Surrounded with love
Each year in December, Chestnut Cottage brims with the fragrant evergreen of seven live trees; the laughter of close friends and beloved family members echoes out of the cozy interior and winds through the sleeping winter garden. Kathryn jests that she and her husband, Wells, “take on strays around the holidays,” ensuring no one in their circle of acquaintances spends the day alone. The designer admits she becomes nostalgic of Christmases past, remembering loved ones no longer here to celebrate.
“I keep all the table’s place cards each year,” she says. “I think of Christmases in the future, when maybe I’m not here, and Chestnut Cottage is not in our family, that the children and grandchildren of the people who have experienced holidays and entertaining at Chestnut Cottage will be inspired to keep that tradition going.”
Kathryn encourages those seeking to become skilled at entertaining to first fill their homes with love, confident that cherished memories will be sure to follow.
Text Kassidy Abernathy
Photography J. Weiland
To learn more about Kathryn Greeley’s latest book, The Collected Cottage, see “A Host of Memories” in our October/November 2022 issue. Additionally, collect an exclusive signed copy of the designer’s book in our online shop!
