How To Create an Autumn Vignette

I recently came across an autumn vignette that pulled at my home decorating heartstrings, so much so that it inspired me to put together a variation of it for myself. In this tutorial I will explain how you can do the same using what you already have in your home.

One of my favorite home decor bloggers, Liz Marie at www.lizmarieblog.com, created the autumn vignette below that inspired me. Beautiful, right? The first thing I did was think about the colors and textures that make up the arrangement. There are mostly whites and light neutrals with accents of pale green. There is also a nice mix of textures at different scales – smooth, shiny, rustic, bumpy, etc.

Remember, the goal is not to make an exact copy. You want to create something that is an expression of your style, using your inspiration photo as a guide. After you examine the colors and textures, gather things from around the house that have similar qualities. I happen to have a tray like the one in the photo, but I could have used a galvanized tray or one made of light colored wood.

Start your vignette by placing your objects where you plan to display them, trading one for another until you have a collection that fits the look you want. Try creating a balance of colors like your inspiration with a mix of similar textures. Notice that I didn't end up using everything that I had originally gathered for my vignette. This is how my arrangement looked before I refined it.

If you don’t have exactly what you need, chalk paint can be your best money-saving friend. It works well on baskets, trays, picture frames and more (even craft store pumpkins!). You can water it down to create a whitewash effect or sand it after it dries to make your piece look weathered and worn. Look at the difference a little paint made on my tray makeover from another project I did.

Signs are all the rage in home decorating these days and I love how Liz created one with a printer and a picture frame. So easy! I happen to have a picture frame that combines the color and form of her frame with the visual texture of her large pumpkin. It's a good example of how to take elements from your inspiration vignette and find them in the decor you already have.

The next step is to start arranging your objects, thinking about the massing you see in your inspiration photo. In my autumn vignette, the original arrangement didn't have enough variation in heights, so I added a book to lift the pumpkin painting and switched out the candle for a smaller pumpkin.

In the end, getting the arrangement right is really a matter of trial and error until it feels correct to you. I hope I was helpful in setting you on your way to creating your own autumn vignette. If you find that you would like help with sprucing up your home decor for the holidays, my design services can be found [here].