We watched a HUGE thunderhead form dwarfing our magnificent Sandia mountain at noon yesterday on the 4th of July. It was a spectacular example of nature’s beauty and power of design – and a sure sign that we were going to get the rain that had been forecast foiling late afternoon plans and fireworks festivities.The magnificent cloud grew and grew. It erupted over the crest of the mountain growing from this perfect anvil shape in glowing white against the brilliant blue to a menacing grey morphing into a massive area of sky without definition colliding with another wall of weather that was moving in from the north. We watched it with resignation that our backyard BBQ party would be forced inside…however, as the afternoon progressed…not a drop of rain nor a wisp of wind. The wanna be storm came and went passing quietly with subtle rumbles of thunder as though frustrated that it couldn’t perform to ruin the day. The evening was perfect for gathering outside with a soft, white, high cloud-cover that kept the temperature just right and the air soft and comfortable. It was a perfect evening for a summer party and at dusk the bottle rockets started zinging through the air too early to see and continued into the darkness when they blazed bright and hot through the night. Several neighbors had magnificent illegals that shot up with loud mortar booms spraying the blackness with brilliant explosions of chrysanthemum bouquet sparkles dispersing and falling in sprinkles of starry lights. It was a most satisfactory Independence Day after all.
Soak in the Pure Pleasure of Nature’s Spa
When parts of the country are suffering record heat and staggering humidity, we out here in the desert southwest wonder what it would feel like to be washed with fresh rainwater rinsing everything everywhere and satiating all the parched plants and surfaces so badly in need of hydration.
Tonight we had a gully-washer by most standards…the thunder and lightning were an exhilarating sensory symphony while the rain pelted an acoustical beat against all that it hit from rooftop to skylights, car hoods to pavements. We drove upward – east toward the majestic Sandias like salmon upstream against the river’s current – in this case, rain rushing from the higher elevations down toward the mighty (we hope tonight) Rio Grande valley. Here is a shot at 2nd and Osuna as the lighting pierced the sky behind the traffic lights – quite the spectacular pyrotechnic scene – courtesy of man and Mother Nature. Looks like a color scheme of dark chocolate, amber and turquoise/greens with a purple punctuation…from where does interior design inspiration arise? Then know that the windows were cracked just enough to get that intoxicating smell of the elements and rain!
It was a beautiful natural saturation of the environment and tomorrow all will burst forth with renewed growth and promise as a result of this most welcome cleansing and thirst-quenching downpour. In fact…listen to the quiet night after the rain has passed and hear the tiny frogs that come forth from the moisture that permeates their hiding places and brings them to life with their chorus of happy chirping sounds.
Rather than hiding from it and skirting between the drops – why not stand smack dab in the middle of the rain and soak in the pure pleasure of nature’s spa?
The art and song of the desert during and after a good rain. Take a deep breath!
Bartenders Answer Lifestyle Conundrums – Get a Sock Monkey
Where people live, how they live, what they see, how they interact…the “design” of their lives might be more intentional/self-conscious than others. We find ourselves in a place and time…then, we ask, are we comfortable? Could we find the same or better comfort elsewhere? Simple lives, versus lives in the fast lane…Ask the bartenders, the un-certified psychologists around the planet. Ask them about their lives – where they live and why…how they got there and what works and does not. Peter, originally from Philadelphia, now lives in a three bedroom apartment in Manhattan with two other guys with one and a half baths…walking distance from the quiet but regular bar and intimate restaurant in which this bartender pours his creations – and listens to his patrons. That apartment is a median-priced abode in a multi-level building a midst the towers and surrounded by every single piece of home décor for sale imaginable. The sensory overload is unbelievable, the offerings are infinite, and so how does one find themselves and their interior design?
The seasonal trends presented in the flamboyant storefronts – each decorator trying to make the outrageous statement that will surpass the last…scissors, orchids, ostriches – Versace, Armani, William Sonoma, they all compete for the consumer’s attention. If you invest in a decision, the next season will have you second-guessing that decision.
It’s an incredibly fast-paced extravaganza. That’s why when I came upon these sock monkeys at New York City’s Time Warner’s multi-level shopping Mecca – I took their photo. The comfort derived from these familiar faces, textures and colors immediately soothed my energized and exhausted designer’s overload.
Be comfortable and EXPRESS YOURSELF!!!
So in NYC where sensory overload is the primary experience…I found these very familiar little friends.
Latin Flavors Influence Macho Football Parties – by Design?
I write about things that catch my attention. Generally centered on the world of design- which is actually everything around us – therefore, I have a broad reach of subjects that are constantly popping up and seem pertinent. Today, Super Bowl Sunday having just returned last night from south of our border, I am still in my Latin mode – perfect for this day’s celebrations. And also on this the 100th anniversary of President Ronald Regan’s birth we are reminded that he campaigned on the North American Common Market and that was the impetus for NAFTA back in the mid eighties. He had the vision that we are so closely connected and should celebrate that connectivity with more open and shared economic and cultural exchange. Foodies unite with the flow of firey foods that seep up from the chile fields into our markets, kitchens and ultimately party platters!
From Bill Geist teaching his grandson this morning on CBS Sunday Morning the fine art of being a man honoring the game with the party fare on the cocktail table to my husband making his favorite Firehouse chili recipe, the culinary influences from our own southwest and points even farther south are abundantly apparent.
Not everyone is want to incorporate Mexican textiles, Talavera tiles, brilliantly bright pottery or the like into their home decor…but come football season and you’ll find colonial homes on the historic registrar all over the east coast armed with their obligatory bags of Tostitos and Doritos! I heard yesterday that the avocado sales in the United States goes off the charts this week in preparation for the bazillion pounds of guacamole dip being prepared for the Super Bowl parties!
So all the recent cooking shows and guest spots have been featuring basic to outrageously creative versions of salsas, quesadillas, queso and chips, tacos of every variety and even Mexico’s royal crowned cerveza, Corona challenging the King of Beers…how did this happen? When and how did this particular sports scene morph into an unconscious celebration of Latin American culinary interpretations? Was this by design?
It does beg that question, the answer to which is undeniably true – it began with the macho image – no silly, not nacho, macho – that somehow translated into spicy (look what habaneros in Tabasco have done for our very own Buffalo wings), which means the hotter you can take it, the more manly you are…and thus the tradition was born. Starting back with bowls of that “Texas” chile, tomato based stew of red kidney beans and hamburger meat which by personal preference (remember the manly man likes it hot) is identified by how much red chile powder one adds to the brew to Velvetta becoming synonymous with queso dip it became a theme of hot punctuations of flavor. Chile con queso to be exact – with a can of Rotelle or your own version from scratch with melted cheese and cream and roasted and peeled chiles, onions and tomotoes all chopped into the blend it’s all about flavor and HEAT! Do you use jalapenos or serranos? Do you stuff jalapenos with gooey queso and deep fry for tantalizing poppers? Do you buy salsa in a jar or make your own from the freshest ingredients diced into a fresco pico de gallo? Simple recipe to follow:
5 ripe Roma tomatoes diced 1 med. onion diced (white is traditional – but go crazy with a red one – porque no?) 5 serrano chiles seeded and diced (keep your hands away from your nose and eyes for the next several hours – or use gloves when you chop – like a wimp) 1 large lime or 3 small ones juiced (also nice to have a bowl cut-up for the beer – in which case you will need MANY more) 1/3 c. fresh cilantro leaves finely chopped
Mix it all together and dive into it with fresh tortilla chips – or bagged from the store if you must!
Whether a purist or packaged party planner, let’s pull out our sombrero chip and dip platters, and celebrate our adopted Latin flavors, colors and heat that raise the temperatures on these chilly football afternoons – Ole!
Get Ready for Thanksgiving You Turkey!
We were in a fabulous candy store in Charleston and the creativity expressed in the confections was hilarious. The holiday season and the art of design – from candy to pies, turkey preparation with gold leafing to Pilgrim Joe’s (Trader Joe’s) Pumpkin Ice Cream, it’s the beginning of the most festive few weeks of the year and the art of designing for the celebrations begins!
Yes, from humor and whimsy to luxurious detail the elements are endless. The craft paper turkeys and pilgrims that come home from school projects and decorate the fronts of refrigerators, dangle from chandeliers over the center of the table and tack onto bulletin boards are the simple basics.
I remember attending a fantastic affair several years ago that featured a gold-leafed turkey as the centerpiece of the table. Get out of town! It was magnificent! Imagine the tedious task of leafing that enormous bird with fine gold foil – it was an art project unto itself. The decadent, edible masterpiece was a show-stopper! Each slice presented with the fine gold strip that carved off with the skin and so delicately detailed the meat.
Then just last week we discovered “Pilgrim Joe’s” pumpkin ice cream at Trader Joes. Although we ate it so quickly that a decorative preparation was not in the picture, I have since envisioned it spread evenly into a flakey piecrust or even a graham cracker crust to create a frozen confection version of a traditional pumpkin pie – top that with walnuts in brown sugar syrup and Voila! A new tradition begins!!
It’s a lot about food and its fabulous presentation – but it also about the table presentation. I saw white china plates in all sizes with fine metal banding for a dollar a piece at Dollar Tree in Tucson. It might be Limoges or paper plates –fine leaded crystal or Styrofoam cups – but the gathering around for a meal to pause and give thanks is a cherished event.
Let’s drape the tables, light the candles broadcast fall leaves, bring out the gilt and silver, gourds and cinnamon sticks – the warm, cozy seasonal signatures and have a little fun too – you turkey!
Might Classic Royal Blue THE Upcoming Interior Design Trend?
If Kate Middleton’s sapphire ring has started a fad for like-kind pieces around the world…might royal blue be a new trend in Interior Design color schemes? Let’s ask Pantone!
Change Can Refresh
Sometimes it just takes on thing in a room – probably a primary piece – to make enough of a change to refresh-renew-redirect…It might be a seasonal change, the change of a partner, the change of a job…but whatever the reason, just one thing can make the difference.
Perhaps it’s to celebrate one of those aforementioned changes…a cause to celebrate – change your bedspread!! Yes, that is certainly a primary piece in a room – the bed in a bedroom is clearly, with rare exception, the largest, most focal piece in that room. So, change the spread – you don’t even have to change all of the bed dressings – keep the bed skirt, and even the pillows and select a fabric that goes with the other elements but, is radically different from the previous throw.
Change can refresh. It can reaffirm, and renew. Its best when it is your choice – change that is NOT your idea can jolt…but if the jolt happened first, then walk into that change with deliberation – make something else change that makes you feel good!! So rearrange you furniture, buy a piece of art – find out about the artist, paint your bathroom, do some regular exercise, and bake for a friend. It will feel good!
Sensational Project by Sensational People
I didn’t quite get it when I was asked to participate in a table-top design event for” Sensational Settings” to benefit St. Luke’s Home in Tucson. I thought…”how interesting could it be for people to buy tickets for an event, in the middle of the day, on a Sunday, to see table dressings?” Whoa, was I surprised!!!
The months of planning upon years of prior events – this is their 15th year – results in a perfectly orchestrated, aesthetically beautiful (right down to the auction sheets – double layered with matching raffia bow attachments) of the bountiful, colorful silent auction…spectacular presentation of the raffled dining table settings, exquisite catering delicacies, party cocktail bar and desserts galore!
Upon entering the room, many designers had started their presentations and our first reaction was “uh oh, we’re not vertical!” The table tops scattered around this big room were towering with decorative regalia and we knew we were only presenting a blue glazed Mexican pottery piece in the center of our table.
As the day unfolded, we were quite pleased with our modest, yet colorfully layered tables dressings… magenta floor-length 120” cloth, topped with a French embroidered chartreuse square and that topped with a loose weave multi-colored Brazilian filet lace. Then, were the multi-tones of the green woven fringed rectangles and wavy woven coral placemats. Upon which were placed the antique blue and white Talavera dinner plates. They were topped with hot pink paper cocktail napkins with a botanical pink-on-pink pattern – upon which was a cocktail glass of Mexican hand-blown blue glass in which was a bouquet of mixed alstroemeria lilies in bright pink, golden yellow and deep magenta – the mix was magic! The additional accoutrements were three hand-blown Tequila bottles from Mexico (yes, I save those beautiful hand-blown bottles once empty – as art forms – porque no?) and glass mosaic votive candle jars white and yellow glass, spiral blue glass hand-blown stemmed goblets from Mexico, and the October 2010 issue of Tucson Lifestyle Home and Garden Magazine in which our casita was featured, and the hot pink, carnation pink, and sunflower yellow cotton napkins in the dyed wooden and woven ball napkin holders from the 50s and the stunning blue pottery piece that was the center of our world. It was a celebration of Tequila and Talavera – Ole! Hence, the name of our table, yes, “Tequila and Talavera, Ole”!
What a fun and fabulous event! Creative energy gathering for a sensational organization. Thank you all!! We loved being involved!!
Life Design – with a Focus – with a Purpose!
The freedom of expression and comfort derived from designing a space just for you is a gift. It might not seem that way at first. But it will become a personal interpretation of your definition of home and life that is simply astonishing. If home is your safe zone and the place you go to get renewed and rejuvenated…it deserves the attention to detail that will bring you the most satisfaction. It might also be the place from which you work. I encountered this tonight and was refreshed merely by experiencing the environment and the manner in which it was programmed, furnished and finished.
A very talented woman has re-designed her life. With that major transition has come a refining of her priorities, culling of redundant accumulations, incorporating of things special, important and sentimental, focusing on things of beauty and those that give her pleasure.
Most of us have accumulated more that we will ever need. Some of this is just life. Years of acquisitions, and gifts…bordering on hording, results in that over-accumulation that is life. Only because we might need it someday or someone gave it to us or we just haven’t taken the time to clean house, we become overwhelmed with stuff. Not to mention, the places to which you could donate such extra things are greatly in need and the many people who also would benefit from you discarding duplicate articles of clothing or household accessories are worth the exercise.
Seeing this new lease on life tonight was so refreshing and up-lifting that is was startling. Yes, it was so positive and so forward-moving that was inspirational. This goes beyond interior design. This was life design – with a focus – with a purpose. And the result was wonderful, complete and had room for new layers of carefully selected acquisitions as her future unfolds.
So, step back and take stock. By peeling away layers of stuff you might free yourself of layers of burden. The result might be a refreshed interior design that will translate into a refreshed lifestyle. A place from which to go forward!
It’s All Relative…Yet,Fine is Often Fine for a Reason…
Being cost-conscious and responsible…being thrifty and sensible…being reasonable and realistic, being tight and miserly…in today’s economy one might see these distinctions better than when times were moving and shaking across the economic kidney belt. Now that the belt has tightened, many are making these critical observations about their own decisions and others around them.
Yet, regardless of tough economic times, why spend 1,000 on a small solid surface engineered countertop or granite, for that matter, versus a pre-fabricated top of a suitable material? Consider the use, the focus and the budget…what warrants such expansive gaps in cost difference between two like-kind functional elements. Is the expense directly related to the quality or the availability (sometimes things are expensive merely because they are of limited quantity/availability), or due to exceptional engineering, content and even serviceability?
If form follows function, then it is reasonable to assume that the function of an element comes first and therefore, how that element is used starts the process? However, is the “function” of a piece merely for status, balance or color accent rather than true functional serviceability? Hmmm, sounds boring to have that criteria even listed!!!!
If that aforementioned countertop is to be used daily for many functions, then the decision to use a more stout material might be in order. Could that same surface (small as it is) be fabricated out of a scrap piece of the better material rather than cut from a new slab? But, with limited use, might the lesser durable surface be perfectly suitable for an area with less use?
Get out there!!! One man’s trash is another man’s treasure…great fodder for an up-coming blog!!
So, let be realistic…there are many – too many to count -design decisions that are ruled by trends, peer pressure of a simple lack of knowledge about what’s available- harder/easier to acquire…With that in mind, study the overall concept that you are trying to achieve. How much is functional and how much is merely aesthetic? Then ask, why?
If the area requires certain durable or easy to maintain criteria, then that’s the first order of business…but if the look is perfectly fine with a lesser expensive, not as durable material – make a choice. Like those rooms where they show you “This room costs $50,000 to furnish and this seemingly mirror image room cost $5,000.” Well, compare and see where durability might have been compromised in favor of a suitable aesthetically pleasing design element to coordinate with the scheme. Just think… the selection might have been intentionally made to use a lesser durable, fine representation of a piece, in favor of accomplishing the finished product with style on a lesser budget. Heaven forbid considering that it was an exercise in showing the attractive interior design of two spaces with diametrically opposite priorities for the selection process.
Fine things are often fine for a reason. However, they are not often “necessary.” What one admires is not always what one can have – or needs to have. Being comfortable in your own skin about what is of value and what is not -what is perfectly serviceable and of great value – without benefit of knowing the name brand (saved for another blog- for sure) is a talent that is worth cultivating. One other point here…to defer to name brands is a safety thing. It is like having insurance against an otherwise poor decision. Saved too, for another time, is the concept that taking care of things in a less disposable way creates appreciation, history and an awareness that replacement costs are not always even. Hmmm
