvious textures such as wicker from baskets, warm metals like brass and copper, and rustic wood items.

thrifty fall cottage decorating with a white and mustard yellow kitchen towels draped on a white stove with an ironstone bowl full of peaches on top

Switching out my kitchen linens and napkins to a richer texture and color is a super easy way to add the warmth of fall!

3. Bring Nature Inside for the Most Thrifty Fall Cottage Decorating

thrifty fall cottage decorating with apples in a basket, a pumpkin, and mums in a vintage crock all sitting on a dark table

We all know to use pumpkins in our fall decorating. It’s the quintessential item of fall after all! But I like to decorate with more than just pumpkins for my natural elements.

Bringing in oak leaves can be so beautiful. Their deep green hue adds lovely color and they look so fresh and really liven up a space when they are placed in a clear glass vase.

thrifty fall cottage decorating with a mums and ivy bouquet styled on top of a cabinet with a basket on either side

Bring in fall florals such as mums, fall colored zinnias, and sunflowers. I love using Ivy as greenery in my bouquets in this time of year. It feels very autumnal to me.

vintage basket hung on a wall and filled with plumb and green faux stems above a cow painting — I love the rich plumb hue of these faux stems!

Don’t shy away from faux stems either. I love the look of baskets filled with florals and it’s much more sustainable when those florals are faux.

thrifty fall cottage decorating with faux white and green and plumb stems in a brown crock

Faux stems can be gorgeous and very realistic looking these days, so don’t forget about them! They are worth the investment! That being said, I have also found a lot of quality stems at thrift stores and estate sales.

thrifty fall cottage decorating with produce in beautiful ironstone vessles

Finally, put your fall produce on display in baskets and beautiful vintage vessels. There is nothing more beautiful than creation, and nothing cozier than a basket of produce just waiting to be cooked up into something delicious!

4. Warm Things Up

candle lit next to a basket of apples for fall cottage decorating

By this I mean, create a warm atmosphere with lighting. Or even the implication of lighting to come.

For example, wood stacked by the fireplace invites the mind to imagine the cozy fire that may warm the room later that evening.

Candles on the side table lure one to think of reading a book by candlelight, curled up in the comfy chair that resides nearby.

cozy fall sitting corner with a green chair and white throw pillow.

Change the evening mood by adding more lamps to a space. I love turning off all of the overhead lights as the sun goes down and turning on the lamps in the room and lighting candles. It calms things for the evening and creates a cozy ambiance.

old world style open kitchen shelving with hanging copper and stacks of bowls, and a candle burning

5. Add Moody Art or Black and White Sketches

Even if your home is mostly light and bright, bringing in a few darker elements helps reflect the feelings of fall.

thrifty fall cottage decorating with copper and moody wall art hanging on the wall

You can keep this very affordable by purchasing digital downloads of art online and print out to the size frame that you already own. Just do a simple switch!

moody floral art print, dried baby's breath, and and oval victorian print hanging on a wall

Two of my favorite sources for downloadable moody art are Heirloom Print Shop and Shop Vintage Supply.

a moody peach art print hanging on the wall above a copper pan

6. Remember to Keep Your Thrifty Fall Cottage Decorating Simple

thrifty fall cottage decorating kept simple with 3 candles on one side of mantle and a vase of eucalyptus on a stack of green books grouped with a pumpkin and vintage art

So often less is more. Keeping things simple can actually enhance the beauty of a space.

That being said, I love gathered spaces as well. I adore my open shelving in the kitchen with it’s stacks of dishes, layered with wood cutting boards, stacked cookbooks, and hanging cooper. But, ideally I like to keep that look to just a few areas in my home. If I do it too much, I start to feel like it’s cluttered.

Be sure to remove some decor items from the previous season as you go. Think more of switching out your decor rather than adding in fall decor to keep things from getting too cluttered. It’s a wonderful time to take a closer look at your space and do some editing.

When you decorate for the seasons, it can be tempting to go out and buy a bunch of new fall themed decor. But I have learned that it just takes a few fall touches to change the mood of the home.

shelf decorated with bronze, brown, and white elements for fall

Add a few pumpkins. Switch out a white vase for a dark one. Use stems with rich, fall colors. Bring out the baskets. Add warm textured blankets and throw pillows. Replace white wall plates with a brown or colored transferware. Add some candles and use them to replace summery decor.

Each room just needs about three fall touches to feel cohesive and pulled together. That’s the a rule I go by anyway, and I feel like it gives a nice balance and keeps me from going overboard.