Over the years, I have honed my preferences for a well made bed. There is nothing like sinking into utter coziness at the end of a long day. We dress the bed differently for summer and winter, so these are a few of the items we use for each season.

Parachute linen sheets: We have these in light gray and white. They keep us cool, and I love the look of rumpled linen on a warm summer day (and the lack of ironing needed!).

Snowe percale sheets: We no longer have these, but they are my favorite all season sheets. The percale is cool and crisp, and has the closest hand feel to fancy hotel sheets. Snowe’s percale was my favorite over all the DTC brands (Boll and Branch, Parachute, etc.).

Garnet hill flannel sheets: Just got these this winter because this is the first time we live somewhere where the bedroom gets cold. I would rate them as okay. They pill quite a lot, but are very warm.

Brooklinen silk pillow cases: Once I tried silk pillow cases, I never went back. My hair doesn’t get frizzy, and my skin feels so much better.

Gingerlily silk duvet: I hate the look of a lumpy duvet on a bed, especially in all white. It always looks to me like an overcooked marshmallow, and in a room that you spent time and money decorating, it really draws your eye directly to the white lumps. These silk duvets are much more expensive than when I bought them, but to me, they are worth the splurge for a bed you sleep in every night. They also go on sale occasionally. The silk has a pleasing weight, and I think it helps regulate body temperature better than a feather or polyster filled down comforter. The best part is that they are so thin that you can hardly see them on the bed below. We have ours inside a Snowe percale duvet cover.

Pillows: Pillows are a personal choice. My husband and I use different ones, and I am still searching for my perfect pillow. Right now, I am using two from Parachute and they are pretty good.

Extras:

We have a wool blanket from Pendelton at the foot of the bed, and I love the homeyness it brings in the winter.

The shams and boudoir shams are from D. Porthault, purchased from Ebay. Are they pretty? Yes. Are they worth the money? No.

If you made it this far, congrats. My final thought is that these items were collected over years, and only on sale. To me, it was worth it to slowly buy the best quality I could afford, even if it took a long time. The result is that we have a bed that I an thrilled to sink into every night.

No one told me in my youth that there would come a time where I would be fighting both acne and wrinkles on my skin, yet here we are. Aging is inevitable, so I focus on making my skin clear and bright. There are the products in rotation at the moment. The vitamin C and retinol seem to have the best results.

After basing my reading goals for the last two years on volume, I thought a new challenge this year would be to revisit some books I haven’t read since college. While I will still read newer releases, rereading the classics has forced me to slow down and digest the material in a more meaningful way. First up is the suite of Jane Austen novels, read in order of publication. These editions have critical essays and footnotes to help the reader learn more about the time period and Austen’s references. Although it took much longer for me to get through these six, it was worth it. It doesn’t hurt that the books are beautiful either.

I love this space. It is so calming and quiet – a true refuge from the outside world.

After almost 10 years, we sold our NYC apartment and moved out to the suburbs to figure out what is next. Even though this is just a rental, the decor choices fit seamlessly with our things and help make it feel like home.

On the coldest day of the year (so far), I went back to an old classic. It was perfect – comforting, warm, and not too rich.

The dreary winter weather has made me crave comfort food, so these pancakes have been on repeat Sunday mornings. I have tried a few recipes and this is my hands down favorite. They turn out great every time.