As autumn arrives in the northern hemisphere, interior designers around the world are embracing the season's warm, earthy palette in residential spaces. A new curated collection showcases eight distinctive open-plan living rooms that capture the essence of fall through their use of burnt oranges, deep reds, rich browns, and other colors reminiscent of autumn foliage.
These carefully selected living spaces span from the mountainous regions of India to Scotland's dramatic coastline, each combining natural finishes and soft furnishings that echo the changing seasons while maintaining stunning views of the surrounding landscape. The projects demonstrate how homeowners and architects are incorporating nature's autumn color scheme into contemporary interior design.
In north London, recording artists Rae Morris and Ben Garrett transformed their mid-century home into Zero House, featuring a striking floor-to-ceiling fireplace clad in slim mahogany tiles. The living room showcases a burnt orange sofa that complements the matchbox timber ceilings, which are stained in a dark reddish tone. The space opens to a lush garden through reeded 1970s-style glass and floor-to-ceiling sliding doors, creating a seamless connection between indoor and outdoor spaces.
Atelier HA took a bold approach in renovating a Paris apartment within a 19th-century Haussmann-era building, using color "as a structural element" throughout the design. The vibrant open-plan living space features a distinctive stripy kitchen counter, soft orange seating, and sculptural furniture accented with bright green elements, creating a dynamic interplay of autumn-inspired hues.
On Scotland's Solway Coast, Brown + Brown designed Tidal House as a series of stacked geometric volumes with large openings overlooking tidal flats. The coastal home's open-plan living area combines crimson walls with nut-brown sofas arranged around a dramatic suspended fireplace, creating a cozy atmosphere that contrasts beautifully with the dramatic Scottish landscape.
In Perth, Australia, Grotto Studio added a charred timber extension to create Shadow House, where the open-plan living room features light brown wooden panels and deep red artwork illuminated by a rectilinear clerestory window. The earthy-toned extension provides a striking contrast to the original bright cottage while maintaining visual harmony.
At the foot of India's Aravalli mountains in Rajasthan, Sketch Design Studio's Hybrid House showcases a large open-plan living area with lime plaster walls and terracotta flooring enhanced by traditional kolam detailing created with rice flour inlay. Dark brown seating complements the natural materials, while a sprawling house plant adds a calming green accent to the warm color palette.
Spanish studio Raúl Sánchez Architects chose a burnt orange-toned render for Casa Magarola, a concrete home near Barcelona built on a steeply sloping site. The vivid exterior color carries into the interior through orange window frames and a dramatic spiral staircase, paired with a mustard-yellow sofa in the open-plan living space.
Kennedy Nolan's Somers House in coastal Victoria, Australia, features an L-shaped design with a semi-open-plan living space characterized by a textural, earthy color palette designed to evoke tranquility. The design prominently features cork, raw brass, and purpley-brown tiles that create a sophisticated autumn-inspired atmosphere.
Completing the collection is Courtyard House in Oregon by No Architecture, which places a glazed garden filled with deciduous trees at its center. The American studio selected a large orange rug for the open-plan living room that perfectly complements the home's leafy surroundings, creating a harmonious relationship between interior design and the natural seasonal changes visible through the extensive glazing.
These eight projects demonstrate how contemporary residential design is embracing autumn's natural color palette to create warm, inviting living spaces that celebrate the seasonal transition. Each home successfully integrates earth tones and nature-inspired hues while maintaining distinct architectural identities that reflect their unique geographic and cultural contexts.
