Bedrooms…the tour continues

10 Friday Jun 2011

Tags

Tour of room #5, the bedrooms, of my “dream” house. Most of the images posted are rooms that I’ve admired and thought that IF we ever moved or built (which is highly unlikely) I would do this (fill in the blank with whatever great design idea I have observed).

I like our bed and bed linens but I would like to change the paint color in this room. It is currently painted a Martha Stewart “Tea” and it’s a little more green than I would like.

Close-up of left side of the bed.

Close up of right side. (Note to self, hide the lamp cord better).

This is the dresser/TV area of the room. As you can tell it’s a pretty small room, but we mostly just sleep here so it works.

In our house the master bedroom is the first room off the entry. I have thought this an advantage most of the time…as a light sleeper I could hear our boys come in during their teen years and knew if they had honored their curfew or not!

Board and batten walls, what’s not to love? (Image via House Beautiful)

I like the size of this room and the mix of periwinkle and apple green are very pretty.

I love the beams in this room. I also like the toile wallpaper but I know Hubby would draw the line there.

One of our 3 bedrooms serves as an office and the remaining bedroom is our guest room.

This conveys the current “feel” of our study, very masculine since Hubby spends weekdays there. (Image via Nate Berkus)

This is all I would need (space wise) in the study.

Back to comfy beds that guarantee sleep, right?

Love the painted floors and the old, chippy wicker hamper and the red and white.

Very nice. Sunny yellow paired with soothing blue, I feel relaxed already.

I hope to one day make room in the office for a day bed so that little Olivia (grand daughter #1) will have her very own bed when she visits grandma and grandpa.

Image via Content in a Cottage

This (above) youngsters’ room is very clever. Space saving too! Maybe this would be doable on one wall of our study.

Another built-in bed for some lucky child. (via)

I love the mountain feel to this room. (Image via House Beautiful)

http://brookegiannetti.typepad.com/velvet_and_linen/2010/07/our-bedroom-a-small-redo.html/

I love the ceiling in this room but more than that I love the bookcase. I could see swing arm lamps mounted inside the headboard area. It’s a very cool idea, don’t you think?

Wood paneled walls are always cozy but the push out windows above the bed seals the deal for me. Such a sun-filled room would certainly give anyone a good reason to wake up with a smile on their faces.

This is the beautiful, grown-up bedroom of the talented Brooke of Velvet and Linen. So very French!

I really like the neutral palate and the wood walls.

This would make a great teen room with the mantle for a headboard.

Is your bedroom inviting and a place where you can get the rest you need? Pleasant dreams.

How to keep fresh-cut flowers fresh

08 Wednesday Jun 2011

Posted by Karen B. in Entertaining, Flowers

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

Fresh-cut flowers, how-to

One of my favorite, relatively small, decorative touches is displaying fresh cut flowers in as many rooms as I possibly can.

Image via Brabourne Farms

This time of year (in most of North America) it is particularly easy to obtain beautiful flowers either from the garden or from the market or both.

via

Last Friday afternoon, Trader Joe’s had huge bundles of stocks, grouped by color, for only $3.99.

We were having dinner guests so I purchased the white bundle and by pairing it with my iceberg roses, ended up with flowers in 3 different rooms. One of our guests gave me a bouquet of simple white mums and hot pink daisies (which may have been dyed) so I ended up with 4 sizable bouquets. They make me smile when I enter the room.

To keep them looking fresh and to avoid the murky, mossy, smelly water that can quickly develop in a vase I had to do the following…

1) Cut the stems of all flowers on a slant with a very sharp knife or sharp pruning shears. Remove all leaves and foliage that will be below the water line in the vase, this foliage can increase the bacteria in the water once they (leaves) start to rot due to being submersed.

2) Every day, if at all possible (every other day if you’re really busy) take the bouquet to the kitchen sink and rinse the stems and replace the *water. On the 3^rd or 4^th day clip the ends of the stems to give them a fresh start for drinking the water.

via

*I have read that there are several things you can add to the water to prolong the life of the floral arrangement…I’ve tried most of these steps and find that fresh water daily works as well and/or better than any one of these: a drop of dish washing liquid; an aspirin; a copper penny; a drop of bleach; a packet of the preservative most bouquets come with; or 7-up…(we sometimes have an ant issue and I never want to tempt them by filling my flower vases with a sweet beverage).

via

Once you begin to lose a few blossoms, take the bouquet to the sink (if you have more than one vase of flowers this will be even easier) and remove the dead stems, rearrange and combine flowers from other bouquets until you have a pleasing arrangement. Voila! You’ll be so happy!

via

{The above images noted with via are from one of my favorite floral blog sites, Small Stump + Studio Choo. Click on the link below and be amazed!

Small Stump + Studio Choo is an art studio and online shop based in the wee coastal town of Pacifica, California. The online shop is stocked with a collection of art and woodwork created by owners Jill and Matt Rizzo and a few vintage goodies.

What are your favorite flowers? Do you keep fresh flowers in your home?

Pull up a chair, have a seat

06 Monday Jun 2011

Posted by Karen B. in Antiques, Collections & Accessories, Decorating

≈ 7 Comments

Tags

chairs

Chairs are common in homes today but it was only during the Renaissance period (early 16^th century) that the chair became a standard item of furniture for anyone who could afford to buy it.

This cozy setting is inviting and as an professed anglophile, I love the union jack rug. The chairs look plush and comfortable!

This Chelsea wing chair from Williams-Sonoma Home is beautiful. I believe the nails are silver plated and the legs are black {sigh}…alas, with dogs and a cat I don’t think I could manage to keep it white for very long.

I love the two French chairs along with the wicker chest. Cote de Texas

My dear friend Carla loves ♥ chairs. She admits it’s a weakness, I wouldn’t agree with her and you wouldn’t either if you saw how her chairs contribute to the design and comfort of her lovely home. This one’s for you Carla…

A Country Farmhouse (image (left) Tracery Interiors (image right)

The above chairs are two ends of a spectrum, the sweet, simple wooden chair in the garden with a lilac infused back drop and the French side chair in the raise-paneled entry. I love them both.

Most of us have particular tastes and likes where chair design is concerned and today, because I’m sitting in a chair, at my desk, trying to come up with a blog post idea, I’m going to share some chairs I really like…

Image Dan Carithers via(Veranda or Traditional Home, sorry, can’t remember which)

What I think is wonderful about interior design today is the chairs in Dan Carither’s living room (above) can just as comfortably serve in the kitchen (below) designed by the Atlanta designer.

Kitchen designed by Dan Carithers.

The chairs above could just as easily be comfortable in a living room or library as the dining room they adorn— Pamela Pierce designed room.

This is Randy Boyd’s fabulous dining room…love the toile chairs and nail head studs. More about Randy Boyd can be found HERE.

This is the Plantation Wing chair from Crate & Barrel…I could see this anywhere in the house, including a covered patio.

This is another Pamela Pierce design. Isn’t it pretty? It’s covered in linen, very comfortable and so suitable for French influenced design.

Love these wicker chairs which are sold at Pottery Barn or Cost Plus World Market. I would use them indoors or out.

Antique chairs via Veranda (a Saladino feature). They are probably not extremely comfortable but would add interest to an entry or flanking a dining room piece.

Light industrial with an appealing design going for it. Interested in buying? visit HERE

There is nothing quite like the French cafe chair. (Image via Brabourne Farm)

Food just tastes better served in a setting such as this.

Lastly…there’s the rocking chair. Whether indoors or outdoors, a rock is always soothing.

Do you have a favorite chair at home? Are you addicted to chairs?

I have a crush on Williams Sonoma

03 Friday Jun 2011

Posted by Karen B. in Collections & Accessories, Entertaining, Personal Information

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

Kitchen essentials

Can you have a crush on someone you’ve never met?

Chuck, as he’s called by his friends, started Williams-Sonoma in 1956 selling professional and restaurant quality kitchenwares for home use.

Since my post about kitchens was just day before yesterday, I thought I’d fill the kitchen with dream accessories while that part of the home is fresh on your mind. This post is for you my dear friend, Linda… a faithful reader of my ramblings and always comments

When I think of kitchens I think of food, and when I think of food I think of cooking…with All-Clad pans. It took me many years and many lousy pans to figure out that where pans are concerned you pretty much get what you pay for. All-Clad isn’t inexpensive but they are the last pans you’ll ever buy

Specifically with Williams-Sonoma accessories and gadgets that make your job of cooking easier, your kitchen look good, and are just so slick you are certain you “need” one of the _____________[fill in the blank].

I happened to pick this (grill pan) up during one of Williams-Sonoma’s All-Clad sales—I highly recommend it, it cooks meats almost better than the outdoor grill!

Charles E. Williams visited France in 1953 and fell in love with French kitchenware, especially copper cookware. Upon his return to America he settled in Sonoma, California and began importing French cookware.

This is my all time favorite knife…Wusthof Santoku knife and sharpener. It never looses its edge, in fact you have to be careful that you don’t slice your finger off!

Once he opened his store he made customer service a priority and along with a talent for savvy marketing, Williams-Sonoma became a destination. His first catalog was published sometime after he relocated his store to San Francisco in 1971…and the rest, as they say, is history.

I don’t personally own this set but I’ve always thought these would be a handy tool for prep work.

Since my kitchen is on the small side, especially where storing too many kitchen gadgets I try to stick to the necessities. Sometimes that presents a challenge when the new Williams-Sonoma catalog comes with it’s excellent images of hard to resist goodies.

These are my favorite towels…they have lasted for years before needing replacement.

These glasses have such an European flair…I love the look of them and the next time I have to replace glassware I’m hoping the Siena glasses are still available.

Son #1 and his lovely wife and my darling granddaughter bought this tablecloth for me for Mother’s Day…can’t wait to dine alfresco and use it on our patio table.

Aren’t these great…they are new to Williams-Sonoma and I know they would look so nice on the patio table this summer.

This is another new item at WS…It looks a little old to me and I think it would look great with fresh lemons and limes, what do you think?

Williams-Sonoma now carries a great selection of herbs and spices. I’ve heard that the Pure Maple Flakes are amazingly tasty.

I’ve heard from enthusiasts that a mandoline is essential, I don’t have one but I do like what it can do.

I know this probably seems like a “gadget” you can live without, and I’m certain you can but I must say, it’s one of my favorite things in the kitchen. If you like grilled sandwiches you will love a panini. I think you can prepare sandwiches that are a complete meal with this thing.

I’m going to finish with dessert—the Emile-Henry pie plate is one best pie plates ever. I’m hungry for cherry pie a’ la mode!

I promise I’m not a Williams-Sonoma spokesperson, although I’d certainly be open to an offer! I just happen to like the quality and variety they offer the home cook. Do you have a particular gadget that you can’t live without?

Kitchens…did you set up the coffee yet?

01 Wednesday Jun 2011

Posted by Karen B. in Entertaining

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

dream house

Image via House Beautiful – Windsor Smith designs

So as I continue to drag tour you through my dream house we come to the kitchen, possibly my favorite room of the house. Let me explain, before we get too far into our tour, I was fortunate enough to remodel my kitchen a 7 years ago and I’m happy to say I still love it.

These images (above) are of my kitchen. As you can tell, its a small but efficient kitchen...or wait, am I the efficient one? I’ll have to get back to you on that point.

That said, this dream house we’re touring is the house I’d live in if we all lived in the perfect world of Elizabeth Montgomery’s Samantha from Bewitched…we’d only have to twitch our nose and we could have anything we desired.

That might actually be a little dull after awhile but I’d give it a try for building a house, wouldn’t you?

When I peruse the wonderful World Wide Web site and visit blog site after blog site I find I’m always attracted to kitchens. My photo file, organized by room, is bulging with kitchen images.

I love the steel windows I’m starting to see in homes. The beams in this kitchen are a dream, along with the fixtures.

I confess I enjoy cooking and entertaining and I guess that is why I’m attracted to this room of all rooms in a house. Conversely, I don’t sleep very well and I can never find enough pictures of bedrooms…is there a connection?

I blogged about Atlanta designer, Dan Carithers, before HERE and I love his kitchen.

(Goodman Follow) You know how I love black in the kitchen and the white wall behind the cupboard sets this hutch apart (in my humble opinion) because it lightens the look of the piece. Love the pewter plates and cups/stemware.

The mirror makes this smallish kitchen look larger and it would be a nice addition if you have the wall space.

These two Jackye Lanham kitchens are so impressive. Visit her website for more beautiful rooms HERE

The one thing my kitchen doesn’t have (well maybe not just “one” thing) is an island. I have many friends that enjoy the convenience of an island. When you are preparing meals an island can be a great work horse spot.

(Image above via)

This kitchen was built in a toy factory in Los Angeles by designer Michelle Niday. I love the “living room” feel to it. She has art hanging on the living side of her island. For an open kitchen this one assimilates well with the living quarters.

(Image above via Los Angeles Times)

This kitchen is one of my favorites because it’s located in London. Hubby and I have often thought we’d love to live in London for a year or so.

(Image via Elle Decor – Tim Kemp)

Again with the beams! Small kitchens are often very efficient…just wish I had a walk in pantry to go with. 🙂

Image via tumblr

So this concludes our tour of kitchens, thank you ladies and gentlemen for joining me on this tour. Oh, and by the way, the title refers to the fact that because Hubby and I both enjoy our coffee first thing in the morning we set the coffee pot up the night before so that all we need to do is hit the start button in the morning. We used to have a coffee maker that had a set up timer but it died and the Braun we ‘re currently using makes a really good cup ‘o joe.

Do you dream of kitchens you’ve owned or would like to own? What features do you love most?

Entertaining recipes

30 Monday May 2011

Posted by Karen B. in Entertaining, Food, Misc, Simple Meals for the Avid Cook

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

Chicken recipe

I mentioned to you HERE that I would send you the recipe for the main course for my Birthday Group dinner. This recipe is originally from Bon Appetite magazine and can be found at Epicurious HERE for a simple to print copy.

Each time I prepare it I get rave reviews, doesn’t every hostess love that?! I prepare the chicken late in the day up to the last step of putting it in the oven (usually about 2 hours before guests arrive) and leave it covered with foil until I’m ready to pop it in the oven for its final bake. This allows me time to clean the stove of the splatters before the party begins. I make the sauce at that time and keep it on the back burner with a lid until I need to reheat it.

The recipe may be more of a cool weather recipe but I guarantee you it’s tasty. The sauce makes it especially good with rice or roasted potatoes.

Pistachio Crusted Chicken with

Mustard Cream Sauce

———————————————————————————————

Ingredients

1 cup shelled raw pistachios (about 4 ounces)
1/2 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
4 5-ounce skinless boneless chicken breast halves

2 tablespoons (about) vegetable

Preparation Instructions
Preheat oven to 400°F. Finely grind nuts in processor. Add panko and blend, using on/off turns. Transfer to shallow baking dish. Mix mustard, basil, dill and rosemary in medium bowl. Spread mustard mixture over both sides of each chicken breast. Dip chicken breasts into nut mixture, coating completely. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add 2 chicken breasts to skillet and cook until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to baking sheet. Remove any leftover nuts from skillet. Repeat with remaining 2 chicken breasts, adding more oil to skillet as necessary. Bake chicken until cooked through, about 7 minutes. Spoon Mustard-Cream Sauce over chicken and serve immediately.
Mustard Cream Sauce

Ingredients

1/2 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup chopped shallots
1 cup whipping cream
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill

Preparation Instructions

Boil white wine and shallots in heavy medium saucepan over high heat until liquid evaporates, about 4 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-high. Add whipping cream and simmer until reduced to 1 cup, about 2 minutes. Add Dijon mustard, basil and dill. Simmer 2 minutes to blend flavors. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper.

Bon Appetit. Have you cooked any simple but tasty recipes lately?

The joy of spring

27 Friday May 2011

Posted by Karen B. in Flowers, Gardening, Gardens, Outdoor living

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

my garden

I guess I’ve always loved spring…to be honest fall and spring is on equal footing for me. But spring, more than fall, is a favorite for so many reasons. 1) I love the Pacific Daylight Savings Time, which gives me time after work to work in the garden; 2) The garden is inspirational, even when it needs plenty of work, you can’t stop Mother Nature from doing her thing and in spring that means plants generally look good no matter what abuse they have endured over the winter; and 3) This season more than most holds promise of good things to come, new beginnings.

As I have mentioned, I’ve been working diligently in the garden to try to get it to look like I imagine it should…

Image via Content in a Cottage

This spring I’ve planted a few new (to me) plants in the garden and thought I’d show you pictures before I kill them or they rebel and turn ugly. Wait, that sounds too pessimistic, I just want to show you the pictures while they are fresh and new and putting their best blooms on.

Clematis Sunset Garden book states there are over 200 species available. The plant is deciduous here in sunny, Southern California, or at least the variety I purchased (I confess I can’t remember what it’s called…the tag was accidentally tossed). I found out about the Willow Obelisk Trellises HERE

Oriental Poppy papaver hybridum ‘Lavender Breadseed’ I found this plant thanks to Trouvais HERE. It is supposed to reseed easily and I love the benefit of that…buy 3 plants and over time end up with 30!

Daisy ‘Silver’ Double I think daisies are sweet and I enjoy them in certain table settings or as a simple spring/summer floral arrangement, but I ordinarily wouldn’t plant them, but this one reminded me a bit of a pincushion flower. I grow a lavender pincushion without a problem, but I’ve wanted a white pincushion for years now and when I finally saw one at Rogers Gardens for a mere $10 for a 1 gallon plant I splurged only to have it shrivel up and die 6 weeks later!

I really like shades of blue in the garden. Lobelia is a favorite and I found this columbine that had a trace of blue to it. I’ve planted some delphiniums which were pretty small so it may take them awhile.

Sweet Peas I purchased this armillary in Rosarito Beach, Mexico years ago. This year I planted some sweet pea seeds at its base and am happy to report that thanks to the unseasonably cool weather we’ve had this spring they are actually growing and there are a few blooms. (See, I can find a silver lining most any place!)

I talked about planting the wine box HERE. My dear friend Carla gave me the box and suggested herbs. I planted them last year and this year the chives have bloomed. I like the blooms as much as I like the ease of cutting a few chives when a recipe calls for it.

I didn’t take a picture of my hydrangea garden but the Endless Summer I planted it just about to pop. I’ll take pictures later.

What are you growing this spring…I know some of my blog friends in other parts of the country are blessed with peonies and lilacs, lucky you!

Your wish is my command

25 Wednesday May 2011

Posted by Karen B. in Gardens, Maintenance, Misc, Outdoor living, Renovating

≈ 8 Comments

Tags

renovating

Hubby and I have been married a very long time. I consider this a good thing and sometimes scary the way we will inadvertently dress alike without seeing the color shirt/blouse the other one is putting on; or thinking we’re hungry for the exact same thing once one of us has mentioned a menu option.

An example of our being in sync occurred recently and I thought I’d share the story with you…am I desperate for post ideas, or what?

A few weeks back I posted about a new storage container I was fond of…this was a surprise to me because I had fought the notion of having storage containers cluttering up my ever so small pantry for years. Anyway, I blogged about the OXO pop storage container HERE in part because I like to share information with my readers on products that are all they are advertised to be and then some, I’m generous that way.

Hubby read the post, which in and of itself pleases me no end. I can’t tell you how sweet I think it is that he takes time out of his busy day to read my ramblings, but I digress.

So, along comes Mother’s Day and he tells me he has a gift for me. I had asked that he give me my usual hand-picked pound of See’s candy and that was more than enough. Alas, he had my requested See’s and a large box which contains a set of OXO pop-up storage containers. I was a little concerned at first that our smallish pantry wouldn’t be able to accommodate the set but low and behold, we managed. Thank you sweetie, for being such a thoughtful guy.

This is the best (IMHO) and I keep my list of favorite specifics.

To that end I thought I’d blog about some other items on my wish list…hey this just might work!

Our back yard is in desperate need of new grass…specifically Marathon sod, with sprinklers. We have never put sprinklers in the back yard and have gotten by without them up until now. We sometimes travel in the warmer months and it would be wonderful to have auto timer sprinklers taking care of business while we’re gone.

Our guest bathroom is a fright. When we purchased the house 29 years ago the previous owner had installed chocolate brown Kohler tub, toilet and sink. Some time about 15 years ago the brown, much like a black car, showed every scratch and scrape that it had endured and we had a company come and coat the tub and sink with white enamel. We replaced the toilet. This lasted us until about 2 years ago…the coating has begun to chip…we now have a tub that resembles the Gateway computer box (except it’s brown and white) and the sink is brown (since the coating came off in nearly one piece there).

Finally, our patio set is from Costco and is made from “tropical hardwood” which is meant to look like teak and mostly does. It has grayed with age (something I like) and is well designed. Here is the catch, the chairs weigh a ton and will not slide on the concrete. No matter what we try, including fancy “guaranteed to slide” feet. So when we entertain al fresco we must warn our guests to move the chair in a certain way lest the chair collapse on them. *I forgot to mention the chairs have a couple of settings and can fold. So I would like to replace them with the Kooboo chair from Cost Plus. You can read about them in detail (and compare them to the Pottery Barn chair) HERE.

So, just in case we hit the lottery and you are looking for gift ideas, honey, here you go. {giggle}

A living room by any name

23 Monday May 2011

Posted by Karen B. in Decorating, Personal Information, Renovating

≈ 10 Comments

Tags

living room

As I continue to tour you around my dream house…code for showing my reader(s) rooms that I really like, I now enter the living room. The living room in recent years has been called the great room, the family room, the bonus room, the parlor and a few other terms.

I love the sunny, fresh feel of this living room. I’m not sure I could ever paint my wood floors white but I love the look.

Older homes usually have a living room space and a family room or den space. In Southern California the newer homes were designed with a “great room” instead of the 2 separate spaces traditionally carved out of the floor plan.

Image via Apartment Therapy. This is a small space but I love what they did with it and have always wanted brick wall.

Our home was built in 1968 and is a fairly smallish tract house. We originally had a living room and a family room and fortunately our family room was designed in such a way that it is adjacent to the kitchen as well as the fireplace.

This is our mantle…it looks like I was listing a little, sorry about that.

So as I explained HERE we switched the living room with the dining room and renamed the space “library” or reading room, since that is where I most often sit to read.

This used to be our living room…

This was our dining room

If I could make one change to my family room it would be to make it about 5 feet wider…since the wall we would push out (if that was even a possibility) has the fireplace on it that won’t be happening.

This is such an open and airy room with an amazing view. {Sarah’s Summer House, HGTV}

It’s a cozy room and I like it most of the time. I thoroughly enjoy the fireplace in the cooler months and we use the room daily.

Isn’t this gorgeous? I love the crisp, clean feel of the black and white.

Image via Traditional Home

One of my favorite accessories…a doggie!

Image via Tracery Interiors

I love this living room. It’s inviting and looks like it would be comfortable. Maybe that’s the advantage to keeping both a “living room” and a “family room”, there wouldn’t be a need for a television and you could arrange the furniture for comfortable conversation without concern that the chairs and sofa are facing an entertainment center.

Isn’t this clever, an over-mantle where no fireplace exists? I think this is a sweet vignette for the corner of a living room or family room or library.

Image via Michael Whaley

Paladin windows {sigh} Is there anything more to say?

I have always thought a day bed was something that would serve a library or study well…I mean doesn’t reading make you sleepy sometimes?

I hope you have enjoyed my tour of living spaces. What items do you feel are essential to the well dressed living / family room?

Nod to Bold Color

20 Friday May 2011

Posted by Karen B. in Decorating

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Bold Color

Easter Sunday Son #2 and his lovely girlfriend, Sarah, entertained both families by preparing a wonderful, festive feast of Honey Baked Ham, glazed carrots, roasted asparagus bundles and all the trimmings.

This was my first visit to Sarah’s home and I was thrilled to see her decorating style in person. Sarah and I (as well as her mother for that matter) share an interest in interior design. I knew that Sarah liked bold colors such as black and purple and was very interested in seeing how she used these colors. Unfortunately I forgot to grab my camera but I will tell you her home is stunning.

So that I could share this post with you all I searched for some rooms that reflect the colors above. As a fan of black it was easier for me to find images that use black but there were some fun images of purple that I’ve thrown in for fun. Enjoy!

I thought I’d start with a small beverage and treat before your tour begins…

Cupcakes from Planet-Cake bakery

Sarah’s kitchen is charcoal with a beautiful gray granite…I love the glass fronts on these cabinets and the steel bar stools.

This image from British House Beautiful isn’t anything like Sarah’s living room, but the wallpaper pattern reminds me a bit of the bold purple and black pattern Sarah used on a wall in her living room with great effect.