Photo by Dino Tonn/Sherry Hauser Designs “The wall covering industry had a real long, dry spell. They couldn’t quite figure out what to do. Now, all kinds of textured wall coverings have made a comeback.” — Dorothy Bron, CMG, Bron Design Group

Use color, texture and technology to create warmth and
comfort in your home this autumn.

Mercifully the mercury has dropped, and we are permitted to let a kinder, gentler warmth permeate our living space. In fact, with an eye toward holiday entertaining, it may be time to update old interior looks and create new experiences.

Comfort. Simplicity. Functionality. Personality. These attractive ideas are driving everything from colors to gadgets these days. So let your thoughts wander to hearth and home, and discover how Valley interior design experts can help you capture the right mood – not just the right trend – in your home for fall.

Wall Coverings
The walls in your home provide more than just a place to hang art. How you dress them defines the room. Faux finishes, which created a dramatic statement with depth and color, have now passed to passé. Accent walls, which defined an in-your-face kind of focal point, have had their heyday.

Now, wallpaper is back and it’s proud, but it’s subtle instead of loud. “Wallpaper is making a comeback in a big way,” says Annette Kenner, IIDA, head of the design team at Scottsdale’s Donna Decker Design. “These are not the little mini-prints. There are no little ducks,” she muses. Today’s wall coverings are more mood-setting and refined, utilizing heavy textures, crystals, glass beads and sand to tie texture, nature and simplicity together.

Dorothy Bron, CMG, of the husband-and-wife-operated Bron Design Group, adds “grass cloth,” or woven fibers with grass or sticks and a paper backing, to this mix. “The wall covering industry had a real long, dry spell. They couldn’t quite figure out what to do,” she says. “Now, all kinds of textured wall coverings have made a comeback.”

Kenner also throws in this idea: Try upholstered walls for acoustics, aesthetics and, frankly, a little flair. Examples include silk, leather or upholstery-weight fabrics held in place with nail-head trim.

Area rugs add a contemporary twist.

Area Rugs
While contemporary rugs are becoming more popular, says Phoenix interior designer Sherry Hauser, ASID, the strong geometrics that people used to associate with contemporary are out. “What we’re seeing is nice, clean lines with tone-on-tone patterns,” she says, explaining that two similar tones – one just a tint or shade darker than the other – are used to form a repetitive pattern across area rugs, creating a clean, contemporary twist.

Interior designer Eric Bron, ASID, adds that a resurgence of area rugs in general is taking place. “We’re not necessarily talking about the real high-end, hand-tied imported rugs,” he says, adding that the Valley’s ongoing love affair with hard tile and wood floors keeps area rugs in demand here. “Area rugs give you the flexibility to change,” he says. Of course, this can be based on seasonal tastes or simply on your mood.

Colors
From wall coverings and rugs to pillows and bedding, the colors you prefer aren’t always in style. Some experts say you have to know your own style, and then follow trends so you can grab them when they’re in. “Everybody who is about to do a project that involves color should decide for themselves what their style is. Use trends judiciously. If it’s on trend, it’s going to go out of trend,” Dorothy Bron says.

She and Kenner agree that the color palette is all over the place right now. They also agree that grays are still strong. That said, interesting combinations of color are emerging. “I’m seeing a lot of colors that are mixed and muted. By muted I don’t mean pale, but the brightness is knocked down, and there are a lot of natural colors mixed in,” says Dorothy Bron. “We’re not quite where we were in the mid-’60s, but there’s a little essence of that, of earthy colors making a comeback.”

Area rugs add warmth to hardwood floors.

Hauser says soothing colors like creams and calming blue tones are especially popular for bedrooms and bathrooms right now, while natural linen colors fit both our national mood and our eco-friendly infatuation.
Redefined Spaces
Whether rethinking traditional notions of how to furnish a room or simply de-cluttering one, how you set up your space can set the mood for everything from daily life to holiday entertaining.

The Bron team just completed a dining room with triangular tables that can stand alone or interlock, depending on the gathering. “Clients are becoming more interested in people being able to be seated comfortably rather than just sandwiched in around the table,” says Eric Bron, noting that people are rethinking their dining room spaces.

Meanwhile, Kenner suggests that less is more throughout the rest of the home. “We are getting people who don’t want as many accessories, but more important pieces,” she says. In fact, while the “magic number” for new high-end home builds used to be between 10,000 and 15,000 square feet, now it’s down to 5,000 to 7,000 square feet. “Those big, fat loans are harder to get. If you’ve got less space, you need to be more selective and creative with what you’re using it for,” she says.


Technology
We used to obsess about hiding our technology. “Now we’re picking and choosing where we want to hide our technology and where we want it to be transparent in our homes,” says Dorothy Bron. For example, hiding flat-screen televisions was very trendy. Now? Not so much.

While you might want interior screens to retract into a casing that’s camouflaged with a valance or draperies, maybe it’s OK to leave some bells and whistles exposed. You can even resort to “trickery” with technology. For example, indirect lighting and LEDs can be concealed much more easily than incandescent lighting fixtures, creating an inviting, warm atmosphere that your guests may think is flowing from a chandelier.

Kenner also sees a more discerning taste with technology. Maybe you don’t really need a television in your refrigerator door, but the wine coolers that were once considered toys for the wealthy can really help you be prepared for last-minute guests.

Now, as long as you don’t spill your perfectly chilled pinot noir on your new area rug or silk-upholstered wall, life should be good.


RESOURCES
Bron Design Group
602-955-1053 • brondesigngroup.com
Phoenix

Donna Decker Design
480-483-0500 • donnadecker.com
Scottsdale

Sherry Hauser Designs
602-626-7231 • hauserdesigns.com
Phoenix