Inside: Fresh ideas for styling your living room for fall using unexpected colors that don’t shout “pumpkins and orange.”
I’m excited to share how rich burgundy paired with cool blues can create a sophisticated, cozy fall look in your living room. This color pairing is especially flattering if you already love blue-and-white accents.
Before I show you the room, welcome to the annual Fall Home Tour hosted by my friend Marty from A Stroll Thru Life. I always appreciate the effort she puts into gathering so many talented home bloggers for these seasonal tours.
Each season Marty lines up more than two dozen bloggers to share their homes, offering inspiration for nearly every decorating style. If you’ve followed along before, you’ll know I’ve participated in past tours as well.
If you’re coming over from Hymns And Verses, welcome! Doreen always shares lovely recipes, DIY projects and thoughtful decor ideas—she’s a favorite of mine!
Now, back to the living room tour.
Over the years my living room has been the scene of many DIY projects and style changes—some that I still love and a few that make me smile now and wonder what I was thinking. Lately I’ve settled into a cottage-inspired look with classic and grand millennial touches, and it feels right for this stage.
When fall arrives, I always start by choosing a color palette. I’ve experimented with a lot of non-traditional palettes through the years, but this burgundy-and-blue combination is one of my favorites—elegant, cozy and unexpected. This season I deliberately left orange mostly out of the scheme and focused on deep, layered tones instead.
My approach to seasonal decorating has become more intentional. Rather than overloading the room with every rustic item I own, I weave a few seasonal touches into my everyday decor so the room still feels like home—just a little more autumnal.
For example, the fireplace mantel now features tall burgundy leaf branches in a white vase paired with golden faux pampas in a blue-and-white vessel. Because I left some of my everyday greenery in place, the seasonal accents feel like an enhancement rather than a full overhaul.
Decorating Tip: If your room has tall ceilings, use larger, taller pieces on the mantel to create drama. Small items can look lost or cluttered in a large space.
Keeping some of my everyday plants and accessories on the hearth and mantel helps maintain continuity so guests won’t feel like the whole room was redecorated just for the season.
One simple seasonal swap I always make is to change pillows and throws. Pillows frequently inspire my color choices—spot the one I loved and the rest of the room’s palette often follows in my head. Mixing patterns is one of my favorite parts of decorating, and fall is a great time to layer plaids, florals and stripes in complementary colors.
Pattern mixing is playful but intentional—vary scale and complexity while keeping the palette cohesive.
Decorating Tip: Aim for at least three patterns in a room. Mix large and small scales, repeat colors and combine simple and complex motifs for a layered, curated look.
Small accents make a big difference—like the blue-and-white pumpkin plate on the end table that ties the colors together and adds seasonal charm without overwhelming the space.
On the coffee table I replaced summer items with a small autumn vignette: burgundy mums in a blue-and-white vase, a checked bowl of faux pears and a thrifted dish filled with acorns. On a nearby console I swapped shell accents for a velvet burgundy pumpkin and a blue-and-white ginger jar—simple swaps that signal the season without a complete redo.
These modest changes are how I welcome fall—layered color, a few seasonally themed pieces, and a thoughtful mix of old and new.
I hope these ideas spark inspiration for your own living room. Next on the tour is Kate from Southern Home And Hospitality—she always offers smart, budget-friendly fall decorating tips you’ll love.
Monday September 12 Lineup
A Stroll Thru Life – The Stonybrook House – StoneGable – Shiplap and Shells –
White Arrows Home – Clean and Scentsible
Tuesday September 13 Lineup
Decor to Adore – Simply2Moms – Calypso in the Country –
Country Road 407 – Pink Peppermint Design
Wednesday September 14
Whispering Pines Homestead – Cuckoo4Design – Southern State of Mind –
This is Our Bliss – Thrifty and Chic
Thursday September 15
Our Southern Home – Southern Hospitality – Hymns and Verses – Worthing Court –
Southern Home and Hospitality – Remodelandolacasa
Friday September 16
Pasha is Home – CitrineLiving – Up to Date Interiors –
A Pretty Life in the Suburbs