With Halloween costumes already popping up in stores, and the return of pumpkin spice lattes on the horizon, it might be time to (reluctantly) accept that fall is on its way. As summer winds down, domestic life starts moving back indoors — and the living room is poised to become the centre of the home once again. From sculptural seating and tactile textiles to a fireplace system that opens up new possibilities for the hearth, these products below offer plenty of reasons to give your space a refresh before the season settles in.

1

Avant Chair by Resident

Designed “for slower moments” by Note Design Studio, there is no better fall addition to your space than the Avant Chair from New Zealand brand Resident. With a generous seat perched on a timber swivel base, Avant offers the enveloping comfort expected of a lounge chair without the bulky visual footprint that usually comes with it. The design started more as a sculptural object than a piece of furniture. “We’re always interested in the unseen — in what’s left out, in the spaces between,” explains Note Design Studio designer (and owner) Kristoffer Fagerström. “Lately, the concept of “nothingness” has become more central to our thinking. We’re obsessed with proportion, with how shadows and gaps can define an object. The Avant chair started with that idea. We began layering awkward pieces of cardboard to study the shadows, and it became clear that the shadow itself was the defining element.” Whether given pride of place in a cozy reading nook or grouped in a conversational composition, Avant delivers clean-lined comfort.

2

Marechiaro by Ligne Roset

Storage plays an outsized role in both how a living room feels and functions, and this system, designed by Philippe Nigro for Ligne Roset, demonstrates just how versatile it can be. The hero product is a solid ash bookcase, which combines a shelving unit on one side with a slatted screen on the other to artfully divide space without closing it off completely — giving your favourite objects a place to be seen rather than tucked away. Three modules — straight, concave and convex — allow for endless configurations, from alcoves to partitions. The latest additions to the collection, a coffee table and side table, harness the same slatted motif to give books, magazines and other wares an intentional home without overwhelming the space.

3

Meridian Rugs by Armadillo

Though vibrant colour has been making a resurgence in residential spaces, there’s something to be said for the power of a good neutral — especially when it comes to anchor pieces like rugs, which take up a lot of visual real estate. With its latest rug collection, Meridian, Armadillo has deliberately removed colour from the equation, allowing the materials and construction to do the expressive work. Crafted in India by skilled artisans, the nine rugs span flatweave, cut pile and looped constructions, made from natural fibres including New Zealand wool, European blends and Indian jute. Take Selva, for instance, which features three hanks of Afghan wool woven into one continuous surface, creating striations that lead to an almost patchworked effect. “We are always guided by the material itself — how it behaves, how it ages, and how it feels underfoot. That relationship is what defines the outcome,” explains Armadillo co-founder Sally Pottharst.

4

Gio Ponti Oro Lamp by Poltrona Frau

Sometimes, the most compelling new additions to a room aren’t new at all. Layering pieces from different eras can give a living room greater depth and character, allowing contrasting design languages to play off one another rather than fixing the space in a single moment. Luckily, there’s plenty of brands reviving time-honoured pieces if you don’t have the patience to scour the vintage market. This Gio Ponti design, conceived in 1956 for the Fondazione Gallini building in Voghera, is a case in point. Composed of three vertical light tubes, which reflect off a sequence of curved anodized aluminum panels, the piece capitalized on the linear bulbs and materials emerging at the time of its creation. Poltrona Frau’s version elegantly translates this design into satin brass, preserving the strong interplay of light, reflection and three-dimensional form — true to its ethos of designing products that are rooted in “tradition yet forward-looking.”

5

HeatShift System by Valor Fireplaces

In a cozy living space, the fireplace serves as a natural focal point. But the heat they generate often dictates how designers can style them. That’s where Valor’s HeatShift system comes in: Using concealed ductwork and passive convection, it redirects heat away from the wall and releases it higher in the room, keeping surrounding surfaces cooler without fans or electricity. Working with Valor’s stunning assortment of fireplaces, the system allows materials like drywall, wood, tile and stone to sit closer to the surround, mantels to move toward the hearth, and artwork and televisions to safely occupy the wall above with less heat exposure. Designed to recede into the background, HeatShift gives designers greater freedom to let the surrounding space — rather than the fireplace itself — lead the composition.

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