I'm sure you're familiar with the popular cottagecore aesthetic - and now that the weather has turned chilly and autumnal (very foggy in Norfolk this morning!), I thought it was the perfect time to tell you about another 'core' that's taking interiors by storm this season: Cabincore.
Cabincore is all about rustic, natural living, but where it parts itself from cottagecore is that it takes a step away from the pretty pastels and florals, and sets it's sights on a simpler, pared-back feel. Think wooden cabins in the woods, with roaring fires (and the lovely smell of wood smoke), fresh bread or a cake baking in the oven, warm blankets, wood panelling on the walls, natural wood floors with cosy sheepskin rugs, candles, organic cotton and linen. Picture sitting under a cosy throw beside a simple earthenware jug full of dried flowers, whilst sipping hot cocoa and making toast over the fire on a toasting fork after coming home from a hike in the forest…
I know, it may not sound like the actual place where you live - but there’s no reason why you can’t recreate this fantastically cosy look, or embrace the feeling in your life this season! You could even recreate it in your garden shed if you fancy...
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| A simple natural wood door hanger to show how much you love your home! Available in a choice of colours, handmade to order - £10.99 |
Forget tartan and antlers though, this is a much simpler and organic look. Cabincore is all about simplicity: the interest comes from beautiful textures, natural wood (pale or dark, either works), simple colours, earthy tones. The colour palette is one that should bring warmth and depth to your room, so think moss green, russet and mustard shades, or a hint of cranberry, set against neutral shades of oaky brown, smoky grey, black and cream. There are hints of Scandi in the style, but more rustic and homespun.
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| A little Cabincore Inspiration found on Folksy.com |
The cabincore keyword has got to be 'cosy' - it's all about nods to nature, pared down life, simplicity, and warmth. Perfect for this time of year! it works beautifully in the garden too - an outdoor fire bowl, logs stacked in a basket, lots of throws, twinkly fairy lights, and toasted marshmallows.
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How to have a Cabincore Christmas: Decorate your home with natural foliage and plants, fir cones and wooden decorations. Keep your colour scheme within the soft cabincore colour palette, and choose handmade decor pieces that have real meaning. Dot your home with candles for that cosy glow, and use brown paper to wrap your gifts (or better yet, reusable fabric gift bags).
How to dress Cabincore: Think cosy wool sweaters, denim and corduroy, thick handknitted socks, fingerless gloves, working boots, knitted beanie hats and messy buns.
How to be Cabincore: Go for a hike in the forest on a misty day, and take a flask of hot tea or cocoa. Grab some blankets and head into the garden to sit beside an outdoor fire. Forage for mushrooms, autumn leaves or blackberries. Get cosy at home with some baking or book reading in your favourite chair (I can highly recommend The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey to get you in the mood!). Try your hand at knitting or crocheting, or head out on a clear night for some star gazing.
Cabincore to watch: While you're under your blanket you might as well stick something good on the telly... Here's some cabin-style related ideas: Sleepyhollow, The Shining, Twin Peaks, Secret Window, The Evil Dead, On Golden Pond, The Waltons, Harry Potter, The Hateful Eight, Misery, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, The Great Outdoors, Calamity Jane.
Get even more Cabincore Inspiration: I've created a gorgeous Cabincore Pinterest board for you, full of evocative images that will definitely get you in the cosy, cabin-lifestyle frame of mind - just click here to take a look.
Right, I'm off to snuggle under a blanket with a good book!
Sarah x
Every season I like to change things up a bit on my website, and now that autumn is officially/meteorologically here (I know, I'm a week late) it's time to put the autumn 'decorations' up on the home page!
So, it's out with the summery lilacs and pinks, and in with some soft deep greens, pretty pale terracotta and dusky dark blue:
I always spend a stupid amount of time working out a colour scheme - I usually try to work on about 3 seasons at the same time, so that I know the colours won't clash and I can make a smooth transition from one season to the next.
I take inspiration from Pantone's colour of the year (2022 has been 'Very Peri', a vibrant shade of periwinkle), along with Etsy's own annual shade for the year (this year it's been Emerald Green), and also colours that I see setting trends and becoming popular. Including green was a given for this autumn, and the soft, chalky pale pinky-terracotta is a shade I've seen in all sorts of places from interiors to fashion. It's definitely a colour that's starting to be a hot shade this season, and makes a great neutral (it's surprising how many colours it goes with!).
The next change is going to be in time for Christmas... I'm thinking juicy dark cranberry red and hints of gold!
Hope you like the new look,
Sarah x
Ah, that old chestnut - I've been in this game for a few years now, so I'm a bit of an expert. You won't find me getting distracted by the contents of the world wide web, or the dog/cat, or household chores, or my phone... No. Noooo. Not me. Ahem.
OK, so you may be surprised to hear I'm not super-human when it comes to knuckling down - although I do think I'm not all that bad really. Of course, doing a job you enjoy helps, but even then there's still a lot of things you don't want to do/can't be bothered with that leads to all sorts of prevarication and distraction. And sometimes, even knowing it's something you HAVE to do RIGHT NOW doesn't even help give the proverbial kick up the bum you need to get productive.
So, what to do, what to do? Here's a few little tips I've found work for me over the years - hopefully they might prove useful to you too.
The sound of silence...
I hate it, can't work in silence, never have. You may not be the same, but if you find quiet distracting then my tip is to put on the radio (not the TV, never ever the TV!). Personally I listen to Radio 4 all day long while I'm working, plus occasional podcasts when I know I can listen (because most of the time I'm not actually listening, it's there just rumbling in the background in a comforting kind of way). It reminds me there are other people working out there in the world too. Which leads me onto...
Body-doubling...
If you find working at home completely on your own is hard, and background noise from a radio for example doesn’t work, sometimes just having another person present in the room is enough to spur you on. So maybe work in a coffee shop or library for a couple of hours a day.
It's all about timing...
When are you most productive? If you're sitting down at your desk at 9am on the dot and expecting to find the creative juices flowing when you don't actually hit your creative sweet spot until after lunch, then you're on a road to nowhere. Plan your day around when your brain is feeling it. Use the non-creative time to do the mundane stuff. I personally find I can't knuckle down until I've sorted out my emails and done the admin stuff. It frees my mind, knowing that it's all organised and now I can relax and do the productive, creative things I need to do.
Finding your place…
Make sure that the area you work in is comfy, well lit, and YOURS (at the very least, for the time you need to be working at it). And make your area attractive: a nice plant or a fancy pot to put your pens in is sometimes enough - but don’t try to work amongst clutter or housework that needs doing, it messes with your head, your creativity, and it’s super-distracting (as in: “I’ll just tidy up before I get onto to those emails..”)! Get those urgent chores done before you even sit down to start your work day. Equally, unplugging from social media can help you to keep productive - we all know how much of a glorious timewaster it can be! Turn off the notifications so there are no pop-ups trying to lure you back in.
Plan your day…
I find having a scatter-gun approach to work can be really distracting; where you simply react to things as they happen. I know I work much more productively if I can allot sections of my day to certain tasks. As I’ve said, I start my day by going through emails because it also gives me an idea of what needs to be done that day so that I can prioritise. I try to tackle any jobs that I don’t want to do first rather than leave them to later in the day - this includes anything that’s boring, difficult (because I know it will play on my mind all day if I don’t do it early on), or annoying. Take regular breaks during the day, making sure you actually get up off your chair and move. I don’t have set times for this because it’s not always possible to do, but even just getting up to make a cuppa and stare out of the window while the kettle boils is enough to give your brain some downtime and be able to go back refreshed.
It can often feel as if productive, efficient people must be some kind of robot - but they’re just people that have found their workflow: and you can too!
Sarah x
I'm absolutely delighted to share the news with you that I've been awarded 'Best Online Gift Retail Owner - East of England' in the Influential Businesswoman Awards 2022!
