EagleTribune.com, North Andover, MA

Bold colors are still hot in home decor this fall, but the look is moving away from sage greens and more toward olives and 1970s retro colors. Look for chocolate browns and golds.

* Incorporate the new fall palette into your home with throw pillows on a very casual sofa, suggests Barbara Reichter of Andover Interior Design.

* Buy a table runner, napkins or table linens in fall colors for a new look and minimal expense, says Karla Dulin, owner of Tres Jolie in North Andover. Another technique is to buy candles in this season's colors or a floral arrangement.

* Go for a pared down look this fall, says Andover interior decorator Leanne Croft. The look right now is not stark modern, but the emphasis on tassels and fringes is fading. Try for a sleek, classic look.

* Try something unusual on the walls. Reichter says one new trend is to upholster walls in faux leather. Dulin says people are buying antique tin panels salvaged from demolished buildings in New York City to hang on the wall.

* Animals are in, says Home Goods spokeswoman Robyn Arvedon. Perch a little bird on a bookshelf, set a carved frog on a table or tuck a glazed white elephant in a corner. For a more subtle effect, look for a ceramic vase with a crane painted on it.