Holidays & Occasions Fall 30 Best Pumpkin Decor Ideas to Try This Fall By Mary Shannon Wells Mary Shannon Wells Mary Shannon is a Digital Associate Editor and has been on the Southern Living team since 2017. She helps run the brand's social media accounts on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, and TikTok, where she's happily behind the scenes. When she's not ruffling feathers with an etiquette poll via Instagram Stories, she's writing content for the website and assisting in various print projects like gift guides and home stories.She grew up in Mobile, Alabama, which she insists is home to the country's first Mardi Gras (not New Orleans) and now lives in Birmingham with her husband and rescue pup Rocky, whose name is unrelated to The University of Tennessee (Roll Tide). Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on August 14, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: 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). 01 of 30 Create an Eye-Catching Centerpiece Robbie Caponetto; Produced and Styled by Buffy Hargett Miller This centerpiece is a lot simpler to make than it looks. All you have to do is cut the top of your pumpkin off and remove the seeds, then fill it with soil and flowers of your choosing. The bigger the pumpkin the bigger the centerpiece. Make sure to get a pumpkin with a nice-looking stem when pumpkin searching. 02 of 30 Carve Owl Pumpkins Hector Manuel Sanchez; Produced by Katie Jacobs Now, this idea truly is a hoot! Get creative with your pumpkins and create some owls. Hot glue mini pumpkins on for eyes. Use pumpkin seeds to border the eyes on another, as shown in this picture. The best part about this project is you can completely make it your own. This decor idea will have people talking (and copying this idea) all season long. 03 of 30 Use Them As Votives 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 them around to create a fall glow. 04 of 30 Light the Way 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. 05 of 30 Make A Bountiful Centerpiece 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. 06 of 30 Craft Milk Glass Pumpkins 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 design on each pumpkin. Get your faux pumpkins at your local craft store. 07 of 30 Paint Them Up 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. Vary the sizes of your pumpkins for dimension. 08 of 30 Create A Topiary 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 them 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 09 of 30 Carve Your Street Number 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. 10 of 30 Get Out the Good Silver 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. Stack pumpkins on and around your silver pieces. 11 of 30 Create A Warm Welcome Laurey W. Glenn; Styling: Buffy Hargett Miller Pick a few branches of colorful fall leaves, and arrange them 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. 12 of 30 Tack Pumpkins 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. 13 of 30 Hang a Pumpkin Wreath 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. 14 of 30 Decorate Your Mantel 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. 15 of 30 Adorn Them with Florals Helen Norman Festive party decorations, these flower/pumpkin combinations add a happy touch to the table. Poke a hole in the pumpkin using the awl. Cut a stem from the mum plant, and place it in the hole. Repeat until you've covered the pumpkin. To help extend its life, keep it in the refrigerator until party time. 16 of 30 Stack Them Up 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. 17 of 30 Go Neutral 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. 18 of 30 Go For Gold 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. 19 of 30 Don't Forget the Mumkin Hector Sanchez Cut out a hole on the top of your pumpkin, remove seeds, and fill with your mums and soil. It is a classic for a reason. Easy and perfectly on season. 20 of 30 Use Washi Tape Photo: Laurey W. Glenn Washi Tape is fairly inexpensive and is an easy, customizable way to pretty up your pumpkins. Metallic washi tape is the way to go as it will really add some shine to your pumpkins, and will certainly catch a few eyes. 21 of 30 Put Them in Your Plants Southern Living Use mini pumpkins and get out some smaller plant stands to achieve this adorable pumpkin planter look. Get your kids on all the fun by having them help carve these little pumpkins! Add little fake candles inside and use them as votives that will light up your pumpkins and plants all night long. 22 of 30 Get Out Your Paint CARSON DOWNING Painting your pumpkins will surely add a personal touch to your home's décor. If you aren't super creative or don't feel confident in your ability to paint a nice design, try using a stencil. Painted pumpkins allow you to match the design style of your home, and are a fun activity to do to get the fall season started. 23 of 30 Add Your Monogram to Your Pumpkin Paige Reaux What better way to personalize your pumpkin than adding your monogram? This is the perfect idea for someone who wants to go for a classy and elegant look for their pumpkin. You could also paint on your family's last name. This is the perfect pumpkin to place at your front door. 24 of 30 Make It into a Cooler Southern Living This is the perfect decor idea to add to your next fall backyard get-together. Imagine this at a Halloween party. Guests will be in awe of this idea and you will be getting compliments on it all night. Plus, it's super easy to put together. 25 of 30 Decoupage For Color Laurey W. Glenn; Stylist: Buffy Hargett Miller Have some of our old magazines lying around? Consider this your go-ahead to tear them up (but only after reading them of course!) To decoupage your pumpkins all you need is an adhesive meant for decoupaging like Mod Podge, any kind of paper scraps, a brush to apply the adhesive, and an eye for style. Feel free to play around with different color schemes, such as one that fits the colors of your home, when making these pumpkins. 26 of 30 Fill Urns with Mini Pumpkins Helen Norman; Styling: P. Allen Smith This is an easy way to up your curb appeal in the fall season. The wire urns here are filled with miniature pumpkins and add some fall color to the entryway. You can also fill up empty pots with pumpkins. 27 of 30 Serve Up Some Charcuterie Photo by: Helen Norman Use pumpkins of various sizes as unique serving stands for your next fall event. Choose pumpkins with flatter tops so your plates can rest on them easily, without the worry of tipping over. Remove the stems for use. 28 of 30 Create the Cutest Place Settings Laurey W. Glenn; Styling: Lindsey Ellis Beatty Gather a few mini pumpkins for the best place settings you will see all season long. Find some name cards and write your guests' names on them. Then, tie them with twine on the stem of your miniature pumpkins. Your guest will feel so welcomed and will love the personalized touch you added to their spot at the table. 29 of 30 Add Some Antlers 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. While the antlers are in an arrangement on this dining table, you can also try utilizing them on top of your mantle. 30 of 30 Let the Light in Southern Living Be a little creative with your pumpkin design this year, and create a topiary that is perfect for the front door. All you have to do is carve a few pumpkins of various sizes (with holes as seen here or with some other design of your choosing). Then you stack them in ascending order on a pot, making sure to cut a hole on the bottom of the top pumpkin, on both the top and bottom of the middle pumpkin, and on the top of the bottom pumpkin, so you can string the lights through all three. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit