Fall in love with color this season
Picture an autumn day in New England: brilliant gold leaves juxtaposed against a gray sky.
Now, imagine bringing these colors inside to the walls, furniture and other surfaces of your home.
It’s a color scheme that will be easy to execute this fall, with offerings at popular retail stores and upscale showrooms.
The persimmon print on West Elm's Sketch duvet cover coordinates with Benjamin Moore Fiery Opal (#077) wall color.
If you’re painting gray on the wall, Farrow & Ball has Elephant’s Breath (#229), a contemporary light gray with a bit of purple undertone. It plays nicely in a room with warm or cool colors.
Paint the trim with Shaded White (#201), a true gray. Shades like Cornforth White (#228) and Blackened (#2011) are grays that blend in well with the stainless steel appliances in the kitchen. Layering neutrals can create interest in a room.
“Gray has definitely become the new neutral. It pairs well with so many colors,” says Abigail Jacobs, public relations director for Williams-Sonoma Home and West Elm.
Current catalogs spotlight pieces in shades from warm dove gray, to darker, cooler charcoal and slate.
“For fall, we’re still taking our cues from nature,” Jacobs reports.
Pillows in vivid autumn leaf colors accent mixed grays on the carpet and woven into the fabric of a couch from West Elm.
“You’ll see a lot of rich, saturated colors like persimmon, maize and turmeric in our textiles and decorative accessories. We’re grounding those with furniture in neutrals mixed with many tones of gray.”
Through their partnership with Benjamin Moore, West Elm recommends four grays that work with their autumn palette: Baltic Gray (#1467), which has some warmth to it; Delray Gray (#1614), with its dollop of cool blue; Charcoal Slate (#E-86), an exterior color that’s dramatic when used indoors; and Almost Black (#2130-30), good for accessories.
When you’re working with gray, be confident: autumn leaf brights add a jolt of contrast to wake up a tired space. “Yellow is back,” declares Cindy Samson of the Sherwin-Williams Design Studio. “We have a hard time keeping the yellow chips stocked in the studio. I’ve seen it used in very creative ways this year.”
Samson cites Alchemy (SW 6395), a nuanced gold, and Sequin (SW 6394), its lighter sibling, as current favorites.
“It’s a really versatile color. It can go really yellow or more green, depending on what you put with it. “
The mustardy shade where yellow meets green is ubiquitous this fall. CB2 calls it “grellow” and they’re using it for furniture and accessories.
The pale gold painted on the ceiling of this home brings out the warm tones of the fireplace stone, while the cool metal surround is the gray element in this living room. A professional can help you discover the stone or tile that best complements your style. COURTESY PHOTO / PITTSBURGH PAINTS
“We do like our grellow,” says Vicki Lang, manager of public relations at Crate & Barrel and CB2. “You can use it with so many colors.”
For an autumnal pop, try it next to a deep brown or indigo blue.
Lang recommends accenting the rich ochre tones with warm grays and plums. She says that customers are ready for more color in their homes. “If you’ve got a neutral space, this is a great time to bring in a beautiful color. It doesn’t feel overwhelming, it just feels fresh.”
While wall color and furniture can be changed out fairly easily, surfaces like tile and stone can be much more permanent.
If you’re updating a bath or kitchen this fall, you want to ensure that you’re making choices that have beauty and longevity, especially if you’re thinking in terms of resale value down the road.
Gray walls are cozy and enveloping. Texture is important in a neutral room, so the woven veneer lampshade and the diagonal weave of the rug look smart. The deep orange of the couch pillow and side table prevents monotone overload.
COURTESY PHOTO / WEST ELM
Jill Adler, owner of the Discover Tile showroom at the Boston Design Center, says, “The overall flavor is a trend toward mild neutrals, for example, white, beige and pale gray, whether it’s stone or glass.” She sees some people taking fewer risks with color. “Stones seem to be a variation on white – white with green, white with yellow, white with gray.”
The spa hues retain their popularity; blue is still a strong trend there. “Blue is lasting,” Adler says, “The pale colors seem to be most popular – the translucent, easy, soft blues.”
Adler tries to stay on the cutting edge, recommending new types of stone and mixing materials that might add a touch to something neutral, for example, metal with ceramic.
With colors in the neutral zone, texture comes to the forefront. Some of the new gray tiles have a brushed finish.
Whatever you choose for your home in this autumn’s colors, to be stylish, resist the urge to make everything match.
Accessories with a handcrafted look can add whimsy and charm to today’s neutral interiors.
Decorate with elements of different eras. Your new gold or gray space can have a mid-century Mad Men meets industrial loft aesthetic. The important thing is to mix things up.
This texture-y sofa from Crate and Barrel has elements of mid-century and contemporary design and the gorgeous ochre color would add a spark to any neutral room.
Jacobs describes it this way: “Ten years ago, if you asked someone what style their décor was, they would probably say modern, or traditional, or country. Now, nine times out of 10, the answer is eclectic.”
