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  4. 18 Incredible Ways to Decorate with Pumpkins This Fall

18 Incredible Ways to Decorate with Pumpkins This Fall

Mary Shannon Hodes, Associate Digital Editor at Southern Living
By Mary Shannon Wells Updated September 29, 2021
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Fall Pumpkin Tableau
Credit: Laurey W. Glenn; Styling: Buffy Hargett Miller

There are so many reasons we can't wait for pumpkins to come back around every fall — cooking with them, picking them out, carving them and of course, decorating with them. These incredible ideas for decorating with pumpkins this fall are so much more fun than your typical Jack-O-Lantern or plain orange pumpkin arrangement. We've got pumpkin decorating ideas for your indoor and outdoor spaces. Check out these ways to decorate with pumpkins this fall for fresh ideas that go past Halloween pumpkins (but these ideas can be carried into Halloween, no worries).

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Make A Bountiful Centerpiece

Fall Pumpkin Centerpiece
Credit: Laurey W. Glenn; Styling: Buffy Hargett Miller

Take a round or oval container, and fill it with potting soil. Plant a mix of succulents (such as echeverias) toward the center of the bowl, leaving plenty of room around the edges. Nestle small orange and white pumpkins into the soil. Add seasonal vegetables like kale, radishes, and eggplants. Use bundles of fresh herbs (such as rosemary and sage) to fill in any gaps.

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Add Some Antlers

Antler and Pumpkin Display
Credit: Helen Norman; Styling: James Farmer

Many Southerners spend the majority of their fall at the hunting camp, so incorporate that into your fall decorating! Add some antlers to any pumpkin centerpiece or arrangement for a rustic vibe.

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Milk Glass Pumpkins

Milk Glass Pumpkins
Credit: Hector Manuel Sanchez; Styling: Buffy Hargett Miller

Copy your grandmother's milk glass with this adorable pumpkin project that will look cute anytime this fall, anywhere in the house. Using puffy paint and spray paint, create your own design on each pumpkin.

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Use Them As Votives

Pumpkin Votive Float
Credit: Laurey W. Glenn; Styling: Buffy Hargett Miller

Use a craft knife to trace circles a little larger than the bottom of a tea light into the orange mini pumpkins. Cut and carve out the circles to allow a candle to fit inside comfortably. Insert tea lights. Float pumpkin votives as well as whole pumpkins in water, or scatter around to create a fall glow.

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Paint Them Up

Metallic Painted Pumpkins
Credit: Southern Living

Group painted pumpkins by the fireplace for some added shimmer. We used black and gold paint for our grouping, but any complimentary colors will work.

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Create A Topiary

White Pumpkin Topiary
Credit: Laurey W. Glenn; Styling: Buffy Hargett Miller

Start with three bowls of graduated sizes. Place wet florist foam in each bowl, and trim, as necessary, so the top of the foam is even with the top of each bowl. Stack the bowls with the largest on the bottom. Using florist picks, secure white pumpkins and artichokes in an asymmetrical arrangement to the foam of each level. Take a mix of fresh herb and pepper plants out of their pots, and wrap in plastic bags so they can be replanted later. Attach berries (we used brunia) to florist picks. Working one side at a time, use herbs, peppers, and berries to fill in the spaces between the pumpkins and the artichokes

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Street Number Pumpkins

Assemble a Personal Pumpkin Patch
Credit: Helen Norman

Announce your address in style by cleverly etching your house number (or your initials or name) into a pumpkin. Using pumpkin-carving tools, etch out the numbers by removing layers of the pumpkin, being sure not to cut all the way through the shell. Rub the design with petroleum jelly to seal the cut skin and keep the design looking fresh.

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Get Out the Good Silver

Pumpkin and Silver Cup Arrangement
Credit: Laurey W. Glenn; Styling: Lydia Purcell

You might not be sipping mint juleps this fall, but you can use the silver cups for cute flower and pumpkin arrangements. Make larger centerpieces with bigger pieces of silver like urns and serving bowls.

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Create A Warm Welcome

Fall Pumpkin Tableau
Credit: Laurey W. Glenn; Styling: Buffy Hargett Miller

Pick a few branches of colorful fall leaves, and arrange simply in a tall glass vase filled with water. From this bold focal point, build out the rest of your tabletop display. Gather an array of seasonal gourds in a mix of colors, sizes, and textures for variety. Stack flat gourds of graduated sizes, and top with a large glass cloche (available at crafts stores or online). Fill another smaller glass cloche with bleached pinecones, and invert; we used it to top one of our flatter pumpkins, but feel free to improvise. Add a potted plant (we used a small olive tree) to the arrangement for texture. Place small gourds around the larger items, and scatter more bright fall leaves along the table.

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Tack Pumpkins

Tack Pumpkins
Credit: Helen Norman

Upholstery tacks easily give a graphic look to plain white pumpkins. Mix up the sizes and shapes of the tacks to create different patterns. Also try creating numbers or your monogram.

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Hang a Pumpkin Wreath

Pumpkin and Gourd Wreath
Credit: Helen Norman; Styling: P. Allen Smith

Why not hang up your pumpkins this year? Small pumpkins and gourds adorn this wreath form. Fill in the holes with moss and hang with a burlap ribbon.

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Decorate Your Mantel

Fall Pumpkin Mantel Display
Credit: Laurey W. Glenn; Styling: Buffy Hargett Miller

Wrap twine several times around votive holders and colorful fall leaves, and then secure with a knot. To construct different heights, top the votives with varying numbers of small white pumpkins. Add a touch more autumn dazzle to your display with this simple addition: Gather an assortment of colorful fall leaves, and use wire to fasten them to a length of rope to form a beautiful seasonal garland. Using temporary adhesive hooks, attach the garland to your mantel.

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Adorn Them with Florals

Pretty Pumpkins
Credit: Helen Norman

Festive party decorations, these flower/pumpkin combinations add a happy touch on the table. Poke a hole in the pumpkin using the awl. Cut a stem from the mum plant, and place in the hole. Repeat until you've covered the pumpkin. To help extend its life, keep it in the refrigerator until party time.

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Stack Them Up

Pumpkin Topiary with Moss
Credit: Hector Manuel Sanchez; Styling: Rebecca Bull Reed

Inside or out, a stack of pumpkins will always impress. We grouped three pumpkins of descending sizes on top of each other in an urn. We then filled the gaps with moss. 

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Light the Way

Stacked Pumpkin Hurricane
Credit: Van Chaplin

Cinderella pumpkins make a great base for hurricanes. Cut out space in your pumpkin in to place a glass hurricane and stick in your candle. Stack up the pumpkins at varying heights to create more interest down your path.

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Go Neutral

Neutral Pumpkin Mantel Decor
Credit: Van Chaplin

If you're afraid of bright orange colors disturbing your design style, pick out neutral pumpkins. This mantle is layered with white and pale green pumpkins and gourds. 

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Go For Gold

Golden Gourds
Credit: Alison Miksch

This luxe look begins with paint. Start by spray-painting a small pumpkin gold and a larger pumpkin a creamy shade of white. For a more formal and dramatic effect, apply gold leaf to a larger pumpkin. To create a seasonal arrangement for a sideboard, add nandina berries to the tops of both pumpkins and surround the duo with pinecones that are spray-painted gold.

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Don't Forget the Mumkin

Mumkin
Credit: Hector Sanchez

It is a classic for a reason. Easy and perfectly on season.

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    1 of 18 Make A Bountiful Centerpiece
    2 of 18 Add Some Antlers
    3 of 18 Milk Glass Pumpkins
    4 of 18 Use Them As Votives
    5 of 18 Paint Them Up
    6 of 18 Create A Topiary
    7 of 18 Street Number Pumpkins
    8 of 18 Get Out the Good Silver
    9 of 18 Create A Warm Welcome
    10 of 18 Tack Pumpkins
    11 of 18 Hang a Pumpkin Wreath
    12 of 18 Decorate Your Mantel
    13 of 18 Adorn Them with Florals
    14 of 18 Stack Them Up
    15 of 18 Light the Way
    16 of 18 Go Neutral
    17 of 18 Go For Gold
    18 of 18 Don't Forget the Mumkin

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