Mary Abel: Sharply Dressed Home

As the air becomes crisp and the trees start to turn, we know that autumn is just around the corner. I love the fall–woolen sweaters, cozy blankets and dark, warm colors.

And this fall the trend is all about the boys. Menswear-inspired patterns and textures are popping up in bedding, fabric and wallpaper. Here are a few of my favorites of the season.

Stripes
I’m always drawn to the graphic nature of stripes. Cole & Son, purveyors of hand-printed wallpaper, have introduced the “Stripes and Plains†collection in a variety of color combinations. I love this gray and charcoal combo and think it would look fabulous in a powder room or home office.

Sharp, crisp pinstripes are a classic, and California-based Coyuchi has done them proud with these sumptuous organic cotton and natural linen sheets ($248-$310/sheet).

Tweed
How beautiful would this beautiful tweed fabric from John Hutton Textiles look on a tailored sofa or wingback chair? Pretty darn perfect. (John Hutton Textiles are available to the trade only.)

Wool
A well-made wool suit is timeless–and so are these heirloom-quality, Canadian-wool blankets ($180-$348) from Coyuchi. Add a comfy chair and good book, and you’re ready for a quiet Sunday afternoon.

Plaid
Add a little flirty fun to a sofa, chair or bed with West Elm‘s super-cute Plaid Ruffle Pillow cover ($34).

For something a little more rugged, layer your bed with traditional plaid bedding from Pendleton. As warm and soft as a well-worn flannel shirt, the Lumberman Blanket ($134-$208) and Lumberman Sham ($78) will keep you warm and snuggly on cool autumn nights.

–Mary Abel
Mary Abel is the editor in chief of Colorado Homes & Lifestyles magazine, a freelance book editor and co-author of Portable Houses (Gibbs Smith, Publisher, 2004). She has written numerous articles about interior design, art, architecture, food, travel and real estate for a wide variety of newspapers and magazines. Mary lives in Denver and in her spare time blogs about learning to bake–both the triumphs and tragedies–at mabelbakes.com.