fab find II: west elm goodies

I am loving the new Mirrored Parsons Desk and Tumeric Bloom Scoop-Back Chair from west elm, the two paired together would make for a stylish workspace...

but, with which wall?

fab find: Denver, 9° [feels like -4°], BVI 81°

The latest issue of Coastal Living featured "Deserted Island Day Trips", just what I needed to see after getting blasted by a cold front...

and I am ready to pack my bikini!

The first island featured is Sandy Cay, an uninhabited nature preserve in the British Virgin Islands. It boasts a shallow reef and crystal clear water, perfect for snorkeling and swimming. And that sand...wow.

After a day of hiking Majohnny Hill, the highest point on Jost Van Dyke, a visit to Sandy Cay to play and lounge in the sun, with SPF 50 of course, would be pure bliss. Pure, magical bliss.

friday musing: recycled flowers

Since I have nothing on the books for this weekend, I thought I would share my little vase of sunshine...
I bought these unknown flowers at Whole Foods back in, um, I think November, maybe October? Any who, the lovely thing about them, and others as well, is that they look just as nifty dried as they did fresh...

Have a great weekend!

food for thought: a "cry worthy" meal

After a dance workout with Tracy Anderson and a bit of yoga with GiGi, my cold symptoms have subsided, a little...

subsided enough at least to start devising a "cry worthy" meal.

This "cry worthy" challenge was thrown at me last Saturday while we were working on our tantalizing hunks of beef at the Chop House in LoDo, it was fantastic, not to mention "Buster's" favorite restaurant. That being said, it was brought to my attention that I have not created a meal for him lately that was so good that it brought him to tears. Don't get me wrong, he loves my cooking, but he's so used to it being good, I now need to create grrrreat! For my own good of course, a challenge, so my kitchen skills don't soften.

So, I now have to devise my plan of attack. No beef, I couldn't compete with the Chop House, I'm thinking fish or seafood. Here are some ideas;

Granchi e Gamberi alla Bettola [Creamy Vodka Sauce with Crab & Shrimp]

Mediterranean Tuna

Margarita Shrimp

Homemade Cannelloni

Shrimp & Scallop Stew over CousCous

or...

suggestions and recipes are welcome!

I have made and mastered all the above, but I haven't yet decided which to create. I'm leaning towards the Granchi e Gamberi [my own creation in fact ;) ] perhaps over Homemade Cannelloni.

But if any of you have a "cry worthy" recipe you would like share, let me know.

style board: color trends 2011, russet

This weeks color board was a little more me than last weeks honeysuckle. As much as I love color, pink just really isn't my thing...

but russet, russet is my thing. I was going to add lavender and aqua as accents to the russet, but I am quite happy with the ivory and green I went with, definitely more me.

I started with the fabulous Maxwell Sofa from Restoration Hardware for my main russet piece. This room is Rustic-Coastal-Contemporary with plenty of texture to make me giddy!

Accessories would be made up of beachy goodies such as shells, green beach glass and fishing floats, drift wood as well as brown glass bottles, ivory ceramics and whatever rusty industrial/architectural iron pieces I can get my hands on.

I really like this style board, everything about it, but my favorite thing is the chair; a 1965 Hendrick Van Keppel and Taylor Green Wicker Chair, love, love, love it!

Product sources available upon request, TCSTYLIST1@GMAIL.COM

tuesday's treasure: deborah t. lipner, veranda 2009 [I think?]

Veranda has some exceptionally lovely homes, while they are a bit more formal for my taste and style, this home designed by Deborah T. Lipner, has a few bits and pieces that intrigued to my inner Glam Bohemian...

1st of all, the color palette is quite relaxed and soothing. While the living room isn't overly formal, it is traditional. The addition of the rustic sideboard and jars lend a French country feel. The branches and jute rug bring in texture and a touch of nature.

And this screen is just gorgeously glam.

More glam with this mirrored buffet and stunning table lamps.

I am thrilled with the open-shelved industrial cabinet and ghost chairs that definitely allow for a more relaxed vibe.

Overall, a very lovely home. I would however need to add some art to the walls, some pattern on the pillows and a couple of clean lines to the living room furniture.

Any changes you would make?

fab find: "dreamy whites"

While doing research for a client today, I came across a fabulous blog, Dreamy Whites. As much as I embrace color and love clean lined, Mid Century Glam, I also have a strong fondness for Quaint Cottagey Glam, whites and soft colors, and Maria has an exquisite eye for the QCG.

This table scape she created last Spring is absolutely lovely. The color story, the use of shells, glass fishing floats and spring blossoms is sweet and stunning, all at the same time and her photography skills are maddening!


I look forward to following Dreamy Whites for the Quaint Cottagey Glam inspiration that has been missing in my style world =)

A definite must see!

friday musings (rantings): old vs. new

As I sit here adorned in my Grampa's Irish cardi, sipping tea while catching up on my other favorite blogs, my thoughts are consumed with old vs. new. My Grampa's sweater, which is at least 30 years old, has character and charm, just as older homes have character and charm.

Most older homes are smaller. Builders built a sturdy home, often with architectural details. Today, it seems as if builders are building as big a home as possible to fill an empty lot with a house devoid of character. When I heard on the news yesterday that new homes are selling better than older homes, I had to scratch my noggin and say "what the"...

Okay, so clearly the new home above is not huge, by any means, but it has no character either. A little molding around the ceiling would have helped and what about a partial, maybe floating wall between the dining space and living space? As a stylist, I would definitely place a screen or bead wall for separation and charm. Or better yet, swap the dining and living space all together, like...

this home! Plain and simple, this home above is fantastic; the floors, the industrial bar counter, the original ceiling, actual lights instead of recessed cans. Visually stimulating


Brick wall above vs. blah below.



Fab above vs. drab below.


Uh, no comment, this one speaks for itself...


A client of mine had a growing family, so she and her husband purchased a larger, new home. She had always had smaller, older homes, so our biggest challenge was the amount of space and lack of character in the new home. Well after investing more money adding a wainscot and a bead board wall, and buying all new furniture, the family room now has character. So you have to pay more money for a new home, and more money on top of that to give it style?

I did here recently from a realtor friend that some builders are building smaller homes and adding more "details". I'm curious as to what their idea of details will be...bookshelves in bathrooms,

built in cup holders throughout the house...

Oh yeah, HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!

food for thought: white bean, kale soup with chorizo

Kale is undoubtedly a super food. I would even say uber super, but that would be redundant. I had never cooked kale until a couple of weeks ago, because I never really thought it was edible, due to the fact that my 1st experience with kale was using it as a garnish on the food line in the cafeteria at Fort Lewis College. Wow, you can actually eat this stuff? Oh yes indeedy..
I am now in love with kale! It is tasty and so, so, so good for you; powerful antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, high in beta carotene, vitamin K, vitamin C, lutein, zeaxanthin (another eye thing) and rich in calcium {tidbits from Wiki}.
The following recipe is from Cooking Light, November 2010. I have tweaked it a bit for a little more pow. I have to be honest, I tried the White Bean & Kale Soup at Whole Foods, and it was quite sad. This soup is not sad and you won't be either once you try it!
White Bean, Kale Soup with Chorizo

• 3 oz. Spanish chorizo (not Mexican chorizo) finely chopped
• 1 C onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 Yukon Gold potato, diced
• 4 C chicken broth
• 7 oz. canned, diced tomatoes
• 1/4 tsp. cumin
• 1 (15-oz.) can white kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (15-oz.) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 4 C chopped kale
• Splash of dry sherry
• S & P
• Lemon

Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add chorizo and potato to pan; saute 1-2 min. Add onion and garlic to pan; saute 5 min. or until onion is tender.
Add broth, tomatoes, cumin and beans to pan; bring to a boil. Turn heat down and simmer 20 min. Add kale, sherry, s&p and cook over med. heat 6 min. or until kale is tender.
When serving, I squeeze a quartered lemon in each serving and grate a little Parmigiano Reggiano or Argentinian Parmesan Reggianito in each serving as well.
Enjoy!

style board: color trends 2011, honeysuckle

Whew, finished...

I like this room, even though I'm not exactly a pink person. I wanted to a do a neutral wall to tone down the pink, but nothing, absolutely nothing, looked good, as amazing as computers are, colors still aren't perfect. So I decided to go with the Eros Pink for the walls (in Venetian plaster to give it some variation with texture) and the trim in Black Bean, both from Sherwin Williams. The floors would need to be light, a whitewashed wood. On the windows I would do an ivory Roman shade. Not a perfect shade, but a more relaxed, linen type shade. And the rest, well the rest speaks for itself...

Product sources available upon request, TCSTYLIST1@GMAIL.COM

style board: color trends 2011, honeysuckle

I am working on the style board still...I cannot find a good neutral wall color to go with my honeysuckle accent wall!

tuesday's treasure: windsor smith, domino-august 2007

I have decided to make a lil change, "wednesday's interior" is now "tuesday's treasure. There was too much going on the first of the week to create a really good style board on Tuesday, so Wednesday is the new day. Which works out great for me for extra inspiration...like from the home of Windsor Smith. Her ability to make an elegant interior comfortable, not stuffy, is truly amazing. Perhaps it's her mix of textures and her blend of exotic that keeps things fresh, not traditional. In the above picture the boldness of the ottoman with the demurely glam chairs, and the comfy sofa are perfect together and those table lamps are to die for! While they are definitely more formal than I usually go for, they are exquisite in this room.

A lovely kitchen.

An even lovelier dining room.
The living room is such a fabulous mix; simple styling in the double-sided sofa, glam ottoman, Moroccan inlaid chairs, the mantel wall arrangement, the Chinese garden stools

(which I will never tire of)

and the ginormous mirror, love, love, love it!

What an awesome salon-style arrangement. This is such a great use of an often overlooked space.

Beautiful home Ms. Smith, just beautiful.

fab find: classic martini glass

Alfred Hitchcock's, "The Birds", is one of my favorite movies, it's a classic and so were the martini glasses...I have obsessed over these glasses for years. Mr. Taylor and Ms. Hedren took a martini set up on the knoll during Kathy's birthday party. The glasses were smallish with a thick stem, uber stylish. Mom & Pop actually have a very similar martini set in a smokey grey; this is my glass of choice when visiting. They acquired their set back in their swingin-60's-cocktail party-days, a time that I am quite envious of. Even though classic cocktail parties are few and far between, I can at least have my favorite glass on hand, just in case.



The Libertini from CB2 is only $3.95 and comes in clear, smoke and green. When I worked for Crate & Barrel, I submitted a sketch of "The Birds" glass in hopes that they would produce one like it. Well I had to wait 13 years, but it was worth it!

food for thought: arugula salad

I have had a busy week, no time to cook, so I have been eating my favorite arugula salad, A LOT... along with a lot of bread with olive oil; Whole Foods 365 Brand Greek Olive Oil, it is the best for dipping bread.

The salad dressing is from Rachel Ray. The salad is tasty with pear as well as red onion.

• 2 T red wine vinegar
• 1/3 C olive oil
• 1/2 C Gorgonzola crumbles
• s & p

Mix together, drizzle over arugula and thinly sliced red onion.

That's it.

Enjoy!

wednesday's interior: lots of style

Okay, let me start out by saying, I dully intended on featuring a whole house today...

but I am exhausted, long days this week and I have a meeting with a client this afternoon. This one, albeit fantastic, room was all my brain could handle.

The scanning of the picture unfortunately does not show the beautiful custom-blended sea green walls, it is divine! The classic architecture; it is a Haussmann-era Paris salon, is amazing in and of itself. The modern furnishings give the room a comfy, laid-back style. But my favorite features of the room are the salvaged metal cube end tables and the display on the mantel.It's almost as if the red branches are being framed by the frame, and with the sea green background...the display is alive and it is fabulous.

style board: color trends 2011, coral rose

I was pretty excited about this color trend, Coral Rose from Pantones Color Trends 2011...

not only is Coral Rose warm and happy, but it can be sexy as well. I went more for a comfy glam style with my room.

I did the walls in a warm, light camel with an accent wall and trim in a Coral Rose color. I chose the chandi from Horchow because of the gold Mother of Pearl that covers it and it's reflective quality, the Coral Rose will bounce off of it ;) The console from Jayson Home and Garden would double as a "console" and bar. The Rams Head Cocktail Table, love it, but unfortunately at publishing time, it had been sold. And that painting, how fantastic is that!

Is Coral Rose a color you will incorporate in your wardrobe or home? I already have.

fab find: seriously, it's a recliner

I remember Gramps' recliner, it was a straw yellow tweed like fabric. It was his "nap" and "night" chair and my kitten, Petunia, liked hiding in the back. It wasn't beautiful, but he loved it... but this KMA recliner from Q Collection is beautiful! The clean lined modern shape combined with a stylish nail head trim and linen fabric, wow.

If the man of the house wants a recliner, I don't think we can say no anymore.

follow up: King Tut

I was able to get in to the King Tut exhibit on Friday, what a fascinating civilization that was Ancient Egypt...and what a fantastic exhibit! An artistic and spiritual civilization, even their hieroglyphs used to record history are visually stunning. And there love of gold would give our "Gilded Age" of the 19th century, a run for it's money.
While going through the exhibit, I was inspired by the beauty of the gilded pieces and the many stones they quarried for pyramids, statues and jewelry. I have found some small figurines online that will make fun accessories for a home, with added history and meaning behind them.

With Pantones Colors of 2011 being inspired by exotic locales, I think the Ancient Egyptians will fit right in.

friday musings: an afternoon with royalty

Well I hope to spend the afternoon with the King, but since I have procrastinated until the final weekend, I may be out of luck... I hope not! I have seen a smaller exhibit for King Tut, when I was a little girl, and I do remember it being fascinating and beautiful. What better inspiration for style than Egyptian royalty?

Hope to report back with first hand inspiration.

Have a great weekend!

TC

food for thought: leftover Champagne

I know, I know, your are probably saying, "Leftover Champagne, what? How is that possible?!"... it could have been the beer with dinner. Or the wine after dinner waiting for midnight to arrive. Oh well, it's not important, because it did not go to waste! I made Chicken with Provencal (Napa) Sauce and Champagne Risotto, and can I just say dinner was c'est magnifique!

The original recipe for the chicken was from Cooking Light, January 2005. It called for chicken breasts, but I used chicken breast tenders. I'm obsessed with chicken breast tenders; they cook quicker, they present well and are easy to snack on ;) The original recipe also uses Herbs de Provence, but I used Michael Chiarello's:

Herbes de Napa

• 6 T dried thyme leaves


• 3 T fennel seed


• 2 1/2 T dried summer savory leaves


• 1 1/2 T rosemary leaves


• 1 1/2 T crumbled bay leaves


• 1 1/2 T dried lavender flowers

Chicken with Napa Sauce

• 1# chicken breast tenders


• 1 T olive oil


• 1 garlic clove, minced


• Splash of Champagne


• 1/2 C chicken broth


• 1 tsp Herbes de Napa


• 1/2 tsp butter


• 1/2 tsp lemon juice

Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Heat oil in non-stick skillet (Calphalon One pans work better than non-stick for browning) over medium heat. Add chicken, cook about 5 minutes on each side or until done. Remove chicken from pan and keep warm in the oven on low.

Add garlic to pan, cook 1 minute , stirring constantly. Add Champagne, broth and Herbes de Napa; bring to a boil, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Cook until broth mixture is reduced to 1/2 C (about 3 minutes). Remove from heat; add butter and lemon juice, stirring until butter melts. Serve sauce over chicken.

Champagne-Feta Risotto Cooking Light, April 2000

• 1/3 C water


• 1/2 tsp dried basil


• 32 oz. chicken broth


• 1 T olive oil


• 1 C chopped onion


• 1 C Arborio rice


• 1/2 C Champagne


• 2/3 C crumbled feta cheese


• 1/4 C grated Parmesan cheese

Bring first 3 ingredients to a simmer in a medium saucepan (do not boil). Keep warm over low heat.

Heat oil in large saucepan over med-high heat. Add onion and saute 3 minutes. Add rice; saute 2 minutes. Stir in Champagne; cook 1 minute or until the liquid is absorbed. Stir in 1 C broth mixture; cook for 5 minutes or until liquid is nearly absorbed, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to med. Add remaining broth mixture, 1/2 C at a time, stirring constantly until each portion of broth is absorbed before adding the next (about 25 minutes total). Stir in feta. Sprinkle with Parmesan.

Enjoy!

2011 color trends: coral rose

No, this is not a style board. Yes, I am working on a style board, but this day got away from me, again! While Honeysuckle has been chosen as The Color of the Year, by Pantone, Coral Rose is included in the Pantone Fashion Color Report Spring 2011...

and Coral Rose is my 1st choice to use in my Spring Color Style Boards, because I love it and it is my blog. There are 10 colors total in the color forecast which Pantone has called, An Exotic Journey. The colors were inspired by exotic locales such as Turkey, Africa, Peru and India. I can't wait for the journey to begin!

I recently chose a color in the Coral Rose family for a client's (the parents) entry and dining room in their new home, as well as for another client's dining room. The photo doesn't do the color, Benjamin Moore Golden Harvest, justice.

Then there are these fabulous shoes from Anthro, love, love, love them!

organizing break: amazing house

I can't get over all the amazing interiors featured in the most recent rue...the Aldridge home in Dallas, TX, is nothing short of stylish and stunning. It provides so much inspiration for me!

I am such a huge fan of movie and t.v. sets from the 60's and 70's. The interior of this home has James Bond written all over it. The reflective surfaces, rich colors, texture, glitzy gild and the lighting...thank you rue for featuring this home and bravo Samantha Reitmayer-Sano and Judy Aldridge for creating a masterpiece.


I'll have to do a style board tomorrow, spent too much time organizing some things today. I had to post a couple of pics from this amazing home, but you have to go to rue to see more and read about the creative geniuses behind it.

fab find (well, gift): antlers

This Christmas I received a fabulous gift from my brother, he is a great gift giver because he listens...I have been wanting an antler or two because they make fabulous accessories. They have been popping up everywhere in interior editorials.

Accessorizing with objects from nature is practically foolproof; seashells, coral, driftwood, crystals, etc. I found a piece of bark on one of my hikes that is one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. The natural wavy patterns that were created over time are just amazing.

Be sure to keep your eyes open when out and about, you never know what you might find.