“Nature is a teacher that never deceives,” wrote artist Albert Pinkham Ryder. His words strike a chord, particularly now when so much of what I’m seeing in interiors is created by designers who deserve honor-roll status in nature’s classroom. Topics cover everything from organic shapes and materials to earthy colors and bold textures, and each is used to conjure spaces that are as compelling as they are comfortable. These days, who doesn’t want that? And given our autumn ritual of returning indoors, we crave it now more than ever.
With a nod to the season, this issue offers an abundance of nature-inspired designs, as well as imaginative ideas and rousing gestures. Take the cover, for example. What you’re looking at is more than a dreamy bedroom; it’s a study in seductive materials and extraordinary details. For designer Anne-Marie Barton, a headboard was not enough. Instead, she fashioned an entire wall of reeded walnut and antiqued brass panels to serve as a luxe backdrop for layer-upon-layer of rich textiles, soulful woodgrains and soothing neutrals. “It’s all about texture and warmth,” she explains. So too are the following pages.
In Mapleton, a home’s towering fireplace wall is uniquely clad in limestone smeared with mortar like butter on bread. “We wanted to come up with something unexpected,” designer Stacy Andersen says. Mission accomplished. Designers Rion Locke and Richard Miller delve into our renewed love for brown. “It’s definitely a comfort color,” Miller explains. Leather, too, is all the rage, and fabulous furnishings feed our affection for it. No-fail neutrals enrich today’s soothing paint palettes, leafy patterns enliven delightful wallpapers and food editor Tara “Teaspoon” Bench serves an apple cake that heralds autumn’s most celebrated crop. Naturally, this issue covers it all.
Opening image by David Livingston
Our 2022 Fall issue will be on newsstands October 1st. Subscribe to Utah Style & Design to get the Winter 2023 issue as the first of four magazines showcasing the best of architecture, design and lifestyle in the Mountainwest.
