Dear readers

Winter has got to be the most satisfying season for a nester. if you think about it, summer is a bit of a swindle that way because the nest feels just fine less feathered. in fact, you probably lived out of the nest – and loved it.

Winter’s focus, however, is firmly off the streets, the terrace and the pool deck, away from the ice buckets, mosquito nets, linen sheets in a shade called Aperol granita, pastel crockery and ceiling fans – which were summer’s necessities – and onto your sofa and bed. Winter is a five-month seasonal Shangri-la for the intrepid cocooner.

i’m giving myself away here. for me, winter is the spring of decorating. i get a sharp charge of retail ravenousness when i see the first faux-fur throws being displayed in store windows. i sense an overridingly triumphant obligation to instil comfort and joy at home.

it goes like this: those stone floors that were deliciously cool in february now sting with icy malice in June. they need a sheepskin, a rug, a something to make them tolerable. texture and tactility feel like an imperative mandate now. fur and wood, candlelight and patina, the colours of jam on toast – these are the sunshine of a winter interior. if you are relating to this, you will love this issue.

Cabin fervour (page 58) is a good place to begin both grounding and inspiring yourself. Associate Editor Piet Smedy had a one-on-one with new York designer Sandra nunnerley in which her candid voice comes through as if you were sitting across a table of swatches and samples from her. Please read, and enjoy the gist of her wokeness around the case for luxury finishes, discretion of style and, yes, cashmere. She explains the process of designing that elusive thing for her clients: a happy place in the moment, in the season, at home.