Rustic Romance

Every fall, a California-based designer fills her 1920s bungalow with festively autumn details.

- AUTUMN KRAUSE

DAZZLING DINING. Simple changes can have tons of impact. Toni painted all the walls in the dining room Simply White by Benjamin Moore, added new lighting and replaced an accordion pantry door with a sliding door. Complete transformation! “I found the door at the landfill thrift store for a couple dollars. We painted it black,” Toni says. Pumpkins, fall florals and a few textiles are comfy fall additions.

SEA OF BOUGAINVILLEA. An explosion of bougainvillea sets a rustic and romantic feeling in the backyard. “I love everything about the bougainvillea,” Toni says. “Almost every morning, I come out here to drink my coffee and just look at it.”

Toni Marianna Mogensen has carved out a little corner of rustic romance for herself and her family in Salinas, California. The interior decorator and social influencer (she also homeschools her two sons and is a brand ambassador for this magazine) has spent the past eight years converting a rented 1920s adobe bungalow into a place that captures her earthy romantic sensibility.

FESTOONED FOR FALL. The home’s quaint exterior becomes extra charming during autumn. “It’s all about using mums and pumpkins, along with adding a basket or a wreath to our front door,” Toni says, “and, of course, some cornstalks.” These golden stalks are from their local pumpkin patch, and fishing line is used to keep them upright.

A BENCH FOR TWO. An idyllic spot is set up under twinkle lights and the foliage of the yard. It’s composed with a vintage army cot that was given to the family by a friend. “When styling this spot, I always try to fill it with as many cozy textiles as I can,” Toni says. For her, textured knits and a fuzzy pillow epitomize fall.