November Decor: Cherishing the Time Between Holidays

November is a month that, unfortunately, gets overlooked much of the time. It’s not November’s fault that comes between fall enthusiasm/Halloween and all the end-of-year holidays. November gets the short end of the stick if you ask me; it’s a short month, it’s a dark month, and today, you’d almost think it has nothing to offer except a long runway up to Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and New Year’s Eve.

Well, let me say this: there’s beauty to November, and there’s value in not rushing one holiday to the next. We need to celebrate the seasons’ decor fully, not just the holidays within them. In this piece, I’ll provide some November decor ideas and some opinions on how to savor the month for what it is and not rush through it for what it isn’t!

November Decor – Letting Go of the Outdoor Spaces

November is a month that marks the transition from the vibrant colors of peak autumn to the cozy embrace of early winter. It’s when nature puts on its final display of colorful foliage before the first snowflakes have a chance of falling. Rushing through November in a quest to decorate for the holidays is to miss out on a season filled with its own aesthetic pleasures.

The biggest transition for November, regarding lifestyle and decor, is the transition from outdoor to indoor spaces. Sure, you can have the occasional pleasant afternoon outside in November or a fun night by the fire pit, but gone are the days of hosting afternoon luncheons or basking in the sunlight of the patio. But, instead of lamenting the move indoors, I say embrace it! Take the energy and inspiration that went into making the outdoor spaces so inviting and move it indoors! Make November the first month of dedicated coziness, warmth, and indoor pleasures. 

November Decor and November Colors

As I’ve mentioned in an accompanying blog, November’s colors are all about earthy, natural shades. Think deep greens, muted oranges, rich browns, harvest wheat pale yellows, and cool grays. Use these colors as a foundation for migration inside. We want to mirror the warm embrace of the late-autumnal landscape but indoors, creating something inviting/welcoming and a bit nostalgic. If done correctly, your spaces will feel in sync with the beautiful, albeit fleeing, colors of the natural world, as if your outdoor spaces moved inside to be warm by the fire. 

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Working From the Outside In

I like to start decorating for November from the outside in; what do I mean by that? I start with my front steps and front door! Thematically, I want to weave a story that tells the tale of autumn crawling up my steps and making a cozy retreat inside my home, and that all starts with the front porch and door. No, twinkling lights and inflatable reindeer are not a part of this November decor story!

If you’re good with crafts and DIY projects, spend a November afternoon weaving together an autumnal wreath adorned with all of the colors of fall. For me, November is a month to use golden stalks of wheat, light woods, and pale moss from around your nearest wooded area. These earthy tones work wonderfully as front-door decor, especially when contrasted with a deep, bold, primary color, such as cranberry red or royal navy blue-painted door. 

Of course, I don’t disregard my pumpkins just because Spooky Season is officially over, well, at least the ones that aren’t carved! Use your leftover October pumpkins of all shapes and sizes and let them be little gatekeepers, highlighting the pathways into your home! 

November is really the last time to use autumnal wildflowers before they disappear for another year, so grab as many as you can and arrange them in outdoor vases, old mason jars, or disregarded aluminum cans, flanking both sides of your front steps and doorway.

November Decor – Create Intimate Areas in the Home

I’d like homeowners to take the energy and focus they apply to outdoor spaces and use that enthusiasm to set up their November decor. We want to create spaces rich with warm color, texture, and aromas – places where the guests will come and have a hard time leaving the comfort of the space! 

Here are some go-to design suggestions for embracing November to its fullest:

• Use warm lighting 

With the retreat to indoor coziness comes the need for warmer lighting. Whether you prefer candlelight, old retro Edison bulbs, or an advanced color-changing lighting system, make sure you’re operating on the warmer end of the light spectrum. It helps create a warm, inviting, and soothing atmosphere that whiter/brighter lighting cannot. 

• Bring in the wildflowers

As mentioned above, November contains the last days of the year to harvest wildflowers and scatter them throughout your home inventively. We do this so routinely in the spring, but we forget there’s beautiful flora to behold in the mid-late fall! We can add inspiration to our home through the floral colors of the season!

• Go vintage with the accent pieces

I love bringing out cool, retro accent decor for November. There’s something inherently old-tyme and nostalgic about November, so using accent items that exemplify that works beautifully with the warmer color pallets. If you have vintage metal wind-up toys, model airplanes, book sets, vinyl records, stereo equipment, or even whiskey decanter sets, break them out and make them accent pieces on your cabinets, end tables, and kitchen islands!

• Stick with the earth tones

November is not a time for eclectic, loud colors or easy, breezy summer pastels; November is a time to embrace rich earth tones in all their glory! Keep the rich earth tones ready and layer in lighter, creamier whites and beiges to compliment them. Keep the rich warmth all around you and yours. 

Are you looking for a unique approach to this time of year? Explore the color themes in the Color911 app to see how various fall colors, from greens to golds to rusts and browns, can be used together in new ways.

Don’t Wish November Away

My point with this piece is that November is not a month without character to be cast aside and swept under the rug to make way for a holiday-filled December. Embrace November decor and colors, and don’t wish the time away. There’s so much to enjoy! 

If you’re in need of some color inspiration and would like to view some lovely November-appropriate color palettes, check out my helpful Color911 color app. You might find a whole new approach to your fall decor!