Welcoming October With Nature-Inspired Fall Fireplace Decor

Welcoming October into my home with nature-inspired fall fireplace mantel decor. Plus a yummy apple cinnamon baked oatmeal recipe.

It’s October!

Oh, hello there, October!

I admit that I am always a little late to the fall party.

Well, at least according to the blogger and social media calendars.

The thing is, summer is short here in Maine, and I don’t want to forfeit any of it to early fall decor.

Also, I like to take my decorating queues from what is happening outside my windows.

So, for those of you who have been enjoying pumpkin spice lattes for well over a month (I had my first just this week…), you will be happy to know that it is definitely starting to look and feel like fall here in Maine now.

And I am definitely feeling inspired by the colorful beauty that is unfurling across the landscape.

To greet the new season I changed up the dining room fireplace decor. While I was at it, I added a few autumn touches to the living room mantel as well.

Plus, this week I came up with a recipe for cinnamon apple baked oatmeal that I am sharing today.

Let’s fall fully into fall!

Dining Room

You all know I fully embrace “lazy decorating” when it comes to the dining room mantel.

The blue and white transferware platters and jugs stay year round. I just change out some natural filler elements seasonally.

So, it was time for the sea fans and shell wreath to go.

For the last couple years I have decorated this mantel with dried flowers in the fall.

I know, that calls to mind faded dusty arrangements from the 1980’s…

But I think dried flowers can get a bad rap, and just maybe they are making a bit of a comeback.

In fact, Chat GPT claims that dried flowers have become a “popular trend in home decor, especially during the pandemic”. Huh??

And that “social media influencers have played a role in this resurgence.” Good golly (Miss Molly), would that be me?!

Whatever silly things Chat GPT might say, I do love dried flowers.

For one thing, they don’t die.

And I think they are the perfect natural element for this season when our gardens are also fading and drying out.

It also seems to me that the types of flowers and the colors they have now are better than they used to be. There are really some beautiful dried arrangements available these days!

Time for a refresh

Keep in mind, however, that while dried flowers might not die, over time the blooms do grow tired and their colors fade.

It was definitely time for a dried flower refresh.

And lucky for me, I found the perfect items to jump start that refresh when I was in Bristol with my sisters during their visit.

You can read my Bristol blog post here!

A beautiful wreath of dried flowers in warm shades of brown, yellow, and pinky orange caught my eye at a store of locally-made crafts.

And above it hung an arch made from a twisted root, also embellished with natural elements — tree fungi, dried leaves and hydrangeas, spanish moss, and berries.

I knew they would make a beautiful pair hanging over the mantel in the dining area.

Then at the Common Ground Fair, I picked up two bouquets of dried flowers in the same colors.

While the living room mantel is an exercise in restraint, my sisters and I just piled the flowers onto the dining area fireplace.

A vibrant reflection of the bountiful harvest this time of year!

I love how it all looks set against the stone and blue and white china.

This will all stay up until I decorate for Christmas in late November!

Living Room

Those of you who are fans of Captain E. Ward will be happy to know that he is sticking around. For now at least.

For those who find him creepy, my apologies.

I have to say that I am enjoying his presence. He gives the space a bit of history.

Even it is made up…

Captain Ward’s story

Speaking of which, wow, the responses to my request for Captain Ward’s life story were absolutely amazing!

You can go back and read the post An Antique Portrait Late Summer Mantel Refresh for all the details on my new friend. Be sure to scroll down and read the comments to enjoy the creativity of some of your fellow readers. (And more over on my Instagram post!)

A number of the stories gave him a tragic story, drowned at sea.

One had “E. Finlay Ward” returning to Scotland with the wife of a Maine light keeper and their love child. Scandalous!

A few had him living a long life, spending his later years regaling others with his tales of life at sea.

Most of you thought he was a kind man (I agree!) and that he left behind a legacy of many children.

These are some of the names you gave him: Earle, Finlay, Edmund, Trevor, Horatio, Mortimer, Elias Emory. Which do you think suits him best?

Thanks to those of you who played along! It was so fun to read your creative stories!

A few changes for Fall

Captain Ward’s portrait and the draped nautical flag were definitely staying.

But I wanted to add some warm elements for fall.

So on the right I placed an old trophy with black and copper tones. In it, some cattails I cut from the shoreline. They are a natural element that adds both texture, and height that balances the flag on the left.

Antique lustreware pitchers (which probably date to around Captain Ward’s time) pick up on the antique-gold surround of the portrait, with a pop of blue to relate to all my blues in the room. Plus they add a little “luster” to contrast with the rough stone.

A tiny one sits on the middle right, apart from the grouping of three just for fun and to tie the right side to the left.

I placed a carved wooden “bouquet” in the middle pitcher for a bit of whimsy.

Lastly, some caramel-colored warty pumpkins in black urns on the raised hearth speak directly to the season and their color echoes the portrait surround.

I hope this gives you an idea of how I play with symmetry, proportion, texture, color, and seasonality when pulling together a mantel display. At the same time, I never want it to look too contrived or overly styled. It is a delicate balance!

Cinnamon Apple Baked Oatmeal

Chilly October mornings also mean it is time I switch my weekday breakfast fare from granola to oatmeal.

It can be a hassle to make it fresh every morning, though. So last winter I tried baked oatmeal for the first time. I shared the NYT recipe for Baked Oatmeal With Almonds and Berries in my blog post Winter Blues | A Cozy Living Room in my Signature Color.

I loved this version made with blackberries or frozen Maine blueberries, but this fall I was hankering for something with apples and cinnamon.

And I also wanted to try adding some Greek yogurt for a little protein boost.

This is the recipe I came up with and made for the first time this week. I really like how it came out! Next time I will probably add more apples, so I recommend 3-4 cups of diced apples. Also maybe some extra cinnamon, and other fall spices if you want! Definitely serve it with more milk and additional sweetener if you desire.

Enjoy!

This Week Into Next

Last Saturday I paid a visit to my pumpkin guy Nick and my buoy guy Dave. (Don’t you all have a buoy guy?!)

Then Sunday I got to work decorating the front entrance. A friend helped me execute my buoy vision. I shared a peek of it on Instagram this week. Next week here on the blog I will give you a closer look and all the details!

Plus, my Great Pumpkin Wall!

You can see that when I embrace fall, I go full in!

I have also been working on my fall dining room table. Still trying to decide if it will stick around until Thanksgiving, or if I will go with something different for the holiday… But for now I did a little diy glow-up of some inexpensive decor from HomeGoods. And on Thursday I met a friend at my favorite fabric store in Belfast, Fiddlehead Artisan Supply, where I picked out fabrics to make napkins. I will be sharing all that soon too!

Last but most definitely not least, this past week has certainly been a difficult one for our world. Loss, destruction, and heartbreak in our country and abroad. It has been hard to wrap my head around the images out of western North Carolina. And I have never believed in war as a way of settling differences.

Writing about fall decor, when so many are suffering, can seem pretty silly. But times like these are also powerful reminders.

Be grateful for the everyday.

Home is a gift.

Look for beauty and create your own when you can.

Live with joy and gratitude.

Spread love.

We are all connected.

Help others.

Be kind.

Peace, friends,