The best homes are ongoing projects, not destinations. They change as you change with them – absorbing new finds, shedding old ones, slowly becoming more themselves over time.

"A home is a place to relax and personalize over time with things you love. My homes are constant, ongoing projects – extensions of myself that evolve and change." Andreas Martin-Löf, architect and designer.

A room that photographs well isn't always a room that works to live in. The best interiors prioritise the inhabitant over the image – objects chosen because they mean something, furniture placed for how you actually use it. Think comfort over looks.

"When I see my home in pictures, it looks boring, but I love living here. It's an environment where I can just be." Caroline Sandström Blasiak, stylist and set designer.

Furniture bought for a trend rarely survives it. The pieces that last are designed around proportion, material and function. When updating your home for autumn, the question isn't what's current – it's what will still make sense in twenty years.

"Most of my furniture was created by Danish designers in the 1940s, 50s, and 60s, but they look like they could have been designed today." Daniel Lindström, fashion editor.

A room furnished entirely in one material tends to feel flat. The contrast between wood and stone, glass and textile, metal and ceramic is what creates depth and warmth – especially as the light changes in autumn.

“Combining wood tones makes a home feel alive. I also like marble, Moroccan tile and limestone. It's about the contrast. " Julia Stridh, stylist.

If you want to shift the feeling of a room without buying new furniture or rearranging, start here. A throw, a new cushion cover, fresh flowers – small changes that make an immediate difference. Autumn is the natural moment to make the room warmer and let it catch up with the season.

”Textiles and flowers bring softness and life to all the hard surfaces.” Amanda Schulman, author, producer.