5 Ways to Get Ready for Fall

Fall is finally here!

It may still be hot outside, but you can’t deny the light is slowly changing and the temps are starting to dip just a little. Fall is our favorite season, from the food to the clothes to all the house cozies. We look forward to it every year, and this year we’re extra excited because we’re finally settled in our house, and it feels like we’ll be here a while. It feels like home.

So we thought we’d discuss five ways to get yourself and your house ready for fall. Let’s dive in.

Let there be light. The right lighting is key in any season, but especially in the fall when it starts getting dark sooner. We love the warm, glowy light that Edison bulbs put off. They can completely change the whole feel of a room! We actually use them year round in all of our lamps, but if you don’t typically have them in your house, now is the perfect time to screw them in for a couple of months. They instantly make the room warmer, and way more cozy.

Spruce it up. Bring out the accessories! Switching out things like throws, pillows (love this and this), and even mugs, make your home look and feel intentional, and gets you in the mood for fall. You don’t have to go as far as adopting a theme, but picking a color palette and sticking to it (think reds, yellows, oranges, browns) makes it much more cohesive.

We added some fall garland to the staircase and mantel, and each bring their own festive feels to the house. We usually leave them up through Thanksgiving, and then replace the one on the mantel with garland wrapped in Christmas lights when December rolls around.

Plug it in, plug it in. Does anything feel (or smell) more like fall than a wallflower or a pumpkin spice candle? Every September, the first thing we make sure to do is stock up on wallflowers, particularly the Pumpkin Pecan Waffle and Leaves, our two favorites. We also bring out the pumpkin scented candles that we saved (read: hoarded) from the year before, like this one and this one. Even when it’s 85 degrees out, you would never know it from the overwhelming aroma of autumn in our house, making it feel at least 65 degrees (in our heads :) ).

Layer up. Fall. Clothes. Are. Everything. There is nothing in this entire world more comforting than a big, comfy, cozy sweater during the fall and winter months. This is the season for mustard yellows and burnt orange pants and leather boots and your favorite old flannel shirt that you should probably throw away but can’t bring yourself to. We’ve actually been eyeing a couple of pieces lately, like these fun colored chinos and these brown ones. Thomas just picked up this chunky yellow sweater and this warm, wool one, too.

Stay in and hygge. Can you think of any other time during the year where staying home on the regular is more appropriate? When the air starts getting crisp & cooler, and the sun starts setting earlier, nothing feels better than getting cozy on the couch with a big mug full of coffee (or a glass of wine), some popcorn, and a good movie. Our favorites to watch during this time of year are Hocus Pocus, Casper, The Sixth Sense, Practical Magic, and You’ve Got Mail.

Bonus: Change the wallpaper on your phone to help get into the festive Halloween spirit. It’s the little things, right?

What would you add? Is fall your favorite time of the year, too? Wouldn’t it be wonderful to live in a world where it’s perpetually fall, like Gilmore Girls’ Stars Hollow seems to be?

(Hygge photo via The New Yorker, Halloween background via Pinterest)