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Settling In {Day 9: Loving Fall}

The other day I posted this cell phone pic on Instagram (excuse the quality, but it’s just a real life moment from a cell phone!). It’s a view I see every day. But on a recent very wet, dreary dark afternoon, it struck me how easy it is to let the darker days of fall and winter drag us down. I try to not let that happen.

I love settling into the house, especially in this season! For me “settling in” to fall and winter months means paying close attention to the mood outside, so I can adjust my mood upward if necessary to fully embrace the beauty of what the day offers inside, in this season, at this moment.

Fortunately we have a lot of big windows so our house stays pretty bright most of the time, yet when the clouds hang over us on the dreariest of Seattle days and the winds begin to howl, it’s up to me to not let myself get swept up in the downward spiral of darkness I see around me right outside those windows.

Settling In {Day 9: Loving Fall}
When days like that come, I start running around the house, turning on lamps and lights and yes, the fireplace. Sometimes I bake a delicious treat or pour another cup of coffee.

As soon as I can, I get cozy in my favorite chair or plop down on the sofa so I can settle in, cherishing the coziness of this house, the safety of the roof over our head and the comfort of being at home with the ones I love! It’s really what I love about fall at home, it’s an opportunity to be present and mindful of the blessings in my home.

Settling In {Day 9: Loving Fall}


Let’s chat {come on! delurk and chat with me, don’t leave me chatting here by myself heheh?}

How do YOU settle in to your home in this season?

Do you struggle with the darker days of fall and winter?

Catch up on the Loving Fall Series: IntroDay One: Getting In the RhythmDay Two: QuietDay Three: Cozy ImperfectionsDay Four: Rust, Coral, and Orange Fall Inspired Rooms, Day Five: Fall Nights by the Fire, Day Six: Candlelight, Day Seven: Turkish TowelsDay Eight: Fall Traditions with the Pups

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38 Comments

  1. Amy

    looks so cozy and inviting – I do the same thing this time of year – turn on all the lights in the house and light candles too!

    Reply
  2. Marty@A Stroll Thru Life

    Liivng in the desert this is the time of year when the temps are finally cool enough that we can be outside again and enjoy everything around us. We spend 3 hot months during the summer stuck inside, so fall is a gorgeous time for us.

    Reply
  3. susan maclean

    Over here (UK) houses are (in the main) smaller, so easier to keep warm and cosy. I give the house a “fall-clean” as opposed to spring clean, and get it read for visitors, Christmas, and the like. What makes it really cosy in the evenings is low lighting, instead of that central ceiling light, and on really cold days, light the woodburner, and curl up on the sofa with a good book and housework be damned!

    Reply
  4. Sallie

    I pretty much do the same things you do – light up the house (mostly with candles and a fire), get something hot to drink (tea, hot cider with cinnamon, or even hot water with lemon), put on some warm socks, settle by the fire with a blanket and watch the dreariness outside the windows (or read a good book!). There’s usually something interesting or beautiful going on out there even on the gloomiest of days. I remember two autumns ago I was lamenting to my dad about the approach of winter, and he said, “But that’s the season for indoors – fires, hot chocolate, blankets….” Suddenly, winter started to sound pretty good!

    Reply
  5. donna

    I also do the hot tea/choc. & cozy blanket but once every other week my boyfriend & I go get ice cream. I know that sounds nuts but it’s fun & we remember the good summer pasted & make plans for the new one to come.

    Reply
  6. Sheri

    FALL is and always has been my favorite season! It is sort of a melancholic time – preparing for winter – settling in just seems to be the thing you need to do. Cook soup, bake some bread, build a fire, read a book…..
    Just found your website&blog yesterday. Signed up! My daughter pinned a pin of yours of a farmhouse from 2011 and I followed that pin here. Love love love it. You have already inspired me! My home needs a “perk-up”.

    Reply
  7. Sarah

    This was perfect to read today. Everyone is complaining about daylight savings and it being dark so early in the evening. But when I am driving home from work, the darkness just makes arriving at home, and “settling in” that much more sweet. The colder weather does the same thing.

    Reply
  8. Michelle

    I love how comfy and inviting this picture feels! I’m trying to recreate the same vibe in our home- What color is your wall paint?

    Reply
  9. Laura

    What a great angle and lovely perspective you captured! The things in the picture say to me that you’ve created a beautiful, cozy refuge for your family, but you are also reaching out to the world (the globe and maps) to share comfort and encouragement! Thanks for being a part of my day for the past seven years!

    Reply
  10. Anne

    Oh, I must admit I struggle with the darkness! Even though tea and books by candlelight is lovely, I hate leaving in the morning in darkness and coming home from work in darkness and only seeing real daylight in the weekends during the winther months. Spring is absolutely my favourite time of the year :-)

    Reply
  11. Kathiey

    I love fall too. Best time of the year!

    Reply
  12. Traci Major

    We used to live in Portland , Oregon years ago…and with the overcast skies combined with shorter days, fall and winter were a challenge. Now we are back in Colorado, where even winter days have sunlight. I like to have big open windows to look out on, a good daylight light to craft by…music to lift my spirits, and candles in the evenings along with the fireplace going. If it gets to be too much…I like to visit nurseries with green plants and winter cactus blooms to lift my spirits!

    Reply
  13. Barbara (WA)

    My DIL & I had this very discussion. I took her example & bought some battery powered lights to use all through the darker days. One string is brightening up the dining room windowsill. I just bought a couple of books on Monday before The Adventures began since I like to settle with a good book.

    Reply
  14. Debbie

    I hate to be a Negative Nancy here but a link appeared asking if I would participate in a survey related to this site. I agreed as I thought I would be able to give positive comments regarding The Inspired Room. However, the survey had nothing to do with your site/blog and it disappoints me that it was delivered as such. I would hope that this is something you could or would discourage inthe future.

    Reply
  15. Patricia

    I live in the Puget Sound area as well and it takes me a few weeks to settle in to fall, especially after the wonderful summer we had this year. I lived in the south west before moving here 20+ years ago and, for me, I have found it’s important to have warm tones for paint – not bright yellow necessarily, but warmer tones and lots of light. I love living here and the fog and rain seems cocoon-like from inside a warm, cozy home. Oh, and many pillows and throws.
    Great blog!

    Reply
  16. Nancy

    I’m in Florida so the weather is nice now, but with the time change the days are short and it’s dark early. I do two things. First, I light a tray full of different fall scented candles because I love the mix and it reminds me of fall home tours. Second, I break out a big puzzle on the dining room table that we can sit with hot cocoa or tea and work on. The kids never want to do a puzzle when they could be outside, so the dark cool nights are perfect puzzle weather.

    Reply
  17. Cynthia @herlovelynest

    Melissa, I just adore your stairwell gallery and the story it tells. The other day, I hung my grandmother’s high school senior picture in my own stairwell gallery…it’s facing the landing so I see it head-on every time I start up the stairs. It reminds me of the wonderful women in my life who taught me how to make a house a home.

    And you’re among them :-) thanks so much for sharing your home with us.

    Reply
    • Melissa @ The Inspired Room

      Aw, thank you so much. It’s my pleasure to share here, I really do love connecting with you and all the lovely women to share the day to day inspiration and challenges of creating a home! xoxo

      Reply
  18. Deanna

    I love to settle in to my home, especially in the Autumn and Winter. I like to add cozy throws on the furniture, light candles, drink tea and hot cocoa. Read a book, listen to music, watch a movie.

    It’s my favorite time of the year!

    Reply
  19. Joanne B.

    Such a nicely written post today Melissa- you really captured the essence of what “home” is…Here in ‘sunny always and hot as Haiti’ south Florida we are just about coming into the season which we look forward to all year- temps in the 80’s and low humidity- it’s what we suffer through May/June/July/August/September and into October for! (Wow- that seemed worse as I wrote it out! lol!) So around here, where every day is beautiful, I actually look forward to rainy, gloomy days! Believe it or not, I feel re-charged with home-y feelings and love to nest inside. As a northerner born and bred, I do miss the change of seasons, especially this time of year around the holidays. It’s kind of hard to get cozy when it’s in the upper 80’s and you’re sweating as you decorate for Christmas! We usually have a series of cold fronts where it goes down into the upper 40’s -50’s and we actually start a fire in the seldom used fireplace- nothing like putting up the Christmas lights in shorts and a tee! Wouldn’t trade it for the ice and snow and typical day after day grayness of the northeast. I love to curl up on the sofa with my computer and visit my home decor blog friends to get all cozy feeling and if I really get lonely for the warmth of home I turn on the weather channel and watch the snow on tv! Blessings to you for reminding us that home is where the heart is…

    Reply
  20. Elizabeth

    It’s so great to see fuller picture views of your house. you should do mor eof these. ;) its nice to see how all ALL works together rather than just one space. good job.LOOOVE your blog. thanks!!

    Reply
    • Melissa @ The Inspired Room

      Yeah, I can see how that might be helpful!! I’ll try to remember to do that more often! :-) Thanks for the comment, too!

      Reply
  21. Abbie

    I love a book, a journal and a hot cup of tea … it’s getting my kids (3,6,7,9) to settle that’s the challenge! Tonight I read a stack of picture books to all of them after supper. Before supper we painted pumpkins! Lovely all around.

    Reply
  22. Julie

    Hi Melissa!
    You had me at “delurk”! I have read your site almost daily for over two years and never posted a comment. I, too, am a lover of all things Fall. I grew up in the north, lived a long time in the Midwest and now am in Northern CA. I love fall…it is glorious here and the cool weather has finally arrived ( in late October.) I miss the rain the most from where we have lived. I love hearing about your rain! (Drought conditions here now…but still very little rain even if there weren’t a drought). I love your home, enjoy your posts and your perspectives. Thank you for sharing your home and your heart!

    Reply
    • Melissa @ The Inspired Room

      Thank you Julie, I’m so glad you delurked :). Connecting is one of my favorite things about blogging so I’m always so happy to hear from readers! xo

      Reply
  23. Liz

    I really love your house :)
    The past years I’ve always found myself having problems with my mood espeically in november. It can be so grey and I let that drag down my wellbeing.
    This year I try to be different and I want to embrathe the darker month by making my house more cosy like you do and I think it’s important to still go outside even though it’s cold. That might sound obvious to you, but for me that has always been a problem since I’m freezing very easily.
    Thanks for the inspiration.
    Love from Liz xx

    http://lizcosyplace.blogspot.co.uk/

    Reply
  24. Angelika

    I certainly struggle when the weather starts going dark, cold and damp. It’s more of a cabin fever type of issue than anything else. :) I keep myself busy with little projects, and like a previous commenter said, she fall cleans. So do I.. During the change between “spring and summery” to “fall and holiday” decor, it’s a great time to donate, sell, or replace things and kind of re-inventory. I really enjoy it, so maybe I am weird that way!
    Today I am tackling my walk-in closet! Poor DH has maybe 1′ of the 9’+ of rack space. All the rest of it is me, me, me, and I need to fix it!

    Reply
  25. KellyinPA

    Yes, savoring the season!;) We can find joy in each season if we look for it. I too love settling in. You can find me with a hot cup of tea, a fire in the fireplace and a good book or movie almost every evening from now until the weather gets warm again. I love it;)

    Reply
  26. Anna

    I know I’m a rare breed but actually enjoy “dreary” days. I enjoy the gray, overcast skies & cool temps. fall is my favorite season. I’m not a fan of winter though. I really struggle with the layering & the cold temps. However, a nice cup of hot tea generally helps. :)

    Reply
  27. Karen on Bainbridge Island

    The whole idea of settling in is just such a cozy thought. When the weather turns cool, then cold, I find myself wanting to sit, sip tea, and really spend time needlepointing, embroidering and reading…and watching English television programs on PBS.

    Reply
  28. Abby Flynn

    Yes! Loving that I found this post today.
    I’m definitely learning in these last few months that I have the power to control how I think about things, and as a result, how I feel as well.

    I used to get so depressed and hopeless feeling when the cold came, when nights got darker earlier. But I’m learning to create spaces and places I actually want to be in, and that is making all the difference! By creating comforting places, whether that’s my cubicle at work or my living room at home, I’m nurturing my spirit and the spirits of those around me. It’s worth the extra time and attention!

    Reply
  29. Orianne

    On those greyest of gloomiest days, I tend to savour the cozy corners of my home and get into serious nurturing and nesting mode. In an old, oversized sweater that has manged to migrate permanently from my husband’s drawer to mine, I tend to bake more, to brew more tea leaves instead of tea bags, to find any excuse for whipping frothy milk for cocoa or coffee, to light candles everywhere, especially the scented ones, to read more, to create more and above all to practice more gratitude. On those greyest of gloomiest days, I look outside my kitchen window and see the dark,gnarled and sculptural bare limbs of a century old tree, and I am grateful for the beauty it provides amid the dreariness and for the warm nest from which I admire it.
    I find that it’s in winter where we need and tend to enjoy our ‘inspired rooms’ the most.

    Reply
  30. Cathy

    We live in California. It has been so hot here. Tonight is the first cold night that we have had. It will be getting down into the 60’s this week then back up into the 70’s. We are in such a drought that I am praying for dreary days and rain. I love summer but this year, I hope we get some rain and snow.

    I really do love to cuddle on the couch and watch Hallmark Christmas movies every night. I have seen them so many times but they never seem to get old. Looking forward to some cold nights until January. Then I am counting the days until summer again.

    Reply
  31. Francesca

    Hi! I just wanted to tell you that this is the first time I visit your blog, and I am absolutely loving it! Your house is beautiful! How do you take those pictures? They are amazing! Great job! Lots of love :)

    Reply

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