Images (From the top): 1&2/ Mike Ahern 3/ Design Milk 4/ Alma Van Harskamp 5/ Bend
At the weekend it suddenly appeared that Autumn had finally crept up and plonked itself upon us at the cottage. Falling leaves are now beginning to litter the paths whilst the nights are increasingly chilly. My aesthetic attention had been biased towards outdoor living over the Summer months but this has now shifted focus to the indoors and 'padding the nest' for Winter. I guess if I stop and think about this annual ritual for a moment, there's probably still a primitive instinct in all of us to proactively gather, store and reach for those warmer clothes as we move into colder times, right?
Helping me along with my Winter prep is my latest purchase from favourite affordable fashion retailer, H&M Home. The beautiful grey felt storage box (see images 1 & 2 above) was just what I had been looking for to hold some kindle for the wood burner. I also purchased a larger version to store old newspapers, also for the fire. So now I feel properly kitted out for Winter!
I've definitely been warming to the latest trend in basket accessories, from wire frame to bronze, recycled paper, to traditional seagrass, there's something for all of us. Sticking with H&M, I love the luxe-look of the bronze basket (no.2 below) for those glamorous nights in and a sparkle of light for the darker days ahead. Equally dazzling is the traditional 'Magga' shopping basket from The Conran Shop (no.6 below) - woven from beautifully rustic seagrass but with a contemporary dip in cobalt blue - a pleasant reminder of a Greek island holiday perhaps...?
Alternatively, if you're looking for a winter project, try sourcing a low-cost basket or up-cycling an old basket with a splash of vibrantly coloured paint for a contemporary-meets-rustic look straight out of an interiors magazine!
3/ Magga seagrass basket £7 IKEA 4/ Graphic grey baskets from £20 House Envy 5/ Black wire
baguette basket by John Rocha £12 Debenhams 6/ Wicker basket £60 The Conran Shop
7/ Cohen recycled magazine waste paper bin £10 Habitat
