October

Wishing everyone a happy October! Today is a beautiful, crisp fall day in Washington. This morning started for me with a wonderful run through Chevy Chase where golden sunlight was sparkling through the trees. Fall always fills me with a sense of abundance and makes me appreciate how fortunate and blessed I am to be healthy and happy.

I also love October because it is breast cancer awareness month, and I always love participating in the various pink initiatives going on throughout the month to support this valuable cause. I will soon be doing a special post about all the best events and products happening this month. Two new additions I’m making to my Favorite Places to Shop I especially want to note, although these brands tend toward summer more than fall, but perhaps I’m still hearkening back to those last days of summertime just a bit.

With so many people closing up their summer cottages in New England this weekend, it’s one last time to sail, pull on a sweater and take a walk on the beach. These two stores should have been on the list long before now, and they are the epitome of impeccable quality design married to unpretentious comfort.

Bringing to mind old New England families gathered on the beach with children and dogs,
dinner with friends under star filled summer skies, and beautifully appointed homes
that serve first and foremost as inviting oasises for family and friends,
Peter Beaton is a Nantucket brand that celebrates people not so much for who they are,
but how they live--with passion, generosity, and a captivating sense of style.

Emblematic of people who are worldly yet down to earth, trendsetting yet timeless, and fearless rather than flawless, PB is a way of living rather than an evanescent fashion statement. What began with straw hats that offered a chic alternative to high maintenance hair, has blossomed into a brand embraced by all those who value time gathered with family and friends, the liberation that comes from living in sync with our souls, and the joy of self expression through fashion, food, our homes and gardens.

Peter Beaton style is a delicious blend of affluence and ease.
It's allure lies not only in being able to adeptly reinvent the classics,
but in being able to stretch it’s well cultivated toes outside of the box
and break the rules now and then. PB style is inviting, captivating, and colorful--
it is elegance and intrigue combined. Peter Beaton is more than a lifestyle brand--
it’s a philosophy for living that nurtures, enriches, and celebrates the human spirit.

As each page pulls off the calendar, we linger flirtatiously closer to our prize—summer. Because the summer is such a rewarding season, McKinnon and Harris exhibits a similar pride in its products designed for outdoor areas, making us want to live outside as much as in our house.

McKinnon and Harris has been creating impeccably crafted seats and tables
for estates, gardens and yachts since its founding in 1991. A family-owned company,
McKinnon and Harris is home to artisans and creative minds passionate about
their craft, their work and the creative environment in which their craft is fostered.

The brother-and-sister tag team of McKinnon and Harris has spent
the last 16 years designing and manufacturing luxury outdoor furniture
to suit the needs of the most discerning consumers.

Each piece of high performance aluminum furniture is made
entirely by hand at their Richmond, Virginia metalworks,
and signed and dated by the individual craftsperson.

Achieving the balance between style, comfort and functionality.
Yet by employing old-fashioned craftsmanship and a
touch of technology, it is possible to bring the same style and comfort
from the living room to our outdoor sanctuaries.

Beyond unrivaled craftsman ship, McKinnon and Harris take
an equal interest in the materials used for cushion upholstery.
Here enter the innovations of Glen Raven’s Sunbrella fabrics, resistant to
fading, water, chlorine and mildew – exactly what’s needed on a boats and yachts.

The Garden-and-yacht-furniture manufacturer recently opened

its flagship showroom on Manhattan’s East Side, in Midtown.