Refreshing a home for fall doesn’t have to mean replacing everything or buying every new seasonal release.
In her first episode of Design Junkie, Carrie of Penny Modern reviews designer homes and Anthropologie's fall decor collection, sharing what catches her eye, what she would skip, and how to achieve similar looks for less.
1. Build a Color Palette Around Other Features
Carrie highlights a Miami home where the designer drew the color palette from an original tiled staircase.
Blues and greens from the tiles carried through the rooms, connecting the home’s historic features with its updated interiors.
For anyone remodeling, Carrie encourages embracing original features and incorporating them into the larger design scheme.
Design Tip
A favorite pillow, artwork, or object already in the home can inspire a room’s color palette—no elaborate staircase needed.
2. Let One Statement Light Add Personality
A Malibu home offers another useful lesson: lighting can bring character to a simple space.
Carrie admires a sculptural pendant above the dining table.
She also highlighted a cascading stairwell fixture with glass globes.
You can borrow that idea by choosing a similar pendant without the luxury price tag.
She appreciates the moods introduced by olive green and orange furniture in the office and theater.
3. Choose Finishes That Develop Character
In Studio McGee’s English country-inspired Stoneford Cottage, Carrie’s favorite details include marble countertops, complementary backsplash tile, and unlacquered brass fixtures.
Consider finishes that develop patina over time, even in a new home or remodel. Unlacquered brass, marble, and soapstonecan create that lived-in character.
When mixing patterns, she suggests choosing designs with shared colors. A consistent palette makes different patterns easier to combine.
4. Borrow the Details From Anthropologie’s Fall Collection
Carrie’s Anthropologie favorites feature curved shapes, tactile fabrics, warm wood, and playful patterns.
Botanical designs include artichokes and radishes, while velvet and cane add texture.
Three pieces stand out:
- A green velvet cane chair: Carrie loves its curved frame and cane sides, though its price exceeds $1,500.
- The Prescott burl console table: Its swirling wood grain catches her eye, but the price is over $1,100.
- A spindle marble-top kitchen island: Turned legs, a medium wood finish, and a marble countertop give the 50-inch island a furniture-like appearance.
Her less enthusiastic picks include a ceramic lamp with a skirted shade and a floral accent chair covered in ruffles.
She prefers the collection’s sculptural pieces over its frillier designs.
5. Use Smaller Purchases to Bring Fall Indoors
At Target, Carrie finds seasonal updates that require a smaller investment, including chenille throws and striped kitchen towels.
Her standout furniture pick is a burl wood upholstered bench from Threshold designed with Studio McGee.
Priced around $200, it combines medium-tone wood with a textured beige cushion and could work in an entryway, living room, or bedroom.
She also likes Hearth & Hand with Magnolia’s green stoneware baking dish. Its lid and textured drip effect make it appealing for both baking and serving.
Carrie would skip the toile peel-and-stick wallpaper because its blue appears purple in some photos.
She also questions buying dedicated fabric bread bowl covers when an ordinary kitchen towel could serve her needs.
6. Give a Bold Rug Space to Stand Out
Carrie’s favorite Jungalow rug combines terracotta, chocolate brown, dusty blue, and teal. Its colors and illustrated design make it an appealing source of visual interest.
She also likes the yellow Josephine Sunrise outdoor rug, which features botanical and animal motifs.
If the outdoor area already contains many small decorative items or embellished furniture, a rug with an active pattern could make it feel cluttered.
7. Shop for Similar Features at a Lower Price
Getting the look for less means identifying the details that make a piece appealing.
For the Anthropologie console, Carrie finds a 52-inch burl wood console on Wayfair for around $200.
For the cane accent chair, she points to a green upholstered chair on Wayfair that was on sale for around $200.
A rattan chair with light gray chenille upholstery at Bed Bath & Beyond for approximately $130 is even more similar to the Anthropologie option.
She emphasizes that these alternatives are inspired by the originals rather than exact matches.
8. Buy Appliances According to Actual Use
Next, Carrie fields some questions from some followers about design. When asked whether warming drawers are worthwhile, Carrie focuses on household routines.
A warming drawer could be useful when family members regularly eat at different times or when someone hosts frequently throughout the year.
Tip
The same reasoning applies to other specialized appliances: consider how often they would actually be used before making the investment.
9. Look Beyond Appearance When Buying Accessories
Carrie’s final reviews weigh usefulness alongside style. She likes a $140 Tulip shade that dresses up a standard ceiling light and can move with a renter.
A cordless book-shaped lamp, around $45 with six hours of battery life also appeals to her as an additional light source for a bookshelf.
She praises Walmart’s large five-wick fall candles, priced around $36.
Other items lose points on practicality. Round marble tic-tac-toe pieces could roll under furniture:
A tiny tomato-shaped Dutch oven offers too little usefulness for its nearly $45 price:
She also passes on IKEA’s childish decorative paper masks:
Final Thoughts
Carrie’s encourages us to take inspiration from designer spaces while making purchases that fit our own homes.
Before buying, consider the piece’s purpose, how often it will be used, and whether a less expensive option offers the same appealing details.