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Styling Tips for Fall Faux Stems

By Rachel

published 09/14/2023

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Last Updated on January 20, 2024 by Rachel Granholm

Come see some of the best styling tips for Fall faux stems!

Whether you prefer a vase of dried grasses or a bouquet of rich, earthy-toned florals, faux stems are an easy and accessible way to help curate the Autumn look you’re going for. Follow along and be inspired with these styling tips for Fall faux stems!

Table of Contents

Fall Decorating

As the chill of Fall settles in, it’s the perfect time to bring some cozy vibes into your home with seasonal decor. Let’s get creative with faux stems for a budget-friendly way to warm up your space!

From learning the faux flower basics to experimenting with color and contrast, I’ll give you the lowdown on how to style your faux stems to freshen up your Fall decor.

Shop Favorite Fall Stems

Pampas Grass

Dried Eucalyptus

Gold Leaf Stem

Styling Tips for Fall Faux Stems

I don’t know about you but faux stems are my preferred decor accessory. I utilize them all times of the year but Fall stems are my very favorite. The rich textures that they bring to a space provides instant warmth.

The best part about faux stems is that they can be used anywhere! With their vibrant hues and distinct appearances, these artificial plants are a great way to brighten up any space. Let’s get into it!

1. Utilize Stems for Height.

Fall stems, or any stem in general, are amazing pieces to use for adding height to a display. Usually, if something feels not quite right with part of a vignette that I’m working on, it’s because I don’t have enough height.

Let’s unpack the copper kettle below as an example.

The first thing I did was cut apart the faux leaf stems using a floral cutter. I placed the leaf stems in first at haphazard angles, trying my best to make the stems resemble the natural look of tree branches.

Then, I placed two long stems of maroon eucalyptus right in the middle of the leaves. Why? Well, no other reason than to add a bit more color and texture to the kettle.

Faux Stem Styling Tip: If your stems don’t want to stay put, you can put a piece of floral foam in the bottom of your vessel to poke the stems into. You could also use a flower frog in the same way.

However, if you don’t have either of those, a trick that I use a lot is to wrap the stems in either a paper towel or a cloth napkin and then set that down in the bottom. It works every time!

Another place I added a ton of height to was my mantel.

I use this vintage crock on the mantel all year long and switch the stems out for the seasons. The chimney itself is super tall so, to accommodate the height that is already present in my living room, I placed two large gold-colored eucalyptus sprays inside the crock.

The gold leaves paired with the black shiplap gives such lovely contrast to this space while also providing plenty of height as well as depth.

2. Mix and Match Stem Types.

Another thing that I love to do with faux stems is to mix a variety of stems together. This allows for different textures to be used within the same vessel, providing your display with loads of natural character.

The milk glass pitcher below initially only had faux wheat stems inside. It looked a little empty to me, lacking in something, so I made a trip to the store and found these gold stems.

Went I returned home, I placed the gold in with the wheat stems. Instantly, the pitcher felt balanced and complete!

You can also go big and bold when mixing floral stems together!

For a more dramatic display, I paired sage green eucalyptus stems with these colorful Fall leaves. To achieve a realistic look , I kept them tall and wispy, allowing each stem to bend or fall over as it pleased.

Faux Stem Styling Tip: When decorating with tall stems, you will want to use a large and deep vessel. This helps keep them standing somewhat straight without completely falling out.

3. Create a Vignette.

You can also use faux stems as a focal point for a Fall vignette.

I knew I wanted to use this maroon eucalyptus spray in my large amber bottle. So, I styled this stem in the bottle first and then paired the rest of the vignette around it. This is an easy way to blend your stems with the rest of your home.

On the mantel, I used a similar idea.

I placed the gold eucalyptus stems in the crock first and then built the rest of the mantel display around that color palette. When faux stems are utilized in this way, it creates a balanced and harmonious Fall vignette.

Faux Stem Styling Tip: When creating a Fall vignette using stems, choose a color palette that meshes with you and your own style. Just because it’s Fall doesn’t mean you need to use the traditional red’s, oranges and yellow’s.

4. Pack the Vessel.

Sometimes, only one type of stem is needed to achieve a certain look. When that happens, I typically cram as many as I can into the vessel!

On the hearth, I placed this vintage green vase on top of some Fall colored vintage books. Because the vase is nearly on the floor, I needed to pack it full of texture while also add quite a bit of height. My solution for this was to stick as many stems of faux wheat into the vessel as possible!

Faux Stem Styling Tip: There is a fine line with using too many stems and not enough. You will kind of know when to stop or take some out…just go with it until the vessel feels just packed enough.

If big and bold isn’t your jam, you can achieve the same look on a smaller scale.

To do so, I simply placed a vintage linen on a bathroom counter then set a small transferware vase on top of it. For a similar ‘packed’ vessel, I bunched three colorful Fall leaf stems together and set them inside the vase.

It’s such a pretty pop of Autumn, especially in a small space!

5. Keep It Cohesive.

When styling and decorating with faux stems, it’s helpful to keep it all feeling cohesive. What I mean by that is to use the same stems in multiple areas. This helps in bringing everything full circle, connecting each area of your home to the next.

As an example, on the middle shelf of my hutch, I used these green and orange colored leaf stems.

To tie the middle shelf of the hutch to the bottom shelf, I used the same leaves in a similar milk glass vessel. For some variety, I placed these leaves on the left side of the hutch, creating a visual zig-zag pattern.

I also used a few shorter wheat stems inside my hutch which ties in with the wheat on the hearth.

To mesh the hall bathroom with the rest of the house, I utilized a vintage enamelware pitcher and stuck some of the same stems inside of it, such as the faux wheat and gold eucalyptus.

By incorporating many of the same stem elements throughout a space, it creates a beautiful blend, helping to balance each part of the house.

Symmetry is your friend when it comes to decorating, especially using faux stems.

Whatever you do on the left side, do the same thing on the right, or however that looks for you in your home.

Closing Tidbits

May these styling tips for Fall faux stems be helpful for you as we move into this new season. Faux stems provide any space with rich character and deep, moody colors. The key is to choose the right variety and arrange them in a way that complements the decor of your home. Now that you know how to make the most of Fall faux stems, be encouraged to let your creativity guide you in creating a festive, warm, and beautiful Autumn abode.

Leave me a comment! Do you like to use Fall stems in your home? How do you style them? I love hearing from you!

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If you are new here, I’m Rachel, the writer and content creator here at The Antiqued Journey. I’m so happy to have you! I encourage you to stop by the ‘about me’ page to get to know me a little more. Here on the blog, you will find loads of inspiration for decorating with vintage and antique decor, simple DIY crafts and many thrifting adventures. If that interests you, I invite you to sign up for my e-mail. You will receive a free digital download as a thank you!