How to Design a Warm and Welcoming Fall Entryway

Welcome to a new season of fall-inspired home decor. It’s early September and I’ll share how to design a warm and welcoming fall entryway. I want an entry that welcomes friends when they visit during the autumn season. 

As the leaves begin to show off their vibrant hues and the air takes on a crisp, inviting chill, there’s no better time to infuse your home’s entrance with the spirit of the season.

After your front porch, your entryway serves as the first impression of your home. It sets the tone for what lies beyond. It’s not just a passage but a preview, a glimpse into the warmth and personality that await inside. 

If you’re coming home after a long day’s work, a well-designed fall entryway creates the perfect place to transition to a sense of relaxation. If you’re welcoming guests, the entry is your home’s calling card.

In this post, I’ll share how I combined a natural and neutral color scheme with organic elements to design a warm and welcoming fall entry. 

 Let’s begin our journey into the world of fall entryway decor ideas and transform your home’s entrance into a cozy haven this fall season.

Create an Inviting Fall Entry: Design Tips for a Cozy Season

Why is it essential to style a fall entry that’s warm and welcoming?

After your guests come through the front door, the entry is a space that offers an opportunity to convey your style and embrace the charm of the season, all while making your guests immediately feel at ease. 

Your entryway table, dresser or console table will be the place to arrange your entryway decorations.

You’ll be well on your way to creating a fall entryway that captivates the eye but also embraces all who cross its threshold.

What Sets the Tone for a Warm Entryway?

• A gentle palette of natural fall colors.
• Materials like wood, baskets, and woven textiles.
• Carefully curated accessories that exude coziness. 
• Natural elements that we find outdoors.
• Cozy textures.

This combination creates an atmosphere that instantly invites people to relax and linger, fostering a sense of comfort and connection.

What Fall Color Palette Evokes a Cozy Feeling in Your Front Entry?

Now is the perfect time to bring in the warm tones and autumnal hues we love.

• off-whites and creams
• tans, beiges, and taupes
• shades of earthy rich browns
• shades of soft mossy greens
• deep burgundy or muted reds
• shades of soft orange, rust, and terra cotta
• dusty shades of blue

What Elements Should You Use in a Fall Entry?

 A fall entry should focus on a variety of these fall decorations:

• fall foliage
• faux pumpkins covered in natural materials like yarn, twine, or rope
• fall stems or branches
• pine cones
• acorns
• twig wreath 
• seasonal flowers, either fresh or faux
• wheat sheaves 
• pampas grass
• reclaimed wood
• woven or wicker basket
• runner or throw
• vases or containers
• whimsical or vintage items

Incorporate natural materials like reclaimed wood, rustic wicker, and soft, plush textiles for an added touch of warmth. By weaving in elements from the outdoors, such as dried leaves, pinecones, and seasonal flowers, you can infuse your entryway with the magic of the season.

There are plenty of ways to mix and match the items in this list.

What is My Vision for This Fall Entry?

What items did I plan to use in our fall entry this year:

• a faux tree in a woven basket
• soft, natural colors in whites, creams, taupe
• a woven textural runner in cream and taupe 
• natural elements, like wood, baskets, things I found outdoors
• a new DIY twig wreath with paper leaves
• a wheat arrangement
• a cute twig hedgehog
• a little twig chair
• a galvanized tray with rope handles

Styling our Fall Entry

Come with me as I show you how to design a warm and welcoming fall entry. The scene was our entry dresser.

The first item I used was a new woven fabric runner that I found a HomeGoods a few weeks ago. I love the texture and pattern. The price was so good that I bought the same runner in a soft blue.

I doubled the runner and laid it on our entry dresser.

Then, I filled a Target woven basket with a wheat arrangement that I’ve used several times over the years. I wrapped a piece of muslin around the wheat.

Around the wheat arrangement, I set one of my white rope pumpkins and one of my large white yarn pumpkins.

Two of my favorite little twig pieces – one a little hedgehog and the other a small twig chair – add to the natural elements and a touch of whimsy.

On the other side of the dresser, I set a galvanized tray with rope handles. On the tray, I set a glass apothecary jar. I filled it with a bag of dried poppy flowers I bought a couple of years ago, but had not used before.

I love the organic look of the dried poppies.

Around the glass vase, I filled in with leftover fabric scraps from my fabric and burlap banner. The fabric scraps provide more color variety and texture.

Next came several “pine cones” that I picked up in my neighbor’s yard while walking Nola. They have a huge magnolia tree that drops them. They are actually “fruit”.

To balance the large pumpkins on the left side of the dresser, I added a couple of DIY rope pumpkins on the right side.

For more color I added these stems that look like small orange berries.

In the center of the dresser, I set another twig element – a small planter. I filled it with a couple of faux foliage stems. They provide a bit of orange and burgundy to contrast with all the neutral colors.

Finishing the Fall Entry with a DIY Fall Wreath

The mirror above our entry dresser is almost always adorned with a seasonal wreath. It brings the eye up in the vertical space in our tall entry.

Once again, I used my favorite grapevine wreath. Because I want to reuse this wreath over and over, I don’t glue decorations to it. Usually, I stick things into it or use wired twine to attach items.

This year, I decided to use paper leaves as my decoration. I made leaves in five different shapes and colors and attached them with double-stick tape. I’ll share this DIY wreath tutorial in an upcoming post. 

I tied the wreath to the nail on the top of the mirror with a length of soft gold and white gingham ribbon.

I loved how the wreath turned out. This entryway decoration gives the entry fall vibes with color, shape, and interest.

My last step was to change the container for a faux tree from a light blue painted one to a woven basket filled with natural Spanish moss.

I bet you can take the same “ingredients” that I used and customize them to your very own fall entry. These fall decor ideas are easy to incorporate in your home. 

Another thing I love about designing this fall entry? Except for the runner and the paper I bought to make the leaf wreath, everything I used was either in my home decor accessories closet or somewhere else in our home.

Do you like learning how to design a warm and welcoming fall entry? I hope you got ideas for your own entry. Please PIN this front entry idea. See my Fall Home Decor Pinterest Board for more ideas.