Autumn is officially here, bringing with it cooler weather, lit fireplaces and an urge to make your home feel cozy. If the air is getting crisp and the leaves are turning where you live — or even if not and you simply like to mark the seasons — now is the best time to embrace rich, autumnal hues in your decor.
Often, we think of oranges, golds and browns as classic fall colors. But perhaps the most dramatic shade for this season’s leaves is gorgeous, warm, bright red. Here are six ways to bring a splash of it into your living room.
Autumn Red 1: Salvations Architectural Furnishings, original photo on Houzz
1. Cozy up with warm walls. Obviously painting your walls is a change that will last beyond the weeks that compose the fall season, but if this choice is right for your space, painting can be a wonderful, cost-effective way to bring rich color into your room. In this photo of a Washington, D.C., condo, orange-red walls hug the room, giving it an intimate feel. Red throw pillows, an armless slipper chair and a vase repeat this vibrant hue, while the yellow-orange vase, warm wood tones and orange area rug further enhance the fall mood. You could say that the owner of this space has embraced autumn’s colors in many ways throughout the room — but the walls are the most dramatic.
Autumn Red 2: Anna Lattimore Interior Design, original photo on Houzz
2. Add furniture with a pop of fall color. The great thing about red is that it can work as an accent with many palettes, even when it forms a contrast with existing decor. For example, this red coffee table warms up the cool blue of the wall behind it. It helps that there are warm colors in the large and small paintings — rusty orange and gold — and that the throw pillows and decorative objects on the side table repeat these colors. That way, the red coffee table doesn’t appear too random.
Autumn Red 3: Pepe Calderin Design – Modern Interior Design, original photo on Houzz
3. Introduce artwork. This hip Miami living room features red along with a complementary color we also see often during autumn: brown. A beautiful abstract painting centered above the sofa and nearby red tiled wall showcase two distinctive ways you could bring in the color. Hexagonal carpet tiles and throw pillows echo the red, while the autumn brown of the art repeats in the sofa, pillows and darker carpet tiles.
Autumn Red 4: Sean Litchfield Photography, original photo on Houzz
4. Add drama with a red door. Who doesn’t love a barn door, especially a bold red one that celebrates the color of bright fall leaves? In this photo red accents warm up the cool grays of the sofa and walls. Wood tones in the table and floor add more warmth.
Autumn Red 5: Tina Barclay, original photo on Houzz
5. Layer in a red rug. A large red area rug anchors this cozy seating area, setting the tone for casual conversation or just relaxing by a fire. Wooden furniture pieces and golden hues in the walls and club chair offset the drama of the red. Plenty of accents, from the Asian-style boxes to the artwork to the red pillows, reinforce this bold fall color. Golden yellow chairs, pillows, a vase, the table skirt and sofa fabric introduce more seasonal color into the room to create a fall-inspired space.
Autumn Red 6: HP Rovinelli Architects, original photo on Houzz
6. Bring in soft decor. This is really the simplest technique of them all, as it doesn’t require changing out major pieces. In this photo, red pillows and a throw really pop against dark charcoal upholstery and light white walls. The area rug underneath unifies both the furniture and color scheme to create an inviting spot for enjoying the spectacular view. To create a similar look in your room, opt for colors with a dramatic contrast.