Our family house in Vermont feels like a sanctuary. We grew up coming here, learning to ski, bundling up for early mornings on the mountain, and ending the days with late nights by the fire.
There is something special about Vermont in the summer, the smell of the forest, the crisp night air, the soft swaying of the trees. We don’t usually come to the house during the warmer months, but when we do, it feels different. It softens, welcoming us with its creaky floors and the breeze coming through the screen doors. It feels like a living, breathing being, exhaling, an old friend welcoming us back with open arms…
Being here, time slows down. We cook with the windows open, music playing and drifting outside. Someone pours a drink, someone else sets the table, and before long, the table is full. Laughter carries, stories unfold, and the night blends together, nothing planned, just a home cooked meal, familiar faces, and the feeling that we are exactly where we are meant to be in that moment…
Just like design, entertaining shouldn't be overthought. Use what makes you happy: the tablecloth from your grandmother, a vase you found at a yard sale, candles that have been burned down a bit too far, flatware that does not match (or does.) Pull the chairs out from the basement, dust them off, and somehow it all comes together, because it’s something you created, with things you love…
We spend so much of life chasing the next best thing, striving for perfection (whatever that is), and stressing over how our space looks, or how we look. But, really, as we know, we need to stress less and enjoy more (yes, I am telling myself this too.)
Summer, to me, is a chance to slow down. Put your feet in the grass, the sand, the dirt, wherever you are. Gather the people you love, let the night unfold…
Enjoy!
