The cozier seasons are here again. It’s the time of year we begin to burrow in and bundle up. It’s also the time of year when our worlds recenter themselves inside our homes for the gatherings ahead and whatever time you and yours take just for yourselves.
As we head inside, let’s take a look at what’s trending in interior design circles this fall. Not because you need to chase every passing trend. But because behind those trends are inspiring, creative people whose passion is exploring new and cozier ways to embrace the intersection of the season, the lives we’re living, and the spaces in which those lives unfold.
Let’s explore what the experts are bringing home to snuggle up with for autumn 2024.
Snuggle Up With…Traditions.
There’s an interesting new theme this fall — no theme.
Heidi Samia from Eleanor Rose Home explains, “Themed decorations are extremely limiting. When you commit to a theme, you end up creating a space that feels uniform and lacks the personal touches that make a home unique.” Instead, “…aim for a design that allows you to easily mix different elements, textures, and colors. This approach creates a more dynamic and inviting atmosphere throughout your home.”
Intriguing, right? We’ll cover the role colors play later, but what does this mean for decor? It’s more elevated and personalized this year.
Better Homes & Gardens (BHG) highlighted a couple of approaches leaning on traditional elements and leaning into sustainability and utilizing natural elements. Etsy trend expert, Dayna Isom Johnson, told BHG, “…shoppers are looking to bring the outdoors in this season through accessories such as pinecones, dried fruit, and log candle holders, while wooden utensils offer a functional take on the trend.”
Johnson finds an “heirloom era” replacing the usual generic themed decor, “a trend that represents different ways to bring retro and inherently unique items to homes…decorating is all about antique vases, rocking chairs, candlestick holders, embroidered pillows, and even old books.”
This year, it’s authenticity through honoring traditionalism.
Snuggle Up With…Texture.
Few words are as visceral as “cozy.” You hear it, and you can already feel it just a little. And autumn is practically spelled c-o-z-y.
As Darby Jenkins of Lambert Home says, “Warm and cozy textures are a recurring trend each fall and this year is no different…we can still look forward to the chunky wools and velvets that really make us feel like summer is a thing of the past.”
Drew & Jonathan (aka the Property Brothers) agree. Sharing insights from their VP of Creative & Design, Elizabeth Garcia, they welcome returning cozy favorites, “Customers are still loving tactile, soft fabrics such as fluffy, faux furs, quilted velvets, chunky knit chenille blankets, and beautiful boucle upholstered furniture and accents.”
Fold them into your home’s vibe in pops, Garcia advises, “Items such as decorative pillows, throw blankets, and other home decor can be a fun, inexpensive way to add a fresh pop of fall color and pattern to any room,” adding, “Of course, additional seating is always perfect for this time of year when we spend more time indoors, entertaining friends and family during the upcoming holidays.”
So, if you’re eyeing an accent chair or storage ottoman, add one in a cozy velvet or boucle this fall.
Snuggle Up With…Chocolate?
This year’s fall color trends are so yummy (yes, yummy) we’ll spread them out a bit.
First, some sweet advice from Homes & Gardens (H&G) style and trends editor, Charlotte Olby, “Consider a fall color scheme that looks good enough to eat with tones of chocolate brown, toffee, and caramels, and of course: butter yellows.”
House Beautiful’s (HB), Rachel Edwards, found warmth – colors, that is – in her conversations with experts, too. Like Matilda Martin, trend specialist at home decor brand Lick who’s seeing retro, “Warmth emanates from a 70s-inspired home, largely through its color scheme…by incorporating earthy browns, terracotta reds and oranges.”
Furniture Village’s Shelley Cochrane told HB more about how buttery yellows can pull it all together with tones that are, “rich yet subtle, as they gently introduce pops of color and infuse your home with the energizing warmth of nature’s color palette. Pair a base of sandy neutrals with rich russet tones, fresh pops of blush pink, and nourishing shades of forest green to create a warm and welcoming scheme.”
It’s essentially taking the earthy color trend of 2024 to delicious new heights.
Snuggle Up…Playfully.
Seasonal decor is, um, seasonal. So be playful. Small things, boldly embraced, go a long way.
Mining a recent TikTok trends study by Clinch Home Services, Sarah Magliocco from Irish lifestyle magazine RSVP Live found people reveling in the comfort of candles, bouquets, plants, and design vibes like quiet-lux.
Magliocco elaborates, “Autumn home design trends on TikTok are all about creating cozy and inviting spaces that reflect the warmth and comfort of the season. We’re seeing many individuals incorporate…color schemes via bouquets, blankets, and candle holders.”
Real Homes (RH) magazine’s Eve Small seconds that, talking with Andre Kazimierski from Improovy Painters of La Grange who offers this advice, “decorative elements such as candles and naturalistic decor such as preserved leaves are also perfect for enhancing the warm and inviting vibes.”
Again, small things.
Rachel Stringer from Raleigh Realty shared with RH how people are seeking serenity in the warm, earthy neutrals while also embracing playful contrast with tones like cobalt blue for “energy and personality,” adding, “These can be introduced through accessories like throw pillows, artwork, or accent chairs.”
Playful patterns emerged from Drew & Jonathan’s chat with Elizabeth Garcia, “For fall patterns we’re seeing a lot of nature-inspired prints, botanical themes, modern abstract shapes, and modern geometrics. We’re also showing soothing, restorative hues perfect for cuddling up as temperatures start to cool.”
Snuggle Up With…Burgundy? (Or Merlot?)
So, yes, colors like chocolate brown are trending this fall. Guess what pairs well with chocolate? Wine, of course.
Yvonne Pratt, from design blog Stone Gable, loves the variety of fall colors but, she says, “…interior designers and fashionistas have agreed on this year’s color: burgundy, also known as merlot or Bordeaux…a rich, sophisticated hue perfect for adding warmth and depth to fall decor…If burgundy is not your favorite color (like me), you might try a shade with more red than purple.”
H&G’s Charlotte Olby helps with the how-to, “While decorating with burgundy sounds very bold, it can be easily introduced to your existing schemes in the smallest and most subtle of ways.” And Jodie Fried of Armadillo adds, “Deep ruby reds and earthy crimsons make a bold statement by enveloping the room with instant warmth and comfort.”
Architectural Digest (AD) is feeling the feelings evoked by autumn’s deep, rich, warm tones, as well. Designer Anne McDonald tells AD, “In the fall, we’re always eager to dive into deeper colors — it just feels so right. But it’s especially striking when paired with a lighter hue…transitioning from a summer palette—maybe you’ve got some light blues, blush pinks, or even buttery yellows—those shades pair beautifully with oxblood. It really grounds the colors.”
As always, we’re here to help with all the fabrics to make your snuggliest dreams come true this fall.