This season's shoot took us to Botelet, my cousins' beautiful place tucked into the Cornish countryside. I couldn't think of anywhere better to capture how autumn and winter feel to me: old stone walls, a tin-roofed cabin, log piles stacked high and the light dropping low and golden through the afternoon.
The mood this season
When I started pulling the collection together, I kept coming back to the same feeling. It's that moment when you come in from the cold with pink cheeks, light a candle and put the kettle on. Natural materials, warm earthy colours, things that feel good in your hands and get better the more you use them.
Making the most of outside
We never really move indoors once the weather turns, autumn and winter are some of my favourite times to be outside. At Botelet we set the stone garden table with Tibetan sheepskins thrown over the chairs, a houndstooth lambswool blanket in a basket and candles flickering in tall black iron holders, and stayed out until the light went. A wool blanket round your shoulders and a merino beanie made all the difference.
None of it needs to stay in the garden either. A sheepskin rolls up easily and a blanket tucks under your arm, so they're just as good on a blustery beach, a woodland walk or anywhere else you'd like to linger a little longer.
By the log store...
The log store at Botelet turned out to be the perfect backdrop. Up went the Le Bon Shoppe socks on a washing line in front of it, all soft stripes and earthy colours. You already know how I feel about good socks as a gift, and there's a colour here for everyone. Our 2027 linen tea towel calendar made an appearance too, pinned straight onto the logs.
Coming in from the cold
When the light finally went, we headed inside. The window seat was piled high with quilted headboard cushions in butter cream, eucalyptus, fog and truffle, soft stonewashed cotton quilts and our sheepskin hot water bottles, both the teddy and the extra long version. Exactly where you want to be on a cold evening.
Slow evenings by candlelight
As the evenings draw in, the candles are lit earlier and earlier. The black wall candle holder works in almost any room. Pop in one of our beeswax dinner candles, keep a fluted match pot close by, and if you'd like a scented candle, the Cedar candles in dark green glass are lovely. For more ideas, I shared how I style candles around the house in Simple Ways to Decorate: Candles.
Around the table
A mix of stoneware mugs in warm browns, a few of them handmade, green-tinted recycled glass tumblers, and a speckled egg tray for the kitchen side. Nothing matches perfectly, and that's just how I like it.
A first glimpse of Christmas...
It's still early, I know, but we couldn't resist a little hint of what's coming. Brass star garlands and a red berry garland draped over the log pile, embossed brass hearts and birds, silver mistletoe hung on an old painted door frame, and a fresh foliage garland around the kitchen door, dotted with straw stars. If you like to get ahead, our Christmas pieces are arriving now.
A huge thank you to my cousins for letting us take over Botelet for the day, to Ali for the beautiful photographs, to Eliza for running around like a mad thing behind the scenes while I styled, and to Sam for holding the fort at the shop and helping put everything back together after we'd caused chaos. I hope this season's pieces bring a bit of that cosiness to your home. Come and see them in the shop in Lostwithiel, or browse everything online.
