The Fall Table

Ahhh! Our favorite season here at Ourhaus is in full swing and in full color. And here in New England, Fall is...kind of a big deal. While we do not host Thanksgiving (we go to our parents'), I love to change up our dining room for the season. Since our space is wide open, it is easy for seasonal decor to suddenly be a bit "too much" since you can see a few of the rooms at the same time, so I add it in sparingly. And, because our home is not historical or rustic, we aim to do Fall in a more modern way while maintaining the palette and warmth of the season.

Dried Chinese Lanterns look like blazing foliage in a simple, cylindrical glass vase. A loose arrangement of white mini pumpkins keep things clean and modern, and picks up on the cream berries in the "fall" version one of my favorite Marimekko table patterns, Luminarja. The candle holders pick up the branch texture in the tablecloth and remind me of mid-century bronze sculpture.

You can't see our lovely new dining table, covered, but it is the Parker Mid-Century Expandable Dining Table from West Elm:

I was inspired by an image on Pinterest to create these quick and easy wheat arrangements. You can fill the vase with acorns or other interesting seed pods. I got the wheat (and the Chinese Lanterns) in the seasonal floral section of our favorite market, Wilson Farm, in Lexington, MA. The seed pods were from West Elm. (I also love the sea-urchin look of sweetgum tree seed pods displayed in a bowl, too.)

Above, our Jonathan Adler bird always carries something of the season. A mini pumpkin will be replaced by a glittery pinecone by December! Our Kostick Star Sculptures are year-round favorites. The candle sticks are vintage that I found at the SoWA Vintage Market in Boston.

In the kitchen, fall decorating can be as simple as displaying the season's produce. I also ran out of room to store produce, so it has to be out on the counter! The colors speak for themselves and you'll be more apt to pick up a healthier snack and use up your purchases in cooking when you can see it all. For some Fall recipes, and other decor ideas, check out my "I Love Fall" board on Pinterest.

I think I am going to turn that squash into this Twice-Baked Butternut Squash tonight:

Happy Fall from Ourhaus to yours!

Bringing Vacation Home : Starfish Cottage, ME

We have been wanting to visit Acadia National Park for several summers now. We finally got to it this year and beat the crowds by booking our stay the first week of September. Tip: it's always less expensive that way, too. Aside from a downpour on our first full day, the weather was absolutely perfect, and finally: not too hot!

Our backyard stairway to the rocky coast: 

Maine, to me, is one of the most beautiful, refreshing places to visit in driving distance to us. And, Acadia really delivered in that regard. We had the most beautiful hikes, walks and bike rides. Even our dog Lucy, who is 11, was pulling us up a rocky mountain side to see what was at the top!

Our reward for a pretty tough hike:

There's no shortage of house and cottage rentals in the area, ranging from in-town to ocean front to lakeside. We found a fitting, well-appointed seaside cottage listing online, and while it doesn't seem so from the outside, it ended up being quite spacious for the three of us.

Everything was appropriately suited for a cottage in the woods by the sea, without letting the sea and nautical theme get too out of control and campy.

01 / Toss magazines or store towels in a wire basket inspired by farm potato baskets. From Rejuvination.com
02 / Abstract the wire basket idea with this canvas hamper by Pehr, available at Hudson.
03 / I'll never tire of the look of a lit Moravian star. The materials on this mimic wire and glass nautical lanterns, but not so literally that it becomes too "themed". Plus, the star reminds me of a compass rose.
04 / I like this sea urchin-inspired update on the Moroccan garden stool, available at Kohl's.
05 / Quirky octopus hook pillow available at Hudson.
06 / Where the forest meets the sea. Acacia serveware brings the woods inside and mirrors that amazing kitchen backdrop at the cottage.
07 / Loved the china blue plates against the aqua wall. If you don't have a collection to display yet, these melamine plates by Thomas Paul are fun, nautical alternatives. Available at Lekker.
08 / Vacation homes are the perfect place for that reclaimed wood table you always admired. You can even have one custom made at Vermont Farm Table.

{ For more of my ideas on how I'd outfit my own seaside cottage, check out my Getaway Houses: Beach board on Pinterest.}

My ongoing lament is that with mass production and information globalization, you can't find anything native or unique when you travel (unless you really go to rural places or the far reaches). So it's always my goal to hunt down small, independent shops when we travel. Luckily, the combination of consumer's growing demand for more unique things and support for small, local businesses has made them a little easier to find lately. Here are some favorites from this trip:

BAR HARBOR

Steer clear of the tourist-y haunts (just how many town-labeled sweatshirts do we all really need?) and you can find some really great shops in Bar Harbor. One beautifully curated, but totally unpretentious shop I visited was Salt. I saw this very unique, elegant line of barnacle pottery by Anna Woolf of Wild Card Pottery, an Ellsworth, Maine artist. Isn't this just the coolest thing?

(images from Wild Card Pottery's Etsy page)

Window Panes is also a very nice shop. Best for kitchen gadgets, special home accessories, and more "known" national brand names such as Thymes. I spent a good amount of time inhaling the Frasier Fir line they had on display. It smells like Maine and the holidays.

DEER ISLE + STONINGTON

We took a detour trip to Deer Isle on our way home. We stopped in the little town of Stonington to stretch our legs, eat Maine blueberry ice cream and visit some local shops.

First we visited a tiny, fisherman's shack-like shop, Dockside Books and Gifts at 62 West Main St. It's propped on the harbor shore and you can easily miss if it wasn't for the sign on the roadside, so keep an eye out for it. They had a very good variety of locally made Maine goods and books all in one spot. I picked up these Maine treats there:

 { Clockwise from top left: }

Paine's Balsam Fir Incense is the next best thing to packing up a tree to take home. And that retro-looking packaging is just too perfect.
Maine Jams and Jellies: Go blueberry or go home. You don't want to miss blueberry anything from Maine.
Art of the Sailor hand-tied hanging trivet. They also make coasters, round trivet mats, bookmarks, bracelets and more. So pretty!

Before we hit the road back home we had dinner at The Factory Tavern (Yelp listing, here) where I had the lobster chowder with applewood bacon and the most incredible fish and chips I've ever had. Eat there. It is so good—super fresh, modern, yet comfy, casual and so neighborly. I think we were the only people there that didn't know everyone else in the restaurant!

We heard about The Factory Tavern directly from its owner, a wine hobbyist, at the Seasons of Stonington wine and gift shop, that he also owns. He told us about little Isle au Haut, where the chocolate I was buying is made by hand at Black Dinah Chocolatiers.

Unfortunately we didn't get over to the island, so I think I'm going to order their sipping chocolate for winter that, according to their site, says "each batch is made carefully by hand and subtly spiced with cinnamon, Ancho chile, and cardamommmmmmm." (Well, I added the mmm part.)

So, until next time, Maine. Your pine smell, big skies and fresh air stay with us.

Shop Talk: Pilgrim Waters

I first met Susy Pilgrim Waters at a local design salon where I was invited to share my Pinterest and social media experiences as they relate to both my business and blogging. We made an instant connection and I was fortunate to visit her at her home studio earlier this year.

In a nutshell, Susy is an incredibly talented illustrator and surface designer with an enviable client list and extensive portfolio of work. It's impressive how well her work translates across so many applications—from hand-written logos to textile designs to book illustration. She is typically commissioned for her work (by clients like Crate&Barrel, Iggy's, surface designs for Pizza Hut, NYC Public Library—on 5th and 42nd in the Children's room—and more), but she also has a beautiful line of her own blankets, scarves, and housewares that you can purchase in the PW shop.

Above: Limited Edition Veggie Medley Towel in Citron

Visiting Susy at her home studio in South Boston ("Southie"), I enjoyed getting to know her, her work, and her husband Keith—who partners in the business and is also an accomplished computer artist specializing in computer facial animations for the likes of Pixar. We sat down to chat over homemade scones—"close enough" to tea time!

Their sweet cockerpoo Tillie joined in, too.

We looked through some of her past commissioned work.

Then we took a walk around their elegant, modern home and workspaces. Here, a busy corner of her work studio:

In her studio, Susy was showing me some of her influences and inspirations that include Robert Stewart Design, Ben Nicholson, and Barbara Hepworth. I'll definitely be looking into them in more detail.

Above: Susy holds up my absolute favorite piece in her PW line: the Boulders Throw — a design inspired by sculptor Barbara Hepworth's work. They are handwoven and hand silkscreened in Khatmandu. What I love about Susy's designs is they have a modern, graphic edge, but are softened by her nature inspired approach.

We flipped through a "trunk show" of her pashmina designs. It's almost impossible to choose a favorite, so let's get a few! I'm thinking these will make fantastic gifts for just about any occasion—Mother's Day, a hostess gift for that summer house stay, birthdays, for your bridal party, and more. You can find new designs (shown in progress below) here in her shop.

For the kitchen, I like a combination of these "Veggie Medley" printed tea towels and these handmade silkscreened bread proofing trays:

I like the the red dot on clear wood version on the upper left. What's your favorite?

Finally, I cannot leave out the fact that Susy is also a talented painter. You can see some design aesthetic crossover with her products, but ultimately her paintings have a presence and impact all their own.

Well, I hope you enjoy her work as much as I do, and that I helped you discover another favorite housewares source!

If you are in the Boston area, her products are also sold at the Peabody Essex Museum, the ICA, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Tess, and Nomad.

or
Shop the entire PW collection online.

To see more of Susy's commercial work,
check out her portfolio.