Fall decor gets personal
The pandemic has helped us appreciate our homes more
As fall nesting season returns, home decor retailers are presenting collections that reflect the idea that home is where our hearts and heads are.
Our long housebound stretch may have made us restless for the outside world, but it has helped us appreciate our homes more. Even if you didn’t redo a basement playroom, rehab a bathroom or create a workspace in an apartment closet, you probably rediscovered what you like about your home.
“Our living spaces moved from sanctuary to command central,” says Elaine Griffin, a designer in Sea Island, Georgia, “and our relationship with them forever changed.”
Months of working from home has many people transforming their abodes into multitasking marvels of purpose, practicality and personality.
“Of the three, the latter reigns,” says Griffin.
So how do you give your rooms that personal stamp as we snuggle in for fall and winter?
Maine-based designer Erin Flett has a mantra: “Collect things you love, that are authentic to you, and your house becomes your story.”
Rather than a basic chair, generic carpeting or ordinary wallcovering, designers are favoring items that have a little “soul,” from the cozy nap of a plush textile to the tool marks of an artisan-made bowl, all the way to the over-thetop gorgeousness of a sleek lacquered cabinet.
There’s something for everyone. Pieces that give off a homespun, handmade vibe. Polished pieces that get the heart beating, with exciting prints or bold shapes. Freeform, elegant mirrors. Patterns that span centuries of artistry. Colors that reflect our need for nature’s restorative qualities. And at the other end of the spectrum, colors that rev up our imaginations.
A few examples of what’s in store for fall:
Color
Look for saturated hues — cobalt, cinnamon, charcoal, ruby, green and mustard among them. It’s the depth of these colors that’s new, and also how they’re used. They’re enveloping entire rooms, from walls to moldings to fireplace mantels and even the ceiling. The kitchen too.
“In North America, red is our warm-color best seller,” says Valentina Bertazzoni, head of style and design at high-end Italian kitchen appliance maker Bertazzoni.
“By incorporating colors like red, the kitchen space can feel livelier and more inviting. And more homeowners are catching on to the idea that a colorful range can serve as an anchor or protagonist for a design concept.”
You’ll see red in small pieces, like Barber Osgerby’s playful Bellhop lamp, but also in larger furniture like Arteriors’ Turner sofa. For the backyard, Brown
Jordan’s outdoor kitchen cabinetry comes in a hot chili hue, as well as fresh mint, Tardis blue and cotton candy pink.
Charcoal and black have gone from being goth teen shades to go-to colors for chic, dramatic rooms. Even nurseries are getting these inky hues, which help make furnishings, artwork and other colors pop. In children’s rooms, they speak to the gender neutrality that many modern families are going for.
Another style direction, “Japandi,” blends the organic, low-key modernism of both Scandinavian and Japanese aesthetics. Hues are mossy, foggy, smoky — and calming. Amy Donato of PPG Paints says, “We’re seeing strong interest in Japandi-inspired colors. In fact, our best sellers are those that align with the serene, neutral essence of the trend.”
Pattern
“I love that maximalism is taking over as minimalism phases out,” says New York designer Courtney Sempliner. “The pattern play that I’m seeing with upholstery, the layering of patterns of varying scales and the bold use of color is exciting and much more interesting.”
It also allows more of a homeowners’ personality to come through.
Regional and global tribal patterns continue to get attention; textiles for living and sleeping spaces feature these eye-catching and often story-driven designs.
“The Navajo are among the finest rug-makers in the world, featuring loom work and design on par with the best Persian rugs,” says Atlanta-based design writer Leanne Potts, a contributor to HGTV, Gardenista and other outlets. “These Southwestern masterpieces feature designs and colors that work with many decor styles.”
Joanna Mahserdjian, founder of Upstate Rug Supply in Hudson, New York, agrees.
“Hang one on the wall as art, place one on the floor in a midcentury-modern home, or layer them with Persian rugs, as Ralph Lauren does,” she suggests. “They work equally well anchoring a pair of Danish modern chairs as they do placed in a study under a rich, camel-leather Chesterfield sofa.”
You’ll find Native American and African tribal motifs on upholstered pieces, as well: Anthropologie’s Ulla chair has a mudcloth-inspired print. Sundance’s kilim-covered mango-wood sofa marries the handwoven with the tailored, and there are vibrant woven baskets here, too, made by a Ghanaian women’s collective.
Albany Park’s founder Darryl Sharpton drew on his Nigerian heritage to create his Ekaabo seating collection. The name means “welcome home,” and the velvet upholstery’s blue, orange and burgundy graphics echo West African design.
Florals remain rooted in the favorite-pattern category. But instead of tidy, well-behaved traditional ones, these florals are rebellious. Graham & Brown’s Azure paper puts a tumble of blowsy blooms on a matte black background, for instance.