The beauty of fall is the change of seasons and a celebration of warm colors! Achieving this feeling in your home is economical and easy with creativity; decorating can even be sustainable, especially in the autumn season. Bring the outside in; creating family time, memories and an enriching atmosphere with eco-friendly fall decor for your Manhattan, NY area home.

Pumpkins

Take nature from your backyard! Decorating with real pumpkins can be economical if you have planted them in your garden earlier in the season. If not, plenty of farms and markets are prepared with pumpkin stock. The benefit from using real pumpkins and squash in your home is that your family can later prepare the harvest for dinner or dessert!

Dried Forages

Have you grown flowers in your garden this summer season?

Another great tip from our Manhattan, NY home organization consultants is that after you’ve picked your flowers and enjoyed them in a vase for a few days, dry them out. Properly dry out all your forage findings such as flowers, weeds and grass. Air drying can be accomplished simply by following the below steps:

• Trim the leaves from the stem
• Cut the stem to the desired length
• Create a bouquet with all the desired flowers with twine
• Hang upside down in a dark, dry area. (Avoid sunlight as this preserves the colors of the flower.)
• Leave for two to three weeks
• Once completed, preserve your dried flowers individually with hairspray to ensure durability for seasons to come and protect from attracting pests

If you haven’t grown a garden; you can also gather some “weeds” from a nearby field, neighbor or family member. Be aware of local, state and national park laws before removing any plants from any venue. Our Manhattan, NY home organization consultants recommend you follow best practices, which would be to always research the area first and ask!

Twigs & Branches

Incorporating real branches and twigs into tablescapes and centerpieces is an easy, affordable way to incorporate eco-friendly fall decor into your Manhattan, NY area home. Autumn is the perfect time for nature walks, bring shears with you and collect some branches which catch your eye. Tablescapes can be decorated with twigs and branches cut from nature in your back yard!

Ways to use in decorating:

• Vases
• Tablescapes
• Doorknob Hangers
• Porch Light Hangers

Upcycled Fabric Leaves

Our Manhattan, NY home organization consultants recommend old fabrics for fall decorations. Old fabrics can be upcycled, turned into leaves to decorate all over the house. 

• First find fabric patterns that call to you either from your own closet, goodwill or fabric store. 
  • If possible, heavy and thick fabrics like leather, velvet and corduroy work best for holding form long-term.
  • This step is optional but if you choose a white fabric, it can be tie dyed with warm autumn colors.
• After you have your fabrics of choice, print some basic silhouette leaf shapes on a word document and cut out the shapes
• Stencil the shapes onto the fabric with a contrasting oil pencil or chalk. (Try to utilize the fabric to create as many leaves as possible)
• Cut the fabric into leaf shapes
• Sewing veins into the leaves is a perfect finishing touch
• Recycle the extra fabrics with a mail-in For Days Take Back Bag or Terracycle Zero Waste Box

For Days: Recycling fabrics & clothing / Take Back Bag

Terracycle: Recycling fabrics & clothing / Zero Waste Box

• Receive 20% Off Any ZERO WASTE BOX By Using Discount Code : ALEC20

Nature Wreaths

Making a nature wreath at home for fall is an easy and fun way to decorate! Combining found branches, dried grass, fruit & flowers with upcycled fabric leaves; this can be a project for the whole family!

Toilet Paper Pumpkins

These cute pumpkins are a great decorating hack! They are simple to make and disassemble, saving plenty of space in your Autumn holiday storage bin. Each pumpkin is unique and this small activity can be fun for a family to create together. Click the link below to follow the step by step instructions for this fun fall activity!

Candles

The best types of candles are those that are good for the environment! The most sustainable candle types are beeswax and coconut wax candles because they burn clean and slowly with a bright flame. With this noted bring light to a season which is notable for daylight changes and preparing for winter. 

Thrifting Decorations

Shop at a local second hand store; this is the best environmental practice to reduce your carbon footprint and more common than not, thrift stores prepare for the season ahead! Sure some products found from a second hand shop need some upcycling love but gems can be found which need only a home!

Glass over Plastic

Glass can be recycled infinitely, while plastic is a disposable resource for its convenience; glass decorations are much more sustainable for this reason. Many stores sell glass decorations for the season; some glass decorations can hold candles creating a warm aura for your space.