Finally, fall has arrived. We can store away the skin-baring
clothes and pat our well-toned backs for managing (yet again) to pull off
shorts and bare arms and some semblance of a tan, whether from a bottle or
(shhhh!) electric bed. Now, with the dip in temperature, we can pull out the
pull-overs, the scarves, and the corduroys and get totally cozy. And nothing
says cozy like a hearty home-cooked meal. Up the cozy factor and serve your
delicious creation on woodland-themed dinnerware by French
artist Nathalie Lété. These sturdy ceramic plates ($16–$24) are guaranteed to
add a welcome dose of woodsy color and character to your table — even if your
idea of home cooking involves a microwave and a frozen entrée. To make packing
on those cold-weather pounds a pleasure for the eye as well as the taste buds,
pick up some plates at Anthropologie (799 Boylston
Street, Boston, 617.262.0545).
When we think woodsy, we immediately think of mushrooms —
no, not the produce-aisle-dwelling, salad-ingredient variety, nor the
foul-tasting (or so we’ve heard) “I can see the music” hallucinogens. We think
of the completely unrealistic mushrooms of children’s book illustrations and
cartoons, the kind with a bright-red cap and white spots that might house a
family of forest elves or provide shade for a snoozing gnome. While we wouldn’t
mind seeing perfectly weathered magical mushrooms sprouting up in the backyard,
we’ll settle for these really cool mushroom sculptures
($32–$45), which are a welcome addition to indoor or outdoor fall décor. Find
your own faux fungi at Joanne Rossman (6 Birch
Street, Roslindale, 617.323.4301).
