I personally love decorating the house for the season. Autumn especially, since it is my favourite time of year. It is the time where we slowly turn inwards, live a slower way of life and prepare for the cold days ahead of us. When I was a child I used to love decorating for Halloween, especially for my Halloween parties. I did a lot of DIY decor back then, but we also had some store bought decor made out of plastic. I don’t mind it when people have them at home especially if they use their decor for many many years and do not throw them away after just one season. Since I am living a more minimalistic and sustainable lifestyle, I don’t like buying decor pieces even if they are either sustainably made or not. I don’t like having plastic at home and I am sure that I will never buy any decor pieces made out of plastic ever again. During autumn I have decided to decorate my house with the most sustainable options out here. Here are the ones I recommend:
1. Pumpkins
Everyone loves decorating their house with pumpkins during autumn. I personally love going to the pumpkin farms and stock up on a lot of them. I only buy the edible ones for one main reason; I like to use them up instead of throwing them away at the end of the autumn season. I think the edible ones are as pretty as the decor ones and you can even create some amazing dishes with them afterwards. For some pumpkin food inspiration check out my favourite autumn vegan recipes.
2. Conkers (Horse Tree Chestnuts)
I love taking walks in the woods and picking up conkers ever since I was little. They are not only a wonderful decor for autumn but due to their high saponin content, they can be used as a soap to create washing detergent, shampoo and much more. If you would like to know how you can use up your decor conkers you can check out my conkers laundry washing detergent recipe.
3. Leaves
I not only love picking up conkers during autumn but also have a special place in my heart for leaves. Especially maple tree leaves. I just love laying some beautiful orange red and brown coloured leaves on my table and together with some conkers and pumpkins its like have a little piece of the forrest at home. When I was younger we always put the leaves in books to press and preserve them. Leaves are great for many DIY autumn decorations.
4. Candles
I love lighting candles during autumn and winter, but ever since I heard about how bad candles are for the environment, since they release toxins, I stopped buying them. The only candles I will ever light again are the ones made from rapeseed wax since they have the lowest carbon footprint compared to other candles made from bees or soy wax. I either make them myself with rapeseed wax and some essential oils or I light the ones I got gifted from the sustainable brand: the very good candle company.
5. Sheets/Blankets
Instead of turning up your heat during the colder months, just snuggle yourself up in some warm blankets instead! We usually change our bed sheets to warmer ones and pull out our blankets. I think blankets are not only for keeping you warm, but also serve as a wonderful decor.
6. Books
I love reading all year long but even more on those rainy autumn days. I love displaying the vintage books that I got on second hand flea markets and even those that I got from my grandparents. Books are always a great decor in my opinion, but especially the vintage ones have some extra autumn/winter vibes to them.
I hope these six options will inspire you to stop shopping store bought plastic decor and appreciate the simple eco friendly alternatives out there.
