10 Great Places for Rich Fall Colors Year-Round

I’ve had the opportunity to live all over the United States, and while I love the climate of my current city, San Francisco, I hold some very fond memories of the crisp fall weather I experienced growing up in a small town in northern Illinois. It had something to do with the warm, comforting mugs of cocoa or cider everyone’s mom or dad would suddenly start making for us kids, as well as the return of sweater weather; going shopping for new school clothes, shoes and supplies; and the return of Friday-night high school football games.

As the weather turns chilly for many of you, nature sheds its fresh summer hues in favor of deeper, warmer colors. Which I’m all for. But while rich fall hues will sure feel right at home in the coming months, there are a few key places where I like to use them that make them welcome year-round. So if you’re thinking of embracing fall colors this season, consider one of these 10 areas of your home where moody oranges, reds, browns and golds will feel natural through any season.

1. In a nook or niche. If you have any interesting nooks or crannies in your home that deserve to take center stage, you can’t go wrong with a rich autumnal burgundy or orange. I prefer using these intense attention-getting colors sparingly, as accents to highlight architectural elements in or on a home. They also create a warm and cozy vibe, perfect for a nook such as the one pictured here, making an ideal spot for relaxing with a good book and a hot beverage, or for taking a nap on a chilly autumn afternoon.


2. On the ceiling. Here’s another smart way to add a small accent of big, warm color. Warm colors tend to visually advance, whereas cool colors appear to recede. The deep wine hue used on the strip of ceiling here works to lower that particular area even more, making it feel more intimate and friendly, and it also serves as a nice foil to the high ceilings in the remainder of the space — making those appear even more open and soaring.


3. Unusual wall treatments. Create a feature wall by painting it pumpkin orange, or try the interesting technique of applying a rust activator to a reactive metallic paint. Warm reds, oranges and golds are thought to be appetite-stimulating colors, so they are a nice choice in a kitchen or dining room.


Enjoy the last few remaining mild evenings of the season by bringing warm metals to your outdoor areas. This wall cladding would look fantastic at night lit by a nearby fire feature, making the copper-hued material flicker and radiate warmth.


The golden yellows of autumn leaves are among my favorites for bedroom decor color. They add an appealing warm glow, which is even more pronounced in the morning light, when you are first waking up. I like how this luxe wall covering and fantastic burnished-gold light fixture are allowed to take center stage in this beautiful bedroom.


4. Interior doors. A funky front door color is a popular design trend right now, but there’s no reason to keep the party on the outside. If you have lots of wood tones in your home, think about painting your interior doors a happy orange hue such as the one used here. Because most wood tones have quite a bit of orange in them, the two colors will blend together well and not fight each other for attention.


5. Door or window trim. Most people stick to wood or neutral-hued door and window trim, but there’s no reason you can’t spice things up a bit and go for a bolder color. This burgundy hue really brightens up the exterior of this home, and the generous expanse of glass is also highlighted. Also, red and green are complementary colors, or opposite each other on the color wheel, so your green landscaping will pop the most against a red backdrop.


6. Appliances. I remain a loyal fan of stainless steel appliances, but for those of you tiring of the look, check out the fantastic options in colorful appliances, such as this fantastic bold orange range. Again, because warm hues tend to stimulate the appetite, they are terrific colors in kitchens. Bright orange is a notice-me color, so if you want your high-end range to really stand out, this is the color for you.


I love how this reddish-orange range is set in a copper-clad alcove. Now this is how you create a hot focal point in your kitchen.


7. Countertops. Sure, backsplashes come in all sorts of fun colors, but what about your countertop? This red marble countertop brings an earthy appeal to this fetching sleek and minimalist kitchen. There’s quite a mix of materials here, but because they are kept within the same general color palette of deep reds and oranges, the kitchen feels soothing, warm and inviting — it definitely stimulates my appetite!


8. Flooring. With all of the wood and neutral hues in this kitchen, I think the rich red linoleum floor was a terrific choice. It’s modern but also warm and welcoming.


9. Lighting. We tend to prefer light sources that are soft and warm, such as candlelight. The light cast from these pendants gets a boost of warmth from the patinated yellow-gold finish. Fixtures in other warm autumnal colors will have a similar warm and glowing quality. Also, I like using light fixtures as a vehicle for adding small bits of bold color in a room. It’s pretty simple and straightforward to change out light fixtures, especially if you are at all handy, should you eventually grow tired of the style or color of the fixture.


10. Bath fixtures. If you are lucky enough to have a charming freestanding tub such as this, think about painting the exterior so it becomes a focal point in the room. This space has a beautiful assortment of warm yellow and orange tones, a beautiful fall palette, making it perfect for a long soak on a crisp fall day.

Tell us: What’s your favorite fall-inspired hue? How have you used it to decorate your home?

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