Fall is right around the corner, and if you’re someone who likes to style your home for the season, now is a great time to get all of your decorations ordered and ready to go before the temperatures officially start to drop.
Interior designers do enjoy getting their spaces into the autumnal spirit, but they find that certain once-popular decor items are simply no longer worth displaying because they appear too dated or out of style.
Here, three pros highlight six different fall decor items that they say aren’t worth your time. Skip them this year and implement some of these experts’ alternative approaches instead for a seasonal space that looks elevated, festive, and best of all, timeless.
Glittery Pumpkins
Glitter can be fun for a moment, but it can also cause messes and read as too vibrant for some. This year, skip the glittery pumpkins in favor of more realistic options, suggests Elana Mendelson, the founder of Elana Designs.
“They tend to feel a little cheesy and out of place in today’s more natural, curated spaces,” she says of this style.
The designer prefers to decorate with either real or faux heirloom-style pumpkins and will opt for soft finishes, citing chalky white, sage, and muted blush as some of her go-tos.
Plastic Decor
Go ahead and donate any plastic pumpkins or leaves that you may have displayed in years past. According to Andrea Sinkin, the founder of Andrea Sinkin Design, this type of decor is no longer in vogue.
“We are going toward more organic, earthy elemental items now,” says Sinkin
Jade Joyner, the co-founder of Petal + Metal, agrees and finds that faux leaves and garlands can look too synthetic-looking.
“They lack the nuance and richness of real autumn foliage,” she says.
Your better bet, she notes, is to pick up some dried branches (perhaps in your own backyard) or olive and magnolia stems, which will add character and texture to your space in an instant.
Too Many Pumpkins
Speaking of pumpkins, whether you’re decking out your home with real or plastic ones, there is such a thing as what Joyner refers to as “pumpkin overload.” Take this as a sign to cut off your collection before it gets out of hand.
“A few well-placed pumpkins can be charming, but the trend of scattering faux pumpkins in every nook and cranny quickly feels cluttered and cliché,” says Joyner
Just a couple placed artfully by your front stoop will get the job done without making it difficult to enter and exit your home. Don’t worry about making things too complex with a range of hues, either.
“Use all one color pumpkins to create a real editorial look,” says Joyner
Word Signs
It’s no secret that interior designers are pretty much beyond the point of decorating with word art, and Joyner is especially averse to fall-themed signs with phrases like “gather” on them.
“While the sentiment is lovely, the look is overdone,” she says.
Instead, she notes, there are far better ways to celebrate fall, one of which is by incorporating new textures throughout your home, including wool and velvet. Candles are another one of her go-to solutions to bring moodiness into a space.
Houndstooth Fabric
Sinkin admits that about 10 years ago, she loved decorating her home for fall with all kinds of houndstooth ribbons and decor, but she wouldn’t dare do the same today, as she considers the pattern to be quite outdated.
Bowls of Potpourri
You may remember the bowls of potpourri that filled your childhood home, but this form of fall decor is no longer in vogue—as Mendelson says, potpourri “can come off as dated and one-note.”
If you’re looking to create a textural, fragrant display, you can still certainly do so by following a more contemporary approach, though, the designer explains.
“I prefer using seasonal dried flowers or grasses instead—they add height, texture, variation, and a much softer, more organic scent,” says Mendelson.