So here’s the thing – I live in what can only be described as a beige box. Well, seriously, in my apartment everything is some shade of tan or off-white because my dearest landlord apparently thinks personality is a four-letter word. But every September, that weird urge happens to fill me with the desire to make my place feel nice and cozy for the season, though it’s like a decorating blank canvas that I’m not permitted to paint.
This whole fall decorating thing started three years ago when I was having the worst week ever. Work was horrible, my upstairs neighbor had decided 3 AM was the perfect time to rearrange furniture, and I just felt so… blah. Then I walked into Target and saw all these warm, orangey pillows on sale. Something about them made me feel instantly better, so I bought like six of them. Best impulse purchase ever.
Since then, I’ve become slightly obsessed with making my rental feel like home when the weather gets crisp. My friends think I’m nuts because I store seasonal decor in every available closet space, but whatever. Life’s too short to live in a beige box without trying to make it cute.
Here’s what I’ve figured out after years of trial and error (and a few decorating disasters I’d rather forget):
1. Throw Pillows Are Basically Magic
I swear, whoever invented removable pillow covers deserves a Nobel Prize. Every fall, I dig out my stash of burnt orange, mustard yellow, and deep red covers from under my bed. Takes me maybe ten minutes to switch them out, but suddenly my sad gray couch looks like it belongs in a magazine.
Last month, my sister came over right after I’d done the pillow swap. She stopped dead in her tracks and goes, “Wait, did you buy a new couch?” When I told her it was just different pillow covers, she made me show her exactly where I got them. Now she’s totally copied my system, but I’m not even mad about it.
The key is buying covers that are way nicer than you’d normally splurge on for regular pillows. I found these velvet ones at HomeGoods that were $12 each – would’ve been like $40 for whole pillows. Now every fall feels fancy.
2. Wreaths Don’t Have to Live on Doors
This might sound weird, but I hang my fall wreath above my kitchen sink. Sounds random, right? But here’s the thing – I spend a decent amount of time doing dishes and looking out that window, so why not make the view prettier?
Wreaths, I once thought, were just for those with cute front doors. Then I realized I was being silly. My apartment doesn’t have a proper entryway-the hallway just smells like someone’s cooking down the road. So I hauled the wreath into the apartment to really enjoy it.
Got mine at Trader Joe’s for $15, hung it with one of those over-the-door hooks, and boom – instant fall vibes every time I’m in the kitchen. My mom was so confused when she visited, but now she’s doing the same thing at her house.
3. Centerpieces Don’t Have to Be Complicated
I would browse Pinterest and get overwhelmed by all the fancy table arrangements. Then it hit me that I was making it more complicated than necessary. My current dining table situation is just three different candles I grabbed at the grocery store, some mini pumpkins, and this fake garland I’ve been reusing for two years.
To hit on all the details, my total expenditure was roughly $18. Yet it manages to make my tiny dining area feel so much more put together. When guests come over for dinner, they’ll remark about how “decorated” everything looks, and I am there cos-micking to myself, having put it up in maybe five minutes.
The trick is keeping everything short so people can actually see each other. I learned this the hard way when I created this massive arrangement and we all felt like we were eating in separate rooms.
4. Garland Fixes Everything
My apartment has this weird architectural feature – basically a half-wall between the kitchen and living room that serves no purpose. For two years, I just ignored it. Then I had a lightbulb moment and draped some fall garland across the top.
Now it seems deliberate rather than just haphazard. I added some battery-operated twinkle lights (since I don’t want to set the place on fire), and to be honest, it’s turned into my favorite spot in the apartment. Guests always inquire about it, and I respond, “Oh, that old thing?” But deep down, I feel pleased with myself for coming up with a solution for that strange wall.
5. If You Have a Fireplace, Go Wild
My old place had a small fireplace that didn’t really work properly except as a nice spot to showcase decorations. I absolutely took this to the extreme: pumpkins everywhere, candles, dried corn stalks- you name it! The whole living room looked like the revenge of Martha Stewart; I loved every minute of it. The best use was easily arranging the carved Halloween pumpkins there. Rather than rotting away on my fire escape, they looked amazing all around the hearth indoors, and the pumpkins actually stayed fresh much longer inside!
Current apartment has no fireplace, and I’m still bitter about it. But whatever, I’ve adapted.
6. Battery Candles Are Genius
Real talk – I’m clumsy and forgetful, so real candles are basically a disaster waiting to happen. These battery-operated ones that look like they’re floating? Major game changer! These candles give off a warm, flicker-y light that looks totally fake in just the right way-I mean I don’t have to worry about having to scrape my security deposit.
I hang them at different heights inside my living room, setting up an amazing ambiance. My boyfriend was dubious at first (he’s definitely an all-or-nothing “real candles” type), but he admits that they look pretty cool now. On a nice chill night with cozy lighting on, these are perfect too, because I am too lazy to remember to blow out real candles.
7. String Lights Aren’t Just for College Kids
I resisted string lights for so long because I thought they looked too “dorm room.” Then I stayed at this boutique hotel that had them draped everywhere, and I was like… oh. They can look sophisticated.
I’ve got these warm white lights under my floating shelves now, and honestly, they make my whole living room feel like a little cozy café. Every evening when I’m winding down, I turn them on — it’s become one of those small rituals I didn’t know I needed. Funny how the simplest things end up making the biggest difference.
8. Flowers Don’t Have to Be Perfect
I’m not a flower person – like, at all. I kill plants just by looking at them wrong. But I discovered that mixing fresh and dried flowers is basically foolproof. I buy one small bouquet of whatever looks good at the grocery store and bulk it up with dried wheat, pampas grass, whatever.
The fresh stuff dies eventually, but the dried elements last forever.I still have the same dried flowers I bought last year, and they honestly still look great. It’s kind of nice having something pretty around that doesn’t judge me for forgetting to water it.
9. Seasonal Art on a Budget
I’m not going to pay big money for something I’ll display for just a few months. Instead, I embraced the hack idea: great autumn pictures from free sites, downloaded and printed at Walgreens for $3 a pop. Then, I just toss them into my basic IKEA black frames.
Presently, I have this gorgeous golden-leaf-trees-lining-the-path kind of shot and my bedroom feels as if I’m living in a nature documentary. My friends are under the impression that I’m an art collector, when really I’m just good at scouring the Internet for free stuff.
10. Bedroom Cozy Factor
Fall’s really all about nesting, isn’t it? I like making my bedroom feel like a warm little cloud. I trade my light summer comforter for this thick, rust-colored one I scored at Marshall’s, throw on a few textured pillows and a chunky knit blanket—and just like that, going to bed feels like a five-star experience
The whole thing probably cost me around $60—less if you catch the right sales—but the vibe shift is huge. There’s just nothing better than crawling into a cozy, fall-themed bed. It’s like getting a hug from autumn itself
11. Coffee Station Vibes
My so-called ‘coffee station’ is really just a tiny corner of my kitchen counter, but I still try to make it feel special. I found these adorable pumpkin-shaped mugs at a thrift store for two bucks each, and now every morning coffee feels like a tiny celebration
I also switch out my regular coffee container for one with fall labels. It’s such a small thing, but it makes my morning routine feel a little more intentional. And whenever friends come by, they always notice and say something about how cute the setup is.
12. The Kitchen Mini-Makeover
My kitchen is just barely large enough for a very small walk-in closet, yet I try to keep it feeling seasonal. I change my dish towels for ones with fall prints, hang a cute little apron with an autumn-ish theme on the hook, and set down three mini pumpkins somewhere on the counter.
The little things I do were not to exceed $15. These make cooking and baking feel a little warm and festive. The kitchen no longer puts a smile on my face whenever I enter it-an excuse to make anything-other than a quick sandwich at best.
13. Bookshelf Styling
I’m totally into that dark academia aesthetic, especially for fall, you know? I hit up used bookstores and thrift shops to find some really old leather-bound books with that aristocratic look. They’re usually selling for $1 or 2; and yet that is what my shelf looks like-a library.
I mix them with some brass bookends from a garage sale, plus a small plant-that has not died yet. Now the living room presents this chic intellectual vibe: it’s charged with the poetry-poor candle lighting ambience in my mind.
14. Pumpkin Everything
Listen, I’m a grown woman with pumpkin-shaped throw pillows, and I’m not even a little bit sorry about it. They’re soft, they’re adorable, and they make me ridiculously happy. I mix them with some plain pillows so as not to make an entire Halloween store seem to have exploded, but those pumpkin ones do take center stage.
Mom thinks I’m silly, but everyone else always wants to know where I got them-from-funny-friends. It’s just that going all out on the pumpkin vibe feels right during autumn.
15. Candle Color Swap
This is probably the easiest change ever, but it makes such a difference. I just put away my regular white candles and bring out the orange, red, and yellow ones. Same holders, same spots, completely different mood.
I use brass candlesticks because they work year-round, but switching up the candle colors instantly makes everything feel more seasonal. It’s like a $10 room makeover.
The Truth About Apartment Decorating
Here’s what nobody tells you: your place doesn’t have to look like Instagram to feel like home. I’m working with a tiny budget, weird lighting, and a landlord who thinks “character” means “slightly broken.” But these little seasonal changes make me genuinely excited to come home every day.
The best part about renting is that you can experiment without commitment. Don’t like something? Change it next year. Want to try a new color scheme? Go for it. You’re not stuck with anything forever.
I’ve realized that decorating is not an individual. Indeed decorating is making the space feel like you. So, if you for some reason associate yourself with pumpkin spice everything, then that’s totally fine.
My advice: Pick a couple of things that sound good to you and give them a shot. Your apartment doesn’t have to be all design-perfect to be perfect. Most times, some of the finest decorating comes into being when you just stop thinking about it and do what makes you smile.
Because I tell you, that warm fall den will make your future self smile so big when you get in it and relax-even if the box is just a beige box.
