Credit: BEAR CIERI | John James

We may get the Nest-iest when the temperatures drop and the days shorten — it’s a pleasure to come inside for heat and light. A Shelburne designer shows us how to make our rooms even cozier, while a North Ferrisburgh home demonstrates that even minimalism can be warm. Thinking of buying a house? First you’ll want to learn how to find the right real estate agent. In new digs or old, you need a place to gather, advises Vermont Farm Table. So do your feathered friends out in the cold; if you’re new to feeding them, we offer some backyard birding basics.

Pamela Polston is a contributing arts and culture writer and editor. She cofounded Seven Days in 1995 with Paula Routly and served as arts editor, associate publisher and writer. Her distinctive arts journalism earned numerous awards from the Vermont Press Association, the Association of Alternative Newsmedia and the New England Newspaper & Press Association. Pamela was inducted into the New England Newspaper Hall of Fame in 2015. In 2021, the Vermont Arts Council presented her with the Walter Cerf...