Bring the best of autumn indoors with these seasonal interior design and lighting ideas…
Summer is all very well, but autumn is nature’s gift to interior designers and home decor enthusiasts... The gentle drawing in of the evenings, the retreat to indoor cosiness – and all those seasonal colours! Here are six tips for styling your home, plus some autumnal lighting inspiration.
1) Celebrate autumn colours
Autumn has the best colours, so make the most of them: the rich, warm earth tones of falling leaves and soft sunlight provide a superb palette to work with. Lampshades, cushions, rugs, throws and bedding can all be easily autumned-up without the need to redecorate.
Your choices range from creamy yellow and burnished gold to burnt orange and russet, terracotta and rich conker brown, but still with an occasional hint of green…because, as far as nature is concerned, summer doesn’t suddenly end when autumn begins. Autumn is all about transition.
Autumn colours , exposed wood and Pooky’s Porcini table lamp feature in this kitchen by @emiliefournierinteriors
2) Go for exposed natural wood
Vintage or antique wooden furniture really comes into its own at this time of year, bringing in echoes of woodlands in autumn. If you have some pieces currently covered up or hidden away, consider giving them pride of place in a prominent spot. If you’re a keen restorer, you’ll know where to look for bargain pieces; otherwise, Instagram has a host of vintage furniture accounts (search on #vintagefurniture), covering a wide variety of styles, including ever popular Arts and Crafts and Mid-Century Modern.
3) Make the most of autumn flowers
If you suffer a little from post-summer melancholy, then flowers are nature’s mood-lifters, so make the most of cut and garden flowers while you can. Roses may be enjoying a second flush; if you’re planning ahead, think about planting varieties like Charles Darwin (soft yellow), Roald Dahl (apricot) or (Crème de la Crème) cream – all available from David Austin Roses amongst other places. Cottage garden favourites such as dahlias, violas, Japanese anemones, rudbeckia and asters offer plenty of colour choices.
Autumn flowers like rudbeckia add warmth and colour to any room. Image: public domain.
4. Get fruity
You can of course eat autumn fruits, but they also make a simple, striking visual display. A wooden bowl full of heritage English apples such as Nutmeg Pippin or Saint Cecilia will do the trick perfectly… Even better, why not plant your own heritage apple trees and be ready for all the autumns to come (take a look at the range at Chris Bowers & Sons.)
If you like to ring the changes in wall art, look our for photographic prints or vintage paintings of seasonal flowers and fruits; a collection can make a perfect gallery wall for autumn.
Image: creative commons
5) Go for warmth
Autumn is the time of year when we start to bring out warm throws again, whether to wrap up in as you eat or read outside until sunset, or to dive under when night falls. The British Blanket Company has a supersoft merino herringbone throw that comes in ideal autumn colours such as basswood, cream, red, orange, mead, and damson.
Complement warm throws with rugs that echo the autumnal colour theme; we need warmth underfoot too. Take a look at Big Buds, designed by Giancarlo Valle for Nordic Knots: a rich red wool rug with a bud and leaf pattern—a fusion of Latin American and Scandinavian design. And you can’t go wrong with a richly coloured traditional kilim, a floor covering that works in so many different settings.
6) Try a touch of Modern Rustic
If you have been thinking about a Modern Rustic look for your home, or maybe just a few rustic hints, autumn is the perfect time to make the leap. It’s an opportunity to mix old and new, half way from summer, half way to winter. Modern Rustic draws on the natural world for inspired touches of colour, texture and accessories – read all about the Modern Rustic look and how to achieve it here.
Hints of autumn in this Modern Rustic sitting room, designed by Arthty Ragupathy @av.home
Autumn lighting inspiration
Lighting is the perfect way to bring in seasonal colours, cosiness and mood...
Portable table lamps
As with every English season, we have to be prepared for just about anything in terms of weather; if the early evening weather is fine you could be outside having supper or enjoying a book as the light fades. That’s where one of Pooky’s rechargeable lamps like Phileas comes into its own; you can use them anywhere, outdoors, as well as inside. Designed by Matthew Williamson, Phileas is finished in antique bronze; ring the changes throughout the year with shades in seasonal colours.
Enjoy those mild early autumn evenings outside or light a cosy nook by the window, helped by Pooky’s Phileas rechargeable lamp.
Cosy corner reading lights
If it’s all meteorological change the following evening and you’re hunkering down in your favourite chair trying to finish that book, make sure you’ve got the right lighting, such as Pick, in black and antiqued brass, which has not one, not two but three adjustment points. What’s more, Pick comes with a specially designed reading bulb... heaven!
Pooky's Pick reading light in black and antiqued brass
Natural shades
If you are looking for the perfect shades, made of natural material, for your home in autumn, take a look at our new range of pendants produced in collaboration with Creative Craft Projects . There are four designs and all the shades have been handwoven by artisan craftswomen in Zimbabwe using Ilala palm, which is sustainably grown and harvested locally. Ideal for the Modern Rustic look but these pendant shades are works of art in their own right and they will enhance all manner of interiors, from modern minimalist to country cottage.
The Pooky x Collaborative Craft Projects pendant shade collection
Inspired? Browse all Pooky's shades and lamps here - you can filter by colour, material, style and more...
