I’m visiting New England this week, where the leaves are changing and pumpkins are showing up on porches everywhere. Even though it’s still hitting the mid-80’s in Texas, we can at least decorate for cooler weather. While I’ve been here I’ve been taking notes from New England B&B owners to see  how they incorporate autumnal style into their decor.

Candles

Nothing says cozy like candles. Everywhere we went in Massachusetts, Vermont, Maine, and New Hampshire, candles were glowing and firelight was flickering.

 

 

Mix your own candles with pinecones, dried leaves, popcorn, acorns, berries, and even candy corn.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pumpkins

What would this season be without the quintessential ‘pumpkin.’

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stack them.

Lay them on their sides.

Don’t be afraid to combine different varieties.

 

 

 

 

 

You can even mix real pumpkins with ceramic, fabric, or glass ones.

And throw in some candles while you’re at it.

 

 

 

 

Whimsy

Don’t forget the fun when you decorate.

 

 

Go bold (and high). One lovely innkeeper placed a decorative bicycle and a large tree branch, complete with lights, on her mantle.

She didn’t stop there, she made sure a whimsical blackbird watched over the pumpkins in her basket.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Add a bird to anything!

 

 

Here, fall foliage is arranged in a fishing basket.

 

 

 

 

 

Use containers in unexpected ways. Just be imaginative:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You can even carve your pumpkin sideways!

Special thanks to Chris and Ken of the Riverside Inn in Intervale, NH for allowing me to take photos.

Just a few more photos…

I took these in Boston, just before we left.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Create your own pumpkin patch by placing pumpkins in your sweet potato vine.

 

 

Still have flowers blooming, just add a pumpkin.

Instant Autumn!