Shopping with the pros: The Madcap Cottage team chooses favorites from Terrain

By Mari-Jane Williams,

This is part of a series in which we ask designers and other tastemakers to share their favorite products from one store and how they would use them.

Courtesy of Madcap Cottage

John Loecke, left, and Jason Oliver Nixon

Gardening is something Madcap Cottage founders John Loecke and Jason Oliver Nixon are passionate about. And that’s evident in the products and designs that come out of the High Point, N.C.-based lifestyle brand.

“All of our fabrics, all of our wallpaper, there’s always a garden connection,” Nixon says. “It might be something more graphic or something really literal. People ask us about color all the time, and we say, ‘If it works in your garden, it works in your house.’ ”

With that in mind, the pair chose Terrain, with its mix of indoor and outdoor items, many inspired by nature, for this column.

“Terrain has curated a product assortment that feels special, feels like it could have come from an antique market,” Loecke says. “It doesn’t feel like a mass-produced thing.”

Nixon says Terrain fits well with their whimsical aesthetic. “We’ve kind of created this Narnia type of world in our heads,” he says. “Walking into Terrain, I’m challenged, I’m surprised, I’m delighted.”

The two also appreciate the retailer’s price point. Everything here is less than $200, a reflection of Madcap’s strong belief that “good design need not be expensive, only expressive,” Loecke says. It’s easy to make a room look fabulous if you have a lot of money, Nixon says, but it’s more challenging to curate a beautiful room on a budget. The results, though, are more interesting and genuine.

“You don’t ever want to be able to walk into an interior and say, ‘I know who did this,’ or, ‘Oh, you hired a decorator,’ ” Loecke says. When you walk into Terrain, he says, it feels less like a showroom and more like a collection that has been built over time. And “that’s what makes it feel like a home you can live in.”

Here are some of Loecke’s and Nixon’s favorite items from Terrain.

Terrain

Terrain

Nixon and Loecke like these
glass placeholder vases
($58 for a set of six), because they’re simple but elegant. Place a single flower from the yard or a local store in each one to dress up the table for your next gathering (socially distanced, of course). Made of clear glass, the vases should be hand-washed with mild soap and warm water.

“You can never have enough plates and bowls shaped like cabbages,” Nixon and Loecke said in an email. These ceramic cabbage plates
($24-$34 each) come in two sizes and four colors. The Madcap Cottage team suggests pairing them with a simple white charger for a modern look, or mixing them with your china to add an unexpected element to any table.

Terrain

Terrain

These cheerful
acorn-shaped Rosy Rings harvest candles
($32) “smell like heaven,” Nixon and Loecke wrote. The hand-poured candles made of a coconut wax blend with a cotton wick come in a reusable ceramic container in either orange or neutral. They are scented with a blend of fragrance oils that include orange peel, cardamom, star anise, aged clove, ground ginger, cinnamon bark, tobacco leaf, vanilla and mahogany.

Throws instantly up the cozy factor in any home, and Loecke and Nixon like this colorful
alpaca merino wool blend checked throw
($188). “Who wants anything beige and boring,” they wrote in an email. “Life is far too short to be banal.” The 57-by-80-inch throw can be dry-cleaned or machine-washed on a wool setting. Do not put it in the dryer.

Terrain

Terrain

Yes, these
Willow garden obelisks
($28-$48 each) are intended for outdoor use, but they also work indoors, Loecke and Nixon said in an email. Use them to support a hard-to-kill ivy to add personality and greenery to any space. Made of willow branches and galvanized nails, these plant supports come in three sizes, ranging from 28 to 47 inches high.

Loecke and Nixon love this
steel mailbox with lock
($78) as a way to add instant curb appeal to your home. Made of powder-coated galvanized steel, it comes in blue or black and includes hanging hardware. For even more color, they said in an email, consider having it powder-coated in a rich coral or other unexpected hue.

Terrain

Terrain

The sunny yellow
Arcadia steel side chairs
($198 each) have a very French feel to them and would look fantastic around any dining table, indoors or outdoors, Loecke and Nixon said. The chairs, which also come in light green or gray, are made of powder-coated steel and can be paired with a cushion for added comfort.

These
gold-rimmed coupes
($22 each) are a fun, retro way to serve champagne, and the gilded trim adds a bit of glamour, Loecke and Nixon said. The glasses, which come in a pale green or pink, are hand-wash only.