BY NICHOLAS ENGERT
The summer that seemed perpetual has long gone. It seemed as if it might never end.
November has arrived. The transition from summer to mid autumn has seemed almost seamless and winter is now not far away. The summer heatwaves, one after another, are but a distant memory as the autumn redefines our landscape and way of life for the coming months.
Depending upon which date you prefer, autumn either starts on the 1st of September (the meteorological start) or the 23rd (the astronomical start). I prefer the latter date as it seems to respond better to the changing season.
I have never enjoyed the dog days of summer, which this year stretched on interminably before finally giving way to September and the start of the autumn season but I have always loved the autumn. The air is fresher, cleaner and the sunshine no longer overwhelms with its intensity.
As the days shorten and the air cools we start to beat a retreat to the indoors. Time to start the task of putting the garden to rest for another year. Cleaning the furniture and storing away from the winter rains, tidying the flowerbeds and mulching to feed and protect the plants over the winter.
Logs are ordered and stacked, the chimneys swept and kindling prepared. And despite our preparations, we hold off lighting a fire until strictly necessary, let alone turning the heating on.
Spring is always associated with a new beginning as the winter ebbs away and the life cycle starts anew. But in a sense autumn is also a new beginning – the beginning of dormancy and hibernation.
As a schoolboy, September was always a month of new beginnings. Being taken to the outfitters for new items of uniform to replace those grown out of, joining a new form with new teachers and new pupils as well as collecting conkers, which after time to harden, would go into battle throughout the course of the autumn term.
Now autumn is a time of slowing down and relaxing in front of log fires, enjoying a good book accompanied by a glass or two of whisky. During the past winter I rediscovered jigsaws which are a wonderful distraction from the hustle and bustle of daily life.
As the leaves fall and the summer colours turn to yellows, russets and browns, we perceive a different beauty before the elements take their toll and we are left with a landscape that has fallen asleep for another winter. And even in this dying the trees, now unclothed, reveal their majesty in their skeletal form against the sullen skies of winter.
And with the shorter days comes an enforced retreat to the interior – a place of comfort, warmth and the quiet enjoyment of a slower pace. Surrounded by books, I can at leisure indulge in the quiet relaxation of reading and listening to music before an open fire. In these pursuits there is a deep connection with preceding generations for whom there was no television, let alone internet, which today are the pervasive distractions of our age.
So let us not mourn the passing summer but embrace the autumn and soon to be winter months. They are the harbingers of that great renewal to come when spring finally arrives next March. For however long and grey the winter, the world will re-awake and the cycle will begin again.
Nicholas Engert is the founder and creative director of Nicholas Engert Interiors, a studio known for its timeless, elegant and understated design philosophy. With decades of experience in interior architecture and design, Nicholas brings a refined eye and a wealth of knowledge to every project, blending form, function and character with a deep understanding of client needs. Every product featured in the studio’s collection is personally selected to meet exacting standards of quality, design, and aesthetic integrity.