Cabin or Lodge Style

 

With hurricane Sandy making its way up the east coast, many of us are avoiding making plans for the next couple of days and instead counting on staying in and hunkering down. Lodge style is all about making the indoors cozy when conditions outdoors are less than hospitable. The look is achieved with Pendleton blankets within easy reach, wood floors layered with rugs, collections of antlers, sporting paraphernalia hung on walls and at least one fireplace with logs set ablaze. On a side note: a good friend once told me that love is like a fire -- it needs air to live. Fuss with it too much or leave it alone and it will die out. To avoid the cabin fever that sometimes comes with being stuck indoors too long with loved ones, it may be necessary to run outside every now and then. There's nothing like getting soaked by rain and jostled by heavy winds to make close but warm quarters inviting again.

Images: House Beautiful magazine, February 2011 issue. Canadian House & Home, August 2010 issue. British Homes & Gardens, November 2010 issue. Cote Paris magazine, April/May 2011 issue. Country Living magazine, July/August 2010 issue and unknown issue.

Leather Chairs

Now that the weather is cooling, I find my tastes returning to the materials that I most associate with winter living -- tweed, wool, cashmere and leather. I am a vegetarian for more reasons than one, so it seems incompatible for me to be a fan of leather goods. But my feeling is that since vintage leather items have been around longer than I have, I would rather see them gracing someone's home than decaying in a landfill somewhere. I am particularly fond of leather club chairs as they are often associated with gentlemen's club style (see this post for more details). I first encountered them at the Paris flea market at Porte de Clignancourt. The leather was cracked and the stuffing coming through, but I loved their masculine lines. The green air force chairs below have a completely different silhouette, but they would be a unique alternative to classic club chairs. I'm not a smoker but these beauties almost make me want to say, "bring on the cigars."

Images: British Homes & Gardens magazine, November 2011 issue. BBC Homes & Antiques magazine, November 2011 issue. Marie Claire Maison, May/June 2011 issue. Cote Paris, May 2011 issue. BBC Homes & Antiques magazine, July 2010 issue.