Fall Decor Ideas for a Small Apartment

Pumpkin spice lattes are back at Starbucks, all the fall flavors are back at Trader Joe’s, and the pumpkins are back at the Dallas Arboretum! It’s time for all. The. Pumpkins. I’m sharing all of my fall decor ideas in this post and the video below!

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I live in a one-bedroom apartment with my boyfriend and two furry dogs. I love decorating for Fall and Christmas, but I don’t have a ton of space to do it, so I get creative!

I’m also on a budget. I don’t have tons of cash to spend on decor that will only be out for a couple months, so I did the only logical thing: I raided the Target Dollar Spot! They have the cutest little things to add flair to your home this fall! I did get most of my larger pieces last year, which were a bit more, but I still believe that all together my decor is under $100.

I’m re-using all of my decor from last year and added about $25 worth of dollar spot items to my arsenal. The only issue with these things is they may not last very long. My mini styrofoam pumpkins from last year are showing their age, so they won’t make it another year. Long story short, you get what you pay for.

Shop My Fall Decor Below!

Fall Decor Ideas

Make it Cozy

I started by bringing out my blankets and pillows. To be completely honest, we don’t have much storage space, so technically these blankets are out year-round. We just pile them in a corner until it’s acceptable to “bring them out.”

I also added my little bear to the couch. Kale drew a line with extra pillows, but so far he hasn’t had any qualms with the bear. I have tons of bears. Like 26 bears. Every Christmas my dad gets me, my mom, and my sister a collectible teddy bear. They’re always gorgeous and with the amount of them, some end up being themed. I obviously don’t keep all of them in the apartment- most are back in Ohio- but I did bring down some that I could use in my decor. So, I have this little scarecrow guy (who is missing a button because Mia got curious) for fall and different bears for Christmas. (Check the bookshelf!)

Decorate for All your Senses

I’m talking about candles! Fall candles are the best, aren’t they?! I have a bunch leftover from last year, (I may have gone overboard.) so I didn’t get any new ones. Luckily, Bath & Body Works tends to carry some of the same scents year after year. My favorite is Pumpkin Cupcake, but really you can’t go wrong!

Another candle I have that smells amazing and actually looks a lot nicer (the white one on my island tray), is a pumpkin bruleé scented candle by Gibson & Dehn.

Don’t forget the flowers! I love fresh flowers, but on a budget, they aren’t always a smart buy. However, I learned a trick a while ago and I think you’ll thank me for it: Look in the Clearance bin. I don’t know if all places do this, but our Kroger has Clearance flowers that are a quarter of the original cost. I got this gorgeous bouquet for only $2.50! Of course, some bouquets have seen better days, but oftentimes all the flowers need is a fresh change of water. I have had Clearance flowers last up to three weeks!

DIY your Fall Decor Ideas

When you’re on a budget, sometimes you need to get creative! I grabbed these cute speckled grey pumpkins because I knew they would fit with my theme, but I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do with them. I hated the cheap-looking plastic tip, but then I remembered I had a can of gold spray paint from another project I did last year.

I took the plastic tips off, sprayed them gold, and viola! Now they blend with the white ones and look a heck of a lot better! It took less than 5 minutes to do, a couple of hours to dry, and a minute to put back together!

Change Textures

I bought a lot of pumpkins, but the key is to make sure they’re not only different sizes but different textures. In the bowl on my island, I have the mini painted styrofoam pumpkins, sequin pumpkins, and a suede pumpkin.

I have ceramic pumpkins next to gold ones, and soft felt pumpkins too! There are so many options. If you’re going to stick with only one theme (I was really stuck on the pumpkin thing.) definitely get different textures and sizes.

Think about your Fall Decor Ideas in Levels

If I had a fireplace I’d put decor on the corners there, but instead, I use the lower levels of my TV stand, coffee table, and bar cart. By thinking vertically, you give your space more dimension, and interest on all levels no matter where the eye wanders.

Tip: If you have curious pups like me, limit your decor on their level to more solid items they won’t mess with. RIP to the snowbird I placed on the bottom of my bar cart last year.

Add Color to your Fall Decor Ideas

I don’t have much color in my apartment. I stick with white, grey, and gold. However, I do have a pop of blue from my Prada Marfa canvas, so I included some blue pumpkins for the living room, and even added some orange because it’s fall-ish and easy to find!

Include Delicious Fall Snacks

Growing up, my mom always had bowls of treats around, especially during the holidays. It’s something I always loved because everyone stopped when they walked past to grab a treat!

When I found my pumpkin soup bowl, I knew I wanted to use it for candy! It’s perfect because I can keep it on my coffee table and not worry about the dogs getting into the chocolate since it has a lid.

Don’t Forget Halloween!

This is a new one for me this year! I’m not a huge Halloween fan, but I did add a little bit of Halloween into my fall decor. I loved the little spider’s web bowl and plaque I decided to hang on my door in lieu of a wreath.

Get Creative with your Fall Decor Ideas

Did you know: You don’t always have to use things the way they were intended? For example, my candy bowl is actually a soup bowl. The plaque on my door was not meant to be in place of a wreath. The pumpkin plates holding candy and bar cart items are appetizer plates. Think outside the box with your decorations!