3 Design Trends for Fall

I recently received an email from the web editor at Style at Home magazine, one of my favourite Canadian decorating magazines, sharing three design trends for the fall.  The trends that were highlighted included:

• wood
• modern global design 
• the new neutrals

Something about that combination caught my attention so I did a little more reading, both online and in my recent Style at Home magazine.  Here's what I learned.


WOOD
Everyone knows and loves wood flooring and furniture, but the fall trend focuses on wood accessories like lamps, trays, art, spoons, and even vases.  Gorgeous!

Anthropologie

MODERN GLOBAL
Modern global design incorporates materials that are natural, worldly, and exotic.  Now this I like!  They include bold designs and natural materials from around the world.  While modern global design incorporates patterns, they are often two-toned geometrics which can be mixed with other geometrics in the same colour family.  Modern global objects are not fussy, but rather have organic shapes and interesting textures.

Style at Home

THE NEW NEUTRALS
When I think of neutrals I think grey, beige, and white, but the new neutrals include velvety lilac, soft sage, and warm taupe - colours that are softer and warmer neutrals.  Don't they sound lovely!

Style at Home

I was inspired by this global, neutral, woodsy trend seeing as I love natural materials and I spent the summer travelling the world.  I thought I would put the ideas to work in decorating my sideboard since it was in desperate need of some attention.    

I started by looking through the many scarves I had brought back from Bangladesh this summer to use one as a runner.  I selected one of my favourite tie-dyed scarves that is a bright apple green.  The dots on the scarf fit with the modern global trend since there is a simple repetition to the pattern and they only used green and the white of the fabric (that is now pale green since I washed it and the dyes ran).   

I knew I wanted to use the vase I had brought my husband back from Bangladesh - carried home carefully in my carry-on bag.  It is made of clay which is very appropriate for Bangladesh since we saw huge stacks of bricks everywhere and hundreds of brick kilns in the rivers (as you can see in the photo below).

Brick kilns in the river near Dhaka, Bangladesh

The vase fits with the modern global trend as it is a simple design and made of natural material.

I also bought a leaf-shaped wooden bowl in Bangladesh so that fit with the wood trend and had to be included.

My eldest son brought back a carved elephant from Botswana when he was there several years ago so I used it as well, since it reminded me of the elephant that I saw on the last day in Bangladesh when I took a rickshaw ride to the nearby town for some final photos.  

I had the modern global trend and the wood trend covered fairly easily, but I had to think a bit to find some of the new neutrals.  I didn't think a sage green would go with the apple green and I couldn't find anything taupe, but I did find these sort-of-lilac containers.  They look a little bit more blue in the photos than they do in real life, but they really are a periwinkle and that is about as close to lilac as I'm probably going to find in our house.  I brought the little pots back from France this summer.  They were filled with yogurt which tasted yummy and then I got to keep the containers - it was a win-win souvenir.   

I bought the little containers along a charming street in Paris just like this one near our hotel

I only had two containers and wanted a bit more purple on the sideboard so I went out to the garden and snipped some flowers.  

On the sideboard there is also a pair of wooden candlesticks made by my grandfather and a pottery jug from Nigeria, where I lived when I was a child.  Both seemed to fit with the new fall trends.


So there you have it - my new fall trends global and woodsy (I'd be lying if I said neutral) sideboard!

What about you - anyone else feel inspired by the new fall trends?

Linked to the Sunday Showcase Party at Under the Table and Dreaming;
Wow Us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style;
Good Life Wednesday at A Beach Cottage
Countdown to Autumn Party at Domestically Speaking