the seasonal home
“Home is not simply a mark upon a map, anymore than a river’s just water. It is the place at the centre of the compass from which every arrow radiates and where the heart is fixed. It’s a force that forever draws us back or lures us on. For where the home is there lies hope…and the future waits and everything is possible.”
– closing quote from an episode of Call The Midwife
In the past few weeks I’ve made changes in each room; home has shifted with the seasons in subtle yet essential ways. Two pairs of gumboots sit near the front door in lieu of sandals; scarves and raincoats have replaced beach baskets and sunhats on the coatrack. Each bed now wears flannelette and mohair and wool.
Whilst the balcony is definitely looking bare and wintry, the kitchen is abundant with muted colour. Pears and apples and pumpkins grace the fruit bowl, oats are favoured over museli and a pillar candle offers ambient light in the evening and early morning.
I’ve been thinking about the way a home morphs and expands to fit the growing needs of a family, how baskets fill with blankets and shelves disappear beneath towers of books. In the six years we have been here I have re-arranged each room, making space for both practical and aesthetic purposes. I’ve added and subtracted in a bid to refresh and rarely have I spent a lot of money; wabi-sabi is my constant inspiration. Changing the way things look ultimately affects the mood of the home; our little abode is currently telling a winter story of warmth, cosiness and early nights.
What seasonal changes do you make in your home?
Next week I’ll be working with stylist Stefanie Ingram on a little series about creating beautiful vignettes with simple, everyday items. I hope you’ll pop back to see what we come up with…
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Stunning photos as usual!
beautiful!
kw, ladies in navy
jewelry giveaway!
Lovely cushions, I think adding some warm coloured cushions and throws make a room feel cosy.
The first thing I do is to put up a door curtain at the South end of the living area doorway to the rest of the house, to contain the heat from the Northfacing glass doors, that way I don't have to use a heater till late afternoon.
This is our first winter with Audrey being independent, well she wants to be independent and we encourage her in every way we can. I have tried to make changes that will help her communicate she is cold and understand the changing seasons. The granny square blankets are out of the linen press and hung on our old ladder at "Audrey height", I have added extra pillows to her reading nook so it is warm and comfy and we recently changed her room as she is over one so everything is now at her height including a jacket, scarf and beanie. I cant thank you enough for introducing our family to whole family rhythms, it has changed the way we look at "routine" and has made our home happier and more appreciative.
Lovely post, Jodi.
We've got piles of blankets and unfinished puzzles and crafts all over the place. The curtains get drawn early and instead of smelling like open air and back paddocks our house has a homely, winter-food smell circling it these days.
I love winter-ising my home.
My mother is an amazing quilter and so the coming of the cooler winter means dragging colourful quilts out of storage and spreading them over beds and folding them over the back of the couch.
Such a lovely post, Jodi. And with such beautiful photos too. I adore these little glimpses into your cozy home…
Keep warm,
Ronnie xo
A beautiful post, Jodi.
I adore the seasonal ritual of refreshing and recreating the spaces throughout our home, & it's just that; refreshing. This past week, the chill has set in, so the change has begun. Our homes feel similar – gumboots, cosy bed linen, books & the warm glow of candlelight. We're relishing in the abundace of seasonal fruit & vegetables, eating accordingly & our bodies feel better for it.
I'm definitely feeling the love for the cooler seasons.
Sar xx
I love this time of year! I'm desperately trying to finish a few handmade quilts to adorn bedrooms and the lounge room for winter this year. Gumboots have also become the preferred footwear especially in the garden when pulling out seasonal veggies to cook with and of course to kick about the golden leaves that have covered the green grass in a thick blanket. Enjoy these days…
Sophie xo
We lived in NYC for 2 years & I loved how they changed their homes for each season (even though quite sales based for shops!) – a change of tablecloth, tea towels, flowers, cushion covers, blankets & even photos in frames to match each season & colours e.g lots of yellows in spring & oranges & browns in autumn. I still try to do some of these.
those pillows look incredibly cozy!
Gorgeous post Jodi. I love this time of year, warm days and cool nights, but my favourite is the light. So much more subtle and easier to sneak in to our home. Sitting at the kitchen table eating lunch with a soft sun at your back…love it.
jodi i find it fascinating to watch worlds such a long way away entering different seasons. we are in spring here with summer looming…not that you would know it most days though! we have wellies by the door as we are out in the garden but it's still so wet and cold most days xxx
no more barefoot here, the slippers are out. as are wool blankets slung over every sitting spot, and cyclamen to replace cut flowers. one day i'd like heavy velvet curtains to hang at every window, but it wont be this year x
One of the seasonal changes I notice are the different fragrances in the air both inside our home and outside…the smell of rain, our woodfire, pots of soup, soup and soup, chai and my mood shifts that influence the essential oils I like to burn. Lemon oil, eucalyptus, old favorites rose, lavendar, geranium. Lovely post x
Wooly hats and scarves by the front door. Soup on the stove. Extra blankets on the bed. Roast dinners with yorkshire pudding. Winter is on its way.
Absolutely beautiful photographs.. so inspiring. Thank you <3
Harri
at-rubik.blogspot.com