Ralph Lauren, at Home for the Fall

If there’s anything that can make you feel regally warm and cozy with the advent of fall, it’s Ralph Lauren’s luscious wool and cashmere throws, hearty dishes in strong colors, and sturdy, all-enveloping sofas, easy chairs, and beds.

We got a chance to see all the variety last night at Ralph Lauren’s Chevy Chase, MD, store, which celebrated the new fall line for Ralph Lauren Home. The “Hudson Valley” collection is profiled in this month’s House Beautiful, and its editor in chief, Stephen Drucker, was in Chevy Chase to talk about it.

Drucker praised Ralph Lauren for his ability to capture the essence of French and English antiques and turn them into furniture and accessories that are uniquely American.

“We may like the idea of antiques, but what we really like is a piece that will hold our cashmere sweaters and a bottom that won’t fall out,” he said. Real antique chairs and sofas are rickety and small, he added, and we Americans want furnishings that are sturdy and big. “This is what Ralph gets the best. Ralph has a way of taking an antique and adapting it to American life. He makes a chest that can hold all your cashmere sweaters in every color,” Drucker continued. “A lot of fashion designers have tried to make their way into the home world and they haven’t succeeded quite so well.”

For a look at Ralph Lauren Home’s fall collections, which are on beautiful display in Chevy Chase, keep reading.