For the love of layers! Decorating your home for fall

When decorating your home for fall, follow the same principles you would with your wardrobe: layer, layer, layer! Warm up the look and feel of your home with this essential guide to seasonal decorating.

1. Layering fabrics isn’t just for furniture. Rugs can look amazing layered too. I love adding a cowhide rug to tie together unusual furniture arrangements or punctuate the centre of a space. A sheepskin-style rug also makes a stylish accent to areas such as the edge of the bed, under a footstool, or even draped over a chair or bar stool for a softer seat.

TIP: Layer rugs to get a “patchwork quilt” look that adds drama to your space. Mix five to seven smaller rugs in one room (check out the CB2 photo on this page for inspiration). Alternately, you can use carpet tiles to fake a large rug under your existing one, and fill in the edges of a room.

2.Copper, gold and brass bring a classic yet trendy style and warm undertones without feeling like an overly strong colour. If you’re timid (or already invested in silver), start small by layering these metals in with accents such as frames, tableware and lamps. The mix of silver and gold hues creates a subtle Art Deco-inspired vibe, so there’s no reason not to sprinkle one in, while letting the other dominate.

TIP: Bronze tealight votives reflect an extra-warm glow. Line up three, five or seven (odd numbers work best) on a silvery tray or cart for a contrast statement and sparkling mood-lighting. Bronze Rose Tealight Holder (pictured top); Talis Gold Hammered Platter (pictured top). Visit YSSelected.com

3. Pillows are one of my favourite ways to add style – they can move from living room to bedroom and beyond, and dress a room up, or down. Rather than picking dramatic new colours, grab some neutral but bold patterns that can layer behind your existing favourites for a more filled-in feel.

TIP: For my YSS collection, I wanted a dash of liveable safari style, so I tamed a tiger print pillow in a warm tan and winter-white. An animal print like this adds unexpected drama standing alone on your dining chairs, or slinking between the sofa cushions. Safari Tiger Print Crewel Embroidered Square Cushion. Visit YSSelected.com

4. Lush textures are great for adding warmth to the eye and the hand. A sumptuous blanket, folded neatly at the end of a bed or tossed casually on a sofa, adds some interchangeable luxury and can move between rooms for new looks.

TIP: Spread a blanket across the cushions of a sofa and tuck it in at the edges, for a noncommittal contrast-upholstery look. Pictured left: Chevron Jacquard Cotton Throw; Aspen Deluxe Faux Fur Throw. YSSelected.com

5. Don’t forget the vertical surfaces! An extra layer of drapery helps avoid heat loss through windows, so consider mixing a sheer layer with a heavy blackout-lined layer – you can keep your existing curtains and add a double rod.

TIP: A lightly patterned inner sheer (try a tone-on-tone white) under a solid heavy drape, draws the eye’s attention to the layered effect by adding drama to the background instead of the foreground.