A rich autumnal palette of earthy shades - creamy ivory, golden tan, deep russet, and warm brown - harmonize to transform a Connecticut home into a lovely tone poem.

Autumn Hues

The earthy warmth of wood is too often lost when a home undergoes a renovation: Floors are covered by carpets, beamed ceilings are concealed, vintage furniture is lightened with coats of paint. But at the Connecticut home of Jennifer Downing, the warm shades of wood glow everywhere the eye can see. You notice it the moment you walk in the door, as you tread on burnished chestnut floors or look up at the hand-hewn chestnut beams in the living room that Jennifer and her husband restored to their original splendour. "I've always loved the colour brown," says Jennifer, who is instinctively drawn to antique furnishings and collectibles in shades of espresso, mocha, mahogany, and caf? au lait.



Dining Room

Complementing this predominantly earthy palette are golden tans and ethereal yellows, natural-fiber rugs and fresh ticking stripes. Like the apple cider Jennifer likes to serve guests in elegant crystal goblets by the British designer William Yeoward, the overall effect of the surroundings is at once homey and haute.



Chestnut Beams

In the living room, chestnut beams are a point of pride. "Upon choosing a palette, carry it throughout your home," advises Jennifer. "Transitions from room to room should be seamless. This helps to establish a sense of calm."



Kitchen

Like her palette, Jennifer's actual approach to decorating is organic: In the kitchen designed by Nancy Brownell for Wm Ohs, wood-and-wicker drawers reflect Jennifer's predilection for orderly placement (she owns an organizing business called In Its Place). A tiled niche above the stainless-steel cooktop keeps frequently used seasonings handy. The wall-mounted swing-arm faucet is great for filling large pots.



Breakfast Room

In the breakfast room, Hitchcock chairs pull up to a rustic dining table - the stage is set for one of the owners' favourite pastimes: entertaining.



Bay Window

This sun-washed window seat in the dining room is "deep enough to lounge on and read a book," says Jennifer.



White Lamp

Create a dramatic effect by playing with scale - pairing oversize objects with those significantly smaller.



Cabinet

When setting her holiday table, Jennifer visits the kitchen cabinet that houses her own collection of brown transferware and white ironstone.



Mercury Glass Collection

On a highly polished table, a collection of mercury glass gleams.



Guest Bedroom

In the guest bedroom, those comforting hues include softest robin's-egg blue, for the walls and a medley of warm brown from the draperies' dramatic ikat fabric to the crisp lines of the wooden tester bed and French ladder-back armchair.



Text: Will Foster