Thinking ahead to some romantic cool fall nights by the fire- treat yourself to some much deserved luxury! Herringbone Cashemer Throw, $470, by Hugo Boss, available at Bloomingdale’s, Velvet Robe, by Kumi Kookoon, La Ligne De Chanel Professional Eyeliner Duo, Noir-Lame (for that sexy, smokey eye), $45, from Chanel, Mens’ Beveled Polished Black Carbide Ring, $169, from Tungsten (makes a great gift for him!).
My latest purchase of a hardcover design book was “Black and White (and a Bit in Between): Timeless Interiors, Dramatic Accents, and Stylish Collections” by Celerie Kemble. I highly recommend it for your reference library. It’s full of beautiful inspirational photos and useful design information and resources. There are countless ways to combine black and white in your home interior and Ms. Kemble surely deliveries with this book which focuses on the classic color palette.
This black licorice cake is one of my favorite cakes. I thought it was so creative to use the string licorice to make bows. Wendy Kromer, a Contributing Editor for Martha Stewart Weddings, made this cake. Wendy has made hundreds of cakes for Martha Stewart Weddings magazine, many of which you can see collected in her book she co-authored with Martha called “Martha Stewart’s Wedding Cakes”. I had the pleasure to work with Wendy while I was an editor at Martha Stewart Weddings. She is so genuinely kind, so talented and loves what she does. She also opened … Read more
I love calligraphy. I use calligraphed cards for dinners and parties whenever I can. I usually call on one of the best in the country to do my calligraphy… Gail Brill of Gail Brill Design. Gail has beautiful scripts and handwriting and most importantly Gail is very consistent with her lettering. I would always use Gail if I needed calligraphy on a photo shoot because I knew it would be perfect and all her letters would be consistent. Consistency is so important when you are lining calligraphed seating cards together in alphabetical order for a wedding or a party. … Read more
This beautiful photograph is by Scotch Macaskill, a photojournalist and editor living in South Africa. His wildlife photography is amazing. A few of his photos he has posted using a slow shutter speed look like paintings. Scotch (his real name is Andrew) shares details about the cameras, lenses and shutter speeds he uses. Are black and white colors? That seems to be a debated subject. Here’s a site that goes through different theories. It’s an interesting short read. www.colormatters.com.
Broomfield Pendant, Large, $1,870, by Ralph Lauren, from Circa Lighing, Symphonie Cabinet Knob, Dark Bronze with Sienna Leather, by Schaub, $75.65, available thru Amazon, No. E700 combination 4 chair in fabric L1144, from Baker, Vintage Rand Mcnally Road Map, $32.99, from Etsy shop, pocketfullofheriloom (would be great to frame pages from this old map…since we had a deer illustration this week from The Barn restaurant, I thought I’d include it in our shopping), Captain’s Mirror with Dark Mulled Leather Frame, lined with wood and with machined bronze hanging puck, available in 20″ or 28″ diameter, from BDDW, Halo Peacock Rug by Mitchell … Read more
Interior designer, Darryl Carter, teamed up with Benjamin Moore Paints to create Darryl Carter Colors by Benjamin Moore. The paints start with DC-1 and go to DC-24. Darryl Carter frequently is featured in the major shelter magazines and has his own decorating books called “The New Traditional” and a new book launching this October titled “The Collected Home: Rooms with Style, Grace and History”. Both are available to buy and pre-order on Amazon. I wanted to include this paint collection in this week’s color palette of white, neutrals and browns because Darryl is an expert on these neutral … Read more
How great is this logo and simple packaging from Sea + Cane Sweets? But better yet is how good these sweets are. I ordered some sea salt caramels from them and WOW! -amazing. I bought their sea salt caramel trio- dark chocolate, classic and yes…..cabernet sauvignon! I love, love, love sea salt with sweets. I add sea salt to my s’mores! These caramels would make wonderful favors at your wedding or party or as a great housewarming gift. Other interesting products they offer…. their ‘chocolate salami’ that you see in the picture hanging from string and ‘hot chocolate spoons’. This … Read more
I found these metal hanging labels that make great placecard holders for a rustic, casual table setting. Cream card stock cut down to size with each guests’ name and leather lacing tied through the hole finish it off. (These would be perfect in conjunction with the menu card on a wooden clip board for the table that I featured yesterday from “The Barn” restaurant-see photo below via &SMITH) SOURCES: Set of 12 metal hanging label holders, $18, from Ballard Designs, Linen Napkin, $22, from The Product Gallery/ Little Blue Dish Shop, Leather Lacing, from S & S … Read more
I’ve had this photo on my inspiration board for months now so I thought I should include it in a color palette. While searching the internet one day I came across this design firm called &SMITH based in London. I love the print design they did for a restaurant called “The Barn” at Coworth Park in England. I also liked that they put the menu on an old fashioned clip board- a great idea too for a wedding or party to display a table name, number or the dinner menu. The details they did like the sign, illustrations and … Read more
