The Seasonal Table with Cindy
Every year around this time, I start getting a little antsy. The calendar still says August, the hydrangeas are still blooming, and the days are still hot and sunny. But inside, somewhere, I have already turned a corner. I am thinking about throws. I am thinking about the smell of cinnamon, and soup on the stove, and walking through the front door and feeling, warm and cosy.
That is probably why I am here writing about fall finds before most people have put away their white jeans. Because if you wait until October, the good things are gone. That is not a complaint. It is just the truth about TJ Maxx and Marshalls, and anyone who shops there regularly knows exactly what I mean.
This month, my friend Cindy Hattersley and I are back with our Seasonal Table series, and we decided to spend this round talking about fall home finds and a few wardrobe pieces worth picking up now. Cindy has done her own beautiful roundup over on her blog, be sure to head there after you finish here. Her eye for color and style is something I genuinely admire. We always come at the same season from slightly different angles, which is exactly what makes this collaboration fun for us and you as well.
This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through one of my links, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. I only share things I would genuinely buy myself, and most of what follows, I already have.
Why TJ Maxx and Marshalls Are Worth Your Time
I know there are people who walk past TJ Maxx with their noses slightly elevated. I am not one of them. I love them both. I have found cashmere. I have found beautiful bags and totes. I have found the exact style of salad plate I needed to round out a seasonal table, plaid pillows, and bedding and I paid a fraction of what I would have paid anywhere else.
That is the whole point of these stores: they carry real things, good things, at prices that make sense. The merchandise turns over constantly, which means the selection changes every week, sometimes every few days. What you see on Monday is not what you will find on Friday. There is a treasure-hunt quality to it and I love a treasure-hunt.
The most important thing I can tell you is to sign up for their email lists. Both TJ Maxx and Marshalls send regular updates about new arrivals, and their Home and Runway categories specifically. Getting those emails is how you know when the fall shipments are hitting the floor, and for seasonal home goods, that can mean the difference between finding three options and finding none. Sign up at tjmaxx.com and marshalls.com, and do it now, before you forget. And, if you see something you like, buy it! It will be gone before you know it.
For Your Home: Cozy Finds That Will Not Last
Fall is the season I add to a room rather than change it. A pillow here, a throw there, a set of salad plates that shifts the whole feeling of the table without touching anything else. That is how I have always approached decorating, and it is why I love TJ Maxx and Marshalls this time of year. You are not replacing what you have. You are adding layers to it.
The colors do most of the heavy lifting. Amber, rust, deep plum, brown and green. These tones layer together effortlessly, and you do not need very much to shift the feeling of a room entirely.
Throw pillows are the easiest starting point, and TJ Maxx almost always has them in abundance by late August. I look for texture over pattern, velvet, bouclé, a chunky knit, though I am not opposed to a good plaid when the right one turns up. A few pillows in warm fall tones will change a sofa completely, and you can do it for well under fifty dollars. Throws work the same way. A chunky knit throw draped over the arm of a chair is doing more work than it looks like. It is an invitation. It says this chair is for sitting in, for resting, for reading and relaxing.
Lamps are worth hunting looking for. This time of year I want my rooms warm and low-lit, and a good lamp makes all the difference. Marshalls often carries something with a linen shade and a warm brass or aged bronze base, the kind of lamp that looks as if it has always been there. If you find one in the right size, buy it.
For the table itself, I usually pick up a few things each fall. Napkins in a deep jewel tone. A tablecloth in linen or cotton that can take you from an ordinary Tuesday dinner to Thanksgiving with nothing more than a centerpiece and a few candles. And glasses, particularly those amber-tinted or smoked glass tumblers that catch the candlelight on a dark night.
Plates deserve their own mention, because this is somthing I have done for years and it has transformed my table without costing very much at all. I use white dinner plates everyday. They go with everything, every season, every occasion. What I collect are salad plates. A set of four or six salad plates in a fall pattern, in a transferware print, in a deep earthy glaze. These cost a fraction of what a full set would, and they give the table an different personality depending on the season. TJ Maxx regularly carries salad plates in patterns I cannot find anywhere else, from makers I recognize and a few I do not. I have never once regretted a set. If you have not tried this, this fall is the right time to start. And don’t forget to add a little Christmas cheer as well.
For Your Wardrobe: Classic Pieces Worth Finding Now
I do not chase trends. What I am is someone who appreciates a classic piece at a price that does not break the bank before I put it in the cart. TJ Maxx and Marshalls are genuinely good places to find those pieces, particularly in the fall.
Cashmere is the first thing I look for. Both stores carry cashmere sweaters from real brands that you know and trust. They are not available every season and not always in every size, but often enough that if you check in regularly (and have signed up for those emails), you will find something worth having. A well-fitting cashmere sweater in brown, cream, or deep burgundy is the kind of piece you reach for from September through March. It does not go out of style. It only gets better year after year.
Scarves are the other thing I cannot walk past. A good wool or cashmere scarf, plaid, tartan, or a solid in a warm neutral, is the piece that finishes every outfit. I have more than I probably need, which is another way of saying I have exactly the right number. These go quickly at TJ Maxx, particularly the good ones, so do not wait to decide if you want one.
Boots are worth a look, though sizing can be hit or miss depending on the day and the shipment. If you wear a fairly standard size, your chances are good. Classic ankle boots, a low-heeled riding boot, anything in a warm cognac or deep brown leather. These are the silhouettes that work with everything and never feel dated. Some of my most-worn boots have come from these stores, in fact my favorite pair is from Frye and I have now worn them over 10 years.
And do not overlook mittens and gloves. I know they sound like an afterthought, but a beautiful pair of leather gloves or cashmere mittens is a small luxury that costs very little when you find it at Marshalls.
One Last Thing
The thing I always tell people about TJ Maxx and Marshalls, is that you have to go in without a rigid agenda online or in the store. You can have a list. You can be looking for something specific. But the best finds are almost always the ones you were not looking for, the ones that stop you in the middle of an aisle because something about them is speaks to you.
That is exactly what makes shopping for fall in late August work so well. You are not looking for a specific piece to complete a room you have not yet imagined. You are open to what the season is offering, which means you will walk out with things you genuinely love rather than things you settled for because everything good had already sold out.
Vist ShopMy to see all of my seasonal picks from TJMaxx & Marshalls.
You can read Cindy’s version of Seasonal Finds at TJ Maxx and Marshalls on her blog, and I hope you will make time for it. We came at this from our own directions, as we always do, and I think the two posts together give you a good picture of what is out there right now.
I would love to know: are you already reaching for throws and warm tones, or do you resist until September? I ask because I have never met anyone who lands in the middle. You are firmly one or the other, and I suspect I already know which camp most of you are in.
Follow along on Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest. for more seasonal finds as they surface, and thank you, as always, for being here.
You Might Also Enjoy
Easy Fall and Winter Soup Recipes to Make on Repeat
The Bower Bird Home — How I Decorate and Why I’ll Never Be a Minimalist
On My Radar~TJ Maxx & Marshalls
