You can feel fall coming beginning in late summer. In August, random leaves start falling from your favorite backyard tree (hey, stop that!), and some are even tinged with notes of orange and yellow … already! The light seems different, with almost a golden cast. You grab a sweater at 4 in the afternoon, rather than 10 in the evening.
Then autumn arrives in full regalia. Leaves and more leaves. Pumpkins on the vine. Lights on in the late afternoon. A cast of cozy colors: maple-leaf orange, rich russet, and apple red. You notice that sticks and stems sans green foliage are still so beautiful. You gather to eat dinner around the table, and there’s homemade soup on the stove and apple crisp in the oven.
Upon entering through the “front door” of this issue, the best of fall awaits you.
Cute dogs nearly leap from the pages. Homeowners whip up comfort food in their spiffy kitchens, and a Michigan apple pie is heavenly just out of the oven. A world-renowned architect highlights expansive, wraparound windows to take in Mother Nature — and her falling leaves — while a patchwork of attractive colors peppers the pages, thanks to discerning homeowners and savvy designers who prefer charcoals and grays in backsplashes and on floors, pops of orange accents, delicious creams, and deep browns that evoke vintage barn wood.
Speaking of barns, you won’t find hay, per se, but there’s a nod to barns and barn/farm motifs, to be sure. A former barn-turned-home in Birmingham (page 40) brims with storied beauty, from beam to brick (check out its modern, sliding barn-style door to the master bath). In another story (page 76), you’ll learn about a ‘tween and a teen who also get to slide a barn-style door to access their inviting bathrooms. A kitchen in Ann Arbor goes the modern farmhouse route (its fireclay apron-front sink is similar to what you’d find in England in the 1800s).
This issue also puts the accent on men and design. Decades ago, Melvyn Maxwell Smith made a promise to himself that he would someday live in a Frank Lloyd Wright-designed home, and his dream came true in Bloomfield Hills (see page 56). In addition, two single fathers, one with two sons and one with two daughters, recently overhauled their homes to reflect their tastes and accommodate comfortable, family-friendly living with stylish aplomb.
Meanwhile, two designers share their knowledge about how to avoid making gathering spaces and bedrooms overly feminine (see page 32). Their tips come in handy right now, as industry reports reveal that interior design is mirroring male preferences like never before.
All of these cozy spaces beckon, especially as a chill is in the air — and we all need a comfortable perch from which we can watch the leaves fall.
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