Airstream Living

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12 Quick Fall Home Decor Ideas

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You don’t need to break the bank or take a lot of time to infuse some fall decor into your home. Here are twelve quick ideas for you to try.

1. Decorate the Mantel

wood mantel

Sprinkle some baby pumpkins and small gords in different colors between thrifted brass candlesticks and orange mums.

2. Add a Pillow with a Fall Quote

throw pillow

A cute pillow like this one is a whimsical way to add the message of fall. You can make this Cheap DIY Pillow Cover yourself.

3. Decorate a Coffee Table Tray

small pumpkins

Placing a tray filled with small orange and white pumpkins and orange mums on your coffee table will add the perfect pop of fall color right into the center of your living room.

4. Add Fall-Colored Throws and Pillows

Wingback chairs

Swap out the summer pillow covers and throws and replace them with warm fall colors.

5. Use Battery Candles on Timers

small entry way

There is nothing like the warm glow of flickering candles when nighttime arrives early. Add battery operated candles on timers to a fall arrangement and relax in their flickering glow.

6. Don’t Forget the Bedroom

orange throw pillows

Don’t forget to add a few cozy touches to the bedroom. A couple warm throw pillows and a pumpkin or two are the perfect fall decor in the bedroom.

7. A Charger Centerpiece

fall centerpiece

A charger or small round tray grounds a fall decor grouping in the middle of the table. Add a few orange and white pumpkins, some candlesticks, and flowers.

8. Small Plant Surrounded by Oranges

bowl of oranges

Place a small plant in a large shallow bowl and surround it with oranges or tangerines. This quick fall decor idea adds that perfect pop of orange to any room in the house.

9. Pumpkins on Candlesticks

pumpkin candle stick

Top candlesticks with small pumpkins. The different heights add visual interest and take your fall home decor from bland to bam!

10. Decorate a Cakestand

3-tier dessert stand

Sprinkling small pumpkins and gords on a cake stand brighten up a little corner or shelf.

11. Change the Tablecloth

plaid table cloth

Change or add a fall decor themed tablecloth to your kitchen table. It will visually soften the room and give it that cool-morning cozy feel.

12. Pot Flowers in Goblets

flowers in goblets

Pot some fall-colored mums in vintage goblets. The different heights add interest and their size is perfect to display on trays, tuck into centerpieces, or place on a shelf.

I love to connect. Comment below and let me know which quick fall decor home idea you are going to try. Snap a picture of it and tag me, @urbancottageliving on Instagram.

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collage of fall decor

Fall Home Tour of Our Small Cottage

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Welcome to the Urban Cottage this fall. The air is cooling down, the summer garden has been pulled, and extra blankets have been brought out. Come on in …

small entry way

When you enter our small home through the front door, it brings you into what I jokingly call the great room. From just inside the front door, you can see the living room, the kitchen, the breakfast nook, the laundry room, the hall, and the bathroom. You pretty much get the grand tour right when you walk in the door!

front porch

The little front porch bench was created out of a small end table found at the thrift store. It was painted my favorite dark gray, Sherwin Williams Iron Ore. Then the back edge was trimmed off so it would fit right up against the wall.

yellow mums

My fall pillow cover is a DIY project and cost next to nothing. You can get all the directions on how to do it on my Cheap DIY Fall Pillow Cover post and get the free SVG stencil download for it too!

yellow mums

One of the reasons, we like to live small is to be able to save for traveling. We love to explore National Parks and roam around the country in our Airstream trailer which we keep parked at the side of the house.

small entry way

This dresser serves as a credenza and stores all kinds of goodies that don’t fit anywhere else. This was the very first new piece of furniture John and I purchased before we got married in 1987. It has been a few different colors. Last year I stripped it down to the raw oak and refinished it in Sherwin Williams, Iron Ore.

orange mums

Adding in orange accents in pillows, throws, flowers, and pumpkins add a nice warmth to the living room.

sofa

My leather furniture is old and has seen its day, but I make it work by covering up the holes with a brown fury throw and lots of pillows.

small pumpkins

This little tray sits on top of the coffee table year around. Right now it is filled with marble coasters, baby pumpkins, and pretty orange mums.


living room

The bottle filled with orange food coloring on the bottom shelf is my little nod to Halloween. I repurposed it from an empty Crystal Head Vodka bottle. The “Give Thanks” pillow cover is another DIY fall pillow cover I made. You can download the SVG file for it on my Free Resources page.

narrow sofa table

By adding a narrow sofa table behind my couch, I am able to add just enough space for lamps that give much-needed light into my living room. Plus, I can add more seasonal decor to it. The perfect mix of form and function!

two chairs

Two wingback chairs add extra seating in my small living room. Because the chairs float on the edge of the living room rug, they create the visual of a small entryway near my front door and a walkway back to the bedrooms. The coffee table is temporary until I can make a long narrow ottoman. John made this by hand when we were newly married.

breakfast nook

Our little cottage was built in 1942. I love the thick molding of the original arch. I don’t think the spice cubby is original though. When we moved it, it was covered with shutter doors.  I removed those, puttied the holes, and added shelves. I like to cook from scratch, so I do use all those spices in case you were wondering.

kitchen shelves

I really enjoy entertaining, so I was thrilled to be able to add this open shelving on the left side of the breakfast nook to store serving dishes and extra place settings.

kitchen shelves

Orange wouldn’t be my first go-to color to accent with. However, this time of year I just love how it pops against all the grays and rhymes so seamlessly with my Saltillo floor tiles.

kitchen shelf

Funny little secret – the round-woven tray is hiding a GFI outlet. Yes, right in the middle of the wall. I think at one time someone may have put their refrigerator here – oh my!

To maximize the space in my small breakfast nook, I built a small bench along the right wall to match the wood shelving. It works perfectly to hold two people and allows for three (and if we squeeze 4) extra chairs on the other side.

kitchen window

You can’t see it here, but I still have my royal blue sink! You can read more about that on my pep talk to myself in a post on how to be content with your home right now.

kitchen window

My little garden window above the sink is one of my favorite places to decorate with the season changes.

bathroom shelf

Maximizing storage in a little bathroom calls for a little creativity. I made this shelf above the toilet to hold the bath towels. You can read more about how I redid my bathroom on a budget here.

bathroom shelf

My youngest granddaughter loves going to the garden club after school two days per week. She has been bringing me home fresh cut flowers. There is nothing like fresh flowers to brighten up a small space.

small bathroom

Medicine cabinets are a perfect solution to finding hidden storage in a small bathroom. They are so practical especially when well organized. I have got you covered here too – here is m post on How To Organize Your Medicine Cabinet.

antique mirror

According to a neighbor, my bathroom was remodeled sometime in the 1980’s so it really doesn’t have an “old house” look. I found this antique mirror for $10 at a thrift store and added a little shelf to it. I think it helps to add some much-needed character to my little bathroom.

faux lead window

The window above the shower was also a plain stock window added during the 1980’s remodel. I gave the window a personality boost by adding trim to match the medicine cabinet trim and DIY faux leading.

floating beam mantel

Don’t be afraid to paint a small room dark. Our little bedroom feels like a great big hug every time I walk in here. I also like the contrast of the dark gray with our rustic Saltillo floor. You can see what our room looked like when we were renting before we purchased it in my 2016 Christmas Home Tour.

bedroom pillows

I keep a basket in the corner of the bedroom to store our sleeping pillows during the day. When we turn in for the night, I swap the sleeping pillows out with the throw pillows and the bigger pillows stack against the dresser. Not super practical, but a girl has got to have her cozy pillows!

fall bedroom scene

The end tables in our bedroom are actually filing cabinets that I repurposed from our old house. Filing cabinets make fantastic side tables because they are deep and hold a lot! Perfect for a small bedroom. The gold paint on the hardware of the filing cabinets and the lamps was spray painted. You can see a all the things I did when I shared my Small Bedroom Big Style.

fall mantel

I made the floating mantel is made out of reclaimed fence boards from my neighbor. My friends in the midwest make all kinds of things out of old barn wood. Here in the California suburbs, we make cool things out of old fence boards like a living plant wall, a little sofa table, and a rustic hat rack.

fall centerpiece

Thank you for swinging by for my fall home tour. My wish for you is that you can be inspired by some of my ideas to live a big life in your home no matter what the size.

Let’s connect! Follow me on Instagram and drop me a note.

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photo collage

 

Small Bedroom Big Style

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One of the biggest rules I break in traditional decorating is the one that says you shouldn’t paint a small room dark because it will make it feel smaller. While this can be true, there is nothing that says you shouldn’t break the rules if you love it.

Because my house is so small and there aren’t a lot of places to go escape, I wanted to create a space that felt like a retreat. Scroll down the before pictures below and get a little insight into my plan. Then, keep scrolling to read my reason behind the design and how it all turned out.

Before Pictures + The Plan

The Plan: Paint the entire room dark gray. Build a living wall next to the hat rack out of reclaimed fence boards.

The Plan: Find a mirror for above the dresser and accessorize. Paint the diffuser gold.

The Plan: Replace this thin trim to match the big window as close as possible since that trim is original to the house.

The Plan: Build a floating shelf above the bed out of reclaimed fence boards. In the future, replace it with a giant tufted headboard.

The Plan: Repaint all of the trim and doors with a fresh coat of bright white paint. Patch the big hole in the wall where an old security system panel was mounted.

The Plan: Replace the lamps with my old desk lamps and spray paint them gold.

The Plan: Spray paint the hardware on the filing cabinet nightstands gold.

The Results

Even though the walls are dark, the three windows let in a lot of light. The contrast of the dark walls with the saltillo tile, gold accents, and lighter wood really makes everything just pop!

I made the living wall out of reclaimed fence boards in an afternoon. The living wall and rustic hat rack help give the room a nod to nature. Adding natural elements make the room feel relaxing.

The mirror and candlesticks are thrifted. I spray painted the Young Living diffuser metallic gold. The ladder and blanket were both gifts.

Here you can see the new window trim. The style now matches the original trim on the big window.

Fresh white paint on all of the trim and doors makes everything clean and fresh.

The lamps used to be in the office of my big house. I repurposed them here and spray painted them metallic gold.

Filing cabinets make fantastic nightstands. They are the perfect height and deeper than a traditional nightstand so they hold twice as much. The hardware was spray painted metallic gold. 

Final Touches

Brass accents contrast nicely with the dark gray walls. The plant pot and candlesticks were thrifted. The wine barrel candle holder was a gift and the iron garden decor came out of my old house.

You can find all of the details on how to make the rustic hat rack here.

I have had so much fun collecting the brass candlesticks. I think the mother of pearl set is my favorite! What part of my small bedroom, big style makeover do you like the best?

 

 

 

Budget Bathroom Renovation

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When you have one bathroom, you need to maximize space and style. For now, a full renovation was not in the cards for us. I wanted to make a big impact with as little money as possible. I think you are really going to like our bathroom’s fresh new look and the much-needed storage I added.

Before Pictures + The Plan

The Problem: The paint color and the lack of any cohesive design.

The Plan: Paint the walls and ceiling light gray and the indented wall on the right a dark gray as an accent wall.

The Problem: An old yucky vanity with goopy painted hinges.

The Plan: Paint it the same dark gray as the accent wall and add all new hardware.

The Problem: Four different metal finishes. Oh, my!

The Plan: Accent with chrome and white hardware keeping with the era of a 1940’s home. Try and make it feel original even though the bathroom was updated in the 1980’s.

The Problem: Very little storage.

The Plan: Build a new shelf above the toilet and a shelf across the wall above the door to match. Build them to seem as if they have always been there. Paint them the same dark gray as the vanity and the accent wall.

The Problem: An outdated light fixture with yellow shades.

The Plan: Spray paint the light fixture dark gray to match the accent wall and the vanity. Add new glass shades that are white with a style that fits the era of a 1930’s bathroom.

The Problem: Medicine Cabinets. I really don’t like them and there we have two! However, I need to keep them for the storage.

The Plan: Add lots of trim to both of them. Try to make them look as much alike as possible.

The Renovation

Here is a peek at the new towel shelf above the toilet and the holes in the wall patched.

You can see the new gray color here and the beginning of trimming out the medicine cabinet mirrors. John used his router to make custom trim to match the existing medicine cabinet as close as possible. I think he did a darn good job!

Our little house only has three drawers in the hallway and no closets except for one in each bedroom. Here is a look at the shelf above the bathroom door. This will help with much-needed storage!

The Reveal

Welcome – come on in! About the little restroom sign. There are three doors in our hall. The left door is my room, the middle door is the restroom, and the right door is our daughter’s room. We throw lots of parties and I didn’t want our guests accidentally walking into our daughter’s room when she is hiding out in there. Thus, the need for the little restroom sign.

Here you can see the new wall color, the custom shelf above the toilet for our towels, and the new mirror trim.

The shelf was built using wood brackets from Lowe’s. I have a full “shop the look” section at the bottom of this article.

I think the chunky trim around the mirrors makes all the difference in here! It makes the two different medicine cabinets look the same and adds character.

The light fixture was spray painted dark gray similar to the vanity cabinet and the accent wall. New white globes were added. I can’t believe how much better it looks!

Painting an accent wall a darker gray gave this boring wall a little punch. It is the same color as the vanity and the shelves. I found the antique mirror at the Habitat Restore for $10 and gave it a little tender loving care.

The most practical part of the bathroom renovation was adding this shelf above the bathroom door. Just the same as the towel shelf, it was made with wooden brackets and painted the same color as the vanity. The boxes store things like extra bars of soap, the neti pot, band-aids, and other bathroom stuff.

I’m not kidding when I say my house is small. Here is a wide view of the renovation and you can see all the way to the front door.

 

 

 

How To Hack Ikea Magazine Boxes

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Living in a small house, I have to find storage wherever I can.  There is one built-in shelf in my hall that I use for storage. I have got all kinds of goodies hiding in those gray Ikea Kvarnvik boxes: wrapping paper, ribbon, the glue gun, essential oils and more.

But this is how I updated some Ikea Knuff magazine file boxes and I’m thrilled with how they turned out. Inside of them, I keep a few of my favorite magazines, a couple books on my reading list and a backup supply of an obsession of Leuchtturm 1917 notebooks.

Let’s dive into how I hacked these into cute shabby holders. Some of the supplies are affiliate links. I’m supposed to tell you that…just so you know, it doesn’t cost you any extra.

Supplies

Check Fit

Before you get going, make sure the Knuff magazine boxes are going to fit on your shelves. Whew–good thing I checked, mine barely fit.

Prep

Give the magazine boxes a little sanding with a fine sandpaper. They may be a tad rough here and there. Sand just enough to get the baby splinters and the rough edges off. You don’t need to go crazy.

Paint

Apply a couple coats of chalk paint. I picked this one up at my local Walmart. Make sure you let the paint dry between coats.

Sand

Allow the paint to dry completely. Using fine sandpaper, begin to sand off the paint exposing a little bit of the natural wood here and there. Be sure to sand around the edges. This helps give it a time worn look. Keep going until you find the look you like.

Paint the Numbers

Hop onto your computer and print out your numbers. How cute would it be to use alphabet letters in a nursery or initials in a shared children’s bedroom? Make them your own. Choose a font you like and play around with the size. Print the numbers, then cut them out. Did you spy that I also hacked an Ikea Skogsta box?

With a pencil, lightly trace around the numbers, then fill in with craft paint with using a small paintbrush. Allow paint to completely dry.

Add the handles

Here is the tricky part I didn’t take pictures of before I started. Because the file box has a finger hole, you will need to cover this up and give something for the drawer pull to grab onto.

I just happen to have some little cardboard gift tags that were already painted black on one side. A small piece of chipboard would work great here as well. Put a couple little dots of glue or adhesive around the outside of it and cover the finger hole from the inside. You don’t even need to let it dry because when you attach the handle, it will pull the chipboard against the file box.

 

Because the file boxes are fairly thin, I did not pre-drill holes for the handles. I just lightly traced where they would be so I could see where to begin the screw from the back of the box. I used these handles and you can see that they almost cover the finger hole.