Decorating & Design
September 24, 2015
Editor’s Picks: 8 Stylish Fall Decor Updates
H&H design editor Lauren Petroff shares her favorite fall decor ideas.
I hate to break it to you, 
but summer is officially over and it’s time to brace for the chill. However, much like the return of cozy knitwear in fashion, cold-weather decor has its own special appeal. Welcome the coming season by layering, decorating and transforming your home for fall. Not sure where to begin? Here are my favorite decorating tricks to warm up your home.
There’s loads of natural beauty to be found in the great outdoors. Embrace autumnal foliage and blooms — both perennial and annual — in your flowerbeds, wreaths or placed in a pot by your front door. Ornamental cabbage, Japanese maple, sage, aster, hydrangea, sedum and dahlias will all add beautiful late-season color.
Nothing is more snug and enveloping than a room layered in shades of deep brown, navy or black. Slightly more saturated colors like burgundy, plum and mossy green are also great picks to create a warm, cocooning look. This fall, bring in furniture and accessories in moodier hues, or try out a darker wall color for a more dramatic change.
In the summertime, we want to feel lighter and cooler, surrounding ourselves with breezy linen and cotton textiles. When the opposite is true in the fall, luxurious velvets and thick, tapestry-like fabrics fit the bill. A quick and easy way to transform your space? Introduce a few plush pillows and throws in rich colors or saturated jewel tones.
If you’re contemplating introducing drapery into your home, now is the time to do it. You’ll find there are endless patterned and solid fabrics that work beautifully as drapes, and you’ll appreciate the visual and practical warmth they provide in the chillier days ahead.
Fall offers an opportunity to indulge in coziness. Bring in pillows, throws and accessories in boiled wool, chunky knits and faux fur, and add even more texture underfoot by doubling up on rugs — your summer sisal will get an instant fall update with a cowhide rug layered on top.
I love the look of burnished and antiqued finishes, which have a deeper color and rich, heirloom vibe that’s perfect for autumn. Pewter is another beautiful metal to experiment with right now: arrange a vignette on an oversized tray, or go all out with a display of vintage dinnerware.
A well-accessorized hearth gives any space an inviting look, even if you don’t have a traditional wood-burning fireplace. This season, make your hearth a worthy focal point with a decorated mantle, beautiful screen or handsome set of tools, then group soft seating around the main attraction — or floor pillows to create casual front-row seats.
Incorporating candles into your decor is a classic way to lend your home a cozy ambience — perfect for curling up with a good book and cup of tea. Try grouping a trio of lanterns or a collection of vintage candlesticks on the dinner table as a glowing centerpiece.