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Embrace Your Style + Make It Cozy
Sarah Richardson Design | Stacey Brandford Photography

I was thinking this weekend about all the ways we can make a home feel cozier and welcoming for fall.

Your home doesn’t have to be decorated with traditional “fall colors” or neutrals, you don’t have to have plaid fabrics. You don’t have to have to go all out with corn husks, hay bales, pumpkins or leaves strewn around the house if that isn’t your thing!

Your home doesn’t even have to be what others might consider a “cozy house” to feel cozy to you.

What matters is that you have created a home YOU really love. Then make it more welcoming to you and your family for the upcoming season.

Does it serve your needs?
Does it make you feel comfortable and cozy?
Does it bring you happiness?

Does it make you feel peaceful and ready for the season?

That’s what this ‘fall nesting’ stuff is all about. It’s often the subtle changes that signal to our minds that our home is ready to welcome fall. Transitioning our home from summer to fall can be as simple as setting our favorite rain boots by the door, or maybe putting a light jacket or sweater on the bench so we’ll be ready to walk the dog on a chilly evening.

Whether we’re corralling the kids’ fall sporting equipment in a cute container or tossing their outdoor shoes in a basket, it’s the little things we do that will make our home feel inviting, inspiring and more peaceful to our family.

I love this mudroom by Sarah Richardson! It has a bold blue color palette, but with relatively few changes or simple additions, it’s a room that can flow beautifully through every season to serve and inspire the family who lives there.

Sarah Richardson is a master at beautifully designed rooms that feel fresh and unique, and not over-or underwhelming.

PS. I will write a post soon on where I am finding the inspiration for my own home as it’s one of my FAQ here on the blog!

Embrace Your Style + Make It Cozy
Embrace Your Style + Make It Cozy

Related Post: 10 Perfect Fall Mudrooms

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 (September 16)

Dreaming of Homemaking (September 18)

My 100 Year Old Home (September 19)

Thistlewood Farms (September 20)

Catch up on this year’s Fall Nesting inspiration:

Cozy and Inviting Kitchen: Get the Look

Fall Nesting + Surprise Box Giveaways

My Cozy Fall Shop + Favorite Home Decor Sources

Fall Diffuser Blends and Why I Quit Candles

Sharing My Cozy Fall Playlist

20 Little Things to Love About Fall

Fall Nesting + Doormats

Fall Nesting: Make Your Table Pretty

How to Create a Cozy Sips Station (and Mug Roundup!)

Think Beyond the Throw Blanket (+ my “But Where Do I Put the Couch?” Book Launch + Giveaway)

Fall Decor Inspiration: Home Style Saturdays

43 Comments

  1. Bonnie Stoltzfoos

    I love those four questions! :) I think it’s easy to get carried away by what’s typically considered “cozy” and end up with things that aren’t really my style or needed in my home. Just looking at those questions I could identify a couple things that would make my breakfast area feel cozier but they weren’t even seasonal. :) love all those beautiful shades of blue in Sarah’s room! The sweater waiting to be used reminds me of Mr. Roger’s sweater closet :)

  2. Melanie Plumb

    A couple years ago we moved into a smaller home so I have had to embrace subtlety decorations each season! It does make our home feel more cozier when I just add a few things here and there.

  3. Isabel Z

    I absolutely love this mudroom and find the blue color soothing.

  4. Angela G.

    Good questions. Applicable to your home decor and your wardrobe.

  5. Brittany Romero

    Yes! Cozy is a personal thing, everyone’s idea of cozy and comfortable is different. I love looking at all the fall colors and decor in the stores and online, but in this season of my life with all the little ones and everything that accompanies them, seasonal decor just feels like clutter when it’s added to our home. ?

  6. jen s

    Yes to me fall nesting is about coziness. I like the subtle changes to decor better than full blown out harvest decor. A change in throw pillows, throws, and a few candles and fall flowers is all you need.

  7. Mercedes

    I think one of the things Sarah does is tap into the person’s needs and allows the rooms to speak through that , then lets the seasons just flow naturally with small things that you need during that time. A warm blanket , a wide brimmed hat, snow boots by the door , it just all flows so nicely. But it’s the base that holds it all together . I think also the inspired room does that , as you often say find your style , your comfort . That’s why for me both are in my favourites !

    • Melissa @ The Inspired Room

      AHH! Thank you Mercedes!!! That is such a sweet compliment, thank you. I agree on Sarah, she gets it so right it’s inspiring!! xoxo

  8. Debra

    I agree, having downsized to a townhome last year I had to let go of a lot of seasonal decor. Now it’s a throw here, a pillow there and a few fall accents that set the season!

  9. Leslie W

    I think it’s a refreshing update to go beyond the usual fall color palette to incorporate those colors and styles that work best in one’s own space. I have a blue and white palette too and while I find a little orange is nice I prefer a more muted and softer version.

    • Rachel

      I’ve adored Sarah Richardson for years. Her spaces are so thoughtful. I love the blue doors. This year I’m leaning toward more muted and faded colors for Fall. And I’m editing even more to make what’s left more meaningful.

    • Melissa @ The Inspired Room

      I think orange is lovely with blue and white! hmmm, now you got me thinking! :-D

  10. Carolyn

    In my attempt to declutter and try to live a more minimal lifestyle, my seasonal decor comes from my yard. I try to find interesting flower/foliage combinations. The best part is that it doesn’t cost anything and is environmentally friendly! To answer your four questions:
    Does it serve your needs? Yes!
    Does it make you feel comfortable and cozy? Yes!
    Does it bring you happiness? Yes!
    Does it make you feel peaceful and ready for the season? Absolutely!!

    • Melissa @ The Inspired Room

      Love that kind of seasonal decorating, Carolyn! How fun to make different combinations!

  11. Patty

    There was a time when I felt I HAD to go all out with the decorating. Not so much anymore, and I love it even more. Less is more is certainly my mantra these days.

  12. Francesca Gunn

    I love changing my curtains and putting a couch cover on once the weather is consistently cool. That makes me feel cozier at home

    • Melissa @ The Inspired Room

      I was just thinking about a change of curtains in a couple of rooms! Love that! Thanks, Francesca!

  13. Pat M.

    I too am trying to minimize my living and attitudes about decor. After 23 years in my home, it is taking on the look of too much stuff, especially for one person. I have started replacing multiple, well used items with one thing that will serve the same purpose. I’ve finally given in to that one thing in, one thing out state of mind – only I have discovered that more than one thing out is needed. My season changing decor in the future will be much simpler, consisting of a change to pillows, throws and simplified mantle decor. I’m craving peace and simplicity in the later years of my life.

    • Melissa @ The Inspired Room

      Me, too, Pat! I’ve never been much for a lot of seasonal decor, but as I’ve gotten older I have become so much more aware of how little it takes to make me feel happy and at peace in my home each season.

  14. april

    I am learning over time that to make your home feel cozy and loved you just need to work with what you have! Seeing so many differently styled spaces in others’ homes may be what I love, but it may not necessarily be what I have in my own home. I am constantly trying to work with what my home has, whether it’s tile that I don’t love, furniture that isn’t really what I want, or a kitchen that is not my style. There are so many ways these days to work around what you have and to make it something you love! For this season I am relying on the nature I have around me (cut leaves, mums from the nursery down the road) and simple, earthy decor to make my home feel ready for fall!

  15. Maureen

    What a beautiful way to enter the home. It has such calming and soothing colors it immediately makes you welcome and invited into this home.

  16. HeatherB

    Sarah is one of my all time favorite designers. LOVE the way she can make things elegant and comfortable all at the same time.

  17. Alexandra Soriano

    Oh I just love that mud room! Beautiful.

  18. Beth

    What a lovely mudroom. I like how the plank walls extend onto the ceiling. I like your question “Does it make you feel peaceful and ready for the season?”

  19. Lola

    I like to add a few touches of autumn colors during this season. Although I do seem to find the older I get the less I put out-lol
    Beautiful room! Love the blue

  20. Christine Keene

    That is a pretty mudroom. I’ve never seen one like it before.

  21. Alissa

    Beautiful mud room!

  22. Helene

    Can’t go wrong with blue and white! :)

  23. Carol

    I love bringing nature inside and using it to add an unexpected layer.

  24. Veronica Nightingale

    Gorgeous blue color! Looks soft and inviting..

  25. Kim

    I’m relating to a lot of your readers here today…less is more for me too. I love looking at seasonal decor in the shops, but just don’t need it as it starts to feel like clutter. Lots of comfy throws and pillows and looking forward to the nighttime glow of my fireplace! Melissa…have you decided on what you are doing with your fireplace. Lots of us suggested gas insert? Kinda wondering. Lol

    • Melissa @ The Inspired Room

      I have decided! Thanks!I loved all of the ideas and SO many people suggested an insert. I will be sharing what I’m doing VERY SOON and am DOING IT in the next few weeks! EEK! :-D

  26. Susan

    Pretty blue color in the picture of the mud room, soft and relaxing.

  27. Leigh

    I love not having to use traditional fall colors. I use some neutral pumpkins and wood in my styling along with changing out family pictures for a different season.

  28. Karina C.

    Love, love the bold blue color palette of that mudroom!!!!!

  29. Laurie

    Here’s my challenge. I have three small children (5, 3, 20mos) and I feel like everything I try to decorate with gets broken, stained, or ruined. It makes it very hard to mentally feel like investing time, money and effort into decor. But at the same time, I feel like our home is very sterile and soulless in some ways because there’s not much visual interest or creative design. I don’t know how to solve the problem when I can’t even put out a knick knack or vase!

    • Melissa @ The Inspired Room

      Hi Laurie! I remember those days (and my dogs make me feel like we still have toddlers in the house ha).

      What we did in our house was to frequent garage sales and second hand stores. We bought all kinds of fun stuff that wasn’t expensive but being on the hunt for them and bringing a few things home brought us joy in those years with littles around.

      Some of it we still have because the quality was so good or “pre-broken in” LOL!

      We also bought stuff that couldn’t be broken, like wood candle sticks, brass figurines, whatever was indestructible (not delicate glass trinkets unless we put them up high!).

      When kids are very small or if you don’t have much room or just want clear surfaces, art is perfect because your tabletops are clear but you still can create interest on the walls.

      Also textures on textiles like pillows or rugs are good at hiding kid messes but bringing warmth and interest to the room, too. Washable pillow covers and blankets are great for homes with kids or pets or spouses ;-) !

      In those years I fell in love with eclectic style because it’s what I could do affordably and it made sense. I just used what I had, what we found, hand me downs, etc. And, BLESS I didn’t have Instagram to tell me what everyone else was doing. I just did my own thing! I still to this day try to avoid worrying about what is in or not in because it steals my joy!

      Don’t let this season of life stop you from creating a beautiful home that you love and feel inspired by. Just adjust expectations. Give yourself grace. Let your home evolve over time! Enjoy!

  30. Harriet

    Cozy for me is a simple and organized space. I’m not comfortable with too much “stuff” and I don’t understand the over-the-top seasonal decor. I added six mini pumpkins to a bowl in my kitchen, along with some pine cones from my yard and that’s all I need to add “fall” to my house. My kitchen is soft blue and gray and the touch of orange is pretty.

  31. Janet McQueen

    I’m so glad you wrote this article because I am not one to do a lot of seasonal/holiday decorating. Mostly I do Christmas. But my friends go all out for every holiday and season. I always feel guilty that I just like to leave my house as I love it with maybe a few touches of season here and there. Thanks for taking away my guilt. Ha, ha.

  32. Shari

    I love the blue doors in this mud room!

  33. Amanda

    Those are good questions to consider. I guess I have a variant, which is, “does it help you feel like you’re fully experiencing the season.” That’s important for me because I grew up in a place with four distinct seasons, and now I live where the dividing lines are blurry, and there are kind of only two. My house can help me get back some of the natural changes in a year.

 

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