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There are so many fun ways to decorate with pumpkins and I’m sharing 3 of my favorite ways for the season. Quick and easy, as well as budget-friendly!

Someone really needs to save me from myself during pumpkin season.  Or not!  First of all, it’s so fun to decorate with pumpkins.  Secondly, decorating with pumpkins is such an easy way to make our home look festive and pretty for the fall season!

I mean, I’m not sad about all the pumpkins that have made their way into our house so far.  They literally just hop into my shopping cart at Trader Joe’s every time I go.  What’s a girl to do?!

At the same time, all the pumpkin flavored goodies are making everyone in my house smile this season!!

Does Trader Joe’s have pumpkins?

Yes!  Yes they do and it’s our first stop in the fall season for all things pumpkin!  My favorites are the pumpkin cheesecake, pumpkin spice yogurt cookies, pumpkin biscotti, pumpkin Oreos, pumpkin bread, pumpkin pancake mix...you get the idea!

Funny thing is, I am not a huge fan of the pumpkin flavors in the spring or summer.  It’s just something about fall that just makes them so perfect.

Our whole family gets excited about pumpkin season at Trader Joe’s.  Even though it’s a little drive from us, it is worth going and stocking up for the season!

Actually, I guess that’s one reason that I think of fall decor as a “feeling”.  How else could we even pretend to have fall in Florida if we didn’t approach it as a feeling instead of the weather?!

It is still way too hot here but we do our best to make it feel as much like fall as we can!

While you’re never going to find my front porch piled with fresh pumpkins or pretty fall-colored leaves crunching under your feet in my yard, we work extra hard to bring the fall feeling indoors anyway!

Can I decorate with real pumpkins inside?

I have some favorite “go-to” decorating tips that I use when decorating inside with pumpkins.  We have to bring them indoors because it’s just too hot for them.  Real pumpkins rot in a hot minute down here!

Disclaimer: They aren’t fancy or over-the-top.  These are just quick, simple ways to tuck fresh pumpkins around my house without my husband realizing I got another one at the grocery store.  Ha!

(Come on, you do the same thing, right?  There’s no way I’m alone in this!)

How do you prepare a pumpkin for decorations?

Now that we got the pumpkins, there is a little prep work to do before decorating inside with them.  Since pumpkins aren’t necessarily really cheap, I want to make them last as long as I can in the season.

First of all, we wash our pumpkins carefully with soap and water when we get them home.  A big pumpkin bath looks cute and makes for a fun picture too!

Next, we soak them in bleach water.

Lastly, we spray them with a matte clear poly spray to seal them.

These steps help preserve them until Thanksgiving and sometimes longer!

Now, our pumpkins are finally ready to decorate!

Let’s get to decorating with pumpkins and bringing in all the fall feelings into our homes!

Three Easy Ways to Decorate with Pumpkins Inside

Quick and easy ways to decorate pumpkins that will make everyone think you spent a long time on your decor!

What do you need to decorate with pumpkins?

The common theme between all of my favorite ways to decorate with pumpkins is using vintage vessels!  I love investing in beautiful, vintage pieces that I can use for everything from serving food to holding plants.  These pieces can also be used for styling with fresh flowers or candles to decorating with pumpkins, like we are going to do today!

Investing in pieces that you love and can be used year round can really be a way to save storage space.  You don’t need to have nearly as many decorations when you are reusing your favorites throughout your home all year long.  Plus, you can switch them between rooms and mix and match pieces to refresh a space.

Secondly, investing in great pieces saves money over the long term.  I find that I do not buy nearly as much “stuff” as I used to,  Due to investing in pieces that I can use all year long, as well as pieces that I really love, helps me to spend less money in the long run.

Over on this post and this post , I shared a lot of tips about how to hunt for vintage items.

How to Decorate with a Pumpkin Stack

What’s better than one pumpkin?  A stack, of course!

Pumpkin stacks are quick and easy ways to add height to a vignette or create a statement pieces.  Sometimes I simply stack the pumpkins.  

Decorating doesn’t always have to be a complex process and often, the most beautiful styling is also the most simple.  Don’t overthink it when it comes to decorating with pumpkins for the fall season!

How can you decorate pumpkins?

However, even though I love simple, I also love to add a fun accent.  My favorite way to decorate with pumpkins in a stack is to add some fresh greenery, corn husks, or dried branches.

Since I don’t live near any corn fields, I have to get a little creative!  I was looking out my window one day, trying to think of some fall decorating ideas.  All of a sudden, I realized that the dead banana branch, hanging straight down from my tree, had a bit of a resemblance to a corn stalk!

Then, I also added them between the pumpkins on my pumpkin stack and I actually love it!  Adding these free little dried leaves gave my pumpkin stack a lot of texture.  It is also a little unique and I love how the natural colors also give that fall feeling.

What can I use to decorate a pumpkin?

Here’s how you can decorate with pumpkins and get this look:

• Start with a base.  I used a vintage bread board and it makes it easy to scoot the pumpkin stack around on the table.
• Secondly, add your largest pumpkin.  I like to use a mix of fall colors.  It helps to find a pumpkin that has a short stem!
• Next, add a couple of stems of your cornstalk or husks, going in two opposite directions.

• Fourth, add the middle pumpkin.  (Preferably, I have 3 sizes of pumpkins.  I am still looking for the perfect “small” pumpkin for the top!)
• Then, add a couple more stems of your cornstalk, going in different directions than the bottom ones.

• Lastly, add the top pumpkin!  I try to find one for the top that has a pretty stem. However, sometimes, I just have to go with what I can find!

At the same time, these dried stems would be beautiful!  These also have a great look, too!

Don’t forget, you can also cut branches from your yard for another free decor option!

Where should you style a pumpkin stack?

I like to set a pumpkin stack in the middle of my kitchen island, off-centered on a console table, or as a centerpiece on my table!  If you need more height, you can also build a pumpkin stack on top of a large planter or urn to create a topiary-style look!

Easiest Way EVER to Decorate with Pumpkins

How do you decorate a large pumpkin?

(This is seriously the easiest thing, but it is my very favorite!)

You can use a variety of things for this styling:

• Ironstone pot (here, here, and here)
• Soup tureen (here or here)
• Vintage French tian bowl (here or here)
• Vintage European zinc bucket (here)
• Any kind of round bowl, dish, or planter that you already have in your collection!

How do you decorate with pumpkins in a large bowl?

My vintage French tian bowl is one of my favorite pieces and definitely a favorite thing to use when I decorate with pumpkins!  The old terra cotta patina is a perfect mix with my pumpkins.

I was really lucky to find this one for a great deal.  However, they can be pretty pricey.  At the same time, they are unique pieces that will add charm to your home decor year-round for many seasons to come!

Step one to decorate with pumpkins:

Place a favorite fall wreath at the top of your bowl.  The tian bowl works so well for this because of the wide mouth.  A pretty piece of pottery or crockery bowl could work great too!

I also love this wreath and it would be so pretty with the pumpkin and bowl to add a splash of fall color.  Also, the leaves spread out nicely, which works great under the weight of the pumpkin.

Tip: Measure your wreath and bowl to make sure you have a pair that will work together.  Meaning, your wreath is big enough for your bowl!

Step two to decorate with pumpkins:

Next, simply place your pumpkin on the top!  

Tip: I like to tilt it just a little for more dimension.

This makes the perfect centerpiece for a dining table or console table.  I styled mine on the little vintage French champagne crate that we use for a coffee table in the music room!

How to Create a Pumpkin Vignette

The fun part about this idea is that your pumpkin vignette will look totally different than mine!

What can I do with uncarved pumpkins?

First, you need to gather three different bowls/dishes/planters.  You want three different widths and preferably a little different heights too.  While you’re at it, grab a big, vintage bread board for the base!

Here are the pieces I used:

• A tarnished silver pedestal fruit dish that I found on a thrifting trip
• An ironstone soup tureen
• A mini ironstone bowl from an antique mall.

How can I decorate for fall cheap?

After gathering some possible vessels for my centerpiece, I foraged some little clips of dead branches and leaves from around my yard.  To use what I already had, I also mixed in some faux greenery that I’ve had for many years.  I like using a mixture of faux and real for this so that there is more variation in the overall arrangement.

Then, I put 2-3 clippings in each vessel, making sure they point out different directions.  It helps to make sure you view this from both the side and the top as you’re working!

How do you decorate fake pumpkins?

Lastly, simply add your pumpkins.  This is a great option for mix and matching realistic faux pumpkins and fresh pumpkins too.  You could do all white for a really clean, neutral look.  However, I went with a touch of color and mixed in some of these heirloom pumpkins to add a touch of fall color.

I used a mini faux pumpkin in my smallest bowl.  Consider this “permission granted” to mix your faux and fresh pumpkins!  This arrangement would also look great with all faux pumpkins, especially if you want it to be sure and last the whole season.

How do you make faux pumpkins look real?

There are a lot of great DIY ideas out there.  However, the best tip I have is to invest in realistic ones.  There are a lot of pretty pumpkin DIY ideas but I haven’t seen a lot that take a really cheap pumpkin and make it actually look super realistic.

When I use faux pumpkins, I like to get ones that are as realistic as possible.  That usually means spending more.  However, considering you can use them for many years, I consider it a good investment!

Here are some great faux pumpkin options:

• Add this tall, light orange pumpkin.
• Try this wide orange pumpkin would be perfect in a pumpkin stack or on a tian bowl.
• For a smaller option, this round sage green pumpkin would be great.
• I love the irregular shape of this green pumpkin!
• This white faux pumpkin is huge and soooo fabulous!

For even more ideas, you could also mix pumpkins and dried gourds in an arrangement like this for even more texture and interest!  This huge gourd  would be so pretty mixed with pumpkins!

Are you ready to decorate with your pumpkins?

I hope this gives you some fun ways to look around your home or thrift for some fun vessels, grab another pumpkin at the grocery store, clip some stems from your yard, and get to styling!  

I’d love for you to share your finished pumpkin pictures with me over on my Instagram messages too!

If you’re looking for even more ideas for styling your tables this fall, make sure to grab my e-book for only $11.95.  I shared my favorite 5 fall tablescapes, complete with planning guides and lists of everything you need!

Lastly, you can pin this Pinterest Idea Pin to your fall decorating board to remember for later too!

(As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.  Posts on Robyn’s French Nest may contain affiliate links. You can see our full disclosure details here.)