The Home Page | Falling into Autumn’s Embrace

Cozy Up to the Changing Seasons

This edition of The Home Page was originally emailed to subscribers on August 28, 2022. To receive Sarah Sinclair’s real estate newsletter in your inbox each Sunday, sign up at independent.com/newsletters.

The kids have gone back to school, there’s a chill in the air, and the sunsets creep earlier and earlier. There’s no way around it: I can feel summer drawing to a close. Instead of bemoaning the loss of our warm summer nights, perhaps a more positive solution is to tackle a project aimed at making our indoor areas cozier. In preparation for winter evenings spent around the fireplace, or snuggling on the couch watching Netflix, here are a few ideas that have found their way across my inbox recently:

Over on the blog Hunker, they’re all about sofas this week. The best sectionals, sleeper sofas that really are comfortable, and savings galore. They’ve got one list that combines it all, promising sleeper sofas for under $500. If it’s time to upgrade the living room or den, this might be a good place to start.

If a sofa is out of your price range or just not at the top of your to-do list right now, how about a redo on one or some of your walls? We’ve covered various angles of this topic before, like Christine’s fun DIY fabric framing project article from October of last year. This week, the Emily Henderson blog shares some of their most-often-encountered mistakes when it comes to hanging art. Too big? Too small? Too low? Too tall? It may sound like a Dr. Seuss rhyme, but it’s a fun read if only to reassure yourself that your interior designer friends aren’t cringing when they walk into your living room.

If you’re not in the mood for a fall project yet, maybe this is a good weekend to go out and see some open houses with an eye toward all four seasons. Here’s a gorgeous Santa Ynez Valley farmhouse-style estate offered by Laura Drammer … and it’s open from 1:30-3:30 today at 1325 Ladan Drive in Solvang. With a pool to enjoy now, and this fireplace to enjoy later … and this is only the pool house! Just wait ’til you see the entire five-bedroom, six-bath, 5,300-plus-square-foot estate. Take a drive to the valley and visit this one, and let your imagination run wild.