Decorating your home for the autumn months is all about bringing warmth and comfort to the space. Picture tree branches with beautifully colored leaves, soft blankets in deep, rich colors, and flickering candles giving off the scent of a freshly baked pie. You know the vibes. Here’s how you can bring those warm accents into your home for the autumn season.
Consider the colors
If you’re someone who typically sticks to a neutral color scheme, fall is the perfect time to play around with incorporating some color.
“I’ve certainly seen an embrace of the more saturated tones so far this year,” says NoVA-based Georgia Hoyler, owner of Passerine — an online boutique shop which sources heirloom-quality handmade vintage rugs from authorized merchants around the world. “In the fall, people are wanting more color, but not necessarily bright colors. More so saturated, earthy hues.”
Think about the colors of fall. Those chocolate browns and subdued greens. Mustard yellow and burnt oranges.
“A color I’ve seen more of this year in particular is sort of an eggplant purple-brown color,” says Hoyler. “There seems to be an embrace of colors that are still found in nature but are a little less expected this year, like mahogany and burgundy.”
Include rugs for warmth
You may want to consider rolling out something warmer underfoot in the spaces where you’re happy to go barefoot in the summer, says Hoyler.
Adding runners or smaller area rugs in the highly trafficked rooms that typically have cooler floors — such as the kitchen or bathroom — could be a nice touch.
“This is just a little way of adding some texture, color, and warmth to these spaces,” Hoyler says.
Add some layers
Who says autumn layering is just for fashion? There is no better time to embrace additional layers within your home as well.
“Now is a lovely time to truly make your space feel like a space you want to gravitate to,” says Hoyler. “Bringing that sense of warmth and comfort into the home is all part of turning in for the season.”
You can start with something as simple as your couch.
It can be as easy as adding in an autumn-colored throw blanket. Or, you can step it up and include some tweed or velvet pillows that are highly tactile.
And if you really want to commit to a change for the season, you could consider painting a wall.
“Maybe you want to upgrade your entryway or choose an accent wall to feature — perhaps around the fireplace,” says Zulma Puhl, interior designer with TriVistaUSA, a family-owned boutique design and build firm based in Arlington.
Even if you don’t go with a bold color, there’s an array of colors that have warm undertones, she adds.
Bring the outside indoors
Fall décor tends to bring a certain ambiance to the room.
Much like in the spring, you can make a dramatic statement by bringing some of the best of the season inside.
“Tree branches are great with their changing leaves, but there are also lots of interesting pods and textural elements that can be used,” says Hoyler.
It makes for a nice focal point on a table or console that feels really over scaled and interesting, she says.
Play with your lighting
Lighting is the perfect way to create a mood, says Puhl.
“Candles are a really nice way of adding layers to the ‘experience’ of the room,” adds Hoyler. “They just add in an extra sense and sort of bring the room to life.”
You can also upgrade your lighting to a smart light system, which allows you to adjust it to set the mood or set a schedule for when you come home and it’s already dark out, says Puhl.
Megan Herr is an editor and writer residing in the Shenandoah Valley. She graduated with a degree in journalism from Penn State University.
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