Refresh your home for fall with these cozy style tips

“We are all more comfortable staying at home more in these uncertain times. So, freshening up our spaces is more popular than ever,” says interior designer Maria Barry of Le Dimora in The Village at Pacific Highlands Ranch. “Changing out dusty area rugs, pillows, artwork, and bedding looks and feels clean and fresh.” She suggests investing in an additional set of toss pillows (or covers) for living and dining areas and using warmer fall tones or “pops of orange or coral to welcome in the season.” Those simple touches of color can be especially striking in homes in which grey tones or other neutrals predominate.

Don’t forget the home’s heart, the kitchen, where family and guests love to gather. “Dried floral arrangements truly warm up the kitchen for the harvest season,” Barry notes. “Wooden fruit, preserved florals, stacks of dried wheat, and pine cones in wooden bowls on countertops and cocktail tables bring a cozy touch.”

Barry also suggests reimagining living spaces to make them multi-purpose, whether you work at home, work out, or supervise children for in-home learning. “Consider taking your spare space or guest room and making it multi-functional,” she says. “Home gyms, workout spaces, yoga rooms, and home offices are better served than a guestroom. Traveling guests for the holidays will be fewer than ever.” 858.261.0600, ledimora.com

“The changing seasons are a great time to freshen up your décor,” says interior designer Susan Spath of Kern & Company in the Cedros Design District. “It’s best to focus on a few key places to achieve a sophisticated well-designed home.”

Choose a buffet, coffee table, mantel, or sectional as a focal point to switch out decor as the seasons change. “Adding throw pillows, luxurious rugs, and cashmere throws will instantly warm up your home. But you can achieve the same fall feeling with the right accessories.” Consider frames, trays, and boxes in autumnal tones of gold and bronze, or Spath’s personal favorite, a Baccarat vase filled with seasonal flowers for the “ultimate luxury statement” to add a splash of fall color in a neutral home. “It’s timeless and can be used throughout the year by simply adding the color of the season,” she says. “Another easy way to add fall color is filling a beautiful bowl with fall vegetables such as squash to display on your kitchen island.” 858.259.7722, kerncodesigns.com

Natalie Maxwell of Rancho Santa Fe’s newly expanded Floral Palette in the Del Rayo Village Shopping Center says flowers and botanicals, both real and faux, bring nature in. She also loves fall fragrance — candles, diffusers, and votives — in such seasonal scents as spiced pumpkin latte by Voluspa, Nest’s pumpkin chai, Thymes’ simmered cider, and spicy apple from Rosy Rings. The iconic pumpkin is re-interpreted in woven rattan for a more casual look or elegant velvet in traditional fall tones and burnished metallics, some adorned with Swarovski crystals and feathers. Serving pieces and napkins also provide a festive touch for fall gatherings and everyday dining. 858.832.1127, floralpalette.com 

There’s no better way to add a cozy feeling as temperatures drop than soft, sumptuous bedding. Between the Sheets in Flower Hill Promenade offers luxury bed linens, duvet covers, down pillows, and throws in cashmere, chenille, and fur (both real and faux). Store manager Susan Becar Guzman notes that gold, copper, and bronze tones are trending now for both bed and bath. The Style Bella line, for example, merges classic design with contemporary color in fabrics that combine cotton and lurex for a glint of metallics. She says customers are also drawn to earthy colors and organic shapes inspired by nature “to help us feel calm and relaxed within our spaces.” 858.847.3300, betweenthesheetsinc.com

As the days grow shorter, lighting is one of the least expensive and most impactful changes you can make to brighten your home and lift your spirits, says Bertha Hernandez, outgoing president of ASID San Diego. “The quality of light that you bring into any space matters a great deal. All light bulbs are not created equal and if you make just that one change, your mood can literally be affected,” she advises.

When choosing bulbs, consider the Color Rendering Index (CRI), which measures the color temperature of the light emitted. “Some bulbs give off a blue light, others a white light or a warm/golden light,” she explains. “To bring the sunshine in to spaces that feel a bit dark and uninviting, replace the bulbs with some that have a CRI of 2700K for warm and 3000K for high-noon bright white light.” You will also want to consider the brightness of the light, measured in lumens. Choose higher lumens for areas like kitchens, baths, and hallways where you want lots of brightness. 

Hernandez says furniture arrangement is another easy way to enhance your home. “Just moving a favorite reading chair and side table to a different corner of the room or near a window will refresh the space, make you feel a little joy because of the change, and invite you to use spaces that you haven’t in a while.” 619.616.5298, bhainteriordesign.com