Creating a Cozy Home

Fall is all about creating a warm and inviting home. Think about what comforts you during these chilly and dark months. By adding those items into your interiors you will feel warmer, and so will your guests. Adding layers of throws, blankets and soft pillows with different textures and patterns is a wonderful start. I have a habit of buying up vintage blankets - some have pedigree, like my vintage Hudson Bay and a few of my Pendletons, but most are just tattered, vintage throws I've collected because I simply love the pattern or the color. I confess that my throw fetish is so bad that I had to buy another suitcase in Ireland just to bring back all the blankets I picked up there. Oh my!

At the end of this post you will find links to a few
of my favorite woolen mills and manufacturers. 

A blazing fire goes a long way to make you feel warm and snug. For fire safety, be sure to have your chimney looked at every few years by a local chimney sweep and burn a creosote log every few fires to reduce and treat creosote buildup. Pine Mountain makes a good one. 

Now’s the time to bring in natural elements. A simple wreath on the front door is the perfect way to welcome guests. This is the time of year when I forgo the floral shop and head outside with my shears. I gather branches from our flaming maple, vines from our grape arbor, and fallen leaves, pinecones, acorns and chestnuts. 

The colors of fall weave beautifully into my interiors. So adding in more autumnal hues of amber, ochre and copper is fairly easy. To heighten these gorgeous fall colors, add the warm flicker of candles (please, never leave a candle burning unattended). 

However you choose to warm up your home, I wish you all the bounty and blessing this beautiful season offers. 

Until next time,

la chasse au bonheur

Nothing cozies up a home like a soft throw - whether tossed over a chair, piled high in a basket, used as a tablecloth, or placed at the foot of a bed. My fetish for woolens dates back to 1966 when my mother gave me her tan plaid Pendleton car blanket - I've been collecting them ever since (and that blanket can be found in my car to this day). Here are my favorite manufacturers -

Pendelton

Harris Tweed

John Hanly

Be sure to check local vintage shops as they, quite often, have vintage woolens that, once washed, look marvelous in a collection.