Victoria October 2017

October arrives with the bluest of skies; leaves in shades of red, russet, and yellow; and the sort of crispness in the air that signals an end to summer. What a wonderful time of year! With the coming of the gathering season, pumpkins appear at every farm stand and grocery market. So my fascination with these plump orbs continues. In recent years, we have seen the introduction of pumpkins with skins that range from pure white to pale green to gray-blue to wonderful striped varieties. I like finding these newcomers in home décor, but the well-loved golden orange continues to signal autumn for me. Browse the pages of our delightful pumpkin story, beginning on page 57, to find new ideas for creating seasonal vignettes in your home. Decorating is easy with…

Take a closer look at some of our favorite October features: Golden Threads Behind the scenes at B. Viz Design, Rebecca Vizard’s atelier reflects her inspirations through a lovingly curated collection of treasured textile remnants. Pumpkins on Parade In homes brimming with the bounty of the season, lovely florals and vibrant pumpkins lend natural splendor to interiors and exteriors. A Festive Gathering From appetizer to dessert, our harvest feast offers a banquet of plenty for your fall table, when the idyllic autumnal beauty rewards entertaining en plein air. Brushed with Artistic Heritage Influential Hudson Valley painter Thomas Cole’s legacy is memorialized not only through his masterworks, but also through his home and museum. We love your ideas! Do you have any suggestions about something you’d like to see in the magazine? If so, email us at victoriamagazine@hoffmanmedia.com. SEE MORE ON THE…

“I a am transported—an ordinary person, an ordinary life , enhanced bby extraordinary things to lift the spirits high and create a h happy, iinspirational atmosphere in my oown home.” —Marlys Jensen Victoria has always fed my soul, from its very beginning. Thank you for bringing this wonderful magazine back to life and making it better than ever! Your latest issue was sublime; I never wanted it to end! Page after page of beautiful homes, gardens, and antiques just sang to me. Now, in the autumn of my life, I find I must downsize, which means getting rid of many cherished antiques and collections. Fortunately, Victoria has shown me how to incorporate what I will keep into a warm, cozy, and welcoming—though smaller—home. For that and all else, I thank you. KATHLEEN…

“ As the day of the yard sale arrived, the invisible net of human connections that runs beneath the surface of the town held fast. ” Not long ago, while waiting for my groceries to be charged at Cross Brothers Market, I remembered that I didn’t bring any money for the newspaper I wanted to pick up at the nearby 7-Eleven. Tommy Willis was packing my bags. “Do you think,” I asked him, “you could add fifty cents to my bill so I could get one?” Tommy shook his head. “We can’t do that,” he said, but he simultaneously reached into his back pocket, took a dollar bill from his wallet, and handed it to me. That was the same day the manager of Henry Clay Appliances kept the store open late so…

Carolyne Roehm will tell you that the gardening gene skipped her mother, who, when she pointed out the overabundance in Carolyne’s vegetable garden, made it clear that her talents lay in other areas. Her mother’s suggestion—not only to donate the surfeit to the community, but also to tailor the gardens to provide plenty for the local food banks and soup kitchen—made good sense, and not just in a recession. “My garden, Mom decreed, would contribute to them all,” Carolyne writes in At Home in the Garden. With a new director at its helm, the yield turned from “froufrou—i.e., small batches of gourmet greens [to] abundant lettuces and vegetables that would be of better use to hungry families.” Even in Carolyne’s vegetable plots, charm and symmetry find balance with practical utility: cabbages,…

“[T]HERE IS A HARMONY IN AUTUMN, AND A LUSTER IN ITS SKY.” —Percy Bysshe Shelley…