Burrowcore

this might be my favorite of all of the 'core' aesthetics

As many of you know, I’m a Core Enthusiast. No, not my abs. I’ve NEVER been an enthusiast of my abs region except for this one summer when I was 28 and doing Pilates every week, and it’s the only time I ever looked at my tummy region and went wow what is this SORCERY. And then I never did Pilates again after that summer. What I’m talking about instead is my love for all things cottagecore, grannycore, hobbitcore, witchcore and now I think I’ve found The One Core to Rule Them All….BURROWCORE.

Jane Dowthwaite’s Malthouse Cottage Instagram account is an endless source of Burrowcore joy. She’s truly transformed her home into a storybook dreamscape.

Thanks to the fine folk at my favorite place on the internet, House & Garden U.K. - I finally have a name for the rumpled and cosy (cozy with an S is so much better than cozy with a Z and I’ll happily die on that hill) decorating vibe that goes hand in hand with my preferred clothing style of Scottish or Japanese Grandma Goes Bookshopping.

My tea rack and this tea towel are two things in my kitchen that spark joy for me EVERY DAY.

Recently I’ve been reading a lot of discourse about how since the mid to late 1990’s, the color and character has slowly been leached from our lives and our homes, particularly. I came across this comment on Instagram Threads:

“I sincerely believe that the vast majority of us no longer believe in permanence under this system, and specifically that our homes are impermanent. They’re either a vehicle for wealth creation (and therefore should only be modified for increasing that wealth creation) or a shell we rent. In either case we feign from making them our own because they have to maintain mass appeal. The economy has made us transient in our own homes.” (emphasis mine)

That’s a sad and horrifying thought. Let’s set that sad thought to the side though, and focus on the charm and comfort of burrowcore:

via House & Garden U.K

Which House & Garden U.K describes as “the art of living as if inside a storybook hideaway” — think Beatrix Potter or the Moomin house, or ANY scene from a Brambly Hedge book:

Jill Barklem’s Brambly Hedge world

Photographs, book piles upon book piles, pillows, quilts, clashing patterns —

“The appeal of the burrow lies precisely here: a form of escapism that is less about withdrawal than about creating interiors that feel deeply sheltering and quietly restorative” (House and Garden U.K.)

Gingham/Floral Quilts from Greenrow - the prices are $$$ — but if you quilt, or know someone who does, or if you know how to de-musty a pre-owned quilt, that’s clearly the way to go

Let’s take a peek at some cutie-pie wares to delight our inner children who just happen to live in a fairytale:

Some very darling things happening at Zara Home:

• Floral Print Colander

• Steel Teapot Tea Infuser

• Coffee Shop Kitchen Towels

• Salty Butter Croissant Scented Candle

And I feel MOST STRONGLY that a Moomin mug of any kind fits right into the Burrowcore home. I have two Moomin mugs, one bigger sized like this one up above, and one smaller size, and they make me smile every time I use them.

Apologies for the somewhat blurred photos of THE MOST CHARMING COOKBOOK EVER TO EXIST, aka ‘The New England Butt’ry Shelf Cookbook - Recipes for Very Special Occasions’ by Mary Mason Campbell and illustrated by TASHA TUDOR. I own this most darling of wee books but could I be bothered to actually photograph it?…….. ENJOY THE BLURRY PIX I FOUND ONLINE.

I know I’ve mentioned this treasure before, either on my old blog or on Instagram, but let me tell you…..if you’re looking for the perfect cookbook for your personal Burrowcore life, stop and look no more. The only problem is….it’s out of print and the Tasha Tudor website is selling it for nearly $100. I got my copy years ago and I can’t for the life of me remember from whence it came but it was not ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS. You can also find it all over Ebay for very reasonable prices. But this book……oh my stars.

Chapters like May Basket Tea, Picnic by the River, Breakfast Under the Apple Tree, Mountain Cookout, Thimble Tea and the Quilting Bee, in addition to holidays INCLUDING VALENTINE’S DAY. There are also STORIES from Mary Mason Campbell’s great-grandmother’s time and tons of old fashioned New England farmhouse lore. (I DUNNO MARY MASON CAMPBELL I MOSTLY ONLY ASSOCIATE NEW ENGLAND WITH SCARY STEPHEN KING STORIES.)

Anyway…..if you fancy pretending you are a character from ‘The Wind in the Willows’ and want some marmalade muffins, or lemon sponge cake with THE BEST lemon butter frosting, or a Lady Margaret Jane Cake (???) and you also want to see the most charming FULL PAGE COLOR Tasha Tudor illustrations, seek & procure this book.

Speaking of cooking….I just recently found The Good Home Cook Substack with this Milk Bun Cinnamon Roll recipe:

MILK BUN CINNAMON BUNS

Photo credit: Esther Clark / Good Home Cook

Cinnamon rolls are the ultimate Burrowcore treat. See also gingerbread, baked beans, curried chicken salad, sausage rolls, jam toast, tea sandwiches, baked potatoes or ANY KIND OF POTATO, chocolate or butterscotch puddings, yellow cake with chocolate frosting, brownies, pasta Bolognese…..

QUESTION - can sushi be Burrowcore? Because sushi is my favorite food. I think maybe not but I do think ramen, udon, or Japanese curry are Burrowcore. If it has been eaten in a Studio Ghibli film, then it counts as Burrowcore.

More Burrowcore wares:

The new Emma Chamberlain West Elm collab has many cute things like these wee cottage/house electrical switch plates, and this darling pillow:

Oh dear, am I mixing up my cores now?? There’s definitely a through line from Cottagecore to Burrowcore. This button pillow is more Burrowcore I think, also the apple pillow which I’m too lazy to link:

Burrowcore seems to me to be more whimsical at its core (did you see what I did there) than Cottagecore. It’s at this point I must re-acquaint you with my How To be Cozy post, because that’s Burrowcore before I knew it.

Burrowcore books: Anne of Green Gables (maybe more Cottagecore) / Finn Family Moomintroll series (these are actually Very Philosophical for the adult reader) / I Capture the Castle / the Emily Wilde trilogy (I basically include those books on ANY LIST OF BOOKS I CREATE) / The Wind in the Willows / Winnie-the-Pooh / Mandy by Julie Andrews (yes that Julie Andrews and WHY HAVE THERE BEEN NO NEW COVERS SINCE 2006 - also this veers maybe more Cottagecore, I AM GETTING CONFUSED YOU GUYS, but this book is soooooo great and you will love it even as an adult)

‘A Little Princess’. Because of the attic hideaway. Any classic children’s book, really.

Question: Can the ACOTAR books be Burrowcore? HA HA HA HA. Especially ‘A Court of Mist and Fury’? The cabin? WAIT. Can the Heated Rivalry books be Burrowcore? Shane’s cottage? IS THAT COTTAGECORE ACTUALLY.

Well now that I’ve devolved into sheer silliness that’s my cue to go! Clearly I need to follow up this post sometime with a Champion Death Match between Cottagecore and Burrowcore.

Thinking of you fondly from underneath a quilted blanky,

Melissa

(Happy Easter to those who celebrate! And if you enjoyed the post, please do leave your calling card in the form of a click on the heart button, thanks ever so)