Creature Comforts!

As the nights get chilly and the season changes, we crave things that contribute to bodily comfort and ease – long-simmered foods, warm clothes, soft lighting, a comfy bed. Our home is, after all, a haven. We appreciate even more all the little accouterments that make our lives easier, cozier, and more enjoyable.

The Scandinavians have a name for this. It’s called “hygge”, and describes whatever gives a feeling of coziness, relaxation, conviviality, wellness, and contentment. This Marketplace Collection, Creature Comforts, is an eclectic selection of works by artists and makers that impart an enveloping feeling of warmth, ease and tradition as the temperature drops.

When autumn arrives and we start to close windows, rake the leaves and have the chimney cleaned, we also tend to reassess the contents of our homes and wardrobes. A comfortable chair, a handloomed scarf or sweater, a wood-fired ceramic coffee mug, an artful night-light, and even an atmospheric painting that brings the outdoors inside – all of these things contribute to that feeling of “hygge” that we want and need.

clockwise: Will Wilde; Hannah Regier; William McCarthy; Judith Cohen; Christy Knox; Mark Del Guidice

Keeping your head warm certainly leads to a feeling of wellbeing. Hannah Regier knits cozy hats from farmed and foraged natural dyes and locally sourced fiber to warm your head and heart. When you come indoors, pour yourself a cup of tea using Christy Knox’s earthy yet sophisticated ceramic tea set. Sip tea and center your gaze on William McCarthy’s transcendent landscape painting. Later, perhaps by the fireplace, piece together a challenging jigsaw puzzle from Will Wilde’s Zen Puzzles. Don’t like puzzles? Bookbinder Judith Cohen has journals and photo albums to keep you busy. Then climb into a handsome bed by Mark Del Guidice. If you have a favorite line of poetry or a saying, he can translate it into hieroglyphs and carve it into the headboard!

Featured Artists