How to Create the Cozy, Fall Bedroom of Your Dreams, According to a Design Pro

Add More Ambient Lighting

One of the first changes Nickels makes when decorating her bedroom for fall is changing up the lighting. With the sun setting faster, it's important to fill your room with pockets of light so you can avoid turning on that notoriously harsh big light.

"Consider adding a few candles or a lantern to create a soft, warm glow in the evenings," she says. "A dimly lit bedroom with a flickering candlelight is perfect for those cozy fall nights."

You can also introduce cozy lighting to a children's room sans open flame with battery-operated taper candles or fairy lights.

Decorate Your Desk or Dresser Like a Mantel

If decorating a living room mantel for fall feels natural and familiar to you, just think of your bedroom's dresser or desk as a similar surface.

The corners can be anchor points to stage little vignettes of pumpkins, spiders, and ghosts. You can also add larger pumpkins on the ground next to these pieces of furniture just like you would at the hearth of the fireplace.

Look for Unique Spots to Hang Garland

Fall garland certainly has its place in a bedroom, but you just have to get a little creative with where you hang it. Around windows and door frames or along the tops of framed pictures are all great places. If your room has a large headboard and footboard, it could also go there.

Choose a Signature Fall Scent

Like me, Nickels always changes out her candle and essential oil diffuser scents in her bedroom to welcome fall. Some of her favorite autumnal aromas include apple, cinnamon, clove, and pumpkin spice.

As for me, I've narrowed down my fall bedroom candle choice to one signature scent. It's a pumpkin spice candle from one of my favorite brands, and they re-release it every year.

Since smells have such a strong power to evoke memories, I instantly think of all the wonderful past falls I've experienced when I smell this candle.

When I am missing fall a little extra during the hottest days of summer, sometimes I go a little wild and give it a whiff.

Layer Bedding Textures

I'm a firm believer that you should invest in separate bedding for the colder months. This includes putting on slightly heavier sheets if you're a cool sleeper and introducing patterns like plaid in via your throw blankets and pillows.

Nickels has a special formula she uses for her fall bedding.

"Incorporate layers of soft, textured bedding like knit throw blankets, velvet pillows, or a chunky wool blanket at the foot of the bed," she says. "This not only adds warmth but also creates a visually cozy atmosphere."

Bring Nature to Your Bedside

When it comes to decorating your bedroom for any season, never overlook decorating your bedside table. I love that one of the first sights I see when I wake up in the fall is a beautiful dried floral arrangement.

Rather than trying to make an arrangement, you can always stick with just one or two types of dried flowers in a vase. Nickels always clips hydrangeas from her summer garden to dry and display all fall, for example.

Pumpkins, pinecones, and acorns are other elements that I like adding to my bedside table. I find that little details like this make me feel more connected to nature right before it goes into hibernation for the winter.

Do Not Hesitate to Go Faux

I love decorating for fall, but not exactly the sticker shock I get each year when I am sourcing real pumpkins. While I love decorating with a few live pumpkins and fried florals, I've learned to also embrace the fake versions when decorating my bedroom.

Fake pumpkins only require one upfront investment. If you buy them on sale at the end of the season, they are often just as cheap, if not cheaper, than real pumpkins.

Leaf garland is another piece of fall decor that has a few more perks than the real deal. For starters, making your leaf garland takes a considerable amount of time. The vibrant leaf colors also fade very quickly before settling into brown. Fake leaf garland presents neither of those problems.

By purchasing just a few faux pieces each year, you can build up your collection of seasonal decor and end up with a fun maximalist look in your bedroom as time goes on.