How I’m Making Our Arizona Home Feel Like Fall When It’s Still 100 Degrees Outside

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The calendar says fall.

Pinterest says fall.

The stores definitely say fall.

And Arizona says:

Sit your ass back down, baby. It’s still summer. 😂

Welcome to fall in the desert.

Here’s what I’ve figured out after a few years of this: fall decorating in Arizona is its own separate skill. It has almost nothing to do with the weather and everything to do with deciding what you want your house to feel like. Honestly, living in Arizona takes some adjusting in a lot of ways, and fall decorating in Arizona is just one more of them.

While everybody else is pulling out sweaters, wrapping themselves in blankets, drinking hot cider, and posting pictures of leaves changing colors, we’re still checking the temperature before touching the steering wheel.

But here’s the thing.

I love fall.

I love the colors. I love the cozy feeling. I love pumpkins. I love candles. I love changing little things around the house when a new season rolls in.

And I’m certainly not waiting for Arizona to give me permission.

So when September and October roll around, I start creating my own version of fall.

No heavy blankets required.

Here’s how I’m bringing cozy fall vibes into our Arizona home—even when the thermometer hasn’t gotten the memo.

First, I’m Not Redecorating the Whole Damn House

Let’s establish that right now.

I’m not hauling everything into the garage and turning our house into a pumpkin patch.

I like seasonal decorating, but I also want our house to still feel like our house.

So instead of completely changing a room, I swap a few things.

A pillow cover.

A throw.

A candle.

A pumpkin.

Maybe a little something on the coffee bar.

That’s usually enough to change the mood without spending a fortune or having six storage bins of decorations to put away later.

One of the cheapest ways to change a room for fall is to keep your existing pillows and swap the covers.

Look for: terracotta, rust, olive, mustard, warm brown, cream and subtle fall patterns.

Amazon button:
SHOP FALL PILLOW COVERS

None of this is a big production. It’s part of our whole cozy home and patio makeover — the slow, one-corner-at-a-time kind, not the haul-everything-out-and-reveal-it kind.

I’m Going Boho Fall, Not Pumpkin Explosion

You already know I’m not suddenly turning beige because the season changed.

My version of fall still needs a little personality.

I like warm earthy colors that already work beautifully with boho style:

• Terracotta
• Rust
• Burnt orange
• Mustard
• Olive
• Camel
• Warm brown
• Cream
• Muted gold

Those colors feel like fall without screaming:

THERE IS A PUMPKIN IN EVERY AVAILABLE SPACE.

Although let’s be clear.

There will be pumpkins. 😂

I just like mixing them with baskets, wood, plants, pottery and things we already have around the house.

Look for: neutral pumpkins, woven pumpkins, wooden accents, fall garlands, terracotta décor and natural textures.

Amazon button:
SHOP BOHO FALL DECOR

If you want the shortcut, I already rounded up ten boho finds under fifty dollars that look far more expensive than they are. A good half of them work beautifully for fall decorating in Arizona without making your living room look like a Halloween store exploded. Warm earthy colors do most of the work here anyway.

Give Me the Pumpkins

Okay.

I tried to be restrained.

But I do love pumpkins.

The nice thing is that fall décor doesn’t have to be orange plastic pumpkins everywhere.

There are some gorgeous options now.

Fabric pumpkins.

Velvet pumpkins.

Wood pumpkins.

Woven pumpkins.

Ceramic pumpkins.

Little pumpkins.

Big pumpkins.

Apparently, I have strong opinions about pumpkins. 😂

I especially like mixing a few different textures instead of buying a matching set.

Put them on a tray, shelf, table, coffee bar or near a plant and suddenly the room says fall without you having to do much else.

Look for: woven, velvet, wood, ceramic and neutral pumpkin sets.

Amazon button:
SHOP DECORATIVE PUMPKINS

The Coffee Bar Is Getting Fall Whether BigDog Likes It or Not

Now we come to an area where BigDog and I have very different philosophies.

He likes his coffee black.

Simple.

Coffee goes in cup.

Drink coffee.

Done.

I, on the other hand, believe the coffee area can have a little personality.

And when fall rolls around?

Oh baby.

The coffee bar is getting dressed for the occasion.

A fall mug.

Maybe a little pumpkin.

A seasonal sign.

Some cinnamon nearby.

Nothing crazy.

Just enough that when you’re standing there first thing in the morning making coffee, it feels like the season has changed—even if the air conditioner is running behind you.

Look for: oversized ceramic mugs, earthy glazes, pumpkin mugs and simple fall design.

Amazon button:
SHOP FALL COFFEE MUGS

Look for: small wooden signs, mini pumpkins, tiered-tray decorations and seasonal coffee-bar accents.

Amazon button:
SHOP FALL COFFEE BAR DECOR

If you’re curious how that station came to exist in the first place, I wrote about his coffee bar and our cocktail bar and how those two little corners keep this whole house running.

We don’t always agree on this stuff, by the way. We slept on a mattress and box spring for eight years because we couldn’t agree on a bed frame. So a couple of pumpkins next to the coffee maker is, frankly, progress.

Candles Do a Lot of Heavy Lifting Around Here

You know what doesn’t care whether it’s 100 degrees outside?

A candle.

Scent is probably one of the easiest ways to make your home feel like fall.

Cinnamon.

Apple.

Vanilla.

Pumpkin.

Clove.

Sandalwood.

Cedar.

Even before the weather changes, those scents make the house feel warmer and cozier.

But I also like flameless candles because you can put them just about anywhere without worrying about them.

And if you’ve got pets wandering around the house, that’s not a bad thing.

Look for: battery-operated candles with timers, realistic flickering flames and warm amber tones.

Amazon button:
SHOP FLAMELESS CANDLES

One more reason I lean flameless: Luna. She’s a tail-wagging hazard around anything lit, and the ASPCA has a whole guide on fire safety with pets that made me rethink leaving a real candle burning while I wander off to do laundry.

A Throw Blanket—Arizona Edition

Here’s where fall decorating in Arizona gets funny.

Because I love the look of a beautiful throw blanket.

Actually wrapping myself in a thick chunky blanket when it’s 100 degrees outside?

No ma’am.

So instead of those giant heavy blankets, I like lightweight throws.

Cotton.

Muslin.

Light woven fabrics.

Something that adds texture and color without making you sweat just looking at it.

Drape one over the sofa or the end of a chair and you’ve instantly added a little fall.

Look for: cotton, muslin and lightweight woven throws in rust, mustard, olive, cream or terracotta.

Amazon button:
SHOP LIGHTWEIGHT FALL THROWS

Then There’s the Patio

This is where Arizona finally starts cooperating.

Eventually.

The patio is one of my favorite parts of our home, and when the temperatures finally start dropping, we start getting our outdoor life back.

Morning coffee.

Evenings outside.

BigDog doing his thing.

Me doing mine.

And Luna supervising everybody.

Naturally.

Fall is when I start looking at the patio and thinking:

Okay baby, we’re almost there.

I don’t need to completely decorate it.

A couple of outdoor pillows, lanterns, maybe a pumpkin or two, and some warm lighting are enough.

Look for: weather-resistant pillow covers in warm fall colors that work with existing patio furniture.

Amazon button:
SHOP OUTDOOR FALL PILLOWS

Lanterns are one of those things that work long after fall is over.

Use them with flameless candles around a seating area, near the door or on a patio table.

Amazon button:
SHOP OUTDOOR LANTERNS

Luna, for the record, considers the patio hers. If you want her side of the story, she already gave it to me in Luna’s Dream Patio, which I transcribed faithfully. Obviously.

I’m Adding a Little Halloween Too

I’m not turning the house into a haunted mansion.

But come on.

It’s Halloween.

We’ve got to have a little fun.

I like Halloween decorations that can blend into fall décor instead of requiring me to redecorate twice.

A black pumpkin.

A little ghost.

A couple of bats.

Maybe a skeleton somewhere unexpected.

Nothing terrifying.

Just enough to make you smile when you walk by.

And if Luna decides one of the decorations is suspicious, then we’ll know we picked the right one. 😂

Look for: black pumpkins, small ghosts, decorative bats, neutral Halloween signs and pieces that mix easily with fall décor.

Amazon button:
SHOP HALLOWEEN DECOR

If you want to go further down this road, I mapped out my whole fall-to-Halloween decor plan — how to shift from cozy to a little spooky without buying two completely separate sets of decorations.

Don’t Forget the Front Door

You don’t even have to decorate inside your house to get that little seasonal feeling.

Start at the front door.

A wreath can do the entire job.

And because we’re in Arizona, I like something that doesn’t look like it belongs in a snowy cabin in Vermont.

Give me dried grasses.

Muted leaves.

Rust.

Terracotta.

Maybe some eucalyptus.

Something warm and desert-friendly.

Look for: eucalyptus, dried-grass, neutral, boho and desert-inspired fall wreaths.

Amazon button:
SHOP FALL WREATHS

And before anyone tells me I’m decorating too early: our September average high runs right around 100 degrees, and the National Weather Service office here in Phoenix just logged one of the hottest Augusts on record. If I waited for actual sweater weather to start fall decorating in Arizona, I’d be hanging wreaths in December.

My Simple Formula for Fall Decorating in Arizona

I’ve learned that I don’t need a shopping cart full of seasonal decorations.

A few changes are enough.

My basic formula is:

1 fall pillow cover

1 lightweight throw

A few pumpkins

A candle or two

Something for the coffee bar

A little Halloween

Something cozy on the patio

That’s it.

And you don’t have to buy everything new every year.

Use what you already have and add one or two pieces you really love.

Because seasonal decorating should be fun.

It shouldn’t become another job.

What I Skip Entirely (And I Don’t Feel Bad About It)

Every year I see the same fall decorating lists, and every year about half of it just doesn’t apply here. So let me save you the money and the disappointment.

• Real pumpkins on the front porch. Mine turned into soup in four days. Four. Days. If you want a real one, keep it inside where the air conditioning is.
• Heavy chunky knit throws. Beautiful in a photo. Completely useless until January. They just sit there looking hot and vaguely offended.
• Dried cornstalks and hay bales. They go brittle and blow apart, and then you’re picking hay out of the gravel until Thanksgiving.
• Anything scented and wax-based left in a hot car or a west-facing window. Ask me how I know.
• Fake fall leaves in the yard. Girl. The wind will take them straight to your neighbor’s pool. Don’t do that to them.

Fall Decorating in Arizona Means Working With the Climate

Skipping those isn’t giving up. It’s the whole trick to fall decorating in Arizona — you stop fighting the climate and start working with what actually holds up here. Terracotta, brass, wood, ceramic, dried grasses, cotton. Materials that don’t care that it’s 103 degrees.

I’d rather have five things that look right in October and still look right in November than a garage full of stuff I have to babysit. That’s really the whole philosophy behind fall decorating in Arizona: fewer pieces, better materials, zero babysitting.

Create the Feeling, Not the Temperature

That’s really what fall decorating is about for me.

I can’t make Arizona cool down.

Believe me, if I could, I’d have done it sometime around June.

But I can change how our home feels.

I can light a candle.

Change the pillows.

Put out a few pumpkins.

Make my morning coffee in a fall mug.

Add some warm lighting to the patio.

And wait patiently—or not so patiently—for that first Arizona morning when I walk outside and think:

Ohhhhh. There you are.

Fall finally showed up.

Until then?

I’ll be inside with my pumpkins, my air conditioner, my coffee, BigDog, and Luna.

Making our own damn fall.

None of this cost much, which matters to me. I’m four years into retirement and building this whole thing from scratch — I still remember my very first Amazon commission of $20.08 and what it felt like. If you want the bigger picture of how that’s going, I wrote about being 68, retired, and still building multiple streams of income.

One Last Thing

If you’re waiting for the weather, your age, your house, or somebody else to tell you when you’re allowed to enjoy something…

Don’t.

Put out the pumpkin.

Light the candle.

Drink the coffee.

Make your home feel good to you.

Because whether it’s decorating your house, changing your style, starting something new, or figuring out this next chapter—

you ain’t got time to wait, baby.