By Melissa Hebert

There's so much to love about autumn.

Apple cider. Great sleeping weather. Football. Sweaters. Pie.

But most spectacular of all is deep, warm, rich autumn color, especially the reds, golds, orange and brown of autumn leaves. The palette includes some jewel tones, such as blue and purple, too.

"They're wonderful, warm hues," said interior designer Pamela Bayer of Hudson. Fall colors provide a sharp change from the softer, cooler colors of spring and summer.

Fall is when we cover the outdoor furniture and begin living indoors again. The warmer, more saturated colors of fall help create a more cozy interior atmosphere, said Becky Ralich Spak, a senior designer with Cleveland-based paint manufacturer Sherwin-Williams. The brighter jewel tones also give a glimpse of the holiday season to come, she added.

What makes fall colors work, Spak said, is that they're not confined to one style. They work with more modern looks as well as with traditional. It all depends on how they're used.

Golden yellow is one of those great background colors, Spak said. It blends well with the brighter fall tones, including Sherwin-Williams' new Majestic Purple, an almost-eggplant purple that Spak described as "regal. It's one of my new favorites."

Bayer, who also has offices in New Jersey and New York, said she's seeing interest in a more muted, slightly muddied version of fall colors.

One of her favorite new fall color combinations is a dark cocoa brown mixed with deep sage green with silver accents.

While painting is an easy, inexpensive way to add fall colors, you don't have to do that, Bayer said.

"If you have a neutral room, the fall colors work great with them," she said.

Bayer said a more modern, up-to-date look is to incorporate the color using texture - woven materials, hammered metals, fabrics such as chenille - instead of patterns.

Fall is about cozying up your interior, Spak said. So add fall colors in ways that add coziness and comfort - throws to snuggle under, draperies to warm up the windows, pottery and vases to hold fall floral arrangements, pillows that invite you to sit back and relax.

"It's little things like that that can bring a warmer fall look," Spak said.

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: mhebert@plaind.com, 216-999-5291

Resources:

Pamela Bayer Interiors: 330-653-9289. www.pamelabayer.com.

Sherwin-Williams: www.sherwin.com.

Viva Terra: 1-800-233-6011. www.vivaterra.com.

Sur la Table: 1-866-328-5412. www.surlatable.com.

Crate & Barrel: 24405 Cedar Road, Lyndhurst. 216-297-3500. www.crateandbarrel.com.