SHOP
Good Taste
So, maybe you can’t afford to hire your own interior designer. The folks at Aera Studios can help. They happen to be interior designers who recently opened a shop in Cherry Creek, stocking their public sales showroom full of the kind of wares professionals pick out for their clients. The furniture, lighting, wall and shelf accessories all have a certain go-together look. Oh, and if you can afford a designer, these guys can help you out too. 2817 E. Third Ave., 303-388-2372
WARM UP
A little advice on dressing for the weather
We learned to layer for warmth long ago.
Although some faddish fabrics and fibers have changed, the concept has remained consistent, says Carson Stanwood, a spokesman for Steamboat Springs-based SmartWool. “Wear a base layer to keep dry, a middle layer to keep warm and an outer layer to keep the elements out.”
Start with a thin garment that has wicking properties, or the ability to pull moisture away from your skin. “Whether it’s really cold or really hot, the key to comfort is staying dry. If you’re going out and it’s below zero, a little moisture next to your skin can be really miserable,” he says. “That’s when you get chilled to the bone.”
Next comes an insulating layer or two. This might be a fleece or down vest, or a heavy Irish wool fisherman’s sweater. “By unzipping your fleece or taking off the sweater, you can control the heat,” Stanwood says.
The thickness and number of insulating layers depend on how cold you get. Some people are just warmer than others, and for most people, that can vary like the weather.
If it’s raining or snowing out, you’ll need an outer layer, like a Gore-Tex jacket, to keep the weather from leaking in.
And guess what? The old saw about losing most of your body heat through your head is true, so make sure you’ve got a hat. “If your head gets cold, it doesn’t matter what else you have on; you’re freezing,” Stanwood says. “This is especially important to remember if you have a fashion-forward buzz cut, or if you are just bald.”
Add some heavy-soled boots and pair of gloves or mittens and you’re good to go wherever – shoveling, walking, snowshoeing or pelting your younger brother with snowballs.
READS
Western flavor
“Branded: The Making of a Wyoming Cowgirl,”
by Deirdre Stoelzle Graves,
photography by Jennifer Gorman
(Mountain States Lithographing, $12.95)
Like many Easterners who moved to the West as grown-ups, Deirdre Stoelzle Graves found the style of local inhabitants a bit strange at first: the cows and the cowboys, the queens of the rodeo and the kings of the road. But as transplants here tend to do, she got to know and appreciate them. Her journey, detailed in the personal newspaper columns assembled in this book, serves as a warm reminder of what it means to be a Westerner today.
DRIVE
Don’t leave home without it
We usually tip you off to new and interesting cars in this space, but this week we thought we’d pass on a little info on keeping your old one safe in the winter. According to AAA Colorado, here’s what every car ought to have in a kit:
Mobile phone
Bag of sand, salt or cat litter
Small snow shovel
Snow brush
Flashlight
Window-washing solvent
Traction mats
Ice scraper
Cloth or paper towels
Booster cables
Blanket
Warning flares or triangles
Gloves or mittens
