Falling temps, crackling fireplaces, and a deep desire to wrap every surface in nubby textiles. It must be autumn, and that means it’s time to think about how to bring cozy comfort and chic seasonal style into your space. We have some ideas. Use these fall design trends as a guide to creating a home that is as warm and welcoming this season as it is plush and pleasing.
Saturated Palettes
One of the most prevalent trends for fall seen at this year’s NeoCon, the 50th anniversary show for this commercial design exhibition, was saturated palettes, according to interior designer Danielle Lewis of Rochester, NY-based design outfit LaBella Associates. It seems like we talk about “pops of color” as a way to incorporate new hues into our home’s décor every season, but the showrooms here, which reflect residential design as well, were anything but subtle when it comes to color, “embracing explosions of varying hues and chromas,” he says. “Flooring, furniture, and upholstery manufacturers showcased both muted hues (including the culturally pervasive ‘Millennial Pink’) as well as vibrant tones from all parts of the visible spectrum. Several manufacturers showed bold, monochromatic palettes, while others utilized a blend of colors to create exciting color stories.”
Danielle Lewis, Courtesy of LaBella Associates.
Animal Prints
A current trend on the runway is also taking root at home. If you haven’t yet blended animal prints into your fall décor, Chairish says it’s time. “Our shoppers are gaga for animal prints, specifically cat motifs,” says company co-founder and president Anna Brockway. The site for vintage and bespoke furniture and decor analyzed “how its millions of customers are shopping this season” to determine the top looks for home. “Depending on how you style them, feline threads can feel traditional, contemporary, or even playful. Test-drive the trend by adding a tiger and leopard print pillow to a neutral sofa. Or, if you’re looking to go bigger, spring for cat-upholstered chair or hide-style rug. Either one will add an instant sense of classism.”
Curved Sofas
This season invites a respite from all those hard edges. Curator of interior design and design professionals, Dering Hall, sees curved sofas as one of fall’s top trends. “Curved sofas solve many ‘age old design dilemmas,’” says Emily Mackie of Inspired Interiors in Forbes. “First, you never have to look at the flat ugly back of a sofa again. Second, conversation in the area is now oriented where everyone seated on the sofa can see each other instead of the side of each other’s heads! Third, the organic curve adds harmony and order to the room instead of just a flat-lined sofa.”
Spaces Within Spaces
Lewis also notes the prevalence of “spaces within spaces” for commercial design at NeoCon, wherein “pretty much every furniture manufacturer designed their showrooms to have layers of privacy. Acoustical pods or ‘phone booths’ created clear separation, while numerous lounge pieces utilized high backs and arms to form more subtle, intimate areas for discussion. Standalone privacy screens that doubled as pin boards or acoustic treatments were scattered throughout. Floor treatments with multiple colors or patterns were used to create visual distinctions between types of spaces where physical partitions weren’t required.”
Danielle Lewis, Courtesy of LaBella Associates.
Does that mean we can expect to see more separations in residential floorplans this season? Luxury homeowners may not be ready to give up the open floorplan altogether, however Houzz notes the growing trend of “seeking some sort of delineation of space, such as… a half wall of cabinetry (that) creates a semi-closed space between the kitchen and living room.”
Black Kitchens
Darker days deserve darker cabinetry, no? That makes fall the perfect time to design or renovate a kitchen with one of the hottest (and coolest) colors of today: black. Atlanta, GA-based luxury kitchen designer Heather Hungeling of Heather Hungeling Design loves working black into the kitchen because it is “such a lovely foil to the most classic color of all times…white. It adds depth to any room it’s in and looks fantastic with lots of different wood tones.” However, she cautions, the ‘wall-to-wall’ black kitchen cabinet look that is so popular now will not last. In 10 years, we will walk into a kitchen like that and know which decade it came from. Instead, black can be woven into a kitchen in ways that make an impact without dating the space. Incorporate the color into a professional range, a range hood, a backsplash, or lighting and accents.
Matte Black Fixtures
Upscale black fixtures in a matte finish, for both the kitchen and the bath, are also having a moment. “Matte black finishes are popping up everywhere. High-end manufacturers like Crosswater London focus on sleek contemporary looks, while go-to brands Moen, Delta, and Kohler offer both modern and traditional styles,” says Domino. They’re the perfect counterpoint to marble, creating a rich, decadent look. “Dramatic Carrara or Statuario slabs are to die for when paired with matte black. A black faucet accentuates veining, unlike a chrome or nickel fixture that reflects light and blends with the surroundings. Think ultra-luxe Italian style.”
Geometric Shapes
Geometric shapes are another haute look this season; Chairish notes their popularity as tiled gallery walls for fall. “Sets of geometric prints are all the rage and provide a serene way to make a big statement,” says Brockway. Rugs are another notable place to present an intricate pattern. Or, follow Elle Décor’s lead with a piece of furniture that showcase a love of geometry—and drama.
We can’t get enough of this console’s unexpected yellow hue and geometric patterned façade,” says Elle Décor of the West Elm Rosanna Ceravolo Media Console in their look at fall trends. “It’s the wow factor your living room has been missing.”
