Written by Colleen Coleman of CMC Design studio LLC

[From the 2025 Fall Magazine]

Colleen Coleman is the Principal of  CMC Design Studio LLC located in Saratoga Springs. With certifications in Kitchen & Bath Design, Aging in Place and True Color Expert, her curated design extends into all areas of her field including new construction, historical and major renovations. Her passion is in designing & customizing hand-crafted cabinets for all areas of the residential market.

What a spectacular way to usher in the season and witness the changing of season in nature and landscapes! It’s time to close our gardens, don our favorite football gear, and change the décor in our home to reflect cooler days with warm colors of amber, gold, garnet and chocolate tones. Our local stores and shops have great finds this season, and here are just a few to get you started…

I don’t know about your house, but fantasy football is all abuzz these days in mine and keeping up with the cooking for games is a focal point of our Sunday Family gatherings! But the boys love to head to the stadium and with that embarks the tradition of tailgating! By no means should the food preparations suffer if you tag along the Napoleon Prestige P500VRSIBPSS Grill from Marcella’s Appliance. What’s not to love…total heat output is 82,000 BTU with the capacity to grill 31 burgers for a crew of hungry football fans! Want a rotisserie? That’s included as well! Side burners…this grill offers a Large Infrared SIZZLE ZONE™ to cook up the juiciest of beef skewers, oysters, sliders and more!

Marcella's Appliance

15 Park Avenue, Clifton Park
MarcellasAppliance.com | 518-952-7700

For the main grilling area, you can now perfect your meats with the integrated ACCU-PROBE® technology! Program it to your food type, target temperature and cooking time when paired to your phone through the Home App. You’ll even receive a notification when your food is cooked to perfection! And I love the illuminated LED Control Knobs featuring their trademark SafetyGlow™, changing from a glowing blue to red indicating the gas is on in those areas. And no need for batteries to ignite this grill…just plug in through the USB Type C port for a power source! This failsafe ignition system lights burners immediately with a jet of flame! Don’t forget Napolean’s Stainless Steel Iconic WAVE™ Cooking Grids for those distinctive sear marks and even cooking. To wrap up a great package, this grill even comes with a Lifetime Bumper to Bumper warranty…so grill away my friends and let the games begin!

Finishing Touches Home Decor

450 E High Street, Ballston Spa
FinishingTouchesStore.com | 518-584-1490

At Finishing Touches, there’s always a great collection of goods for your home and taste buds! For a unique serving idea, pick up one of their
Natural, Hand Carved Maple Bowls.

Maple trees, known here in NY for their amber-colored sweet maple syrup, also produce a smooth grained light colored wood. These bowls are upcycled from fallen maple trees that are in their early stages of decomposition to allow nature to display spectacular spalted lines throughout the wood. Each one full of its own character to create a special display anywhere you exhibit it. I love wooden bowls on my dining table to hold my place mats neatly secured with a pretty seasonal ring. And at 18” wide, it also makes a great popcorn bowl! Best of all, it’s crafted in the United States!  For those of you who travel about this time of year, take with you a CityBonfires Original Portable Fire Pit! With a burn time of 3-5 hours, you can easily create a Sandlot scene of roasting marshmallows for S’mores or conjure up a little heat around your patio to expand your entertainment area on a clear evening. Safe to cook on and 100% biodegradable. They’re the perfect gift for the friend who has everything! Even keep one in your emergency kit, you never know when you just might need a little CityBonfire! 

Impressions of Saratoga

368 Broadway, Saratoga Springs
ImpressionsSaratoga.com | 518-587-0666

Downtown on Broadway, Impressions of Saratoga has an oldie but a goodie I just have to mention…Their Brass Squirrel with Bowl cordially greets guests or holds those cell phones to keep everyone involved in your gatherings and conversations.  Standing at 9” tall, he has a debonair presence and offers a 6” diameter bowl…what a sweet little gentleman! He’s quite the adorable conversation piece as well! To keep the party moving inside-to-out as the firepits start to crackle, this Leatherette Tray on Chrome Stand is a perfect display piece turned cocktail server! The removeable tray measures 27 ½” L x 17-1/2” W x 30 ½” H with plenty of room for a few bites to share! The interior is lined with black velvet and has a fanciful horse bit to top off our Saratoga Tradition of… horses! The legs are foldable, so out to the patio it can go as well!

Dark Horse Mercantile

445 Broadway, Saratoga Springs
ImpressionsSaratoga.com | 518-587-0689

And just down the street at The Dark Horse Mercantile, don’t miss out on more of Justin Howard’s Hand-crafted Horseshoe Pumpkins available in a variety of sizes. No two horseshoes are the same which makes each of his pieces as unique as the horse who wore them. Other horseshoe items are available in the shop so be sure to stop in to take in his full collection of distinctive creations! With all the leaves beginning to fall, you’ll surely be heading out on a leaf peeping exploration and could definitely use a Leather Patch Grab & Go Blanket! With its soft composition of 50/50 cotton and poly, it’s a perfect picnic spread or cozy evening wrap at a camp fire. Either way, pick one up for your next adventure!

So, what are your plans this Fall Season? Be a little adventurous and try something new. As New Yorkers, we look so forward to our seasons, so make the best of this most colorful time of year! Breathe in the cool air, explore the smell of Fall cooking and autumn mums and delight in the richness of our northern foliage.

Until next time my friends,