What everyday things do you find utterly charming/chic?

[Croya]

I feel extremely accomplished and satisfied when I make a homemade pudding. I have no idea why. Probably because I came from a family where I don’t think a single thing was homemade. Seeing a homemade cake on a stand in my fridge actually makes me happy.

i also love seeing people lounging at home in battered jeans, jumper and very comfy/fluffy looking socks. Even better if they are stripey. It’s so cosy to me.

Piles of newspapers and magazines on a coffee table that actually get read is another one.

Really odd I know!

You don't see it much these days but I used to love seeing a man in a three piece business suit (preferably pin stripe) with the jacket off and sleeves rolled up.

Babies in hand knitted clothes

People who can knit.

Baby/toddler tights, as well. So many lovely colours and there is something very cute about the stage where they can just toddle about and they have those non-slip bits on the feet. I'm sure that's not chic but it is very charming.

Cakes in a fridge now??

I personally don’t like the idea of buttercream being unrefrigerated. I personally think cake stays moister in the fridge too. Just cut off a slice 15 mins before you want to eat it. I accept I am weird on this.

When we stay over at ILs and I go downstairs in the morning to make a brew, FIL is always sat at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee, the weekend newspapers spread out and the radio playing in the background. He always gets up and gives me a massive bear hug and asks how we slept 😊

In our house, the dogs asleep in front of the log burner, DH cooking a Sunday roast in the kitchen with a vinyl playing, the (brief!) moments after I have cleaned the entire house on a Saturday and wander round admiring how immaculate it looks!

Also, I love looking through people's windows on an evening dog walk and seeing people / families going about their daily life - chatting, watching TV, sitting round having dinner. Just the small things but always makes me feel warm inside.

Older, well used kitchens.

The smell of freshly washed hair.

A gorgeous Christmas tree in bay window of a sandstone house.

A classic signature perfume.

Similar to a woman having a daughter who’s an only child; a woman with a girl dog.

A relaxed, velvet duster jacket in muted olive green.

Expressive, natural faces that glow from within.

A house that’s mildly lived in but still smells nice

Christmas trees in bay windows is one of my favourites 😍🎄

A warm home. My childhood homes were freezing as my mother as always hot.

I love a fancy shop cake or buffet. Everything was homemade as a child, and a shop bought cake was a luxury.

Old women out socialising with their friends.

Parents chasing their red-cheeked giggling children around freezing cold playgrounds.

Children’s artwork pinned up on the walls

You & me both 😃
I've been reading this thread like a checklist! I can add red hair, tortoise shell glasses, colourful bold frames (glasses habit), elderly rescue cat who sleeps in a velvet cat bed, colourful interiors, walls of books, window seats, sash windows....!

Having a cup of herbal tea when I come home
I'm not being virtuous or smug I promise; I eat enough chocolate for England. But just something about the ritual feels cosy and 'huggy' after being outside in the cold running around doing various jobs all day.

cut flowers but somewhere not showy - like in the loo.

Inspired by this thread, my two best friends and I discussed this, and we ended up sharing the things we find charming/chic about each other. The things they found charming/chic about me were:

Always having everything I need to just casually make a range of sophisticated cocktails for guests at any time, including things like bitters, triple sec, maraschino cherries etc, and also a proper cocktail set with with a shaker, muddler, stirrers, jiggers etc and a range of (preferably mid-century vintage) different glasses to cater for any request.

Using a good quality fountain pen and a Leuchtturm notebook to jot things down.

The fact that my DP and I always meet in town after work on the one day we go into our offices and have a little date in a wine bar.

The things we found charming/chic about the other two are:

Friend 1:

Pops out for a croissant from a posh local bakery and a newspaper every morning

Wears beautiful lightweight cotton pyjamas with gorgeous prints

Always smells incredible and can also analyse any fragrance with a couple of sniffs, eg, 'Oh, that's a nice perfume you're wearing. I like the cool musk base notes and the white flower top notes, is there some vetiver in there too?' etc

Friend 2:

Speaks fluent French in a really nonchalant, non-performative manner

Will turn up in a really nice little jacket / top / dress and when you ask where it's from, it transpires that she sewed it herself, probably out of fabric she just had lying around somehow

Has incredibly lovely, witty, curious, independent teenagers and trusts them to do things like interrailing around Europe alone

Mismatched vintage china/crockery in regular use
Vintage enamel things
Heavy old household linens
Old brick or flagstone floors
Weekend papers and coffee cups all over the kitchen table

And, ideally: a gaggle of adult offspring plus their friends/partners hanging out in the kitchen making tea/coffee/breakfast while chatting and laughing. I don't even mind the mess. 😍

Oh, I love all this!

Proper shabby chic: old and loved furniture or carpets, showing their wear. Faded chintz curtains.
Completely mismatched frames with family snaps, not posed photos.
Women who manage to put up their hair using a pen or chopstick.
Small children in colourful wellies, whatever the weather.

The wee frying pan for 1 egg makes me 😁 smile

I hand-knit my own socks, I save four or five pairs to handwash at the same time, I absolutely love seeing them hanging on the clothes horse to dry.

Gingham kitchen window curtains. So charming!

Huge fleecy blanket on the sofa for snuggling under.
A glass of scotch or full bodied red wine.
Moleskine notebooks.
Fountain pens.
When your hat, scarf and gloves match (very rare for me!)
Objects on display that have a deep personal backstory.
A dog warming the end of the bed.
Waking up to a cat lying on your chest. In fact anytime a cat deigns to use me as a bed I feel greatly honoured!
The little bush outside my kitchen window that seems to have a different single flower on it all year round.

I think this is the first time ever that I've read a MN thread and recognised things I do!

I have an only daughter and a girl dog
My furniture is "vintage," some of it Victorian, all from junk shops
I knit, sew, crochet, cook, bake, have a huge store of jam and chutney, home made wine and blackberry vinegar
All my pots and pans are 50s upwards, my plates and so on are 20s-70s
I have a George 3 silver teaspoon that I use for measuring spices because I think it likes it
Colourful and disorganised house
Flowers in jars and bottles and old cut glass vases

I love things like this and everything else on this thread.

Yeah I've got to say, I feel so much better about my shabby, old (but tidy!) house after reading this thread 😂

I sometimes get stressed with things being out of place, the house never looking as clean as my friends immaculate new builds, dogs everywhere (note to self, multiple large dogs in a Victorian terrace was always going to be chaotic and cramped) but then when I take a step back then I guess it is cosy, lived in and homely.

I would still prefer less dog hair though!