An autumn wishlist for the house and the garden

The evening it gets dark before dinner for the first time, the sofa is suddenly too cold and the garden has gone brown. That gap between summer and real winter is where an autumn wishlist earns its place: a few things for the house, a few for the garden, and a shorter list of things that only look the part.

Textiles that make a sofa worth staying on

One wool throw beats four polyester ones. A Klippan or a Tweedmill wool blanket costs more than an acrylic one, holds warmth when the heating is not on yet, and is still on the sofa in ten years. The chunky-knit acrylic throw from the homeware shop pills by February. Velvet cushions in one deep colour are enough; cushions with autumn slogans on them are the item everyone regrets.

For the bedroom, brushed cotton (flannel) sheets are the change you feel immediately. Even a mid-range set turns a cold bed into one you look forward to. Faux fur throws shed and are more decoration than blanket; leave them off.

Lighting for when it is dark at six

The ceiling light is what makes a room feel like a waiting room in October. Two table lamps with warm bulbs (2700 K, look for it on the box) and fabric shades change the evening more than any candle. A string of warm white LED lights along a bookshelf works well past Christmas as long as it stays plain: no colour cycles, no music.

For candles, buy the real thing in one scent you can live with for three hours, cinnamon or woodsmoke, and put it on the list by name. Salt lamps and flameless candles give a light that looks like a screen saver.

What the garden needs before the frost

Autumn is planting time. Spring bulbs go in from October to December, so a cheap bag of 50 tulips or 100 crocuses is the best-value garden gift of the year and pays out in April. Heather, chrysanthemums and pansies keep colour in the pots until December.

The tools decide the job. A pair of Felco No. 2 secateurs (not cheap, but resharpenable for life) for cutting back, a proper leaf rake, and a garden bag for the leaves. Skip the wheelbarrow unless the garden is bigger than a tennis court.

For staying outside, a fire pit is the one to put on the list. It costs less than a patio heater, needs no gas bottle and gives people a reason to sit out in November with a blanket. Solar path lights are on every list and dim to nothing in the second year; a lantern with a real candle does the job better.

Decoration that does not need to look like a pumpkin display

A wooden bowl of pine cones from the park and a few branches of copper beech in a tall vase cost nothing and look better than anything in the seasonal aisle. A wreath of dried hydrangea on the door lasts until December. Ceramic pumpkins are the one bought item that survives more than one year.

Brass candlesticks suit the season and stay out all year, which is the test for anything decorative on a list.

Kitchen gear for soup season

One heavy pot is the whole section. A Le Creuset or a Staub casserole, 24 or 26 cm, costs a lot but makes soup, stew and bread for the next thirty years and is the item most worth a group contribution. If that is too much, a Dutch oven from a supermarket brand does most of the same for a fraction of the price.

Add six deep soup bowls, two large mugs and a thermal jug for coffee on a long afternoon. The soup tureen, the warming plates and the bread maker are for the list of someone who hosts every week; for most people they take up a cupboard and come out once.

Put the throw, the lamp and the bulbs on the list this week, while it is still light enough to plant the bulbs. You can create a wishlist in a few minutes, for yourself or for the people who ask what you would like this season.