a wing chair by the fire

a leather wing chair by the fire, candlelight, and paperwhites ... simple styling for the holidays...
photograph by jeff mcnamara

autumn rituals

time to light the fireplace in the evening, bring out a stack of soft wool throws, and add a rug to warm up the room...much as i hate to put away the white linens, i love to layer in dark rich browns and blacks in textiles and branches to replace the summer garden flowers and shells as the new season comes in...

kindling

as the days get shorter and the nights cooler, it's time to light a fire in the fireplace at the end of the day, and this season, there is a lot of kindling to gather from the latest hurricane on long island...I bundle twigs and branches and tie with twine to use as firestarters and give as gifts for friends who have fireplaces in the city! photograph by michael skott
from THE NATURAL HOME by tricia foley

a wing chair by the fire

one of my favorite chairs pulled up to the fire, is an 18th century style reproduction from Hickory chair that I've had for years...I slipcover it in white canvas in summer, but in winter, the brown leather is just right.

It’s still chilly in the evenings, so re-stocking the firewood baskets with bundles of lichen covered branches down from the storms …a good walk around outside down to the boathouse with a wheelbarrow to gather them is a great break from all this paperwork!