The Inspired Room

Get Cozier for Fall Rearranging What You Have!

You’ll want to scroll down in this post to laugh at Jack with me so don’t miss the end, but first, let’s talk about an affordable way to get a new fall look. My typical fall decorating has always been mostly about non-seasonal specific things, like moving everything around until it feels cozier to me.

I know it’s fun to go shopping this time of year and stock up on all the new cozy fall stuff, and of course, to bring home a car full of gourds and pumpkins. I was actually out shopping this week and got that new green garden stool at HomeGoods (which I’ve been on the hunt for since we moved in, so it was a major win!!!).

But when I got to the aisle with all the pretty ceramic pumpkin stuff I considered how cute and fallish it all was for about five seconds and then thought to myself, do I really want to have to put all that in my garage in a few weeks?

In case you’re wondering what my answer was, it was no. No I don’t. So, I vetoed the cute ceramic pumpkin decor but brought home that garden stool and a plaid blanket. Because a green garden stool can stay out all year, a blanket is pretty easy to fold up plus it works all the way until next spring, but large faux pumpkins would have to be stored somewhere by November.

I may get myself some real pumpkins, we’ll see. For now I am using the velvet pumpkins on the mantel, I’ve had those for years and they are pretty easy to store (I put them in a basket or cabinet and that’s where they stay all year!)

So, even if you don’t want to shop at all, you can just as easily (well, almost) and more affordably get a new look in a room by rearranging the furniture and accessories you already have.

Last week I started going through the house, swapping items between rooms and rearranged pieces within rooms. It was raining, thundering and lightning here so I was feeling the fall feelings, so that gave me the motivation to want a cozier house.

Now, keep in mind that I’m not done changing things around yet, and still haven’t decided on decor, so who knows what this room will look like by next week (or let’s be real here, by the time you see this post).

But it’s fun to keep tweaking this and that and then live with it for awhile to see how it feels, you know? Sometimes I put it all back, sometimes I try something else. You can see a little peek at another corner I’m still working on in the above photo. :-)

PUTTERING AROUND THE HOUSE LIKE THAT BRINGS ME LIFE! LIFE I tell you! It’s definitely something that sparks joy in me. I do love shopping for new things, too, but there’s something extra enjoyable about just pulling furniture together, trying a chair in a new place, making an underused corner more cozy with a new arrangement.

You know what else brings me life? This dog. Jack! LOL! I moved the ottoman over by the fireplace when I was rearranging. He keeps going over there to lounge on it like that! HAHAH! I feel a little bad and might have to put the ottoman back, or move it somewhere so he can face the room.

Sigh. Anyway, it might drive everyone else in the house crazy that I keep rearranging stuff but for me, it’s fun. One more week and my teen furniture mover is going to college (WHY CAN’T HE LIVE HERE FOREVER! Tears!), so my rearranging days might be stalled for awhile. But I’m keeping him busy helping his mama in the meantime!

Have you rearranged anything in your house to make it cozier for fall?

If you don’t already have stuff you like or want to rearrange, don’t worry. We’ll talk about ways to gather and collect cozy things you love during this series, too.

My Home Decor Sources

My Window Shades and Sources (+ Discount Code)

Don’t forget to check out the Decorating Blogger Q&A Tour & $500 Wayfair Giveaway for the release of my new book But Where Do I Put the Couch?

BLOG TOUR LIST (get another entry in the giveaway at each blog!):

The Inspired Room

Reluctant Entertainer

Stone Gable

Rooms for Rent

French Country Cottage

Dreaming of Homemaking

My 100 Year Old Home

Thistlewood Farms (September 20)

Catch up on this year’s Fall Nesting series HERE!

More Fall Inspiration:

14 Simple Fall Decorating Ideas

3 Cozy Fall Activities for the Homebody

Make Your Bedroom a Cozy Retreat

I can’t think of a better way to start a fall day than being curled up on the couch in a quiet house, ready to watch the sun come up. Most often there’s a blanket on my lap, coffee in my hand, and a diffuser going next to me!

Sound Hygge-ish? It is. But I find the best way to start the day is more than simply setting the mood for a cozy morning. That’s inspiring, of course, but even more important is that I began the day with intention.

You see, I’ve always struggled with daily routines. I love the idea of keeping a calendar, a schedule, a planner, a housekeeping routine, an exercise routine, a quiet time routine (SQUIRREL!)… but years ago I finally mastered a few daily habits (my four daily routines) that changed my perspective on how important routines are in our life.

Over the years I’ve figured out quite a few daily rhythms that have really helped me to feel more in control of my time, my to do list, emotions, my mindset and more.

You may have read about a few of the successful habits I’ve adopted, mastered and many that I am still working on (I’ve shared some of them here on the blog and in many of my books such as Love the Home You Have, Make Room for What You Love, and in my new book, Dwelling.)

Years ago I made a list called 20 Little Attitudes of Gratitude with various attitudes I wanted to emphasize in our home while my son was still young. I found that list to be so powerful in shaping the atmosphere and attitudes in our home that I wanted to incorporate something similar into my own daily habits.

Even though I tend to be more of a glass half filled gal, it’s amazing how deadlines, pressures, or stresses can start to negatively shape how you feel, how you view your circumstances and even how you approach your day.

Starting the day with an “attitude of gratitude” is clearly important, but there are other benefits to making this a regular morning ritual.

I discovered that if I don’t set the intention for my morning the night before, it is easy to start the day with mindsets, routines and habits that are not successful for me.

If I wake up and let myself go into “thinking mode” or “productivity mode” or even just “social media scrolling mode” the whole trajectory of my day will be off track from the very beginning.

Keeping a commitment to myself that I will start the day with intention–which for me can include a quiet time for prayer, reflection, silence, and my gratitude list, will change nearly everything about how the rest of my day (and how my mindset) unfolds.

If you struggle with having a morning routine, or want to start off your chilly fall mornings curled up with a hot cup of tea or coffee, a positive mindset, and a bit of quiet time, try this morning ritual:

Get yourself a pretty journal or notebook.

Then every night when you go to bed, set your intentions for the morning.

If you don’t routinely wake up early on your own, set an alarm for earlier than you need to get up to get ready for work or taking kids to school or whatever else you need to do each day.

Then in the morning, before you have a chance to hit snooze or grab your phone and scroll, leap out of bed (carefully LOL!) and grab your gratitude journal.

Go to a quiet corner of the house. Do whatever simple thing you need to do to set a cozy mood (engaging as many senses as possible will make the morning experience so much more inspiring!). You might want to curl up with a blanket, have a flickering candle or a lamp, make a cup of tea or coffee, or set up your diffuser (click HERE for my autumn diffuser oil recipes, plus a FREE fall scent bundle with the oils and diffuser I recommend!).

Then, sit down and start your gratitude list! It doesn’t need to be long. Try picking five or ten things your grateful for each morning. What do you see around you that you are thankful for? Who is in your life? What are some recent circumstances you are thankful for? What are some circumstances that aren’t ideal, but that you can find something to be grateful for in them anyway? What are you grateful for in regards to your health? Your goals or dreams? What are you grateful for in your career, in your family, in your community?

Make your list.

Repeat the next day!

Do you have trouble sticking to an early morning routine? Simply go back to setting your intentions the night before and be prepared to keep your commitment when your eyes open in the morning. Don’t give yourself the option of doing anything else in the morning until your gratitude list is complete!

If you’re new to daily routines (or trying to get into or stay committed to a morning one), trust me, I think you’ll find setting your intentions for the morning will inspire you to get out of bed every morning.

Keeping this morning commitment to yourself and writing your daily gratitude list will make a positive difference in how you feel all day long!

Do you start the day with intention? Do you have a gratitude journal?

(Don’t forget, every comment on the blog and my Instagram posts this month gets you an entry into my Surprise Box Giveaways!)