Company's Coming

Autumn's first cold front sauntered into Dallas last week…hooray!

Off we ran, singing deliriously and with much gusto, to patios and parks, backyards and balconies in catch-me-if-you-can response. After the heat of 2010 that seemingly seared the nation, a cold front felt like God Himself commanding us all to play (enlightened, ordained) hoooo-kie.

Those cool breezes even made room in my mind for noticing the freshly-delivered pumpkin assortments outside grocery stores. It's a little early for hot cocoa, perhaps, but for a pumpkin? I think I'm about ready.

Sidenote: If you live in Dallas, be sure to check out the pumpkins and related decorative fruits and veggies for sale in front of Central Market at Lover's Lane and Greenville Avenue. Their selection is one of the finest and largest, and - surprise! - they have some of the best prices in town. Yes, Central Market stocks some of the most expensive and exotic foodstuffs known to man, but their prices for your next jack-o-lantern are pretty darn reasonable. CM offers so many fun varieties - from the classic Charlie Brown style to crazily-shaped gourds of every kind, pattern, texture and color! The quality is excellent, which means your orange, yellow and green carved masterpieces on the front porch won't be pooping out until you're well ready to hang the holiday lights.

Bringing pumpkins home and dressing the front porch kinda makes you want to invite friends over. You know, throw away the near-empty bottle of mosquito spray and serve up some icy-cold autumnal brew. Kick back a bit.

It's also a nice time to take inventory of what's up in your casa. By this, I mean "what's missing," or "what could be altogether more enjoyable." For instance, autumn presents a great moment to find a new set of groovy bowls with which to make winter stew memories. I'm kinda in love with this model from cb2, simply called the 'Handle Soup Bowl' for just $3.95. Clean lines, wonderful design, works superbly for soup/cereal/fruit/ice cream and received an impressive 4.5 out of 5 stars from reviewers!

Or maybe have a look-see at the way your guest room and bath are outfitted. These rooms will likely receive more use in the next three months than the following nine put together, so what better time to make sure you're together in terms of the way you make folks feel welcome.

A great guest room and bath are about relaxation, anticipating needs, and a bit of spoiling. Consider for a moment the idea of your house guests waking up early and partaking in the all-important morning bath. The real start to their day. Now think back to your last hotel stay. What happens at bath-time makes the biggest difference in your outlook and sense of calm. No amount of fine coffee or breakfast will undo a dribbling, spitting shower head, missing soap or, the big kahuna - cheap, flimsy, tiny towels!

Sadly, many hosts unwittingly commit one or more of the following fouls when toweling the guest bath:

1.) They buy cheap but pretty towels and hang them up right out of the package. Freshly-showered guests are thus covered in towel lint (incredibly hard to get off, as it's applied when your skin is wet!). New towels should always, always be washed and dried at least three full rounds before you make them available to your guests. You'd hate to see them cough up a lint ball at breakfast that competes with what your kitty can muster, now wouldn't you?

Cheap towels also offer nary enough fabric to cover one's 'naughty bits,' forcing guests to check both ways down the hall before scampering, half-covered, back to their rooms. Much funnier for you than it is for them. So buy the good stuff (which always comes generously-sized), then wash and dry three full times before your guests touch them.

2.) The towels in the guest bath are the ones you finally grew tired of in the master bath. i.e., Cast-off towels as guest towels. Thin, weary, color-faded and unloved, these towels leave your guests feeling as if they're staying at their child's college apartment. Help them leave that scarring experience behind by offering plush, fabulous cotton love in the bath at your casa.

3.) Not enough towels. Hosting company is not a "less is more" arena. A good friend of mine and I heard the following expression when on vacation once, and we committed it to memory: "Some is good. More is better. Too much is just right." And this mantra, although not universally applicable, is certainly appropriate in the area of towels for the guest bath. What if your guest would like to shower more than once a day? Must they re-use a wet towel? Women with long hair often need one towel for their 'do, and another for the body. Folks traveling with children need a zillion more towels than normal. Stock up and your guests won't have to ration when it comes to being dry and comfy.

My three absolute fave towel lines:

1.) Restoration Hardware - Turkish Cotton. Formerly the purveyor of multiple towel lines, the folks at Restoration Hardware have whittled down this year to just one, and it's the model for which they're famous: 100% Turkish Cotton terry cloth. I have used and loved these fabulous towels for years. Thick, absorbent, incredibly durable, these hand-sewn gems are available in 31 colors.

Note: They are a bit pricey. However, Turkish Cotton towels go on sale twice yearly in Resto's 20% off bath promotion. Promo time is always a great opportunity to stock up on towels and bath rugs, replace a shower curtain, or order up a new gorgeous nickel-plated faucet to replace that old brass thing in your guest bath that makes you crazy. Although the bath sale isn't currently running, another FAB promo is - and the discount is essentially the same: $100 off any purchase of $500 or more. It's easy (very!) to spend $500 (ouch!) on towels at Resto, but your house guests will be grateful for your generosity, I promise! Code to use for promo: RHSAV91

2.) Macy's 'Hotel Collection' - Turkish Collection. Macy's offers a number of towel lines within the Hotel Collection, but Turkish Collection is the one that the (very knowledgeable, helpful) Macy's sales associate recommended to me a year ago when I was ready to replace my master bedroom towels. She truly knew her stuff in both bedding and bath. I know this because I ask a thousand questions of salespeople - are you surprised? - and she confidently, kindly answered each item. So I trusted her and bit the bullet, buying four of each from the Turkish Collection: bath towel, hand towel, washcloth. And I am STILL loving those soft, wonderful towels! They are a little lighter than the Restoration Hardware model, and significantly more like a cloud of cotton heaven. After a zillion washings, they remain perfect, absorbent, fluffy, beautiful.

And do I have good news! The Turkish Collection is currently on a double-sale - prices have been marked down TWICE by sweet Macy's! So a generously-sized bath towel that's normally $40.00 is currently $23.99! If you're buying online, be sure to visit one of my fave coupon sites, like RetailMeNot.com, and grab a coupon code. This week I found one for free shipping on Macy's purchases over $99. Happy day!

3.) Williams-Sonoma Home - Chambers Heritage Solid Towels. This is my newest model to test. Have had them about 3 months in my guest bath, and boy, howdy, do I like them! The towel is the ideal weight, the cotton loops are nice and dense, and it's available in particularly gorgeous colors. (As an affirmed classic white-towel lover, I summoned courage and went for the persimmon shade to punch up my guest bath a bit - and I'm so glad I did. Persimmon ended up providing the vibrancy and warmth that my taupe walls badly needed.) I recently bought the Chambers Heritage towels for a friend as a housewarming gift (in pewter color for his art deco black and white bath) and they were also completely gorgeous.

Bonus: WSHome is having a 30% off sale on sets of Chambers Heritage, which provide you with two each of bath towel, hand towel and washcloth for just $98. A great way for you to try them out!

One last recommendation: should you wish to truly splurge, to completely go nuts, consider the towel line that a wonderful interior designer friend of mine swears by: Waterworks. I quizzed her thoroughly, and she insists these towels last forever (hers are on their seventh year and still going strong), are oversized, beautiful, and beat any other extreme-luxury line of towels, including Pratesi and Frette. So there!

I believe towels to be a bit like art - it's personal, and you know what you love by experiencing it. So visit a few of the stores I've mentioned above, squeeze the Charmin, and make your own decision as to the definition of what's wonderful for you!

Wrapping up in a great bath towel when exiting the shower is like the world giving you a big high-five with which to start your day. It's one of those necessary luxuries, and worth every penny, I promise!

Here's to your next (cotton cloud-wrapped) fabulous day!

Love,
Melinda

Photo Credit: Getty Images