Dec 21

Red or Green or CHRISTMAS?

By pattisays In DIY design, food and interior design, travel and design /  

As all New Mexicans and even those who frequent our Land of Enchantment and crave our cuisine know, the question is “Red, Green or Christmas?” Of course this refers to your choice of chile, THE traditional condiment and basis for nearly all savory New Mexican flavor combinations. We regard this flavorful staple from the earth to be quintessential in our Slow Food repertoire. The Red, the dried pods often found hanging as ristras from porticos and by front doors are a familiar site, are ground into powder or boiled and reconstituted to create the rich velvety or course (strained or not strained) salsa flavored with garlic and oregano for a rich, warm accompaniment or main ingredient to many dishes. The Green, the ripe chiles are used for a variety of things – but as a condiment (red or green) they are roasted and peeled, chopped and boiled resulting in a luscious salsa verde infused into or slathered on a variety of dishes. Hence, red or green and if you love them both, you’ll say “Christmas for me” which is the popular request at any time of year for a combination of the two!
As the days are their shortest, and the farolitos/luminarios are lining the streets, houses and buildings, pinon fires burn releasing a smoky scent into the night air and friends gather for a bowl of posole (red or green for you?), tamales served steaming and libations of good cheer – we celebrate Christmas and the coming and promise of the New Year.
Debbie Paisner brought us a new piece to display at the gallery called “Red or Green – I’ll take Christmas.” This delicious study of steamy enchiladas pays homage to this traditional fare in a beautifully rendered oil painting. Thanks Debbie for your ever enchanting scenes of New Mexico!

Red or Green - I'll Take Christmas!

Delicious oil painting by Debbie Paisner $575.00

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Dec 18

Let There Be Light

By pattisays In design, design trends, DIY design, interior design, seasonal interior design /  

Ho Ho Ho one week until Christmas – are you decked for the holidays? Light up your life!! The bonus of shorter days this time of years is the dazzle and pop of twinkly lights! Everyone customarily puts some version in their front yard – whether you choose the white lights or the multi-colored the festive illumination is magical – but have you ever considered putting them in the back of your home too? Often our evenings are spent oriented to the back of the house – adding lights out there brings dimension and delight to your evenings! Leave them up all winter – who wrote these rules?
Think green! Did you know that LED lights are now available at most major retail and warehouse stores? They use 90 percent less energy than conventional holiday lights, and can save you up to $50 on your energy bills during the holiday season!
My dear friend Beth gave me fabulous branches of twinkly lights that are definitely being added to my repertoire. Not just limited to the holidays, these delicate branches have tiny low-voltage lights that will add a twinkle to any scene. They can be embellished with additional greenery, foil, balls – whatever to fill the vessel if clear or equally handsome springing forth from a rustic pottery urn or slick ceramic piece. Come summer, I will mix them with deciduous greenery for a different seasonal sparkle!! We will be carrying these in the shop so watch for them on our website under “new products.”
Adding large format white lights deep inside your Christmas tree brings detail and depth to your tree. Whether you use small white lights or large colored lights by adding large white lights in by the trunk, the tree has greater presence and form.
Let there be light!!!

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Dec 13

Personal Design Expression for the Holidays

By pattisays In design, design trends, DIY design, food and interior design, nostalgia and design, seasonal interior design /  

Maybe it’s just me…because I know many in the design field who go whole hog for the holidays and any seasonal change for that matter. I however seem to do minimal personal modifications for these landmark opportunities of design statements in the home.
We’re in the fast lane and that might be part of it. Not having time to devote to such luxuries as removing a layer of life to make room for the seasonal layer of ornamentation – might be part of it -only to replace and re-do a month later…Or is it the busman’s holiday? Not so for some in my profession, but for me, I don’t focus on modifying my personal environment with the enthusiasm and objectivity – if not subjectivity that I do for my clients when it comes to holiday décor.
Retain my services to define your personal holiday statement and I can conjure up magnificent expressions for anything from starry nights of theatrical lighting, glitz and bling, pyrotechnics for New Years and /or the 4th of July all the way to pastel eggs and draping bouquets of French tulips as Easter approaches and Spring subtly announces itself. Don’t invite the idea of livestock into your request, as full manger scenes and pens of bunnies being corralled (try that) by a man-sized person in a costume assuming the Easter bunny role – is not out of the question – it can be over the top and very much fun!
Perhaps it’s because I am “on” so much of the time. And as much as I LOVE the challenges of design, coming home is a quiet time – a place to renew and not to be so “on” that I need to go over the top. My canvas is all over the place in other people’s environments whereas yours might be exclusively your home – so paint it festive – decorate it dazzling for the holidays and the seasonal shifts that offer so much opportunity in the way of personal expression.
In recent years, I hate to admit, I have even given myself a bi on the exercise of putting up a tree when I know that we will be away for the actual Christmas day festivities or that we are not indulging the kids as they might be out-of-town…on those years a big poinsettia from Costo fits the bill. Seriously…that sounds terrible – but a big red poinsettia can make quite a statement – that with the wreaths on the front doors, white lights on the shrubbery and a token bouquet of red flowers in the vases…put on the Christmas music the entire month of December – Voila!
“Bah Humbug” you say. Yet, the satisfaction – the genuine pleasure derived can vary among people. Ok, this year I wrapped garland around the banister with bows and lights – that’s when I pull out the stops…but this year is different. We are here from the “almost” front of the month through Christmas without interruption – often we find ourselves leaving for two weeks and arriving back in time to screech into Christmas with no holds barred, frantically getting Christmas cards out (no doubt with a photos having been taken elsewhere on the 15th or 18th or 22nd of the month), wrapping packages and throwing them at the post office counter, paying a premium for expedited delivery, or not, in the nick of time – or maybe after Christmas – why not milk the fun for longer if possible? Sometimes I have actually been in the position of questioning a dual purpose Christmas card and Valentine greeting in one fell swoop!
“When do you bake cookies?” you say. Well, my grandmother, Dee Dee was the queen of cookie baking and as I said in this very blog as we approached Thanksgiving, my cousin has taken the lead in that department – I enjoy eating others’ confections – but time to bake cookies? Hello?
The Renaissance woman, the Anjolie (Did I spell that correctly? Well, you the reader either know the reference or you don’t.) model who can do it all…Really? I consider myself busy most days. I know we all pick our priorities and we often saddle ourselves with onerous projects that further impede our ability to function evenly at a comfortable pace – but do what you like and do what you can and splash some red and green about with the accents of your personal choice – shimmers of silver and gold – rich brilliance of jewel toned amethyst, topaz, garnet, emerald and sapphire – boil some cinnamon sticks or evergreen cuttings on the stove in lieu of baking or erecting a live tree for hours…define your holiday environment – enjoy – mix a Manhattan – Cheers!

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Dec 10

Awaken the Neutral Schemes with Color!

By pattisays In art and interior design, color and temperature re: interior design, design, design trends, DIY design, furniture finds, interior design /  


I LOVE this statement…”The craving for color is a natural necessity just as for water and fire.” Fernand Léger – Pantone just posted this quote and it comes on the heels of two very coincidental client meetings that I had today.

One began early with discussions about an ongoing project in a newly transformed contemporary interior carved out of a rather ordinary traditional tract-style home. Big points go to the client, who in this case, knows what she wants and has a great eye for design and finding what she knows will make her happy. The basis however, is NOT about color, it is all about neutrals. We have designed a scheme specifically tailored to her requirements that is calm and serene, edgy and crisp, balanced with interesting fabrics for texture against the otherwise smooth hard elements of glass, wood flooring, painted walls and chrome accents -yet neutral (per her) thus far.

We discussed a possible painting that will bring bold color and from which accents will be derived. But even with that intention, it seems unlikely or unwanted that a boldly colored fabric be used on the upcoming chrome-framed bench along the dark chocolate coffee table, framed with brushed nickel of some metal inlay and framework, and across from the slightly iridescent simple cross-weave fabric on the custom settee with an open back up against the new, low to nearly the floor, uninterrupted fixed glass picture window. “Why?” you ask. Because the idea of the neutral is so her and the option to accent on the whim of a mood or change of the seasons suits her spontaneous tendencies.

So, accent pillows that can be tossed on the settee in any manner of color, pattern and texture, or as bold fuchsia orchid now sits in the center of the round glass dining table surface, a future woven throw draped as an accent – this is the way that the starved for color room will receive it’s lifeblood of color – like the “natural necessity just as for water and fire.”

The second meeting today that coincided with the theme of this observation was a humorous comment about a brilliantly colored open-weave Brazilian lace camisole that I was wearing today about which my client chided me – “I love what you’re wearing – must be the inspiration for the colors in our bedroom.” To which his wife smiled and chuckled because her desires for soft, restful colors of pastel to neutral have been decidedly expressed. The idea of bright, bold colors is in diametric opposition to her vision. Yet, with that in mind, her prized possession in her room is a boldly colorful and incredibly realistic oil painting of a larger than life bouquet of flowers screaming of hot pinks, blues and chartreuse (photo below is NOT that painting – but an illustration of another bold piece of white roses by Federico Leon de la Vega inserted into a neutral scheme) – like the “natural necessity just as for water and fire.”

It seems that even the most determined people wishing to create an interior environment of neutral colors and softer tones crave the undeniable exhilarating punctuation of bold colors. The calm must be awakened with the life affirming inclusion of color!PD Federico, Beth's roses 083

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Dec 04

Take time to Pause

By pattisays In aging in place design, context of interior design, design, design trends, DIY design, furniture finds, interior design, nostalgia and design, recycle /  

Knowing when it’s your time to grow up and have an adult interior…I’ve asked myself that and have had many clients voice that same desire. We get so caught-up with life and its daily priorities that designing a personal, comfortable interior takes a back seat.
What defines you as an image (that maybe not many outside your inner circle will ever see) and at the same time makes you feel connected and comfortable? Looking at what you have and deciding what actually pleases you is a focused effort.
To be able to get rid of things that are either extraneous or bothersome, unpleasant or annoying will take time to pause…time to pause and study your environment…time to pause and evaluate your things…take time to pause and think about how you live or want to live…time to pause and make the conscious decision to change things.
Start with stepping back and looking at your interior world. Have you accumulated things that do not mean much if anything to you? “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure”. DONATE!! Truly, if you have spent any time in Goodwill, consignment shops or thrift stores you will acknowledge that you can find treasures that to your way of thinking are just that and to the one who sent them there only see disposable items. But for the good of the re-cycling cycle – it’s quite good.
So take a moment to evaluate your space…see what makes you happy and what might be dragging you down. Cull…weed out that which is not important, or worse – that which makes you unhappy. It will be a revealing if not exhilarating experience. Try it. Happy Holiday season – give to those places that know best how to re-cycle your less important accessories for the good of you and the whole.

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