Decorating With Faux Fall Florals: Bringing the Colors of Autumn Indoors

I love decorating for fall. The warm colors, cozy textures, candles, pumpkins and all of those little layers instantly make home feel a little warmer. But if I had to choose one thing that makes the biggest difference when I transition our home for fall, it would probably be faux florals.

And when I say florals, I use that term pretty loosely.

Branches, grasses, eucalyptus, leaves, berries, wheat, faded hydrangeas, tiny flowers and stems that look like they have naturally dried at the end of summer all count in my book. I use them everywhere, from big statement arrangements that practically take over a corner to two or three little stems tucked into a vase. The best part is that most of them come back year after year. I just rarely use them exactly the same way twice.

Fall Florals Don’t Have to Be Traditional

There is certainly a place for orange leaves in fall decorating. I use plenty of them. But fall offers such a beautiful range of colors that it seems a shame to stop there. Deep burgundy, rust, caramel, faded gold, warm brown, muted green and cream all find their way into my arrangements.

I especially love stems that look as though they are beginning to dry. Tiny brown flowers, faded hydrangeas, wispy grasses and seed-like branches feel more natural to me than a perfectly coordinated bouquet. /Even green eucalyptus can feel completely different when it is mixed with rust and brown.

The goal isn’t necessarily to create a “fall flower arrangement.” I want to bring the colors and textures of fall into the room.

Think Beyond Flowers

Branches are probably one of my favorite things to decorate with because they add height without feeling heavy. A handful of burgundy maple branches can completely change a room. Some of my favorite arrangements don’t actually contain many flowers.

Grasses are another favorite. I have used everything from small wispy stems on a shelf to enormous feathery grasses beside the fireplace. And I love eucalyptus, especially when different colors are mixed together.

The less something looks like a premade bouquet, the more I tend to like it.

Go Big When the Space Calls for It

I am clearly not afraid of a giant arrangement.

Sometimes a room needs one big statement rather than ten little decorations. An oversized vase filled with tall branches can fill an empty corner, add height beside a fireplace or become the focal point of a table. It creates impact without requiring a lot of other seasonal decor around it.

One of my favorite fall arrangements is simply a mass of deep burgundy branches in a large weathered vase. Another mixes huge faded hydrangeas with burgundy leaves. Neither requires much else around it because the florals are doing most of the decorating.

When I’m working with a large vase, I also make sure the arrangement is large enough for the container. A substantial vessel with six little stems sticking straight out of it usually looks a little lost.

Give those big vases some drama.

But Don’t Forget the Tiny Touches

Not every floral arrangement needs its own zip code. Some of the smallest touches around the house are just as effective.

A few golden stems behind cookbooks on the kitchen counter, wispy grass tucked into a little vase, dried-looking flowers in a hanging basket or two stems on the mantel can bring fall into an area without making it feel decorated to death.

I like having both extremes. The big arrangements create focal points, while the little ones carry the colors of fall through the rest of the house.

Repeat Colors, Not Arrangements

This is probably one of the easiest ways to make seasonal decorating feel cohesive. I don’t make matching arrangements for different rooms. Instead, I repeat colors. You might see deep burgundy leaves in one room, faded burgundy hydrangeas somewhere else and a tiny rust-colored stem on another surface.

In the kitchen, a large arrangement combines burgundy, orange, muted green and berries. Across the room, orange branches and grasses repeat those colors in a completely different way. A little arrangement of golden stems adds another variation.

They don’t match. They just belong together. Choosing a loose palette and carrying it throughout the house makes everything feel connected without looking like you bought a matching fall-decor collection.

Mix Different Shapes and Textures

One of the quickest ways to make faux florals look more natural is to mix things that aren’t too similar. Pair large leaves with tiny berries. Put soft hydrangeas next to structured branches. Mix feathery grasses with eucalyptus. Add something wispy to something heavy.

And don’t be afraid of empty space. Every arrangement doesn’t have to be a perfectly round ball of flowers. I actually prefer being able to see individual branches and stems. Let some reach higher. Let another stretch sideways. Allow a few to hang lower than the rest.

Which brings me to one of my biggest faux-floral rules…

The Vase Is Half the Arrangement
(I may have a slight vase problem.)

Pottery, pitchers, baskets, urns, woven vessels, old crocks, textured ceramic pieces…if it can hold a branch, I’m probably going to try putting one in it.

I think the container matters just as much as the florals.

A few inexpensive branches can look completely different in a beautiful oversized pottery vase. Wispy grasses become more interesting when they’re spilling out of a sculptural vessel. A white pitcher makes orange stems pop. A woven vase immediately adds another natural texture to autumn leaves.

Sometimes I choose the vase first and figure out the florals afterward. And don’t overlook things that aren’t technically vases. Pitchers, baskets and other containers you already have can make some of the most interesting arrangements.

Mix Faux With Dried and Natural Elements

Everything doesn’t have to be artificial.

A wooden bowl filled with pinecones next to faux branches makes the branches feel more natural. Dried grasses mixed with faux eucalyptus add another texture. Even a simple bundle of dried-looking roses hanging from a hook can become part of the seasonal decor.

Fall is actually the perfect time to embrace things that aren’t pristine.

Let Them Be Imperfect

This may be the most important part. Don’t make everything too perfect. Fall isn’t perfect. Leaves curl. Flowers fade. Grasses bend. Branches grow in strange directions. Colors aren’t uniform.

That’s exactly what makes the season beautiful. So I don’t worry if an arrangement is a little lopsided or if one branch is sticking out farther than the others. In fact, I usually prefer it. Sometimes I’ll put an arrangement together, step back and realize it looks too neat. That’s when I start pulling stems outward and messing it up a little.

Add Warm Light

Fall decorating and warm light just belong together. I love candles near floral arrangements because the glow brings out all of those rust, burgundy and caramel tones.

For larger arrangements, tiny warm lights tucked between the branches can be beautiful too. During the day they almost disappear, but in the evening they give the entire arrangement a soft glow.

The key for me is keeping it subtle. I don’t want the florals to look like a Christmas tree. I just want a little warmth peeking through the branches.

You Don’t Need a Formula

There are plenty of formulas for flower arranging, and I’m sure they are useful.

I don’t really follow them.

I start putting things together, step back, move something, bend something, add another branch, take one away and keep going until it feels right. Sometimes the result is huge and dramatic. Sometimes it’s three stems in a vase.

Sometimes what I thought would go together absolutely does not, and everything gets pulled apart again. That’s part of the fun. Your house doesn’t need to look like a floral department display, and your fall arrangements don’t need to match anyone else’s.

Use the colors you love. Use the containers you already own. Mix expensive stems with inexpensive ones. Combine faux with dried. Make one arrangement enormous and the next one barely noticeable.

And above all, don’t be afraid to mess them up a little.

Bend the branches, turn the leaves, let the grasses droop and allow something to stick out farther than it probably should. Because when it comes to faux fall florals, a little imperfection is usually what makes them look just right.

Happy fall decorating! 🍂

Cheers!

Kerri