Style your home this fall with rich hues

For keen serial redecorators, it’s time to start thinking about an autumn refresh.

This fall, interior designers say there’s demand for eclectic styles, interesting prints, rich hues and warm textures.

Style sense

The trim, tailored lines of midcentury decor have been ensconced in the home furnishings marketplace for several years now; versions of iconic pieces can be found in all big-box retailers. Has the beloved style peaked?

Some designers see an easing of the fever, but that doesn’t mean midmod is going anywhere.

“It has saturated the market,” says designer Elizabeth Stuart, of Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. ”(But) I think the interesting thing is that unlike the ‘industrial’ look, the midcentury ‘comeback’ has proven not to be just a fad but an awareness and a respected way of designing. Amazing furniture and fabric designers came out of that time — Florence Knoll, the Eameses, Saarinen — design that’s held its own and shown the world that it never really left.”

Christiane Lemieux, who founded the home-design and fashion brand DwellStudio and now runs the custom furniture retailer The Inside, sees change coming.

“Interiors have been clean, midcentury-inspired and fairly generic for the past few years, (but now) people are craving the ‘new and more.’ Enter maximalism, specifically through the lens of British design, which is experiencing a major revitalization,” she says.

Elaborate patterns, ornamentation, and luxe materials are hallmarks of that style. Designers like Miles Redd and Ken Fulk are known for their max-y, layered, curated interiors.

“The beautiful thing about maximalism is that it’s entirely personal,” says Lemieux. “You’re encouraged to choose pieces that visually express your individuality. My No. 1 maximalism tip: Strive for personalization over perfection, and you can’t go wrong. The more you mix, the better the result.”

She has introduced a chintz fabric collection at The Inside. And at August Abode, there’s a Notting Hill-inspired chintz wallpaper collection.

In his furnishings collections, British designer Timothy Oulton melds respect for history with a modern-cool, slightly rebellious vibe. He takes classic pieces like tufted leather chesterfields, steamer trunks and Deco-era chandeliers, and plays with scale, incorporates a cheeky flag print, or re-interprets a saddle or aviator’s chair as seating.

Another fun way to bring a sense of history into a space: GE has a new collection of oversize vintage-style lighting. The LED bulbs come in ball, bulb and cylinder shapes with interesting filament designs, and all with the warm glow of the Edison fixtures that inspired them.

If you’re not comfortable going to the max, there’s another emerging look that finds the sweet spot between “lots” and “little,” and that’s maximal minimalism. This allows you to keep your clean-lined aesthetic while adding just a touch of something bold. Maybe it’s wild throw pillows. Or oversize art. Or a collection of objects — but instead of covering every surface, you display them in a contained way on a sleek shelf.

Brass notes

Complementing all the rich blues, teals, berries and greens are the metals, and designers say mixing them up is the way to go now.

“Mixed metals definitely infuse an eclectic balance this fall,” says Jane. Rose gold may be on the wane, but brass and gold accents are trending, as is matte black. Silvery nickel and steel are always in. The mix isn’t solely about material or color; it’s also about finish. Matte, polished, antiqued and brushed give home decorators many options to provide interest and depth.

How do you decide which to use? McClain’s trick: repetition.

“Create a rhythm through themes,” he says. “For example, appliances and plumbing fixtures are stainless steel, cabinet hardware and light fixtures are brushed brass, and all door, hardware and window frames are matte black. Then punctuate your metal mixtures with picture frames, lamps and accessories.”

GE Café’s new appliance suite lets you customize knobs and handles, for example. “One of my clients opted for copper accents on her stainless appliances for fall, and plans to change again for spring,” McClain says.