It’s October, and that means the fall vibes are in full force and holiday decor is being pulled out left and right! Like many, we adore this time of the year, so we simply couldn’t resist getting in on the action. Whether you like things to feel more like a celebration of harvest, a month-long ode to Halloween, or an homage to what the younger generations have deemed “cottagecore,” we’ve got 3 luxury home ideas for every October aesthetic type!
Harvest Ambience for Your Luxury Home
Photography by Anna Tukhfatullina
Idea #1: Fall Foliage Palette
If you’re going for a harvest-y feeling, be sure to think about incorporating reds, yellows, and oranges! Those flaming colors, reminiscent of brilliant foliage, are aesthetic markers of the season for sure!
That said, if your home’s base palette is already quite bright (maybe you have a lot of cerulean blues, for example), you could incorporate harvest motifs in warm neutral shades. Think pumpkins in a rich cream or candlesticks in a deep brown.
Idea #2: From the Farmer’s Basket
This is a particularly perfect concept for the kitchen and dining room, but it can work anywhere! If harvest is your vibe, incorporate the actual harvest, of course!
Pumpkins might feel like the obvious choice, but be sure to weave in apples, stalks of corn, and even less predictable picks, like pears and berries. It could combine for a brilliantly festive and multicolored feel, and it is certainly true to your theme!
Idea #3: Natural Materials
This goes hand in hand with the previous concept, but focus on things that look and feel “natural” when you’re sourcing materials. Think burlap, dried flowers that look almost like wheat, wood furnishings, etc.
We recently posted a blog all about luxury decor for fall, and one of our main tips was to let your gorgeous wood furnishings shine! That applies here too!
Luxury Home Design With Cute and Spooky Halloween Vibes
Photography by Daisy Anderson
Idea #1: Choose a Motif (or a Few)
Now for those who love Halloween too much to only stick to the harvest feel, we have a few other tips! First up, choose your icon! One of the best ways to make decor for any holiday or event feel classy (a staple of luxury home ideas) is to focus on one theme within the theme.
Instead of having jack o’ lanterns, skeletons, ghosts, witches, and vampires sharing the spotlight, choose one or two that you like best. If you’re into a warmer palette, go for jack o’ lanterns and ghosts. They will help you stick to deep oranges, creams blacks, browns, and twinkle lights! Alternatively, maybe you love some pops of purple, black, cooler-toned whites and creams, etc. Witches and vampires might just be your thing!
Idea #2: Illuminate Favored Features
Let’s circle back to those twinkle lights we mentioned! While they are being used as decor year-round more and more, there is just something about the festive days—specifically Halloween and the holidays in December—that make twinkle lights and votive lanterns feel magical. If you ask us, they are a must!
Retailers have plenty of options for luminary decor pieces, but Grandin Road is one of our favorites for Halloween. They go all out! The section on their site is even called “Halloween Haven” and they have an entire category page for “Lighted Decor.”
Idea #3: Display Costume Photos
Since you love Halloween, we are willing to bet you get super invested in your costume selection each year! Maybe it has been some of the happier times your family has spent together … planning coordinating outfits and getting ready to spooky music—it’s a vibe!
Remember those fun times, and why you love the holiday so much, with a display of photos from years past. You could hang them on a string like a clothesline across your mantel, or pin them up on a festive bulletin board (which you could DIY to have an orange border).
The Cozy Custom Home Cottage Look
Photography Simon Sikorski
Idea #1: Floral Fun
If you are craving a more subtle way to make your home feel like fall (subtlety is key among luxury home ideas), cottagecore might be for you! If you aren’t familiar with the term, this article by Kate Reggev on Architectural Digest’s Clever website goes into detail.
The essence of the concept though is countryside coziness. And while it could be interpreted for any time of year, the aesthetic lends itself to the milder seasons: spring and fall. Among the ways to make a space feel aligned with the style is flowers. Cottagecore is big on florals. To turn this into an autumnal dream, we recommend exploring the idea of dried florals. They’re trendy right now, so any local flower shop around you probably has a few. There is just something about their typically more muted tones that makes for a fully fall feel.
Idea #2: Stage a Scene
Since it is inspired by the quaintness of country life, cottagecore has taken on a reputation for embodying “the good life.” That is, the sense that the simplest pleasures are the best ones, and being present for them is the greatest achievement in life. So think about the small moments and hobbies that bring you the most happiness, and show them off in the way your home is arranged.
Does afternoon tea uninterrupted feed your soul? Designate a lovely little corner solely for the purpose, with a tea table, a comfortable chair, perhaps a book, and your favorite tea set on display. Or maybe you’re a reader? In that case, make your best nook warmer and cozier than ever! Add a new candle or knit blanket in a fall hue.
Idea #3: Bring on the Vintage
Another hallmark of the cottagecore style is the inclusion of bits and bobs that are far from contemporary in nature. We think the use of vintage items and antiques works well for fall in general—it just suits the mood somehow!
But for a cottagecore look, focus on old metal objects—a tin teapot or a rusted mirror. Wood finishes that look to have a patina are also a huge part of the style language here, so if you’ve been considering doing that to a piece of furniture anyway, now is the perfect time!
Now that we’ve covered three tips for each of three October aesthetic types, we hope you’ve come away with plenty of luxury home ideas to suit the season!
If you want to envision your favorites in a whole new space, we think you should explore our neck of the woods!
