carrie from hazardous design

Today I'm happy to have my friend Carrie from Hazardous Design. Carrie's undertaking major renovations and beautiful transformations room by room and project by project on her home in Providence, that I've been lucky enough to visit. It is awesome! Check out her blog by clicking the image below. Thanks for guest posting today, Carrie, and sharing what you love about fall.



Hello Loft & Cottage readers!

I'm Carrie from Hazardous Design. My husband and I are in the process of renovating our historic New England home on Hazard Ave. I'm thrilled to be guest posting for Casey while she's living it up on the coast of Italy to share some of my thoughts on Fall.

Ah, Fall.

Now maybe I should have confessed to Casey before I agreed to write this post that I'm not the kind of person that gets excited over Fall. I'm a Summer girl. I live for warm weather, green trees, days at the beach, outdoor dining, and long days. But, I'm coming around. There are certain pleasures that come with the change of seasons, and here are a few of mine:

Sweater weather. I'm talking about when it becomes too brisk to go without a sweater, but still too warm for a coat. I just bought this one on sale from Land's End Canvas and I can't wait to wear it on weekends. 

I figure it will be perfect to wear to football games, while running through piles of leaves, and while picking apples. Granted, I probably won't actually do any of these things with or without the sweater, because I rarely leave the house when the weather gets cold. However, those are exactly the kinds of activities I envisioned myself doing as I clicked the checkout button to my online shopping cart. 

Comfort food. Time to put the grill away and put the Dutch oven and casserole dishes within easy reach. On Hazard Ave, fall means spending a Sunday afternoon making a big pot of Mom's spaghetti sauce. I love how the aroma wafts throughout the house as it simmers. Let's not forget other Fall favorites like French Onion Soup, Macaroni and Cheese, Roasted Chicken with mashed potatoes...Yikes! I think I just gained 5 pounds just writing this. 


Fall decorating. Just recently, I freshened up the containers on my front porch by finally saying "buh bye" to my long dead petunias and planting some beautiful mums. By beautiful, I mean that they aren't dead yet (in fact, they haven't even bloomed). That is, I don't have the best luck with plants, but I will enjoy these mums for as long as I can keep them alive. 



House projects. On Hazard Ave, Fall has traditionally marked the beginning of some long term projects on the house. My husband and I tend to be home more often on the weekends once Summer is over. This means we could start a project and in theory, finish it before Thanksgiving. In fact, we just started renovating our family room (of which Casey so generously offered her assistance). The goal is to have a super cozy and comfortable spot to relax in once the room is completed. Until then, I'm going to have to live with it looking like this. If this isn't motivation, I don't know what is.



Lazy afternoons. Okay, okay. I know you can make the case for a lazy afternoon in any season, but there's just something about the crisp autumn air that makes me feel less guilty for staying inside and curling up on the couch on a bright and sunny day. Am I right? Ideally, I'd be napping reading a good book like "A Separate Peace" by John Knowles. I think "A Separate Peace" was one of the only books we were assigned in high school that I actually read. There's just something about a story set at a New England prep school that feels so classically Autumn.

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You know what? Fall actually doesn't sound all that bad after all. Plunk me down wearing my new sweater on a soft couch with a good book, the smell of Italian food cooking in the kitchen, and I'll be a happy girl. Until about January. 

Any other cold weather hibernators out there? 

Casey, it has been a pleasure guest posting on your blog today! Hope you are having a fabulous vacation! 

14 comments

Cassie Bustamante said...

i will have to read a separate peace.... i swear i have read every other new england prep school story! :) i also love being cozy with a blanket and good book in the fall... it's wonderful!

The enchanted home said...

This is great, I am all about cozy sweaters and yummy comfort food! Those two dogs are the cutest!! You don't need anything more when you have something that cute gracing your front porch. So exciting to be renovating, lots of work, yes...but in the end you will enjoy it for many years to come. Agree so much about the New England prep school scene, yes so very true....its kind of quintessential, isn't it?
Great post!

René said...

What a fun post Carrie! I agree - good until January then I need to feel the sun on my shoulders.

The Vintique Object said...

It's 9am and I really want to eat that spaghetti. I haven't though about A Separate Peace since high school -- isn't there a scene where the main character runs around that tree a gazillion times? I'd actually love to read the book again.

Ashley said...

Carrie, I couldn't agree more...and seriously, how great is Lands' End Canvas, really? That sweater is adorable. Here's to sweater-weather, good books, interior DIYS, and yummy crock pot meals.

Happy weekend!

Sarah said...

Ha!!! This totally made me laugh:) I'm so with you on fall, girl. I think I actually might like fall itself, I just do not like that it leads to that dreaded word...winter:( Thankfully we've had a pretty good September, so I've been kind of in denial. When its October and cold all the sudden, I'm going to be sad. So cool to see the family room on its way:)

Carol@TheDesignPages said...

Well you may not like fall Carrie but it sounds like you know exactly what to do to get through it. That spaghetti looks a-mazing!

Aubrey {All Things Bright and Beautiful} said...

See, I *knew* you liked fall at least a little bit, Carrie! (c: I love fall for the crisp air and being able to bust out my sweater and boot collection, yeah baby!!! Glad to have found another great blog to add to my collection (c:

Suzy www.savedbysuzy.blogspot.com said...

OK - so fall is not that bad after all...it's just what comes after it that I could do without!

Lisa@CozyCondoLiving said...

I'm a big fan of Fall, but I think it's because it's the time of my b-day and I love all the colors. It was much more exciting when I lived in Boston with all those leaves changing into gorgeous colors. Seattle has some of that, but it's just not the same.
I buy clothes from Land's End, but haven't heard of L.E. Canvas. I'll have to check it out. Thanks for the fun post.

A room with a view said...

Fall is welcomed except this year it means winter is next and that was no fun for us (NY) last year so this year I am indulging in 70 degree temps for as long as I can. And yes, the spaghetti is mouth-watering!

Carrie @ Hazardous Design said...

Good times, Casey, good times :)
Thanks for inviting me to guest post. Let's set a date to get together when you get back from Italy. I'm dying to hear all about it.

Interior Design said...

I'm a big follower to you guys. Keep on posting.

The Single Nester said...

Fall is my favorite season and never lasts long enough!