In the woods of Missouri – not the backwoods as they say – but a verdant jungle of deciduous over-growth concealing luxury homes in the quiet gated lake community of Innsbruck near Wright City – I find myself in a whirlwind of peculiar influences, associations, elements and discoveries. For example, I’m sitting here taking my first sip of a “Skinny Girl” margarita after having just read about the Bethenny blast on the scene in Forbes, June 6, 2011 edition while flying here yesterday. My sister-in-law said that she had two bottles of this mix, my other sister-in-law piped up and said “Oh yeah, she just sold her concoction for millions.” I said “I just read about her on the plane…why didn’t I do that – I could have done that – I drink – I make margaritas from scratch – I watch carbs…” I would have, should have, could have – but, sadly didn’t do it! Another FABULOUS missed opportunity!!! And so we drank.
Then that same first sister-in-law said “Oh, here it is – remember this?” (No, I had not seen it during our previous visit). She grabbed this small bronze figure off of her end table where we were gathered in the glassy treetop room – and there before me was one of Octavio Gonzales’ graceful hump-backed whale sculptures!! What a contrast in settings to discover this wonderful miniature done by an artist, whose work we had admired for years and now enjoy the pleasure of knowing, who did the magnificent, enormous art piece at the entry of the marina in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico of a mother humpback and her offspring, here in the deep mid-western woodland. Whoa – where are we? Watch for one or more pieces of Octavio’s work in exhibit in Albuquerque this summer!
So as the day waned and the overcast ceiling grayed to a dim backlit through the trees, we migrated to the Cedar Lake Winery for an evening of fabulous music by a local duo, Kaylor and Tomasino, whose harmony was in perfect sync, guitar strumming robust, punctuated by banjo, harmonica and flute for a lively collection of popular renditions including Del Amitri’s “Roll to Me” and “Matchbox 20’s Breakfast at Tiffany’s” crowd pleasing a range of ages from the college kids collected along the bar to the middle-aged mom’s clapping and dancing in their seats…the wine flowed freely and we closed the place with a satisfying buzz.
Happy Memorial Day Weekend wherever you are gathering with friends and family…
COLOR – Be Brave – Take the Step!
A happy coconut face on a sunshine yellow wall surrounded by lipstick!
How many of you LOVE color when you see it, but shy away when it comes to your own Interior Design? Go ahead, raise your hands!! Now, I appreciate and even embrace the taupe/neutral colors that are some peoples’ version of bold as opposed to standard off-white walls…at least they “pop” off of the white trim creating a contrast for crying out loud!!! I have a few chartreuse accents. But what IF you painted a wall red??????????????
I hosted an Open House this past weekend where the walls were bright yellow accented with blue and white Talavera Mexican tile and punctuated with “lipstick” coral/pink walls all trimmed in white . Sounds daring – doesn’t it? Well, it is – but it works! EVERY single person who came through the house had positive comments. Most were exclamatory and startlingly complimentary. Perhaps the house was too small or they could not use the furniture (without giving up their entire life’s inventory), but over-all the comments were almost those of jealous envy – envy of the nerve it seemed to take to make such decisions to use such festive colors – wishing it were theirs and that they could move in right away.
I spoke to couples who punched at each other saying things like “we could do this,” or “why can’t WE do this?” Seeing the completed project and everything in context makes it all very good. The scary thing is making that first color choice and swishing it on the wall…it’s very scary. But, GET OVER IT!!!! Until you make the decision to take the step – to make the move – to begin to commence to start the process, you’re sunk.
But it IS all about CONTEXT. I’ve seen many “accent” walls disturb a space rather than compliment it. That’s scary – if not unfortunate. It’s a shame to waste the exercise. It’s worse to waste the exercise and not know why it doesn’t work. Color is interactive. Color is dynamic. Color can enhance or detract. Color is powerful.
So think about what you like when you see color. Think about what you have and how color can enhance what you have. Think about what colors make you happy and how (if applicable) those colors can participate in your color scheme.
Have fun. Call me…..:)
Warm Up and Chill Out – Outdoors!
The weather outside is shinin’,
And the warmth is so divine in
Backyards of everyone we know
Let it grow, let it grow, let it grow!
A seasonal twist to a familiar tune, something to hum while you’re gardening or sitting and admiring the work of others in your garden as you sip a refreshment from the comfort of your reclining lounge. I asked the other day about where is YOUR favorite outdoor living space and here is a shot of one of mine! Morning shadows, birds chirping, cool air warming with the rising sun…and tequila as shown here – ha! “Tequila Makes My clothes Fall Off,” which is good to be advised to drink it in a warmer climate – to avoid an unwanted chill!!! The back patio of the Casita de Colores is on the 14th fairway of the Oro Valley country club Golf Course – north Tucson. The Linear Park passes by to the west with easy access to miles of hiking and biking trails! It is quite an outdoor paradise!
Last night we gathered (chillaxin’ – thank you for this fun portmanteau, Shell) with friends and enjoyed the soft evening air…sipping margaritas, munching chips with chunky, freshly made salsa and luscious guacamole with a background of latin guitar wafting from the IPod – the Catalina mountains turned pink to lavender as night descended over the desert…it was magic.
The weather is still variable across most of the country – but certainly heading for a constant that we can count on to enjoy the outdoor living spaces! But I would like to pause to praise the strength of so many whom, in this time of devastation being experienced in the recent destructive path of the tornados, are re-building lives where all they see for miles are piles of outdoor debris where homes once stood. May they find comfort in the knowledge that perseverance will restore a new definition to their lives as they reconstruct what once was…and may it be safe and beautiful.
On my computer I have the gadgets posting the weather in some of our regular haunts from St. Thomas to Puerto Vallarta, Washington D.C. to Tucson – Albuquerque usually falls in the middle of the temperature reports which today range from – ooh, ABQ is the lowest right now at 46! St. Thomas is 83 and we here in the Sonora Desert are climbing up, currently at a mild 66 expecting low to mid 80s as the day progresses! The time difference plays a role though since St. Thomas is out there to the east of our east coast time zone – Atlantic as it’s called…well into their day as we are just greeting ours out here in the west coast time zone! So perhaps you didn’t expect a weather report – but it all centers around appreciating opening the doors, letting the air in and enjoying that spilling out from inside to live outdoors for a good part of the year to the extent that your climate will allow!
So, as it warms up – chill out! Enjoy!
Casita de Colores – a favorite outdoor living space!
The Cat In the Hat Brings Fond Memories and Interior Design Fun!
As I sat down to pen this blog, I was forced to race upstairs and extract my very own original copy of The Cat in the Hat from my childhood library. Yes, I maintain the luxury of a room entirely devoted to the things of my past (and ongoing for that matter), and it overflows with nostalgia, collectables, letters, photos, travel memorabilia, artwork, a vintage Schwinn excercycle and so much more! This edition says copyright 1957 without mention of a later date of issue…which means that if it is an original release (and I hate to admit how close to my birth year that actually was), I have a treasure in my hands. Original paper jacket and my own handwritten name penciled on the first inside page – well, I wanted to make sure everyone knew it was mine – so I wrote my name in pencil on the inside cover AND the first page…and two versions of my name to boot! The pages are perfect – a tad yellowed, maybe – but quite remarkable for the hours of enjoyment that this book provided over many years. “The sun did not shine, It was too wet to play. So we sat in the house All that cold, cold wet day.”
This past weekend we were treated to the first of our Third Annual Summer Saturday Art Series on the sidewalk in front of our shop. Outrageously talented artist Gene McClain presented an array of fantastic creatures, furniture, and fun!!! Gene carves, builds and creates incredible painted pieces of all manner of expression with humor, sarcasm, prose, promise, fun, frivolity, and thoughtful perspective.
For kids of all ages, I selected The Cat InThe Hat upon which to pose. This fabulous chair would be the PERFECT decorative, functional art piece for the child in all of us!!! So as you remember the cat tempting fate with all of the ridiculously daring stunts he demonstrated to Sally and her brother – open your hearts to the whimsy and genius that was Dr. Seuss and who’s genius now in Gene McClain brings one of our favorite all time characters into our interiors! Presenting The beloved Cat In the Hat – chair???!!! http://bit.ly/hbUV02
Perching to pose with The Cat in the Hat by Gene McClain
Spring’s Bevy of Bountiful Floribunda – Prune It and Bring It Inside!
What’s the first sign? We had purple leaf plum trees at the entrance of the parking lot across the street from our shop for years. They always “popped” on a chosen, surprise day in late February/early March with an explosion of pink flowers. Then the trees died due to a change in the irrigation system – it was cut off! We missed our cheerful “first sign” of Spring.
But thankfully, a couple of years ago, the Mayor answered our request to re-plant the areas with new trees and Voila! Yes, it’s that time again – Spring is springing and it’s time to go out and prune those flowering trees and bring them inside for spectacular sprays!
Now, we don’t prune these City trees – and they’re still too small to prune anyway – but look around…in all regions of the country when the time comes that those early buds can be cut away from mature trees without harm to the tree and brought inside for incredibly brilliant displays – do it!
So Purple Leaf Plums are early as are Bradford Pears…apples, peaches – forsythia come along…there are so many wonderful colors and blossoms that at urban floral shops they are sought-after treasures of the season! The idea is to cut them early so that they are not yet opened and bring them inside where the warmth and natural progress of the water wicking will force the buds to bloom and bring Spring inside a bit early – connecting your interior design with nature’s renewing seasonal change.
So Edward Scissorhands – get out there with your pruning shears and have at it – in a good way – go attack those trees and bring in a bounty of bouquets! Share with friends and take an armful for a hostess gift (making sure that you bring a bucket so as NOT to impose upon your hosts at their moment of receiving guests to tackle this beastly beautiful bevy of floribunda!).
The photo here is from one of my favorite furniture companies – Pearson – celebrating their 70th anniversary!!! They brought these incredible pink flowering branches inside for their celebratory photograph!
So we’ve sprung forward…the days are getting longer…Happy Almost Spring!!
Luminous Margolin Sculpture Dances Above Anatole Atrium
Look…up in the sky, it’s a bird…it’s a plane, – no, it’s a magnificently suspended sculpture, the Nebula, by artist Reuben Margolin. Last week, on a recent trip to the Dallas Design District to research interior design elements with clients, we stayed at my favorite local environment, the Anatole. Oh, there are many options when visiting Market, but not only location, this magnificent facility has always been my favorite. A favorite because, after spending hours inside the showrooms, often without windows to the outside, the circadian rhythm of dedicated designers and their seemingly tireless clients is confused and way out of whack. Returning to the Anatole after a long day presents an interior environment that is open, spacious, interesting, airy, and at once welcoming. There are multiple venues in which to relax and review the work of the day. Large spaces with expansive atrium volume and other spaces more intimate and private – it’s all there under towering roofs, connecting passages with comfortable seating areas, shops, bars, cafes, and exquisite restaurants.
After decades of excellent and reliable service, the Anatole – under new management by Hilton – underwent extraordinary renovation. Yes, for years the Lowe’s Anatole and more recently the Wyhdham Anatole, is now a Hilton signature property. With this exciting series of improvements new water features and seating areas, bars and eateries appear – and above it all in the main atrium is Reuben Margolin’s startling aerial display – a dance of sorts – a wave-like motion of 4,500 amber crystals – are they petals, butterflies, or fragments…? Spectacularly suspended from a complex amalgamation of cables – 10 miles of them – and a staggering number of pulleys, this sensual motorized art piece undulates with luminous shimmering facets high above the scene.
Mobiles – art suspended – add magic to an interior. The penetrating of the space, the pleasant intrusion paired with beauty and grace, movement and fantasy – the perfect contribution, by design.
The Nebula Undulates in Interior Space
Refresh Your Interiors – Eco-style
The Color, GREEN – we associate it with nature’s renewal, growth, promise…it’s fresh, clean and a signature of the environmentally conscientious. In the design world the Eco-style is connecting the inside with the out-of-doors…bringing the green inside with fabulous decorative accessories to refresh your interiors. As we leave January and move through February looking toward March and the promise of springtime’s rejuvenation we long for the sight of green. So to incorporate it into your interior environment here are some ideas.
These delicate hand-blown glass vessels come in a variety of shapes and sizes and make wonderful clusters of color empty or with the added boost using flower stems – only one per each for the lighter, simpler look or bunches of baby’s breath perhaps – delicately drooping tulips or little sticks of near-budding branches from your yard. You decide – they are pocked with bubbles that signify the blown glass method and are translucent with shades of dark to chartreuse green shades – simply wonderful!
As bulbs begin to sprout and trees hint of buds…inside our homes we have the opportunity to push it along a bit. Bring home a pot of tulips or daffodils. Fresh is best – like bowls of artichokes as a centerpiece or feature on your countertop, maybe green apples or pears in a bowl made from renewable bamboo, but if that is not practical we have remarkably real-looking faux fruit to use for the suggested effect – that have an indefinite shelf life! Our faux branches are a hit too as a bouquet for your entryway or table dressing.
Window Treatments: Folk-artsy Fun With Painted Glass Panes
Window Treatments: Folk-artsy Fun With Painted Glass Panes
Scrape it off if you don’t like it. Sounds like mayo on a sandwich. If it’s not all about privacy… and if it is, use more paint…as shown here with a classic white French door with a few panes painted for fun! If you call in a window fashion consultant do you really think that there might be an occasion when they would say “you don’t need anything on these windows!?” I don’t think so.
I always ask, “Do you want window dressings for privacy, light control or decorative purposes?” And I usually ask each one independently waiting for an answer to each stage of that question. It makes people think. It gives me more information.
The La Fonda Hotel in Santa Fe presents an historic example of the decorative painting on French door glass panes. Folk-artsy and colorful they draw a lot of attention and spark a lot of creative juices. Often mimicked as we did here, this treatment is not intended for privacy and rather than light control, it plays off of the light passing through the translucence of the paints for a luminous effect. Not unlike stained glass.
But from those hideous vertical blinds to the myriad variations on mini and maxi blinds, wood or aluminum, pleated shades, up down and all around, open cell, honey-combed, plantation shutters, – there are many treatments that have come on the scene after conventional curtains or the more formal draperies.
I like perforated shades. They are less obtrusive and the degree of privacy can be achieved with percentages of “perf” and color used. Day versus night paired with color and perf offer different degrees of effectiveness too.
Formal draperies still rule and the lesser, shorter curtains have their place. Valances, cornice boards, swags and bishops sleeves…the treatments are many. Do you puddle or hold short? Wood or iron? Sheers or not?
Let the light in and consider this translucent paint on glass – it can be formal or whimsical – try it – you can always scrape it off!!!
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!
Beach Vendors Offer Colorful Treats from the Tropics
The dark-skinned vendors gather on the beach roasting day after day surrounded by the relentless sun reflecting both off the glittering sea water and the warm granular sand. No sunscreen bottles in evidence here. Some have tables to display their wares and others continuously stroll carrying a variety of offerings. It is fun to see the colors, clothing, house wares, jewelry and other handcrafts. Some are locally fabricated and others come from different regions of Mexico while other items arrive from across the planet from places like Indonesia and China. It’s interesting what sells. It’s interesting what people will buy and why – and the vendors know.
Some feign a lack of English while others genuinely do not speak the language and try very hard to negotiate their business with their prospective customers. Some boldly call out in perfect English and even assist their compatriots to communicate as required to help close a deal.
It is partly friendly and partly competitive. It seems tireless the way they repeat their mantras and vocal sales pitches – and their personalities read through the crush of it all. A really nice young guy took a second glance at me yesterday and said “Hey” in a way that suggested that he recognized me. I didn’t get the connection at first, but a little later when we passed again, he stopped and said “I remember you from the cuchillos.” I tried not to look blank as my mind struggled to race through my memories to recall about what he must be referring. I smiled and said “Oh yes.” He continued to chat asking me how I had been and I returned the inquiry. And as we visited with small talk it hit me “cuhillos” from last year when this really nice young man assisted me in locating the woman who sold the hand-carved wooden spoons! He reminded me his name when I asked and of course it was all coming back to me – Benjamin! He was not trying to sell me anything – how rare among these myriad vendors along the beach – rather, he genuinely enjoyed making the connection and just wanted to say “Hi, how have you been?” We then discussed that the wood carvers were not on the beach this year – the wood was getting increasingly hard to obtain – that was part of the difficulty last year. We talked about the fact that he marketed woven wrist bands that he made himself sporting NFL teams and people’s names – colorful and fun to watch him and other vendors weave with thread as you witnessed the designs and letters materialize. But he knew without questioning that I was not in the market for this handcraft. While others will even approach me with henna tattoo presentations – “thank you, no” – but you can’t blame them for trying – you never know, I might get a wild hair after a few shots!
This year it was about the straw basket vendor. A towering guy encircled with a variety of colorful baskets, handbags and hats, he balanced this extraordinary collection about his person and was a fantastic sight to behold. I was enchanted with the colors and fine workmanship. I particularly focused on the smaller sized handbags – entirely of colored straw without metal or plastic detailing like some sported – these were purely organic and quite lovely. I selected colors that I preferred and he returned the next day with the perfect collection to fill my order. His family makes them and he is their salesman “on the road.” I bought 10 and will be bringing them back to the shop for another treat from the tropics!
