There are many ways to decorate your home for fall. But for me, fall decor basics consist of warm, muted colors; simple, natural elements collected from the outdoors, and texture -- lots of texture.    

And decorating, no matter the season, is always more fun when you can incorporate thrifted, or even found pieces into the mix.

Sometimes I get the call -- a family member sees something left by the side of the road and they want to know if they should bring it home for me. Other times, there's no call -- just a surprise cargo load shows up in the driveway. Either way, the thrill is the same. 

There's nothing like rescuing another's trash and turning it into your treasure. And I'm grateful that my family appreciates that sentiment as well (of course they've been taught well by me over the years).     

This treasure arrived unannounced in the back of my husband's car. He picked it up on the side of the road near our home.   

He knew when he saw it that I would definitely want it for our home, so he didn't even bother to call me first. He just loaded it into the car and brought it home to surprise me.

And to say I was surprised is an understatement! Even though I didn't need it, he knew I'd want it. Now my job was to find a place to put this behemoth of a sideboard/dresser. The piece is made by Berkey and Gay out of Grand Rapids, Michigan. They create furniture in the Romanesque Revival style.

Last fall I decorated this beautiful sideboard with a thrifted vintage pheasant decanter centerpiece.     

 

You can see the warm colors (brown, orange, deep green, purple), different textures (baskets, wood beads, twine tassels, ceramics) and natural elements (faux artichokes, faux leaves, dried celosia, boxwood wreath).  

As a contrast to the pheasant decanter centerpiece, this year I tried another fall vignette, only this time it's centered around my growing brown transferware collection displayed in a vintage chicken feeder. 

Once again we have lots of wicker, faux florals and dried natural elements. 

The bright orange Chinese lanterns are from last year's flower garden, and the pine cones are from the yard. For the greens I just shoved a lamb's ear garland down into the thrift store basket and let it overflow (love it!). Both the fuzzy lamb's ear greenery as well as the vintage doily (not to mention the basket) add texture.

Dried hydrangeas are also a benefit from our large yard dotted with many hydrangea bushes. 

And nothing says fall more than an amber glass replica of an at point hunting dog. It's actually a vintage amber Avon bottle that was once filled with men's Deep Woods cologne. Adding an unexpected element like this is always fun.
 

You can never go wrong with boxwood wreaths, I always say. And the velvet ribbon adds another nice pop of fall color to the space. The ornate gold Windsor mirror is still a favorite. 

To recap what elements I used for fall decor:

1. Texture: wicker (plate holder, vase, basket) 

2. Textiles: vintage doily, velvet ribbon 

3. Natural elements (flowers, greens, pine cones, etc.)

4. Warmly colored accessories (browns, deep reds, oranges, golds)

5. Something unexpected: amber glass dog! pheasant decanter, turkey tureen

Some additional elements include real pumpkins of all shapes and sizes (I love heirloom pumpkins, especially the blue ones!); pheasant feathers; cornucopias; fall wreaths and swags; DIY glowing glass pumpkins and so much more. Use your imagination - the sky's the limit!