The arrival of autumn is the moment of the year when we love to snuggle into feeling cozy and grounded. October is our favorite month for stunning fall foliage—simply peak perfection! Crisp, cooler days make for sweater weather and get us in the mood for making and sharing warm treats!
But October is more than just a new month, it is a turning of seasons that marks a shift in our mindset from the carefree spontaneity of summer to embracing warmth, shelter, traditions, and connection. We look for inspiration in our fall family favorites and seasonal rituals—above all, enjoying time to slow down and savor the simple pleasures of autumn in nature and share moments of joy with our loved ones.
Renew with Fresh Fall Energy
Autumn Style Edit — A change in seasons is the ideal time to edit our personal style and home spaces, and this year we’re all about effortless classics. We have found that styling, both for the home and for ourselves, starts with foundational basics. Once we achieve this, then adding in a little bit of trendy or seasonal colors gives us that updated, fresh feel we strive for. Paring down is the way to go, focusing on timeless pieces that are versatile and a snap to accessorize with layers, jewelry, or a pop of color with a jacket, scarf, or bag.
So if you're craving a fall refresh, but don’t quite know where to start—think basics. Remove clutter or anything you don’t like in the home space you'd like to update. Donating what no longer serves you is a great way to reuse or repurpose. From here, take inventory of what you have—sometimes just moving pieces from one space to another can breathe new life into a space. It’s amazing how good it feels to start from a clean, edited space—and how it brings renewed energy.
Next, look at things that can easily be rejuvenated. This might include fresh paint, replacing area rugs, updating artwork, or adding a mirror—all of the above are relatively simple things to do that can make a big impact on your living space.
The same approach works wonders for organizing our closets for fall. Is there anything you don’t like but maybe haven’t admitted it to yourself, anything you haven’t worn in 12 months or more? It’s amazing how good it feels to be honest with ourselves and pull such items from our closets. After you’ve weeded out what you don’t like and don’t wear, try organizing your closet by color, one of our favorite tricks for updating a wardrobe space. Not only is the result pleasing to the eye, but it makes it much easier to find what you’re looking for and to keep an inventory of what you have. Finding simplicity through organizing, removing clutter, and going back to basics gives us a clean slate and a feeling of fall refresh we know you’re going to love.
We’re Feeling like Fall Plans
October Outings — Leaf peeping, apple picking, autumn picnics, pumpkin carving, hay rides… These are just a few of the many occasions that let us enjoy this picturesque season to its fullest. Gather your family and friends and get out into the great outdoors! We especially love nature hikes in the beautiful fall foliage. If you like expressing yourself through photography, there’s no better season for capturing magic moments with loved ones in a stunning setting.
Starry fireside nights — This month gives us shorter days and longer nights, and on October 28th the Hunter’s Moon will brighten our sky. So let’s bundle up and celebrate with an outdoor fireside cocktail gathering or dinner with friends. Spruce up your outdoor space by adding elements of warmth and comfort. Place fall plantings in your containers and scatter soft, textured blankets around your fireplace or patio, hang string lights, and put lanterns and fall-scented candles in place. Outdoor heaters are also a great idea if you’d like to extend your outdoor gathering time for weeks to come. Greet your guests with an autumn-inspired cocktail (see our epicure for the Gold Rush or Apple Cider Mimosa recipes). Warm, festive beverages and a seasonal grazing or charcuterie board will certainly be a welcome treat! Remember, keep plans simple so the focus is sharing time and connection with friends and family.
Game Day — It’s football season! Even if you’re not a devotee of the game, it’s a great excuse to host a tailgate party. If you’ve got student athletes away at school, plan a soirée to go celebrate a home game with them. It’s also a great occasion to host a game-day gathering at home. Set the stage for your most-anticipated weekend game by preparing some sweet and savory snacks and planning a picnic-style tailgate party.
Halloween — Whether or not you love Halloween parties or have children who trick or treat, the evening presents an opportunity for a casual, fall-inspired gathering with neighbors, family, and friends. Warm cider, homemade pizzas, and some spirited snacks are all we need to bid a festive farewell to the month of October. Visit our epicure for recipe inspiration.
Keep Wellness on your Fall Agenda
Make it a restful night — Over the past few months we’ve been highlighting the importance of maintaining balance and living a healthy lifestyle as it relates to longevity. Getting a good night’s sleep is especially important and goes a long way to enjoying a better, more energized day. Adequate sleep enhances quality of life and may even increase life expectancy, too!
Do you ever toss and turn? Stay up too late with a good movie or book and feel way too groggy in the morning? Wake for no reason and stress out about falling back asleep? We sure do! So we’ve decided to look at our sleep schedule as an opportunity to inspire better, more restful habits. Here’s what we found.
First, create a sleep routine. Set a pattern so your body and mind know when it’s time to unplug. As you know if you’ve been following us for very long, lavender is one of our favorite plants. We love it for its relaxing properties, and it’s an amazing sleep aid. Use lavender essential oil in a diffuser, or add a few drops to a warm bath or a candle in your bedroom. (If lavender doesn’t work for you choose a calming scent you love). Next, make a soothing herbal infusion (avoid caffeinated teas near bedtime, for best results). Calming music and soft lighting are also helpful to promote relaxation. If reading or journaling helps you unwind, this quiet time is ideal. Try to avoid using your laptop, tablet, or phone, since the blue light from our screens sends signals to the brain that it’s time to be awake. Finding ways to quiet our minds is an integral part of a restful night. If you lie awake or wake up thinking of something you have to do, try keeping a small notebook next to your bed and simply jot down those thoughts. Putting them to rest this way can let you get to sleep.
Also, think about texture sensations. Wear soft, comfortable loungewear and layer soft, breathable linens on your bed. Body temperature tends to fluctuate during sleep, so be mindful of layers—make sure they can be easily added or removed. Finally, we find it helpful to keep a small tray on a nightstand or bedside table with a few sleep essentials: a small pitcher of water with a glass, a soothing scented hand cream and/or foot lotion, lip balm, and a simple bud vase with a flower (a little plj TLC for yourself 🤍).
Design Notes
Make arrangements with a fall foliage vibe — Add brightness to your outdoor greenery with vibrant chrysanthemums, sedum, and a variety of wispy wheat grasses. Mini pumpkins and gourds bring a seasonal accent to window boxes and outdoor planters. Fill your vases with combinations of dahlias, ranunculus, hydrangeas, alstroemeria, sunflowers, delphinium, and a variety of textured and ornamental greens and branches. Try adding woven containers or a new vessel for your flowers. Sometimes the simplest change can create an entirely new look for your blooming arrangements.
Set a harvest table — Layering is key to designing a table—once you set the table basics, it's a matter of personal style in editing the details in your table design. Start with a linen or cotton tablecloth in neutral hues and layer with textured napkins and accessories like charger plates. Add interest by incorporating glassware, plates, and serving ware in various neutral hues or textures—olive wood or woven elements work well here. Bring in elements of nature (look to your outdoor space for inspiration). Branches, greens, leaves, autumn blooms, wheat sheaves, and various pumpkins and gourds all bring a seasonal flare to your design. Use candles to create a warm, cozy ambience. Shop our home collection for inspiration— relaxed linen and cotton napkins, olive wood tapas boards and napkin rings, along with woven accessories and to add texture and compliment all your fall entertaining plans.
Holiday Ready? — Although it seems like summer was just yesterday, it’s not too early to start getting your home ready for the holidays. Taking a little time now to organize plans for holiday home design and gatherings will go a long way to allowing you to relax and relish the holiday spirit when the bustle of the holiday season is upon us. As you edit your home for fall, try to envision how you can adapt your design for the holidays with simple edits or a layer of holiday cheer. Less is definitely more here and we find that using natural elements—like greenery and branches along with a neutral color base for your tables and home decor—makes it much easier to streamline the holiday transition. Looking for inspiration with holiday planning? At partager la joie we’re here to help guide you along the way. Let us inspire you to design a gathering that suits and showcases your style! Learn more about our Inspiration Workshops.
Calm and Collected
Seasonal scents inspire our home collection—candles with fragrances like Winter Woods, Fireside, Lavender and Juniper, and Cedar and Amber are perfect fall mood-setters! And our wellness essentials, including our Signature Hand Cream and Calm and Relax bath and body salts and oils, are just what you need to round out that mood. Cozy berber fleece loungewear in various styles, super-soft Italian herringbone blankets and woven and olive wood table accents add warm and cozy to our style and home. Plus we’ve got you covered with market totes, super soft travel accessories and adorable wool bags and pouches—the perfect gift to slip into your purse or carry-on this season.
Gather and Graze
One of our favorite things about this changing of the seasons is the opportunity to infuse some coziness into our menus. Fall baking and warm beverages make their autumn debut. Comfort food can be both healthy and hearty when you team up with autumnal allies like pumpkin, fall squash, and apples! Have a fall favorite you’d like to share with us? Tag us in your recipe post on IG—we’d love to hear from you and share the joy of foodie goodness with our readers!
Epicure
Here are some of our autumn favorites:
Cinnamon Rolls
Brown Butter Pumpkin Seed Granola
Spiced Almond Milk Steamer
Coconut Curry Butternut Squash Soup
Kale, Brussel Sprout, and Apple Salad
Autumn Roasted Vegetables
Personalized Pizzas
Pasta e Fagioli
Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Pumpkin Mac & Cheese
Autumn Apple Cake
Apple Cider Mimosa
Gold Rush Cocktail
What We Love Most About October
As the seasons turn, we can’t get enough of that cozy, contented, restful feeling of being home. We’re taking comfort in the mindset that who we are is enough and that what’s important is the time we spend with the people we care about most. And the temperatures couldn’t be more perfect for our mood—beautiful sunny days and cool evenings.
We’re focusing our intentions on the simplicity of joy in our everyday moments and gratitude this season. Remember these words: the more we are grateful, the more we have to be grateful for. This really hits home this time of year and harvest season reminds us that gratitude is about recognizing and celebrating the abundance in our lives—not only an abundance of wonderful food and nature’s beauty, but an abundance of love and connections in our families and communities.
Look back on everything you’ve already done this year with a deep breath of satisfaction. Sweeten and spice up the season by turning your gratitude into kindness and sharing all the goodness and joy that autumn has to offer.
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