Decorating For The Fall Season: Using The Principles Of Design

Have you ever been in a room that just felt ‘right’? That room was utilizing the principles of design. The principles of design are used throughout the design and art world. Oftentimes, they are second nature to someone with an eye for design and can be difficult to explain. But we’re revealing the secret here. If you want your home to have that well-designed feel, you can intentionally use the principles of design as you decorate for the fall season. You may have heard a few of these before, but try choosing even one principle to elevate your holiday look.

HARMONY

The goal of harmony in design is to form a consistent narrative. What story do you want to tell about yourself through your home? How do you want people to feel when they are a guest in your space? When decorating for the fall season (or any season) consider the design style you already have in your home, and use that as a baseline. Choose colors and patterns that feel consistent with your home. Especially if you plan on celebrating fall from October through Thanksgiving, you’ll want decor that flows with the rest of your home so it doesn’t feel overwhelming. 

In the minimalist home above, pampas grass in a clear vase is used as fall decor. The neutral color and simple vase are in harmony with the rest of the design.

BALANCE

Balance is all about how you distribute weight, but in design, this is often visual weight. Objects that have a heavier visual weight will appear larger, or darker than other objects. Two specific areas where you will want to create balance are your front porch and your fireplace, if you have one. For a formal feel, you will want to place decorations symmetrically. You can achieve this by adding the same number of candlesticks and flowers to either side of your mantle. Alternatively, for an informal feel, opt for asymmetrical balance. 

Here, asymmetrical balance is used by anchoring larger pumpkins in a higher quantity on one side of the staircase.

RHYTHM

Rhythm is using the same element repeatedly. You likely already implement this in your home, for example, in selecting the same finish for the hardware in your kitchen. To create interest however, an important design rule to follow is “repetition with variation.” If you are using plaid as a fall pattern, choose a small-scale plaid pattern for your throw pillows, and repeat it in a large-scale version as a rug. 

The same soft color palette is repeated in this arrangement but varied in size and texture: smooth candles versus patterned baskets, and short pumpkins versus taller plants.

EMPHASIS

This is where you choose the star of the show. What do you want to show off? Utilizing the principle of emphasis is creating a focal point. In your living room, the emphasis could be on your fireplace. In your kitchen, you could emphasize a fall floral arrangement. In either case, you should add the most color and texture to those areas, and refrain from adding too much color or texture to other areas of the room to avoid visual competition. 

The focal point in the dining room is of course the dining table, emphasized by a seasonal arrangement.

PROPORTION & SCALE

Scale is the size of an object in relation to another object. You can know how big something is once you see it next to another object. Proportion is the ratio between the sizes of objects and a whole design. For example, you don’t know how large a pumpkin is until you see it compared to another pumpkin. And if you were to put those pumpkins by your front door, you don’t want them to be so small in proportion to the door that they get overlooked.

The pinecones are small in scale compared to the sunflowers but fit in proportion to the overall display.

We hope these design principles bring clarity and inspire your own fall decorating.

XOXO

Holly Mickelsen