Last Wednesday as I was getting dressed for the day, I hear for the first time the overfamiliar tune the world uses to announce the beginning of the holiday season… Yes, you know exactly what tune that is. All thanks to my husband scrolling through Instagram Reels.

Is it the beginning, though?

A concept of slow living that I am trying to better acclimate myself and our home to is a true-timed understanding of changing seasons. Upon reflecting further, this desire to dive into this concept made perfect sense as a mother of two toddlers (ages 1 & 2) and two school-aged kids (6 & 7); the transition from figurative season to season happens quite often alongside the natural seasons. Children and their developing personality, physical changes such as height and weight, and their cognitive ability to ask deep questions whether they intend to or not are an evident barometer of time’s passing. Sometimes I approach transition with reluctance, not wanting a new thing to come if the current thing is good; other times I look ahead with anxious anticipation, perhaps because my “gas tank” is running close to empty.

In any case, the season of autumn, with its changing leaves that die and fall to the ground, is teaching me about letting go of what has passed, relishing in the present, and fostering patience for the spring and new life… in other words, what it really comes down to is appreciating what’s in front of me and not hastening the start of another season that has yet to come.

Right now it’s still the first full week of November, and I am trying my best to relish in this in-between, ordinary time, resisting the temptation to jump ahead. It is always easier said than done, but I am personally trying my best to sit with the hard times, and diminish the desire to fast forward through them—to adapt, persevere, allow the present moment to sanctify me right here and right now.

It’s been quite some time since I’ve last done an Inspired Interiors post. I’m embarrassed to say that this autumnal fireplace idea sat in my Draft folder for two years. However I knew I had to come back to it after reflecting on autumn as a season. It seemed appropriate.

As a designer I have deeply embedded into my core the innate connection between the exterior and interior—how our way of thinking can be impacted by how we dress, or style a room. For months at a time I questioned my chosen career path in college. I later realized how the gifts I have been given in this respective field have the ability to change experiences for people, and truly, how they carry impact.

So for those looking to express an exterior appearance of the season in your own home, for those who desire to hold off on the green garland, twinkling lights, and ceramic Christmas villages for a little while longer… here are ideas for an autumnal mantel refresh, most of which you can likely forage from your own backyard. Some examples are simple, others more intricate.

My goal this weekend is to go in our backyard and see what I’m able to find and put together. If you, like me, want to enjoy this season, perhaps consider some kind of visible reminder for your own home—be it a cozy, fall mantel, a centerpiece for your kitchen table, or pumpkins & mums on your front porch.

If the Christmas season is all about the celebration of our Savior’s birth and therefore going all out on holiday décor and cheer, here are some mantel displays to inspire you for the coming weeks, ahead of that. I hope it sparks ideas for some autumn coziness in your home!