Eliza Gran loves chickens (sometimes roaming in her kitchen), Frida Kahlo, vintage pottery (check out her inspiring Instagram), a well-curated cheese board, and dark purple dahlias (actually any color dahlia). Currently living in upstate New York, Gran also loves her home and cooking there for friends and family, including her husband (who also makes pies) and their three children, Violet, Ruby, and Charlie.
As an interior designer and stylist (she also has designed an eponymous clothing line based on the ’70s clothes she grew up in, and baskets with pom poms that sold out all over the world), she has a great eye, two really. Gran says she is devoted to “mediumalism” which, yes, is a term she made up but seems to perfectly describe her love of found items — lots of them — without buying new stuff.
“My style is definitely a mish mash,” she says. “My whole philosophy in designing is using 100% second-hand vintage and antiques. I’m trying to be more sustainable because there’s too much furniture out there.”
We talked to Gran about how she applies her aesthetic to fall celebrations.
What do you like to do around the house to celebrate the season?
I decorate with pumpkins, squash, gourds, persimmons, branches, dried hydrangeas, little pears in bowls, fruits, flowers, natural things, edible things, colorful things. I bring out the plates, bowls, all my textiles, tons of vintage candle holders, candle sconces, tons of vintage Mexican. Mexico is one place my husband and I have gone a lot — I have always loved Mexico — and I’ve always dragged a lot of stuff home from there.
Are you more modern or traditional when it comes to décor?
I like abundance, a lot of candles, flowers, fruits. I guess that would be more eclectic, curated, and collected than traditional.
What flower says “fall” to you? And what’s your favorite?
Dahlias say fall to me. I got married in September a long time ago, and my wedding bouquet was made up of purplish, dark dahlias. But I love all the colors and sizes. Maybe someday I’ll have a massive dahlia farm.
How do you and your husband keep the romance going? Any fall-specific ideas?
Fires and candles at home. Sometimes we take a train to the city and go out to dinner or see friends or go to a party.
Any advice or tips about styling with flowers?
I don’t like mixing too many different flowers in one vase; I try to stick to one type of flower. Like, late-blooming November roses are beautiful. I like flowers next to bowls of things, next to persimmons — they are a very LA thing, but I find them here too. I like big wooden bowls. I collect vintage hand-painted ceramics; you’ll never see a clear glass vase in my house. I like flowers in every room, if possible; I even put flowers in my kids’ rooms.
What is your family tradition to celebrate someone’s birthday?
Chocolate cake, chocolate frosting, and chocolate ice cream. My kids always want chocolate.
What are your tips for choosing a unique gift for the one blowing out the candles?
One thing I’ve done as they’ve gotten older is buying my kids art. For each birthday, I get them an antique, like a painting or a mirror — something really beautiful, that they can have in their own apartment or dorm room, and have forever.
Best birthday party you can remember, and why.
My husband’s birthday is November 22nd, so every four years, his birthday is on Thanksgiving. One year, we had a big party for him; I got this enormous turkey birthday cake, a huge turkey with candles coming out of it. Of course, the kids loved it.
What’s the best Halloween memory you can remember?
One year when we were living in Brooklyn, we got so many kids that we ran out of candy three times and had to keep going to the store to buy more. It was really busy and fun.
What special memories do you have around fall? What traditions do you like to do?
The foliage in upstate New York is a tradition. The “leaf peepers” come up here; it’s a big deal, so many tourists are here. Our house is right off the Hudson River, and there’s a beautiful new promenade, so you can see all along the Hudson. It’s really beautiful.
I also want to start planting bulbs in the fall, like tulips and daffodils and irises. That isn’t officially a tradition yet, but it will be.
Eliza Gran's Product Picks
Thanksgiving
First things first: planning. Any special tips for getting the ball rolling for the big day?
I cook Thanksgiving every year. Some years it’s just us, sometimes we have friends and neighbors, sometimes the kids have friends come over. Hardly have we ever left the house.
I love to cook. I roast delicata squash with pomegranate seeds, always do cornbread stuffing with chestnuts and sausage, homemade cranberry sauces with orange zest and orange juice, sometimes with Grand Marnier. One good tip is that I always have the butcher butterfly the turkey so it just kind of lays flat; then it cooks in two hours as opposed to five, and all surfaces are roasted perfectly.
Can you share some advice on setting up the space?
We have a big dining room table that was my parents’. My dad was an architect; he designed this dining room table, they had it for like 50 years. I’ve got that now, and it’s like a big butcher block. Sometimes I use a tablecloth, sometimes I don’t. I have lots of vintage tablecloths, beautiful plaid napkins, definitely nothing matches. I’ve got lots of serving pieces from all the grandmothers and beautiful etched vintage glassware that we use, lots of antique silverware from both sides of the family.
I like white and gray pumpkins. I love handmade beeswax candles; I don’t like any colors or scents in candles.
How do you decorate the space to make it feel on theme with the occasion, beyond the table?
I don’t switch out anything. I’ll put more blankets on the sofa and get the fireplace going. I use more candles in the fall and winter; I definitely get a little nutty about candles. Maybe I’ll change some rugs. I have a lot of beautiful vintage rugs.
Do you bring anything from the outside to decorate inside?
Pinecones! There are lots of pinecones in upstate New York. I love the little tiny pears. I always love branches. I’ll put a maple or oak leaf branch on the table or the mantle; I always have stuff on the mantle, like dried hydrangeas. I just cut them, put them in a vase, and ignore them. Maybe I’ll put dried herbs in the kitchen and hang them upside down. That’s always pretty.
What flower says “Thanksgiving” to you?
Chinese lanterns. Those were my mother’s favorites. And I love dried hydrangea. I have a massive hydrangea bush; they’re white but they turn sort of pink when they dry.
What do you serve for dessert?
My husband makes a lot of pies. He makes this weird pie; it’s grapefruit, like lemon curd, but grapefruit. He also makes a pear pie that’s really good. We have other pies, like key lime with whipped cream and pecan.
We also have a big birthday cake for my husband. (No, I will not make that on Thanksgiving Day; I will buy the birthday cake.)
What makes Thanksgiving such a special time to connect?
It’s my husband’s birthday, so the kids are always home. It’s very relaxed because we don’t go anywhere. We’re just home hanging out, bored, having a lovely time together.
What’s a Thanksgiving tradition in your family?
We take long dog walks before dinner. We have a chocolate Lab named Felix and a Siberian Husky girl named Frankie. They are crazy, and any big dinner makes them lose their minds — hence, the long dog walks.
If you had to send a Thanksgiving gift, what would it be?
Pumpkin bread. Or, someone once gave me a pecan cake from down South that was so delicious; I would send that. I also pickle vegetables, so maybe a jar of pickled cauliflower or cucumbers (also known as pickles), pickled carrots. Something I’ve grown and made — that’s a big deal.
AUTHOR
Martha McCully is a writer and brand consultant who’s into wellness, design, health, wine, and science. She was formerly Executive Editor of In Style, founding Beauty Director of Allure, and judge on HGTV Design Star.