GREATER TORONTO – With the holiday season upon us once again, GTA homeowners are already looking forward to hosting Christmas and New Year’s Eve get-togethers with family and friends.

For many, that means updating home décor with a few thoughtful touches to bring things up to speed with this season’s design trends. With some cues from the fashion industry’s hot fabrics for fall and winter, we’ve gathered a selection of this winter’s most popular home style trends – each of which can be easily incorporated into your existing interior spaces.

Incorporating warmth and sheen with suede fabric accents

“This season is all about suede,” writes Vogue’s Alessandra Codinha, noting that renewed attention from fashion icons like Jason Wu and Derek Lam has helped push the fabric past leather as this year’s winter favourite for boots, coats, and more.

Traditionally manufactured using the underside of leather hides, suede is often foregone by modern homeowners in favour of synthetic, sustainable microsuede – which boasts stain and water resistance among its favourable attributes.

Our Top Pick: Restoration Hardware’s suede knit pillow collection is a must-have item for this winter, offering the soft indulgence of authentic cowhide – combined with the layered texture of knit wool.

Cable knit: for more than just sweaters

From its roots in the authentic Aran sweaters traditionally made on the west coast of Ireland, chunky cable knit has come a long way – and in 2014, has become one of the hottest fall and winter trends, with knits being featured on the runway by such designers as Marc Jacobs and Haider Ackermann.

Cable knit has also come into its own as a staple for home fabrics, offering a texture and warmth that make the knit ideal for throws and comforters. If you’re not a fan of suede, neutral knit pillow covers can also bring a touch of classic wintertime warmth to any living space.

Our Top Pick: Nordstrom’s hand-knit cable throw comes in either beige or charcoal, making it a perfect neutral accent piece for your living room couch. These throws are made with 100% acrylic fiber, so they should also be sun resistant enough to leave out year-round.

A touch of burlap brings rustic holiday charm

Long sidelined in the design world – due partially to its relative cheapness and Great Depression origins – burlap has been making an unlikely comeback in recent years, boosted partially by the material’s feverish popularity among DIY aficionados on Pinterest.

Burlap’s rustic, neutral appearance has made it a favourite for modern holiday décor – which, as we pointed out last year, has been moving away from the bright red-and-green plastics of yesteryear. It’s also durable, making it great for Christmas tree accessories like Michaels’ DIY burlap tree skirt – an easy and inexpensive first project if you’ve been interested in taking up décor crafting.

Our Top Pick: If the holiday rush has left you without much DIY time, Ballard Designs – who now ship to Canada – offer an elegant, hand-sewn burlap tree skirt, featuring a 4” fringe that adds a touch of baroque flair.