My Home For Fall (And The Best Pumpkin Bread Recipe)….

My Home For Fall

Fall is definitely here in Michigan. There is definitely a chill in the air and the leaves are already starting to turn vibrant colors. I’ve put away the shorts and sundresses, and instead pulled out the sweaters, jackets, and jeans. Fall really is a marvelous time of year! As a family some of our favorite fall activities to do are apple picking (while eating cider and donuts of course!), visiting the pumpkin patch, and cooking lots of soups, breads, and pies. I have so many memories of these activities as a child, that I love doing the same thing for my own kids. And to get in the spirit of fall, it is so much fun to decorate our home in a fall theme. So I thought today I would show you just how we decorated our home for fall. And I am sharing with you my favorite recipe for pumpkin bread (keep scrolling to read the recipe)!

It Starts at the Front Porch

It’s been fun seeing all of my neighbors put out their fall decor. Not to be outdone, I decided to step it up this year by adding lots of pumpkins, fall mums, and cornstalks! And this fall-themed door mat (placed on top of this indoor/outdoor rug) sets the tone for our entire home. 

Every fall-themed front porch I think needs a wreath on the door. I found this live autumn pumpkin wreath on Pottery Barn. I just love the fragrant aroma of okra pods, preserved fall leaves and marigolds emanating from this wreath! And I planted white fall mums in my favorite blue and white planters from Williams Sonoma. We went to our local garden center to get the pumpkins and cornstalks for the front porch. And the cornstalks fit perfectly in these classic white planters I picked up over the summer from Home Depot. I just love the way our front porch looks decorated for fall! Given the theme is classic, we will keep it up through Thanksgiving (provided the mums don’t die!).  

Our Entryway

The fall theme of our home continues right into the entryway. I love mixing real and faux pumpkins on our curved staircase as it is the perfect place to display them inside our home. And I added faux pomegranate branches in my large ginger jar on the entryway table. I  found these on Etsy for a very reasonable price. And they look so realistic! 

Our Kitchen Fall Decor

As I’ve said before (see here and here), the kitchen really is the heart of our home! So of course I wanted to add some fall decorations for everyone to see in the kitchen. I decided to keep the decor simple and classic, with pieces I can reuse season after season. Our white kitchen is essentially a blank slate (which is one reason why I love it!). So it is easy to decorate for fall with seasonal flowers, candles, and a few faux pumpkins. 

My Favorite Fall-Themed Accessories 

On the island I always keep fresh flowers in this farmhouse pitcher vase from Ikea. Every week I pick up a new bouquet, and this time I found a lovely mix of gold, green and white flowers for the vase. This Voluspa Baltic Amber candle has the most lovely amber scent that reminds me of fall. And these felted faux pumpkins are perfect for this fall-themed display. 

This Mrs. Meyers limited edition Apple Cider scented hand soap will definitely put you in the mood for some cider and donuts! And this pumpkin clove candle has such an amazing scent, that you won’t mind washing dishes while it is lit! Even though you might think of displaying cinnamon sticks for the winter holidays, they also are nice to have around for fall decorations too! 

Fall-themed wreaths are not just for your front door! I found this simple yet striking faux Chinese Lantern wreath at Magnolia Market. I looked at other but decided on this one as it just looks so realistic (this one is also a nice option). And this Mackenzie-Childs pumpkin themed dish towel is perfect for displaying on the oven. 

And speaking of MacKenzie-Childs, this Courtly Check casserole dish is perfect for cooking your favorite fall-themed dishes!

You can never have too many candles, and this Hearth and Hand with Magnolia candle smells so amazing! 

Just off the kitchen is our sunroom. This is my favorite place to sit and curl up and read a book. And it is so nice to cuddle up with this reversible Glen Plaid/houndstooth throw on a chilly fall day! And fresh fall-themed flowers from Trader Joes in this simple white vase brighten up the whole room. 

I decided to keep the kitchen table decorations simple, as we use the table so much. Fresh mini pumpkins and gourds in this simple farmhouse peasant bowl are on display for enjoyment at breakfast and dinner. 

Our-Fall Themed Living Room

I just posted about our living room makeover last week. With all the neutral pieces in the room, it is easy to add a few fall decorations to really make the space stand out for the fall-season. The mantle is the natural place to add fall decorations, as it is set up to display things. I added these realistic-looking faux autumn berry branches to the existing vases on the mantle. They actually accent the painting we have displayed really nicely! And fragrant pumpkin spice pillar candles on display tie in so well with the natural gourds on the mantle. 

I got the cutest idea to display white faux pumpkins in a wire basket on Pinterest.  And they look so nice with the Serena and Lily throw we just added to the living room. 

With just a few simple changes to the coffee table display, it definitely feels like fall in the living room! I added some gourds to a fall-themed platter I had (similar here). In this floral terra-cotta vase I added a mixture of faux hops and real flowers to add some color to the table. In my Serena and Lily white rattan candlesticks, I placed the same pumpkin spice pillar candles that are on the mantle. 

The Best Pumpkin Bread Recipe

As I said before, I just love baking fall breads and pies! And during fall, anything pumpkin is a hit around our home. So for today’s post I decided to share our favorite pumpkin bread recipe. This one is easy to make, and is so moist, flavorful and delicious! The batter makes enough for a small loaf, as well as a dozen cupcakes too. And this bread tastes even better the next day (if it lasts that long!).

Apron | Oven Mitts

This recipe is a simple mix of sugar, flour, oil/applesauce, eggs along with some pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves to give it the best pumpkin flavor. The key to making this is to use a smaller loaf pan, as if you use a larger one it will take longer to cook and the top can easily become burned. To make it even easier to make, I first combine all my dry ingredients, and then mix together with the wet ingredients with a simple hand mixer. 

This recipe is so simple and easy to put together! You can throw together the batter in about 10 minutes. It does require about 50 minutes of baking, depending on your oven. Keep checking with a wooden stick until it comes out clean to make sure it is done. And nothing beats the smell of fresh pumpkin bread straight out of the oven!

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I hope today’s post has given you lots of fall inspiration. And if you decide to make this pumpkin bread recipe, I’d love to hear what you think of it in the comments!

xo | April

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