Call of the Wild--and the Striped Wool Blanket

THE MOUNTAIN HOME, AS SEEN ON THE PAGES OF ARCHITECTURE and design magazines, is all about texture, warmth and keeping out the cold. Traditional materials such as stone, wood, leather and natural fabrics keep us feeling cozy. Navajo or kilim rugs offer a color platform on which to build, while a soft shearling carpet can be an inviting place to lie before the fire. Sofas and armchairs upholstered in leather have long been part of the Western tradition, as well as pillows covered in tactile chenille, fur or soft, velvety nubuck. An ornate Adirondack cabinet from the 1920s, a hand-hewn Craftsman table by Thomas Molesworth or an oak rocker sitting next to a potbellied stove seem to be an appropriate part of the mix. Paintings and photographs of outdoor animals, such as bear, elk or wolves--or a chandelier made from the fallen horns of moose or mountain goats--bring a bit of the wildlife indoors. Camp accessories (canoe oars, striped wool blankets), tourist souvenirs (bark canoes, wastepaper baskets), and miniature log cabins and birdhouses can complete the antidote for city living.

*

Leather club chair, $1,795, and vintage adjustable table with cast-iron base and wood top, $425, at Empiric, Los Angeles. Bronze tree lamp, $2,400, at Blackman Cruz, West Hollywood. Rob Remer painting, $2,800, at Twentieth, Los Angeles. Faux stag horn chandelier, $950, at Kathleen Stewart at Home, Los Angeles. Shearling rug, $2,200, and fur pillow, $175, at Orange, Los Angeles. Kilim rugs, $295-$395, at Pom Pom, Los Angeles. Plaid wool throw with tassels, $150, at Shannon Shapiro Designs, Los Angeles.