Navy-&-Copper-Themed Fall Home Tour (& How To Do It on a Budget)

Sharing is caring!

If you’re looking for some fall decorating ideas, take a look here! This year, I went with a navy and copper fall decor theme for 2020, and I’d love to show you how I did it on a budget! Come take a tour of my home and see!

Love Fall (Decor) Most of All

We all have our survival methods during this Covid nightmare, and for me, part of coping was my ‘quaranteam’ – 2 of my old friends from NY. I’m not sure how we ended up in a group text together, to be honest, but we’ve just kept it going since we’ve been (sort of) set free in the wild again.

One friend just sent us a text that he had his first Pumpkin Spice Latte of the season. My other friend responded that it’s not fall until it’s sweater weather.

Ummm, here in Tennessee, that’s not until late October, so clearly, fall will be happening well before sweater weather.

This week, the last week in August, it’s happening in our house. I was busy all weekend long with DIYs and upcycles and repurposing old decor. Thankfully, my 5-year-old twin sons really miss playing with their toys all day since starting kindergarten, so they were very content to play while I worked.

So, fall is upon us.

Navy and Copper Inspiration

I’m usually into mellow, neutral fall decor. I don’t generally love the big, bright orange pumpkins, but sometimes, I do get a little bored with a neutral palette.

Last year, I saw this sign at the Target Dollar Spot and grabbed it. I had nothing else navy blue in the house for fall, but something about the moody richness of the blue… I liked it. And I threw it on the shelf, even though it didn’t really “go.”

That navy blue stuck with me all year until fall rolled around this year. I knew I wanted to use some navy this year, but that probably wasn’t going to work with the light and pale neutral palette. I searched around Pinterest and Instagram, and came across 2 bloggers who had used navy in their fall decor – and both of them mixed it with copper.

And there my dream was born.

Brooding Moody Blue (and Copper) for Fall Decor

I’ll admit, it felt a little risky for me. Not like home decor is any kind of real risk, but I usually play it a little safe. A bold choice like that was a little out of my norm, but to be honest, I’m really digging it for this year.

That’s not to say I won’t be repainting next year, but I like the – I’ll use the word again – the ‘moodiness’ of this color scheme, and somehow, it feels right for fall 2020, if you catch my drift, lol.

How to Decorate for Fall on a Budget (& How I Did it With Navy & Copper)

If you are wanting some ideas on how to decorate for fall on a budget, this post has 11 things I do just about every fall (and many of them, every season), to decorate on a budget. Today, I want to share how I did all that with a navy-and-copper theme, as I show you around my house.

Disclaimer: We are not Pinterest-perfect around here; we are not a vision of glory in all of the Instagram squares. I’m a regular mom who just wants an inviting space in her home and loves to decorate. I’ve learned a thing or two I want to share, but we are certainly not living the Pinterest dream over here. And I’m totally OK with that.

1| Use Transitional Pieces

First, find what you can reuse from last season…bottles, jars, baskets, frames…all great pieces to reuse from last fall or change from season to season.

Here are some bottles I use every season and just change the fill. This year, I used rust-colored eucalyptus (thrift-store find!) and blue flowers from Dollar Tree.

 

These are other jars I use seasonally as well (and you can see my navy sign that inspired it all!):

This vase is made from Dollar Tree materials; I love that it’s neutral and goes well with every season:

 

2| Paint, Paint, Paint

Not a lot of stores had navy or copper fall decor, so I had to do a lot of painting. Even if they did, I’d probably be too cheap to buy it. So, no problem.

Paint is rule #1 in decorating. Small acrylic bottles of paint range from $.50 – $1.50. Super cheap. I also used spray paint as well.

Here are some things I painted:

Acorns (you can also paint pine cones… free decor!)

 

Pumpkins… so. many. pumpkins…

Even faux greens… I loved the bleached eucalyptus I saw in Target, but I painted a much cheaper (and brighter) stem that I got from Michael’s:

This leaf garland was from Dollar Tree, and I also painted it copper and rose gold:

3| DIY

Yes, yes, yes. There really is no getting around DIYs when you’re trying to save money, but I’ve grown to love it. Therapeutic in so many ways. Here are a few that I did:

Hoop Wreaths

I’ve been loving eucalyptus lately, so I made my own hoop wreaths (all 3 forms for less than $3 at Walmart). I painted the pumpkins (the ones from Dollar Tree have clips on them – genius!) and just clipped them on. I love that I can repurpose the wreaths all year long because the pumpkins will come right off.

DIY Sign

I knew I wanted a porch sign, but not only did I not want to pay for it, but I also didn’t find anything I loved. I wasn’t looking for navy and copper necessarily, but I wanted to make sure it wouldn’t clash.

Incidentally, a few months ago, I had bought and stained a piece of wood for a shelf and later realized it wasn’t deep enough. But it was perfect for a porch sign.

The word ‘autumn’ is just painted chipboard letters from Hobby Lobb, and I used the tracing method (outlined here) for the ‘hello.’ Super easy! The little pop of navy and copper in the acorns ties it all together.

4| Upcycles & Repurposed Decor

Upcycles are one of my favorite ways to decorate.

A lot of times, a piece isn’t exactly what you need, but by reworking it a little – either through paint or using parts of it to make something else, you’ll be amazed at just how creative you can be. You can upcycle cheap things from Dollar Tree, items you have around your house, or thrift store finds.

Here are a few of my upcycles for fall decor:

This was a terra cotta vase I got at the thrift store. I spray-painted it navy and used a technique with mud (yes, mud) to make it look like an artisan piece.

The faux eucalyptus was also a thrift store find, that was originally more red, olive green, and yellow. I just dusted over it with some copper and rose gold spray paint, and it became the piece I needed! This was just plain lamb’s ear and eucalyptus wreath I got on clearance at Walmart after Christmas last year. By adding the colored pumpkins, I now had a fall wreath that fits in perfectly with my navy and copper theme.

This bucket was originally bright red and was part of an office gift. I painted it galvanized silver, added burlap and a bow, and I use it for just about every season now:

5| Use What’s Free

There’s a lot that is free that you can incorporate for fall decor. First, think nature: acorns, pine cones, leaves, branches… all make wonderful fall decor.

You can see here that I just set out some acorns (which I painted) and some leaves on the stool to fill out the rest of the decor I had:

Now, think indoors. What’s free that you can use? For me, it’s always, always, always bottles and jars.

This is a repurposed apple juice bottle that I just love!

On the table, those are balsamic vinegar and olive oil bottles!

6| Cheap Store Decor

You might have picked up on the fact that I love to repurpose Dollar Tree ‘stuff.’ But sometimes, I don’t really want to make something and just love a good bargain, you know? 

Always shop for next year at the end of this season. You’ll get great deals. Look through clearance sections and the Dollar Spots at Target and Michael’s. You’ll find all kinds of goodies there.

Here’s a blue vase I got on clearance for 75% off at Hobby Lobby:

These plush pumpkins were $1 each at Target Dollar Spot (online). You can buy them in a set of 8, and I have them mixed in all over the house:

And I got this huge bunch of rust-colored eucalyptus at the thrift store:

7| Printables

I LOVE using printables in decor. I make them and use them for every season. They are a great way to add the latest trends inexpensively – many are free or just cost a dollar or two. 

You can find them in the colors scheme you’re using, or just get neutral black-and-white ones, which are super on-trend anyway. Here are some printables I used this year – you can get them all here.

I’ve even made mini signs with printables for tier trays and coffee table baskets (you can see how I made those mini  signs here, and I even made the coffee table basket, which you can see here!).

 

The Final Reveal of Navy & Copper Fall Decor

OK, so let me show you how it all came together:

 

 

And finally with the moody blue pictures that started it all…

And there you have it! Navy and copper on a budget. Super easy, and a lot of fun to put together. Don’t be afraid to take chances with decor. It’s not permanent, and you can always change it up if you don’t like it!

More Fall Decor Inspiration

If you want more decor ideas for fall, I’ve got loads! Here are a few of my favorites:

15 Easy to Create Fall Table Decor Ideas

18 Farmhouse Fall Mantel Ideas

15 Dreamy Fall Vignette Decor Ideas + How-To Tips

30 Farmhouse Fall Porches + 10 Pro Tips

30 Fall Decorating Ideas for Your Home

30 Fall DIY Decor Projects

Budget-Friendly Fall Decor Ideas

30 Fall DIY Wreaths

If you use any of the ideas above, I’d LOVE to check it out! Please tag me on Instagram @100affections or leave a comment on Pinterest. I know you’ll land on something amazing!

Thoughts? I’d love to hear them. Leave a comment below!