Autumn

The onset of autumn brings with it vivid hues of oranges and rusts as once green leaves transform into a palette of oranges before descending to earth. Fireplaces, warm clothing, slowing pace and a sense of cocooning ready for the harshness of winter is reflected in the fiery, warm and intense Autumn colour personality.

Yellow undertones give warmth to much of the Autumn palette, made up of a mix of bright spicy vibrant colours and warm rich mellow hues. The mellow hues can be brought to life with the careful injection of a vibrant accent. The Autumn palette is characterised by hot oranges, fiery reds, ochres and muted olives. The colours of nature in autumn come indoors. Neutrals are drawn from the brown family, warm and varying in intensity.

The sense of solidity is reinforced with solid dark woods and yearnings towards traditional dark leathers.

Autumns are intelligent, interested and curious to find out how things work. Strong personal values and loyalties keeps them true to themselves and they are more impressed by content than by fancy packaging. Bursts of enthusiasm often sees them taking on too much work, but they will persevere until it is complete. Their strong sense of self makes them excellent leaders but they can edge on being seen as too bossy at time. Autumns are sociable but like time out to enjoy the great outdoors and favourite pets.

Quality, history, durability and comfort are more important than contemporary or modern considerations. Autumn homes will often be full of books and magazines, chunky oversized eclectic furniture built for comfort, antiques and all things historical. Surfaces from tables to sofas are often loosely covered and accessories decorate all available spaces – their presence comfortable to an Autumn but too cluttered for other colour personalities. Like a squirrel hoarding precious food to see them through the cold winter, Autumns tend to keep everything adding to the abundance of objects in a space.

Often city dwellers, most Autumns are more at home in the countryside, surrounded by nature. The enveloping warmth of fireside entertaining will appeal. Connected to nature, Autumns are more likely to select environmentally friendly alternatives to reduce the environmental burden. Dark wood, leather, copper, terracotta and other natural materials are commonplace in Autumn homes, bringing the outdoors in to be enjoyed. Texture is often as important as colour in the selection of these natural materials. Flowers are likely to be dried not fresh, adding to the richness and depth of colour without the limited lifetime of a fresh cut stem.

Autumn homes are less formal and more comforting with a sense of closeness due to the focus on advancing colours, dark furniture and bountiful accessorising. Fireplace focal points add to the enveloping sense of warmth and abundance.

Colours to try:

Autumn quick check:

• Solid and comfortable, weighty and substantial.
  
• Natural, strong connection to the great outdoors.
  
• Eclectic, abundance of accessories, historical objects, books, antiques, heavy artworks in dark colours and textured oils.
  
• Rich, fiery hues inspired by nature.
  
• Heavy coarse textures, weaves, exposed plaster, bricks.
  
• Substantial furniture, chunky, solid, oversized, often with loose throw covers, traditional.
  
• Ethnic prints.
  
• Natural materials brought indoors – terracotta, copper, dark woods.
  
• Muted lighting, lamps, ambient natural light.
  
• Environmentally preferable choices.

Mixed seasons

Living alone you can decorate everything true to your season, but what happens when you live with others who may have completely different colour personalities?

Ever seen a couple trying to redecorate their home and select colours? If they both agree readily on the same colours they will generally share a common colour personality, which means that the combinations that appeal to one will generally appeal to the other. If they both can't agree on anything, chances are they have different colour personalities. If this sounds like your household, don't despair! Accommodating the personalities of different family members is easy when you know how:

• Allocate each family member a favourite room, such as their bedroom, and let them select furnishings and colours for that space that suit their colour personality. That way in at least one part of the house they will feel truly at home in. Bedrooms are an ideal room for this.
  

• To incorporate the seasons of other family members accessorise the room with one item from each family member's dominant season. For example, to appeal to an Autumn personality in a Spring room you might add an ethnic artefact to reinforce their dominant personality.
  

• Colour personalities do overlap. Look for the common ground and use that as the basis for your colour scheme. For example, Springs and Summers both like curved shapes, Springs and Autumns both like warm palettes, creams, ivories and wooden furniture, Springs and Winters like large windows with simple window treatments and cool palettes, Summers and Autumns like mid toned woods and share taste in mellow muted colours, while Autumns and Winters enjoy intense dark colours and opt for textures rather than patterns.