The story behind the design
Woodland Cottage
Once, in a clearing where the bracken grew tall and the oak roots made a fine, knobbly border to the path, there lived a pair of foxes who were exceedingly particular about their meals. Not greedy, you understand, but particular. They liked their mushrooms brushed free of soil, their berries arranged by color, and their bread toasted just to the edge of golden.
Mrs. Fox (who had the softer, pale coat) kept a neat little den with a round door and a mossy stoop. Mr. Fox (whose fur shone like a copper kettle) was in charge of gathering acorns for decoration, though he was often tempted to nibble one or two on the way home. Together they had the pleasant habit of inviting their woodland neighbors to supper when the evenings turned crisp and the leaves began to whisper of autumn.
On such nights, Mrs. Fox would spread her finest cloth upon a flat stone and arrange her treasured mats: panels of woven leaves and pressed petals, stitched with care and edged in curling vines. She set two foxes, nose to nose, in the very middle of each, so that whichever way you turned your plate, you were always looked upon kindly. The glow of fireflies and the round, fat acorns made a border so cheerful that even the shyest field mouse felt quite at home.
Hedgehogs arrived with baskets of apples, squirrels brought hazelnuts and stories, and the badger came last of all, very solemn, with a pot of honey under one arm. They sat around the stone, each plate resting upon a fox-lit scene, and the forest seemed to lean in at the edges, curious and approving. It is most remarkable how much better soup tastes when it is served upon a handsome mat, especially in good company.
If, on some evening of your own, you should lay out your table and find it a little dull, remember Mrs. Fox and her particular ways. A touch of woodland about the plates, a flicker of candlelight upon rust and gold and leaf-green, and suddenly the room feels quite like a glen at the edge of the wood—safe, merry, and ready for stories. And though your guests may not have whiskers or tails, they will almost certainly sit a little nearer and linger a little longer over their tea.
Keep wandering through the storybook
