5 Easy DIY Fall Decor Ideas to Cozy Up Your Home This Season

Today, I'm so excited to share with you my very first vlog on YouTube! In it, I walk you through how I made the easy fall DIY decor I mentioned in my 5 DIY Fall Decor Ideas article — and now I'm bringing both worlds together in one cozy place.

These fall decor DIYs are even cheaper to make than Dollar Tree DIYs. They're simple, beginner-friendly, and perfect if (like me) you live in a small apartment or dorm and want to add a little seasonal magic without breaking the bank.

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Ever since I was a kid, I've always wanted to decorate my place for fall. Unlike for Christmas (and kind of like Christmas movies), people don't really do that in France, the country I grew up in. Maybe that's because we don't have Thanksgiving, and Halloween isn't that big of a deal over there.

Now that I live in the United States, I've decided to roll up my sleeves and properly embrace the beautiful American culture I'm currently immersed in. Since I'll be celebrating Thanksgiving and Halloween for the first time in my life, I wanted to make our place super cozy and festive — and start the holiday season a little earlier this year.

Fall and winter have always been my favorite time of year. I'm such a homebody, and to me, there's nothing better than getting cozy with a great book and a hot beverage, or sharing cookies with my loved ones. If you're reading this — happy fall to you, and thank you so much for being here. ✨

Cozy small-apartment fall vibes

We currently live in New York, so our place is not very big — but I love the cozy environment and the amazing view we have. Whether you're a student in a small dorm or you live in a small apartment, changing up the decor always makes the biggest difference. It can truly uplift your whole mood.

There's always a way to make a place feel more welcoming, uplifting, positive, and inspiring. I really hope this inspires you to give it a try if you've never done it before. If, like me, you're a homebody, you already know — home is your sacred place.

I felt very inspired by Pinterest and put together a board called Fall Decor 2021 if you'd like even more inspiration. The 5 ideas below are appropriate for small apartments, beginner-friendly, and rather budget-friendly. My fiancé and I didn't go crazy with this — we like timeless decor and hope to keep these for many seasons to come. We also did a big de-cluttering a few months ago using the KonMari method, and I didn't want that to go to waste.

5 Pretty & Easy DIY Fall Decor Ideas

1. Beautiful Dried Oranges (or should I say Clementines)

   Okay, I have to be honest — I came up with this idea because in the bag of clementines I bought from the grocery store last week, there were 5 perished ones. At first, I wanted to throw them away, but then I saw a pin and thought, "What a brilliant idea!"

   I tried drying my perished clementines and… it didn't quite work. But I'm going to give it another try very soon. I think they'd look gorgeous paired with a touch of green. Plus, you can keep them all the way through Christmas! Display them along the centerpiece of your table, by the window, or string them together to form a long garland.

2. Paper Origami Block Set — "Thankful, Grateful, Blessed"

   This is the only idea that didn't come from Pinterest! I was browsing for fall decor and saw stores selling these pretty wooden block sets, so I thought, why not reproduce them with paper? I loved how mine turned out.

   They're not as solid as the wooden ones, but they definitely won't break the bank. They look lovely in plain white (kind of like white pumpkins), but you can also paint them or get creative and turn the idea into a wooden block calendar. Such a sweet way to add a little holiday touch to any room.

3. Harry Potter Inspired Flying Letters

   This one came from Pinterest and I thought it was so cool. Who doesn't love Harry Potter? I remember reading the first book at 11 when it had just come out, and devouring each new tome the moment it released. (Perfect addition to your fall reading list, by the way.)

   If you don't have a fireplace, you can hang the flying letters above the TV stand, along a hallway, or above your bed. This is especially magical if you're hosting a themed fall or Halloween night with friends.

4. A Few Harry Potter Magic Wands

   I really wanted to add a few witchy touches to our fall decor — and a wizard setup wouldn't be complete without magic wands. To make these, you can gather small branches outside (free!), use chopsticks, or roll up a piece of paper or cardboard.

   Add a little hot glue along the handle, paint over them with brown or black acrylic, and you're done. I saw some really beautiful demonstrations on Pinterest — honestly, the creativity out there is amazing.

5. Homemade Wall Art

   Ever since we moved into our apartment last year, I've been wanting to decorate it. I quite like the minimal white look of our living room, but it doesn't feel as cozy as I'd like — and a lot of that comes from the empty white walls.

   Until we find the perfect art pieces to commit to, I created my own wall art using a black sharpie, a big piece of white paper from the closet, and a cardboard from an Amazon box. I'm not 100% sure about this one yet, and I might redo it later — but that's the beauty of designing your own space. Creativity really does come from limitation.

Which one is your favorite?

I hope this gave you some inspiration for your own fall season. As you can tell, these projects are inexpensive and easy to make — so you really have no excuses not to start. ✨ Since they're paper-based, most of them can also be recycled, if that's something you care about (it definitely matters to me).

I'll probably do a step-by-step for some of these in case you'd like to recreate them at home. Stay tuned! In the meantime, feel free to check out my brain food recipes — comforting, healthy meals always pair beautifully with a full day of decorating. There's truly nothing more relaxing.

Wishing you all a happy fall! Don't forget to also check out my 50 self-care ideas for fall 2021 to give your body a little extra love this season.

A final cozy thought

The more I grow up, the more I realize that real happiness lives in the simplest things — a warm drink, a softly lit room, a homemade something that took an afternoon to make. By the way, I've been loving the audiobook The Little Book of Hygge by Meik Wiking, which is all about exactly that. I can't wait to share the insights with you once I'm done.

Feel free to share your DIY projects or fall decor ideas with me below or on Instagram. I would love to see how you're making your space feel like home this season. Thank you so much for reading — and for watching my very first vlog. I hope to see you around very often!