Pumpkins, pine cones and plaid – why I’m passionate about decorating my home for autumn, and you should be too

Content creator Lucy Kalice is one of Ideal Home's new Open House contributors, sharing her thoughts on cleaning, home decor and making the most of small spaces. See the rest of her articles here.

Picture this: it’s 8am on Sunday morning, you’ve woken up to the sound of rain tapping against your windows…oh so relaxing. You put on your cosiest dressing gown and slide on your slippers before making your bed and topping it off with a chunky cable knit throw and some boucle decorative pumpkins.

Downstairs in the hallway you light a pumpkin butter scented candle and make your way to the kitchen to boil the kettle. The sweet smell of cinnamon and vanilla fills the air from the garland centrepiece on the table. It might be grey outside but the the wreath hanging in the kitchen is popping hues of orange, red and brown. Then you snuggle up on the sofa with a perfectly plush plaid blanket, a ‘hello autumn’ cushion and a cuppa - bliss.

Listen, I get it, the colder months aren’t for everyone. The darker mornings and evenings can be quite…well…dreary. Especially when you have to peel yourself away from your bed at what feels like the middle of the night to do the school run or go to work.

But this is the exact reason I think it's important to lean into Autumn. It’s a season of golden leaves falling and pumpkin spice calling. And I think decorating our homes for autumn might be the new hobby we all need in our lives. Who knows, in doing so- you might just fall in love with this season - get it?

Now if you’ve never thrown yourself in to decorating for autumn before, I’m going to give you some pointers. Start small. I swap some cushions on my sofa for some autumnal ones. I buy some new blankets and throws for my sofa and bed that match my autumnal vibe. All the supermarkets with home sections have some reasonably priced cushions and throws which will do the job. You don’t need to spend a fortune, you can definitely do it on a budget.

My bedroom is one of my favourite places to decorate because I want it to be the cosiest place in the house. Even though it’s just me and my partner who see it (and the whole of social media when I post a bedroom cleaning video) I still want it to have a cosy autumn vibe to it. I don’t go crazy, I just keep it simple and swap the cushions and the throw, like I did for my own bed at the top of this article and below.

I got the ‘snuggle season’ cushion from M&S a few years ago, the throw is from Dunelm and the pumpkins are from Hobbycraft. I’ve used all these decorations for the past 3 years so you don’t need to buy new decorations each year. Most importantly, it’s such a quick and easy swap that I look forward to doing each year.

Once I've chosen my perfect bedroom and sofa accessories, it’s time for the next part. We’re talking wreaths and table displays. Yes you heard me - wreaths…they aren’t just for Christmas! Pop a wreath on your front door, trust me, it creates the most inviting entrance. You can even hang a wreath inside your home.

My mum always has the most amazing wreaths and this is the autumnal one she’s got hanging outside at the moment.

And now for the table display…this can be as grand as an autumnal leaf garland or as simple as some pumpkin tea light holders. The beauty of it is, is that you can go as big or as little on the decorations as you want and no one can stop you.

Studies even show that decorating your home for autumn can improve your mood and reduce stress…so wha are you waiting for?