1. Color an autumn palette

Consider your existing supply of throw pillows, blankets and furnishings, and see which ones evoke that fall feeling—warm burgundies, deep oranges, soft golds and rich browns. By intentionally pairing these pieces in certain corners of your apartment, you can create pops of fall in unexpected places, adding the warmth of the season to your home with intention.

2. Celebrate the seasonal holidays

From Halloween to Thanksgiving, autumn lends itself to fun decorating ideas, transitioning your apartment from dark and spooky nights with jars of candy corn gleaming from your shelves, to pumpkins and gourds and brilliantly colored leaves. But there are other events that are quintessentially fall that you can use for design inspiration: hayrides, apple festivals, and anything to do with the harvest are particularly rich. This doesn’t mean you have to turn your living room into a corn maze (It might get a little messy!) but a tabletop display of apples (real or decorative), beautifully colored corn cobs, and a scatter of straw paired with some richly scented candles could make for a lovely touch of fall.

3. Go all out with fall scents

Candle companies live for the scents of autumn, from warm vanilla and pumpkin spice, to rich cranberry, to crisp apple pie…the options are endless. Use tiny tealights that pack a major scent, or designate a candle “safe place” away from pets or anything that might catch fire. Some apartment homes aren’t keen on you burning candles, but there’s an easy solution there, too, with scent diffusers or home sprays that can bring all the best aromas of the season into your space.

4. Light up the night

As the days get shorter, decorating with light takes on more importance. Who says you have to wait for Christmas to bring out the fairy lights. Celebrate with bright orange mini-lights woven into your table display or door wreath, or trail strands of white lights over your balcony to ward off both the shadows and the chill. It’s a welcome sight both for you and your neighbors!

5. Get your baking mitts on

This last idea may not do wonders for your waistline, but fall is made for baking cookies, brownies, bread and other warm and delicious comfort food. Even if you end up making a gift of your yummy creations, the act of baking can be incredibly cathartic and nurturing…with the added bonus of making your entire apartment smell heavenly.

Fall is the perfect time of year for transforming your apartment into a haven of comfort, coziness, and warmth—so here’s to celebrating the season from your front door to your balcony! Happy fall!

The post Apartment Decorating 101: Bringing autumn indoors appeared first on BRG Apartments Blog.

1. Take advantage of the holidays!

First comes Halloween, then comes Thanksgiving, and both of these holidays mean that stores will be filled with seasonal decorating ideas. From spray-painted pumpkins to glittery witch brooms, look for décor that can make the transition from Halloween to Thanksgiving with just a few changes, so you can get more bang for your decorating dollar. Even a strand of orange fairy lights to decorate a wreath of autumn leaves can be switched out for a strand of white lights to take you easily from October to November!

2. When in doubt, bring the outdoors in

There’s something about fall that makes you really appreciate being outdoors—the crisp scent of pine cones, the sound of crackling leaves underfoot, and the brisk breeze rustling through the trees. Capture that feeling with little signs of nature throughout your home. Whether you get your pinecones, tree branches and fall leaves at the market or in the park, make sure they’re clean and free of any debris or bugs, then bring them inside to create your autumn oasis!

3. Candles, candles, everywhere (but be safe!)

Nothing says fall as much as the bright, cheery light of a candle, and today’s “flame-free” battery-operated candles mean you can light up the night while being safe as well. Consider flickering flame votives that are scented with cinnamon, spice and pumpkin to add more power to your candle punch. Even if you don’t want to light scented natural candles, many of them can add fragrance to a room without being lit, or you can use scented diffuser sticks dipped in oil to set the mood.

4. Throws and pillows and blankets and more pillows…

Autumn is the quintessential time of cuddling up, so it’s the perfect opportunity to drape comfy blankets on your couches, chairs and at the edge of your bed. Mix and match colors to create a bohemian vibe, or stick to variations on a simple palette for cool, classy comfort. Your choices are endless!

5. Pumpkins and fall flowers

Whether you prefer your gourds large or small, spray painted with bright colors, bedazzled, or soft and monochromatic, pumpkins are the official decorating mascot of fall. Pair small pumpkins with a spray of fall flowers for a fantastic centerpiece, trail them whimsically along a shelf or across a kitchen counter, or set them up in small collections in each of your rooms to keep the spirit of fall alive throughout the next few months.

6. Make a wreath!

Don’t wait for Christmas to put a wreath on your door! Fall wreaths can make you smile every time you return home. Whether you use natural ingredients or great finds from the craft store, create a fall masterpiece with berries, leaves, woven grape vines, mini pumpkins and more. Here’s to a happy fall for you and your apartment!

The post Decorating your apartment for fall appeared first on BRG Apartments Blog.

Ready to get started? Here’s our top three low-cost decorating ideas for fall:

1. Light up the night 

Candles aren’t always a good idea in an apartment but battery operated “flickering” candles solve this problem masterfully. Many of these candles have timers so once you set them up, they switch on every evening to set a cheerful mood! Pick up a set or two of cream colored battery-operated pillar candles or tea-lights, and you’re halfway there. Then it’s time to get creative! To tailor your candles for fall, you can:

• Purchase a small packet of cinnamon sticks and secure them to your candles with twine
• Get a small fall-themed wreath and place a large pillar candle (or 2! Or 3!) inside it
• Fill a shallow glass bowl with fake cranberries then nestle your pillar candle in the center
• Set up several tea lights on a long dish and surround them with candy corn…then try not to eat your own decorations!
• Make a mini arrangement with dried leaves, small gourds, and fake berries and position your candles in the center

2. Got Gourd?

Speaking of gourds, there simply is no other design element that so immediately conjures up thoughts of fall, than the humble pumpkin. Setting aside its association with Halloween – no jack-o-lantern carving necessary! – gourds of all sorts are fair game for fall: mini pumpkins, squash and more. You can get the real deal from farmers’ markets or health food stores or even many grocery stores, or you can find faux gourds in a variety of sizes and colors at craft and hobby retailers. Once you have an armful, get creative! Decorate the gourds with paint pens, sticker, stencils, chalk paint or glitter spray, then position them on your window sills, on your balcony or peeking out from your shelves. Whether your designs are whimsical or classic, gourds are your go-to!

3. Get hung up on fall’s magic

There’s something about hanging strands of lights and garlands of decorations that really spruces up your space, but you don’t have to wait for Christmas to light up the night! You can find low-cost strands of illuminated fall leaves or pumpkins at the hobby shop, or go no-electricity and craft your own strands of pine cones and artificial leaves and berries strung with twine. Extra points for spraying gold paint on your pine cones (or miniature pumpkins) to give them an extra pizzazz! Another great choice is to cut out squares of burlap, add stencils of letters and leaves (perhaps spelling out FALL or AUTUMN or HARVEST) and then string the burlap squares on a length of thick twine. Even coiling a strand of plain white miniature Christmas lights through a basket of pine cones can make a beautiful fall welcome next to your fireplace or front door.

With the start of fall, now’s the perfect time to add all the welcoming touches of the season to your home. Here’s to a fun—and creative—autumn!

The post The Frugal Decorator’s Guide to a festive fall! appeared first on BRG Apartments Blog.