There’s something so nostalgic and timeless about using pumpkins and ornamental gourds in your fall decor. These autumn classics are long-lasting and have a tough shell, so they’re highly versatile for decorative purposes. However, if you’ve spent the last several years piling them on the front porch and calling it a day, you might be in the mood for some fresh ideas. Here are some creative new ways to decorate with these fall favorites!
Transform Your Gourd Into A Vase
A hollowed-out gourd can make a stunning vase to hold flowers, sheaves of wheat, and other autumn ornamentals. With so many color options available, you can create a beautifully coordinated look if you match your arrangement’s color palette to the gourd itself. A little bit of accent paint can add an artsy touch as well—we particularly love the look of metallic gold paint on a white gourd.
Play around with different shapes of gourds to get different stylistic effects. A gourd that’s long and narrow at the top but bulbous at the bottom looks surprisingly elegant and minimalist with a couple of tall flowers inside. In contrast, a shorter, stouter variety looks absolutely adorable when packed with a bunch of fall chrysanthemums.
To make your vase, cut the top off your gourd and hollow out the inside with an ice cream scoop. Now, you could simply fill it with water and use it as a vase this way, but it will decompose much faster. Instead, try this easy hack: hide a small cup of water inside, add the flowers, and voila! No one can tell the difference, and you can easily replace the water each day to keep it fresh.
Stick to a Neutral Palette
Clean, classic, neutral color schemes and minimalist design aesthetics will never go out of style. “Less is more” often rings true in the design world, and a soft-yet-crisp color palette can have serious impact. There are plenty of gourds and mini pumpkins that come in white or ultra subtle shades of sage green, grey, and sand, but you can also get crafty with some acrylics and add a few painted accent pieces into the mix.
To make sure your display looks well-coordinated, try to choose either a cool palette or a warm palette. For a cool palette, crisp whites, greys, and soft greens look really sophisticated and sharp if they all have more of a bluish undertone, whereas creams and sandy golden tones bring more of a warm, cozy vibe. Play around with other accents like grey pinecones and eucalyptus leaves, and arrange them together in a pretty, simplistic, neutral basket or bowl.
Gourd Candle Display
Think of these as a fancied-up version of the jack-o-lantern! Hollow out a gourd, place a candle inside, and instead of carving in a face and placing the stem back on top, just toss the stem and leave it as-is. A few of these clustered together can make a great dining room centerpiece. We also love the look of an extravagant credenza display overflowing with assorted gourds, with just a few of the candle holder pieces in the mix.
For something a little smaller to decorate accent tables, tiny pumpkins look seriously adorable if you remove the stem, scoop out a small hole, and place a single tealight inside so it’s visible from the top. If you’re feeling extra creative (and you’ve got an electric drill lying around), try drilling in some holes in a geometric pattern or swirly floral motif so that it casts pretty shadows on the walls!
Fill a Vase with Gourds
For a display that’s easy-as-pie to assemble, but still formal enough for holiday entertaining, just grab a bunch of tiny assorted gourds in different colors and textures and fill up some tall glass vases! Vases of different heights will add some visual interest, but three in the same size in a precisely-spaced line will look nice and streamlined as well.
Try adding in some vine leaves or other fall foliage plants to give it your own personal touch. For a more charming, rustic vibe, try cutting up a wide strip of burlap, layering on a skinnier ribbon in a nice fall color like burgundy, orange, or plum, and tie it around the middle of the vase in a bow.
For all your fall decor and gardening needs, Alsip Home & Nursery has you covered! Visit us in-store, or check out our online shop to browse the fabulous seasonal plants and products we have available.