28 Sep Seven Fall Home Decor Trends for 2023 and How to Geekify Them

I thought it would be fun to look up trending fall home decor for 2023 and talk about how to geekify them. I know, I know – in my previous post I talked about three ways to add geeky fall decor into your space as a preface to fall posts to follow. But I spoke very specifically about trends, and to quote myself:

“If you’re like us, your seasonal decor isn’t necessarily what’s trending that year. This is mainly because we like what we like and that’s what trends in our home. Plus, we aren’t swimming in money like that to completely change out our entire home every season. Does anyone do that? Seems wasteful. It’s why I emphasize taking the time to figure out what you like and whether you can look at it for the long-term, and decorating with the things that make you feel happy and safe in your space. Not those things that are trending. That way your decor will pass the test of time.”

I want to dig in a bit to that, but also offer a compromise to following trends, whether in your home decor or your fashion. 

Trends and Time

While I don’t believe that trends are entirely bad, I do feel that the “experts” of the trends and fads we follow mislead us a bit into thinking that what they say is trending is the period at the end of the sentence when it comes to how we should style our homes and ourselves. In fact, I would say that the very authoritative suggestions that they make as to what’s in and out every season is simply a parenthesis.

Should I stop with the punctuation analogies before we go too far? Well, let’s put an ellipsis on that.

:: slow grinch grin ::

As someone who lives her geek life out loud, I want to always make sure that my personality, preferences, and passions are at the top of how I decorate. And dress. Same for hubs. All these parts of us and how we express them is our style, and that’s what we use as the basis for everything we do. Knowing yourself is the foundation of styling yourself and the space around you. 

And that’s the secret to trends that we don’t always say out loud: trends do not dictate style, rather our style is what is timeless. Style is how we express ourselves. And style should drive how you view and treat trends. Remember that you can have great style without being trendy. And you can be trendy and have no style.

Okay, let me kick that soapbox out of the way before we beat a dead trend.

It’s the coffee. I made it extra strong this morning so I’m over here like those kids in Encanto. #extra

Geeks and Trends

So am I saying that as a geeky person living your geeky life, you should not follow trends? Well, no – I think that kind of thinking is what drove us into categories of being ‘uncool’ and ‘unfashionable’ to begin with. Although I would argue that slapping the “unfashionable” tag on anyone goes directly against what I said previously. Everyone has their own style. Our tastes and preferences are different. That means we will not all like the same things, wear the same clothes, or decorate the same way. 

What I’m saying is that we should use trends to our advantage. Be strategic with it. Like hubs when he beats me in board games. Every. Board. Game.

Use trends as inspiration.

Not all of us are lucky to just know right away what our style is. It’s something we have to learn about ourselves, grow into, and appreciate before we settle into it. So when you don’t know, using trends as a jumping off point for inspiration might help to settle into something you love. Trends can help us discover things about ourselves we didn’t know we liked. When this happens and you learn to use that trend past its expiration date, it becomes timeless.

Use trends to find key pieces.

Because trends are only here for a short time, I like to use that time to find pieces for my home that fit with my everyday style.

Case in point: Anyone who already loves pink and uses it in their home decor hit paydirt with this latest Barbie phenomenon. That is not something that is going to stick around forever, but someone like my sister, who uses a very specific shade of pink in her super cool space decor, probably found some unique key pieces to use in her space while they were attacking our eyes with every shade of pink in the stores. So even when pink is no longer the thing, she will have timeless items that she would not have been able to find otherwise.

Those pieces, previously part of a trend, are now part of her stylish and timeless decor. 

With trends, it’s good to know what they are – like rules – so you know how to break them. But they aren’t set in stone, they are simply suggestions. For geeks like us, we can use trends to inspire geeky decor.

And while this post is specifically about seasonal and everyday home decor, it can also apply to clothing and fashion. I think we’ll talk more about personal style for clothing in reference to fashion for the spring. Although I’ll probably have a post about cute geeky fall fashion finds next week.

Geeks and Themes

Just another (another) quick sidenote: One thing I do know is that when you’re talking about fandoms and anything geeky, we lean in hard to the things we love. And that can become kitschy really quickly. We get excited about, say Mario Brothers for example, and all of a sudden there are primary colors everywhere, plumbing tubes on cabinets, and mushrooms in random places. Pretty soon, our homes look like a theme park and that is not what we want.

#truestory

No. I don’t want to talk about it.

That’s why I will continue to emphasize thinking in concepts and ideas rather than themes. It’s an exercise in creativity, but this kind of thing is good for the brain, so win-win.

Whew! That was the longest preface in history. We should get to the trends before this post runs too long and you get bored, yes?

Seven Fall Home Decor Trends for 2023 and Ways to Geekify Them

1. Rich Jewel Tones
2. Animal Print
3. Natural Elements
4. Texture
5. Statement Lighting
6. Candles
7. Quiet Luxury

Okay, so these are just ideas to get your mind thinking about how you can make your space a bit more geeky for this season. The suggestions I make are based on the fandoms I know and love, but you may be a fan of something I’m not yet familiar with. I am hoping to get your geeky creative juices flowing so you can decorate your home for the season.

Fall Home Decor Trend: Rich Jewel Tones

Whenever this trend comes around it makes my head ache. Every time I think of jewel tones, I picture the very bright and gaudy floral dresses my mom loved to put us in when we were younger and growing up in the – 

– nice try! You’re not going to get me, this time!

It makes me think of those clothes from some time ago (LOL). Along with jeweled tones came plenty of gold embellishments and bows. Oh, the bows and the sequins. 

sobs silently into my non-alcoholic beverage

But we don’t have to do all that. Today, when I read that jeweled tones are on-trend for fall, my mind automatically jumps to the Sanderson Sisters of Hocus Pocus and the very (un-witch-like) colorful dresses they wore. They wore rich emerald, eggplant, and crimson and wore them very well, I might add.

Fall to Halloween

Most of us jump straight from summer decor to Halloween. I think it’s because there’s such a short amount of time between the first day of fall and Halloween, that many people just want to enjoy the spooky decor a bit longer than one weekend. Also, for those of us who live in fandoms, the Halloween season brings so many to choose from.

So if you are so inclined, and you already love these colors in your home decor, you can set out three black witch hats as a centerpiece and use faux florals in rich tones as an accent. Or pick a nice colored tablecloth to place underneath the hats. You know the Sanderson witches come in three and are adorned in jewel tones. I know this, as well. But anyone else who visits your home and is not familiar with Hocus Pocus will see a cool decorative Halloween centerpiece.

Do you see what we’re going for here?

What about all you fans of Dungeons and Dragons? Do you collect dice? Find a way to display them in clear jars so that your jeweled tones stand out. The next trend will bring this one together – wait for it…

Fall Home Decor Trend: Animal Print

Yes, you read that right. Animal print. Another thing from my youth that I thought would never come back. But they all come back, don’t they? Whether we like it or not.

Flashback time! So I had an obsession with cheetah print when I was a teenager. So much so that I painted a mural on my wall that looked like a huge piece of cheetah fur. I also found car accessories in cheetah print and covered my front seats, steering wheel, and mirrors with it. I added cheetah print pillows to the uncovered back seat, and a cute cat plushie. 

So one morning on my way to work, I got stopped for “speeding”. The sight of the inside of my car shocked the police officer so much that he forgot why he stopped me. He peeked inside my car and his eyes widened as he motioned around my car and asked, “what the hell is all this?!” It was one of the funniest interactions I’ve ever had with a police officer. I asked him if he liked my car and he just rolled his eyes and said, “don’t let me see you and this cheetah-car on this road again or I’ll arrest you for poaching.” I laughed so hard. And I didn’t get a ticket.

There’s no lesson to be learned here. But maybe animal print saves lives?

Probably not.

Either way, you do not have to be as obnoxious with it as I did. Remember those D&D dice? Well, what if you added a dragon scale pillow or two? A vase full of rich-colored dice and some dragon scale pillows and you have yourself a nod to your favorite pastime. Depending on your persona or setting, the next trend can help bring it all together even more.

Fall Home Decor Trend: Natural Elements

Wood, stone, metals – you can apply these to any fantasy-inspired concept (like D&D) with accents for your table, candle holders, or figurines and collectibles. 

Fall is the best time for natural elements. I mean leaves and nature, am I right? But if you’re intentional with it then you can step away from the typical fall decor and create your own twist on the season. Are you a Harry Potter fan? Think of the wooden wands and create a similar look with dried branches. 

We have an industrial (geek) chic style in our home, so natural elements are kind-of our thing. Metal and wood are prominent, and you can see that throughout our space. We like a small nod to the more aged look, and since we prefer cooler tones to warm ones, we like the look of patina over rust. 

(patina: a usually green film formed naturally on copper and bronze by long exposure or artificially (as by acids) and often valued aesthetically for its color)

This means that when we want a particular accent to look aged, we often have to age it ourselves with paint. In cosplay, we distress our costumes to make them look more battle-worn, so we have a bit of experience with this. It really came in handy for our Fall | Halloween decor this year. We take items that don’t match or are too colorful for our space, and we repaint them so they have the look we want. The Nightmare Before Christmas has inspired our seasonal decor for the last few years and we’ve just continued to build on that concept little by little. More on our DIY pumpkins and POPs in a later post!

Fall Home Decor Trend: Texture

Think textile and often cozy for the cooler months. The easiest way to add texture to your space is from blankets and throws. You can find just about any color to match your decor. Blankets are a staple for gaming and date-fright-movie-nights.

For us, we embrace the pumpkin king idea with chunky knit pumpkin pillows that we pull out with our fall decor. Added to the couch, we don’t need much more in that part of the house. We found them at Michaels on sale!

You can also go for dried branches and floral stems, baskets and woven material, natural wood, and fabric. Velvets, knits, flannels, and corduroy are often popular this time of year, as well. 

Every fandom has a cute fuzzy creature or character that we just love. Like Chewbacca. A throw or rug in faux-Chewbacca-fur would give a subtle nod to our favorite far away galaxy and is the perfect warm shade for those who love warm fall colors.

Fall Home Decor Trend: Statement Lighting

I’m probably not going to go out and purchase a lamp every season, but what I will do is find candles, LED lighting, and fairy lights to go with my decor.

But my favorite, favorite lighting this year has been the Govee lights we put behind our television and gaming console (unaffiliated). It’s connected to our phones via Bluetooth, and the lights change color to match what’s on the television. It has added so much to our space, and it looks great year round.

Geeky statement lighting – check! 

Fall Home Decor Trend: Candles

Although I mentioned candles above, it’s worth mentioning them again. I think candles just turn up the cozy factor in your home and can make the place smell great, too.

Some advice? I’ve come to realize over the years that ‘fall-scented’ candles are not the best way to scent my home. Walk with me for a minute… I don’t mean that fall scents aren’t good. I just think of how I have purchased too many huge candles that smell like creamy pumpkin, caramel candied apples, and hearth. 

What even does hearth smell like, anyway? And why do I have so much of it?

What happens is that at the end of the season, I pack up these candles with my other fall-specific items and don’t even think about them until next year. And by that time, I may want whatever new fall scents they have out. I found myself purchasing $20 candles too often throughout the year, and never using them up.

Choose scents you love that remind you of the season without accosting your nostrils with hayrides and fall festivals. You want to be able to light your candles year-round so you get your money’s worth. Also, buy smaller candles so you can move on to new scents faster. 

Think calm, cozy, and warm rather than scarecrow musk.

Now I’m just making things up, aren’t I?

Vanilla, sandalwood, apple, and honey scents make me feel safe and make our home smell like home. So we choose those to burn year round. Don’t get me wrong, if you love pumpkin, buy the pumpkin scent. But if you don’t want to smell pumpkin in the summer, try amber and vanilla. Or something similar. Remember, concepts and ideas are timeless.

Fall Home Decor Trend: Quiet Luxury

Okay, so I struggled a bit with this one. At first glance all I could think of was how our home was not luxurious at all. We’re aiming for inviting and creative. Geek-chic, if you will. But I wanted to know more about this trend, so I found a definition:

The term ‘quiet luxury’ is defined as “understated elegance… that flies under the radar rather than shouts or screams… [it is]… authenticity and sustainability.” (original definition from homesandgardens.com)

After some more thought, I don’t think this should just be a trend. When I think of this description, I think “geek chic” and everything I stand for when it comes to living our geek lives. So I’m going to call it quiet geekery, instead, and apply it to our whole :: swings arms around room :: thing. 

Our geeky decor style, whether it’s seasonal or for everyday, should be understated, intentional, and authentic to who we are. Instead of slapping our guests in the face with our fandoms and passions, we should think of unique, and creative ways to show off what we love.

I think we accomplished this with our Nightmare Before Christmas-inspired fall decor and I can’t wait to share it with you!

What are some ideas you have for your seasonal or everyday decor? I’d love to hear how you geeks are decorating your spaces!