Fall seasonal decor is associated with autumn colors, all pulled from nature. And, of course, Halloween touches of orange and black are as tried and true as red and green for Christmas.

But here's the thing: Those dazzling hues -- mostly reflected in landscape foliage morphing from green to a range of brilliant scarlets, golden yellows, even purple tones -- are currently the hot home palette. The warmer tones were especially palpable at the September Maison and Objet, one of the international mainstays of trend-spotters, with a particular spotlight on ochre, which settles in nicely with brown, orange, berry, plum, denim blue and blue-green.

The time seems especially ripe for yellows -- rich ochres, mustards, tawny butterscotch and orange-laced saffron -- in upholstery (especially in velvet, which still is going strong), lighting, rugs, pillows, tabletops, bed linens and glassware.

"Sometimes the trend stars align and something that has been a quiet classic becomes all the rage," says Caroline Scheeler, creative director for Jayson Home. "This is the story of the color yellow, gold, saffron, mustard ... a color with many names and quite the range. Yellow can draw such evocative emotions -- the color of royalty, the sunshine, sunflowers and the school bus. While some really have an aversion to it, it's a neutral color in my eyes. Yellow goes with every color. It can feel ancient, modern, happy, earthy, but never sad. Perhaps that's exactly why it's having a moment, in the face of these uncertain times. Yellow says 'happy, vibrant, hopeful.' Yes, a color can do all that."

The golden hues pair well with other warm tones. But all of these colors have transitioned, just as the Halloween palette has softened, somewhat driven by the beautiful shades of farmer's market pastel pumpkins in apricot, sage, blue-green and marvelous stripes.

"Orange is a staple in the fall, but a sophisticated orange is on the rise," says trend forecaster Michelle Lamb, who is based in Southern California. "There's cinnamon, terra cotta, clay -- a little sweet, almost reaching for pink. "

Retailers have picked up on the nuances, celebrating these pairings, especially in pattern, as well as the move beyond cliche, even for Halloween. Fall wreaths, for example, are almost as prolific as those for Christmas -- and well-styled. Crate and Barrel goes for an elegant look in its guidelines to setting a Halloween table. Pottery Barn describes "fall dressed up" this way: "Take an elevated approach with soft florals, glass pumpkins and a hint of sparkle."

One of the best sources for more glam Halloween decor, like beautiful jeweled pumpkins and velvet pumpkins in bold magenta, saffron or orange is Grandinroad. On its website and in the catalog, a hooked rug doormat depicting a bird playfully combines autumn hues in an almost camouflage pattern, set on a blue ground for contrast.

Even on a small scale, orange can be electric -- as in a vase on a white cocktail table in a living room with velvet seating, here an orchid sofa and peacock chair. In a room with dark plum walls, with a mottled gold metallic recess and gold cabinet with an alligator-like pattern, rich red-violet velvet chairs are striking. Especially fetching is how the metallic gold provides sparkle to the warmth of the color.

Camel and cinnamon are other colors that fit nicely into this palette. A suede tufted boxy chair from Crate and Barrel is a chic choice, as is a round velvet stool or an ottoman with a kicky fringe, as those recently shown in Paris by the Portuguese brand Dooq.

"We're braver with our decor," says Lamb, "and that's especially true with millennials. But people are becoming more intentional about what they buy -- part of it is a space consideration, with people living in smaller spaces."

That's particularly important with seasonal decor. "People don't have a lot of space to store," Lamb notes. "Millennials love Halloween and want it to be fabulous, but they'll buy one or two pieces, not 15. The same is true with Christmas."

If you're looking to add a dash of yellow or any of the fall hues, here are some ideas.

-- One of the easiest ways to bring a bit of outdoor color indoors is to pluck branches, foliage or flowers in russet, gold or orange tones. Mix these in with blue hydrangeas, which are turning to a soft green. Your arrangement can sparkle in a clear or white case. Or choose a complementary color.

-- Create a tablescape or mantelscape with pumpkins in different sizes, colors and compositions, including real ones, ceramic, glass, mercury glass, even mosaic -- the latter a chic option in neutral hues at Pottery Barn.

-- Pillows are a failsafe means of changing up a look with a shot of color without too much expense. Patterns and textures create even more impact. A spotty ikat in black and white on amber from Jayson Home has a playful vibe. At Crate and Barrel, three pillows are particularly stunningly grouped: One has a very linear horizontal striping in black on white, with additional almost random tufts of warm colors. Another, on a white ground, appears to be hand-painted with broad brushstrokes; in fact, it's embroidered. The third is solid, but with a woven dobby texture. Burnout velvet is another beautiful option, often with leafy or geometric patterns. And textural weaves may be artfully blended with different hues.

-- Mix all-white dinnerware with pops of color and pattern. At West Elm (www.westelm.com), there's a glazed stoneware collection called Kaloh, a simple design finished in textured matte amber with a translucent white interior. The rustic yet refined pieces were set on a table with an open-weave gold metallic table runner. Terrazzo looks and marbling is a striking way to introduce multiple colors; the one in a confetti pattern, the other in a swirling blend. A collection from Astier de Villatte at Jayson Home teams green, fiery orange and gray. Glazed and matte serveware in soft terra cotta looks especially fetching on fall tables.

-- Add a lamp with a shot of fall color in the base or shade.

-- A small rug or runner, especially in a plaid or geometric pattern, can pull in several autumn shades.

-- Change out the bed linens. Go for gold, actually a spicy shade of Dijon, in linen sheets and pillowcases from CB2. Or choose a floral or pattern with foliage in autumn colors.

-- Hang drapery. If you have one window that's unadorned, you may want to frame it in velvet. At West Elm, a rich color called Golden Oak is absolutely on trend.

Sources

-- Apelt, https://apeltstoffe.de

-- CB2, 800-606-6252, www.cb2.com

-- Crate and Barrel, 800-967-6696, www.crateandbarrel.com

-- Dooq, info@dooqdetails.com, www.dooqdetails.com

-- Grandinroad, 866-668-5962, www.grandinroad.com

-- Normann Copenhagen, online shop on www.normanncopenhagen.com, customerservice@normann-copenhagen.com

-- Pottery Barn, 888-779-5176, www.potterybarn.com

-- West Elm, 888-922-4119, www.westelm.com

Australian native Greg Natale's design aesthetic can be bold or subtle, but color, often in tandem with pattern, always catches the eye. It's telling when you consider the titles of his two books: The most recent, "The Patterned Interior" (Rizzoli), and the previous, "The Tailored Interior" (Hardie Grant). There's not a dichotomy. The styles coexist seamlessly in his interiors.

With an international design following, a range of products -- furniture, rugs, bed linens, tile, wallcoverings, towels, cushions -- and a home accessories collection launched in the spring at Bergdorf Goodman (with a second group debuting in November), the 45-year old Australian is a rock star.

Natale has what "Happy Chic" guru Jonathan Adler describes as "it," along with luminaries such as Kate Moss, Adele and Ellsworth Kelly.

Whatever it is, it's working. His design business is thriving, he continues to earn accolades everywhere. He was honored in 2016 as International designer of the year by the High Point (North Carolina) Market Authority, and is contemplating a further extension of his product offerings ("I would love to add fabrics and dinnerware," he states.). And this month, he'll open his first retail shop in Sydney, Australia, with an eye on a chic spot in Los Angeles.

Part of what has grabbed attention in publications from AD to Elle Decoration and Vogue Living to the Robb Report, is his mastery of pattern. It's a signature consistent in his work -- sometimes in-your-face, but never overpowering, and even subtle. Page through the new book and you become aware of pattern as perhaps you had not considered it before. How the fluting on a glass shower door interacts with the grain of a cerused wood vanity, geometric marble tiles on the wall and a green terrazzo floor. Consider Art Deco-style paneling on a seafoam green entry door, inspired by arches of gold wallpaper nestled against it inside.

His own pattern designs, as in mosaics for Bisazza, include swirling malachite, an alluring watery moire, along with undulating or graphic linears. But what sets his look apart from others equally ebullient about pattern is that it's tempered with crisp tailoring, such as a rustic Oklahoma property furnished in sophisticated Navajo and plaid motifs with bluestone fireplace.

His "crazy dream" began in a home custom-built by his Italian immigrant parents in 1978. They apparently embraced their heritage with decorative tiling everywhere, for which he then confessed an "inherent dislike." Now he appreciates it.

"Pattern has always been in me," he says. Influenced profoundly by the '80s TV series "Dynasty," which he devotedly watched with his four older sisters, he "loved the sets -- the Carrington home, Alexis' office. "It's totally one of the reasons I became an interior designer," he states.

Embracing that decade's Memphis Movement, he then wanted to paint everything pink and turquoise. He went to design school, studied architecture, and worked for three different modernist architecture firms. When he decided to go out on his own, he thought long and hard about who he wanted to be as a designer.

"I was inspired by David Chipperfield and John Pawson, amazing (British) architects," known for their minimalist aesthetic. "But everything in Sydney looked like that. Minimalist white boxes dominated interior design. If I kept doing what everyone else was doing, I wouldn't stand out." So he did his homework, researching mid-century design, and was drawn to the works of Italian Gio Ponti, the late English designer David Nightingale Hicks and Danish designer Verner Panton. His aha moment was the idea of laying pattern over '90s minimalism.

His first "lucky break" -- a bedroom he designed for his oldest sister -- generated a lot of buzz. Inspired by fellow Australian and pattern pioneer Florence Broadhurst, he went for it: with a Broadhurst wallpaper that he tinkered with, custom-colored, "turned upside down and pulled out one of the (printing) screens to make it feel very current." He covered nearly every surface with the pattern -- walls, window shades, bedding and framed art. It was published in Belle, an Australian magazine, and then Wallpaper magazine.

"Look, for me, design has to be a statement, spark conversation," Natale says. "I like it to be provocative."

Unafraid of big notes, as he puts it, Natale often sets the tone at the front door. In a home whose interiors he crafted with strong Spanish Revival influence in a western suburb of Sydney, he punctuated the staircase for maximum impact, paving the treads with black granite and lending character to the risers with alternating patterns black and white cement tiles that he designed, and finishing if off with a black iron hand rail and graphic spindles.

Describing himself as "never one to shy away from a bold design gesture," that goes for Natale's personal style as well. While he is crazy for tailored clean lines of photographer Hedi Slimane and declares, "Tom Ford is a genius," Natale totally can rock a boldly patterned Versace jacket. He doesn't love jewelry, but his gold Rolex Date Just is de rigueur. When he travels, black jeans (Ksubi, a cult Australian brand) are a staple, as are trainers by Saint Laurent. And he's a huge fan of American artists -- Frank Stella, Andy Warhol, Keith Haring and L.A. graffiti artist Retna.

Natale realizes that pattern can be intimidating and polarizing, but that it can impact how we feel about a space. His own fearless approach sounds simple.

"It's about balance. I may start with a geometric pattern, then use an organic pattern, then a plain texture or wall color. It's a magic trilogy. And I love the way pattern plays with architecture." He often introduces pattern in a more architectural way. In his own apartment in Sydney, he created a 3D effect on the doors of a walk-in closet in the foyer.

"I wanted it to feel like a piece of art," Natale explains.

When he designed a mosaic tile collection for Bisazza, he wanted to explore "how motifs that are so wild, uneven and random, could be reinterpreted" within a linear, unvarying medium.

Organic expression is important, not only in pattern, but in the natural materials he uses, like shells and stone. His bowls and boxes celebrate form and pattern with modern lines in a classic way. Upcoming accessories will include more color, ceramics from Italy and resin.

Natale uses a lot of gold for warmth, and he likes it both shiny, matte and burnished, sometimes intentionally luxe.

"Glam to me is about all the layering, with metals, texture and pattern," he says. "I like an interior to look glamorous and feel rich."

It's that layering that Martyn Lawrence Bullard of Bravo's "Million Dollar Decorators" applauds: "I am particularly fond of his layering -- a difficult skill to master -- with which he brings personality to each space; whether eclectic or minimal."

"Pattern can bring a space to life," writes Natale. "It introduces a vital layer to the design of a house, delivering a dynamic buzz, adding contrast and balance, injecting warmth, detail and interest. And I couldn't live without it."

SIDEBAR

TIPS

There are plenty of tips to glean from Natale's book:

-- Choose light, bright tones to maximize proportions. In Natale's own apartment, white dominates, but pattern defines it.

-- Use wallpaper to effectively and elegantly tie spaces together and create an impact at first sight. Even on the ceiling.

-- Pare down the palette. Natale mainly uses blues and greens, with one bolder hue, such as fuchsia or mustard, for punch. Pink is his latest go-to, often paired with green, like emerald and even olive.

-- Incorporate metallic touches -- Natale loves gold -- to deliver warmth throughout a home.

-- Consider a piece of art as an important element of design. Colorful, bold -- even on a bold wallpaper backdrop.

-- And, of course, play with pattern. Abstract, linear, graphic, floral, plaid, geometric -- whatever you choose can be a cohesive link throughout a home.

-- Pop patterned cushions on a sofa. Natale says it's an attractive, easy way to add color, pattern and texture, especially to sofas and beds.

Source

-- Greg Natale Design, www.gregnatale.com

Whether you're setting up a new apartment, getting married (or uncoupled) or just want a change as an empty nester, housewares probably are on a to-buy list. When you shop in a store or online, you'll find things you didn't know you needed, from the Lekue pan mold that forms rhombus mini pies -- or its Nut and Grain Milk Maker -- to gadgets like spiralizers to form curly strips of veggies or special slicers to prevent avocado hand.

There's a choice of low-tech and high-tech barista-worthy coffeemakers. Mills for making your own grain or kits for brewing craft beer. Smart home devices, robo vacs and massagers that help dissolve wrinkles and boost collagen.

The housewares category has experienced a sea change in recent years, and it's not just about color -- even when it's neon.

"We don't buy objects anymore," says global trend forecaster Tom Mirabile, who also is an editor for Pantone. "We buy aspirations. We buy experiences."

And driving it all is lifestyle -- from Pinterest boards showing off food fads to Instagram design obsessions and influencer blogs. Manufacturers are paying attention. So much so that even the name of the 80-plus-year-old International Home and Housewares Show held in Chicago each spring is changing to The Inspired Home. The stage was set with a highly successful consumer website that explores emerging trends and eventually a journal sold at Whole Foods and bookstores like Barnes and Noble. It's chock-full of gorgeous photography, engaging products pages, mouthwatering recipes and stories like the art of hygge.

Even some traditional bridal registries now include aspirational gifts -- like funding a honeymoon, beach vacay, Airbnb experience, SoulCycle classes or Global Entry/TSA Precheck fees, as evidenced by several websites, such as www.zola.com, which also features traditional gifting with more than 500 brands.

It doesn't mean there's a divide between design and utility, form and function. We want it all -- but with an evolved set of parameters.

"It's an appeal to the more fluid self," says Mirabile. "To one group, I'm a baker; to another, I'm an artist. To another, an analyst. DIY now is more CIY (create it yourself) or GIY (grow it yourself) -- not just to save money, but because you're learning or experiencing something. We want products that make our lives more interesting. Products that save time and save space."

And although analysts like to focus on demographics, charting millennial, boomer and Gen X buying habits, Mirabile says those lines now are blurred.

"People don't see themselves in those groups anymore," says Mirabile, while acknowledging that millennials have been a key influence.

Eating habits among millennials -- like substituting two snacks for one meal, for example -- have spawned a niche for particular storage containers that mimic Japanese divided bento boxes. And keeping hydrated led to a whole new drinkware category.

Current houseware trends reflect the times.

Wellness. Air fryers that use less oil with little or no fat remain hot, as does steam cooking and sous vide, and many brands are adding these features. Heavier duty, less noisy blenders are competing with dedicated juicers.

Connectivity. Billed as the world's first connected food storage system, Ovie Smarterware will tell you what food you have in the fridge, how fresh it is, when to eat it, what to make with it and when to order more; it was projected to be available late summer(www.ovie.life). Blueair's Wi-Fi enabled air purifier has a built-in air quality sensor that continuously measures toxin levels in the air, displaying results on a digital panel. The TasteTro spice blending system incorporates Bluetooth technology for dispensing 100 blends, with customization on the horizon.

All that jazz. Even familiar products can dazzle with style -- sometimes where we least expect it. Brabantia's footed trash can, for example, is all that. The design brings a sexy edge to utility, with an appealing modern form on legs, in orange decorated with a hip 1969 flower print in magenta.

Saving time and doubling down on function. Hybrid appliances combine several functions. For example, some air fryers are being combined with toaster ovens. Just make it simple, fast and easy to clean, please.

Storage. Space-saving has ramped up, from stackable cookware to stackable bins for pantries, closets and baths to modular workstations like the new Prepdeck, with bins to ban kitchen counter clutter. Thank Marie Kondo or not, we all want our spaces to spark joy.

Artisanal products. Most come either with the look of crafted or in DIY-crafted products like cheese, beer, home fermenting and kombucha starter kits for your dose of probiotics.

Color. Pastels and mellow hues are on the uptick. Le Creuset's new Calm collection offers silver or gold knobs. Gold, rose gold, bronze and copper, as in other areas of home decor, can be seen in everything from Nordic Ware fluted loaf pans to hand mixers, sous vide pots and even hair dryers. The warm metallic can adds a touch of glam.

Creating Insta-worthy meals and drinks. Pro function gives consumers the tools -- and sleekly designed beverage makers like Bartesian, Aarke's carbonator and Jura's new barista-like coffeemaker will photograph well.

Practical. Cuisivin's Snak Carafe (available on www.amazon.com), is a curved glass container (in 10 or 25 ounces) with two finger notches, tapering at the top. The clever idea is to pour your snacks into your hand instead of digging into a bowl. It also doubles as a carafe for beverages or salad dressings.

Fanciful, playful and just for a change. Zoku's Iceberg ice mold looks like a piece of cut crystal; it melts ice slowly without diluting your drink. Polka dots are fun on a toaster and tea kettle from Emma Bridgewater and Russell Hobbs. KitchenAid's limited-edition textured and patterned china bowls switch up your everyday look on its 4.5- to 5-quart mixers.

Sustainable. Asobu's stainless steel straw has a bendable colored silicone section, a reusable alternative to plastic straws (www.asobubottle.com).

So what does a trend-spotter respond to in the expanding world of housewares?

"Something different," admits Mirabile. "Just engagement. For me, it's a combination of style and color. But the bottom line is we buy what we love. Not just a suit or shoes or a bag we have to have. Now we're our own status symbols.

"For me, the best products are about what makes life better."

Sources

-- Aarke, 212-575-2373, Opt. 4, www.aarke-usa.com

-- Ayesha Curry Kitchenware, 888-383-0738, www.ayeshacurrykitchenware.com

-- Brabantia USA Inc., 201-933-3192, www.brabantia.com

-- Dash, 800-898-6970, www.bydash.com

-- Eva Solo North America, 507-269-0497, www.evasolo.com

-- JIA Inc., www.jia-inc.com

-- Jura, 800-220-5701, www.us.jura.com

-- KitchenAid, 800-541-6390, www.kitchenaid.com

-- Le Creuset, 877-273-8738, www.lecreuset.com

-- Rachael Ray, 800-214-8369, www.rachaelray.com

-- Prepdeck, 833-773-7332, www.prepdeck.com

-- truMedic, 888-264-1766, www.trumedic.com

-- US:E, 626-820-9686, www.elecprous.com

-- Wolf Gourmet, 800-222-7820, www.subzero-wolf.com