Nest x Rachel Usher: Interior Design Autumn Edit

The changing of seasons

As we are heading through the autumn and the dazzling display of the trees begins to wane to make way for the burgeoning winter ahead, there is also a deep psychological shift happening within our bodies at the same time.

Often this period is simultaneously marked by the appearance of pumpkin spice lattes and new seasonal knits, and it’s hard not to acknowledge that there is something significant happening to our moods, desires and needs during this same seasonal change.

The changing season affects our perceptions of cold as the northern light sits lower in the sky, and reduced levels of natural sunlight affect how much serotonin our bodies produce, often perceiving temperatures equal to those experienced during the springtime as being colder in the autumn. The changing light, shorter days and sense of winter approaching trigger a neurological desire for ‘laziness’, hunkering down and a love of all things ‘hygge’.

Our emotional connectivity towards our homes takes upon a seismic shift too, as we retreat indoors and yearn for the warmth of a real fire and the flicker of candlelight, with our homes once again becoming a place of sanctuary and security for the months ahead. Our homes take upon an entirely new relevance to us. So it follows that we benefit from understanding how this emotional shift can form part of how we interact with our spaces and design them accordingly.

Finding comfort in colour and materials

Interestingly, we rarely seek bright lighting of the kind that mimics the lost and long hot days of summer and vibrant pops of colours reminiscent of sunny gardens do not appear to nourish our souls in quite the same way during the autumn and winter.

Instead, we lean into the season, preferring to mix olive tones with the rich jewel-like colours resplendent of the vibrant turning leaves. We seek soft, warm forms of low lighting, providing a deep glow that creates shadow and depth, enhancing moodiness and evoking a sense of hibernation and familiarity, creating feelings of trust and security. In many ways, autumn signals coming home.

As our behaviour changes, so too do our preferences for materials. Arguably, the choices that we make in our homes should be anchored more deeply to our connection with the seasons that bring us into our homes for the most part. Our homes, like our wardrobes, can adapt to the changing seasons through subtlety and layering; however, our foundation pieces and the investment we make in them should be linear to our percentage of behaviour.

The more time we spend in our home is undeniable during the autumn and winter. So it follows that our appreciation of how our homes nurture us during the darker and colder months should influence where we place our investment.

Comfort and tactility is a sensual interaction and perhaps the greatest of all our senses that form deep and personal connections with our environments. Ensuring that we choose materials and functionality that embody this sense of touch and comfort will immediately secure our emotional connectivity to a given space, encouraging us to evoke feelings of trust and belonging, which become heightened during winter.

As the long winter evenings creep upon us, having carefully considered choices of how and where we rest, linger and interact with comfort and materiality in mind will be decisions that your future self will thank you for.

The Mariposa sofa by Vitra, designed by BarberOsgerby, has embodied this need for comfort, with adjustable sides and backrests allowing you to truly engage with the piece and flex the way in which you relax without compromising the aesthetics.

Vitra as a brand are the embodiment of timeless classic design, so you can expect that form and function are neither challenged nor soon to be outdated. Manufactured with strict sustainability credentials, this sofa is good for the soul on many levels.

This year we observed strong mixed materials at Salone de Mobile in Milan, with a juxtaposition of materials forming one piece creating interesting selections which are semi-nostalgic of the late mid-century modern movement. We noted a step towards warmer timbers, such as walnut and teak tones, with a huge celebration of marble, particularly deeply veined and strongly coloured; the juxtaposition of the two materials together in one piece is simply fabulous.

Bringing interest through form and lighting

Creating a central visual zone within a living space will anchor the arrangement of furniture and create balance. I particularly love the Audo Copenhagen Low Plinth Coffee Table by Norm Architects; this art form of a coffee table piece uses Carrara Marble to create a timeless, classic design that references the space with a degree of iconicity.

As we play with low-level lighting to add depth and interest to our homes, the opportunities to play with sculpture and form are synergistic and should be used to create maximum impact. Keeping light colour temperature warm and lumen levels low whilst also choosing strong visual shapes that add a sense of impact will result in a more commanding thoughtful interior that simultaneously expresses art form.

The Aromas Kine Table Lamp from Pepe Fornas takes upon the shape of a Vietnamese Non-La hat, giving a bold silhouette and a blend of sinus-veined marble base and metal shade. The base has touch-sensitive technology that allows you to adjust lighting levels, ensuring that you have the right ambience for the moment.

Celebrating connections

As we create moments of comfort, tactility and ambience, so too do we turn our attention to moments of togetherness and the changing way that we share interactions with family and friends in the new season. As we retreat indoors, particularly in our post-pandemic era, this year, there will likely be a renewed exuberance towards celebration and connectivity.

Sharing moments of joy, love and laughter, nurturing our souls with gatherings over food with family and friends in a way that we have not seen since 2019. Creating a magnificent fall spread over a large table, raising and clinking ethereal coloured glasses such as the &Tradition Collect Glass and embodying our ability to be together once more amongst the buzz of chatter and laughter, with the backdrop of flickering candlelight is, without doubt, going to be the biggest boost to our serotonin levels in a long time. We are, after all, coming home.

Whether through materials, form or lighting, we’d love to see how you welcome the darker autumn months. Share with us your Autumn Edit over Instagram @nest_co_uk.

This article was created in collaboration with Rachel Usher Interior Design. Discover more at rachelusherinteriordesign.com.