Home decor retailers have begun to offer collections reflecting the belief that home is where our hearts are and our heads as fall nesting season approaches.
Although we may feel a bit lost in the world outside, our long stay at home has made us more grateful for our homes. Even if you don’t renovate a basement, remodel a bathroom, or make a workspace in your apartment closet, it is likely that you have rediscovered the things you love about your home.
Elaine Griffin, a Sea Island designer, says that «our living spaces moved form sanctuary to command central» and «and our relationship changed forever.»
She says, «Our love affair is at its zenith.»
Many people have spent months working remotely, transforming their homes into multitasking wonderlands of purpose, practicality, and personality.
Griffin says, «Of all the three, the second reigns.»
How can you personalize your bedrooms as you snuggle in for winter and fall?
Erin Flett, a Maine-based designer, has one mantra: «Collect things that you love, which are authentic to your heart, and your home becomes your story.»
Designers are not settling for a boring chair, boring carpeting, or boring wallcovering. They prefer items with a little soul, from the plush texture of a plush fabric to the hand-crafted tool marks of a bowl to the stunning beauty of a lacquered cabinet.
There is something for everyone. You will find pieces that have a homey, handmade feel. With bold prints and striking shapes, polished pieces that will get your heart racing. Freeform, elegant mirrors. Designs that are centuries old. Colors that express our need for nature’s healing qualities. At the other end, there are colors that stimulate our imaginations.
This is the most exciting new home decor. It has the feel of a studio, not a factory assembly line. A workshop. A small production house.
Here are some examples of fall’s offerings:
COLOR
You should look for saturated hues, such as cobalt, cobalt, cinnamon and charcoal, red, green, and mustard. These colors are new because of their depth and how they are used. They cover entire rooms from walls to moldings to fireplace mantels to ceilings. You can also use them in the kitchen.
Valentina Bertazzoni is the head of style and design for high-end Italian kitchen appliance manufacturer Bertazzoni.
The kitchen can feel more lively and inviting by incorporating red into its design. More homeowners are realizing that a color palette can be used as an anchor or protagonist in a design idea.
Red is also found in smaller pieces like Barber Osgerby’s playful Bellhop lamps, but also larger pieces like Turner sofa by Arteriors. Brown Jordan’s outdoor cabinetry is available in a hot chili hue as well as fresh mint and Tardis blue.
Black and charcoal have become the go-to color for dramatic, chic rooms. These inky colors are being used even in nurseries, where they make furniture, artwork, and other colors stand out. They are a symbol of the gender neutrality many families today want in children’s rooms.
«Japandi,» another style direction, combines the organic, low-key modernism and Japanese aesthetics of both Scandinavian as well as Japanese aesthetics. The hues are warm, muted, and calm. Amy Donato, PPG Paints states that there is a lot of interest in Japanese-inspired colors. Our best-selling colors are those that reflect the calm, neutral nature of the trend.
PATTERN
Courtney Sempliner, a New York designer, says that maximalism is taking the place of minimalism. «I find the pattern play with upholstery, the layering patterns of different scales and bold use of colors exciting and more interesting.
This allows homeowners to express their personalities more.
These eye-catching, often story-driven patterns are still popular in both regional and global tribal designs.
«The Navajo are amongst the most skilled rug makers in the globe, featuring loomwork and design on par to the finest Persian rugs,» states Leanne Potterts, an Atlanta-based designer and writer who is a contributor for HGTV, Gardenista, and other outlets. These Southwestern masterpieces are a great match for many styles of decor.
Joanna Mahserdjian is the founder of Upstate Rug Supply Hudson, New York.
She suggests, «Hang one on a wall as art, place another on the floor of a midcentury modern home, or cover them with Persian rugs like Ralph Lauren.» They can be used to anchor a pair modern Danish chairs or placed under a Chesterfield sofa in a study.
There are many Native American and African tribal designs on the upholstered pieces. The Ulla chair by Anthropologie has a mudcloth-inspired design. Sundance’s mango-wood sofa is hand-woven and tailored. There are also vibrant woven baskets made by a Ghanaian women’s collective.
Darryl Sharpton, Albany Park’s founder, drew inspiration from his Nigerian heritage in creating his Ekaabo seating collection. The velvet upholstery’s burgundy, orange and blue graphics echo West African design.
Florals are still rooted in the favourite-pattern category. These flowers are not the well-behaved, traditional florals. Graham & Brown’s Blue paper features a smattering of blooms against a black background.
Anthropologie’s Fall Furniture Collection includes the Bloom petite sidechair with Marcello Vielho’s graphic artist Marcello Vielho. It features a graphic botanical in bold citron grape, cherry, and basil colors.
Some retro wallpapers are also available, such as Hovia’s Memphis-era abstractions or Graham & Brown’s large-scale midmod, ’70s, and ’80s abstractions. Look for trompe l’oeil designs like origami, crocodile, faux bois, and crystal or mineral patterns. You don’t have to buy fancy furniture to make an impact with one of these artful, striking papers.
TEXTURE
It’s likely you have seen it in your local big box or neighborhood decor store: Rattan & jute have moved from the porch to almost every room of the house, including the storage closet.
These materials are used in the creation of side tables, dressers, headboards, lighting fixtures, seating, and even kitchen/bath cabinet doors.
An Anthropologie cane and brass chandelier is available. Or, check out Pottery Barn’s Sausalito collection with driftwood-inspired finishes, birds-eye caning, and Crate & Barrrel channeled the 1930s with the Anaise bedroom set with curved edges, the Griere bench and wood bench, as well as the circular West bar cabinet (designed in collaboration with Leanne Ford).
Geometric textures and shapes attract designers who want to create modernist designs, but also appeal to nature-lovers. Robert Forwood’s new bar cart is covered in faceted pieces of grainy oak. West Elm features Brutalist-print throw pillows and marble and wood octahedron objets d’art.
STYLE
Instagram is a hot spot for photos featuring floating vanities, mixed-color kitchen cabinets, shapely, soft seating, Brutalist objets d’art, and matte-black window frames and cabinet knobs.
There are many furniture pieces that are large and framed in wood, such as Pottery Barn’s Westbrook Parson’s-style side tables with cement tops or the Jack table with a marble top on a architectural bleached-wood foundation. There are also pieces that have sensuous, rounded corners. For example, the Runwell dresser/side table from Shinola’s collaboration with Crate & Barrel. The drawers, which are covered in aniline leather, nestle in a cocoon of walnut-veneered Mahogany.
Wooden and wood-look floors give eclectic rooms a homey feel and soften minimalist spaces. There are many options for laminates that look great and beautiful porcelain tiles that look durable. This is just one example of the incredible advances in digital printing technology.
La Fabbrica, an Italian manufacturer of tiles, has created Il Cerreto to reflect the rich colors and grain of wood wine barrels. Cerdomus’Opera line was inspired by historic Italian theaters. Rondine’sTimeless tile looks like textured parquet.
These surfacing materials can be used on floors as well as walls.
Art Deco’s elegant decor is a hot trend. Article’s Sven loveseat is made in emerald green velvet with tufted seating. The rolled arm rests are also available. Interior Define’s Madeline slipper chairs would make a stylish accent in any room. They are available in platinum, blush, or lavender performance velvet.
Ceramica Colli di Sassuolo’s Joyce porcelain tile in Art Deco-inspired semicircles and angular forms blend modernity and that era. The Tile Shop’s Corbusier Mosaic reflects the architect’s aesthetic in black, white, and elegant gold.
How does a home decorator combine these many options?
Designer and host of HGTV Emily Henderson says, «I like all the styles so I get it.» At a certain point you can start to see the best for your home, your family and your lifestyle. It’s great to have a personal connection with a style.
«I believe you can mix and match any style as long as your color palette is consistent.»
Griffin states that this fall will be the «end of design as we know.» It doesn’t have to look right for everyone, but if you love it, it will be perfect for you. This is the essence of style. We are entering the era of the uniquely individual interior.
