miles of red and Redd

Miles Redd

My last post got me thinking not only about Miles Redd but about red rooms and how I love them.

My own living room is Ralph Lauren riding coat red. And not as dusty as this picture looks!

Red rooms lend themselves to dim, golden light especially if the red has yellow/orange undertones.

This dining room appears to have a red that has blue/purple undertones and is not as pretty in my opinion.

This room in the palace at Versailles is proof that it is not a humble color.

The red room at the White House agrees.

In this Christmastime photo of the White House red room, it reads the orangey red I prefer.

It also seems really Christmas-y.

Syon House

I am in love with this living room and the lambrequins on the window.

The red works so nicely with blue and white and not a bit Christmas-y.

Fantasy Decorator

Now that football season has begun, I hear a great deal about folks' fantasy football team.

I am just not interested enough to play,  make it "fantasy decorator" and I am in!

Who would you choose among the well know designers to create a space for you?

Barbara Barry?

Celerie Kemble?

Suzanne Kasler?

Suzanne Rheinstein?

Tobi Fairley?

Charlotte Moss?

Kelly Wearstler?

Or Miles Redd?

I have left so many out.

The only designer represented twice is my choice.

Can you guess who it is?

Who is your fantasy pick, here or not?

hotels and househunting

While it is not a boutique hotel by any means, our longtime favorite for househunting trips is rather nice and affordable.

 The in-room decor is perhaps a bit trite but always super clean.

The staff perfectly professional and the cookies warm and delicious.

My only complaint is the bathroom countertops are the sort of granite that hides water in such a manner and position...

 that it tends to assault the midsection of the user in direct propotion to the rush that one is in.

We still don't have a house either.

Disclaimer: I totally stole/borrowed many images from the Hilton website out of admiration for their property and will gladly remove them upon request.

Perfectly round, perfect cookies

I have not posted anything yummy in awhile. Usually the first week of school I make a special treat or two

for my family. Last week I was going to lazily bake boxed brownies, when to my shock we were out of them.

Instead I made my sorta famous sugar cookies and I know, I know hydrogenated fats blah, blah, its delicious.

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

 1 teaspoon Kosher salt

1 cup butter flavor Crisco ( don't use generic, trust me)

 1 1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 large eggs

PREHEAT oven to 375 degrees F.

COMBINE flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter flavor Crisco, granulated sugar,  and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Scoop with a very small scoop onto ungreased baking sheets. Level the scoop with a knife or spatula for precise cookies that are evenly crisp and perfectly round.

BAKE for 11 to 15 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes or best on marble board.

The four of us finished the batch in an

embarrassingly short time.

Beloved oddities

Do you have any slightly bizarre possessions that would pain you--

 greatly-- to part with?

I do.

Lots of them, like the antique coffee grinder lamp (above) that belonged to my grandparents.

Its totally weird and it works as a grinder and lamp.

This Tibetan prayer wheel

and

"Sam" the Chinese Foo dog (he is made of coal).

They are part of my living room decor.

This quirky clutter makes it my own.

I change things around once in awhile

and

desperately need to edit much of it. (Somebody slap me)

I still like the fact that my curious collection provides an identity to my home that can't be copied from a catalogue.

What peculiar things do you own or admire in other people's houses?

Dovecote-- my visit

These fabulous beds from Dovecote in Ligonier, Pa were delivered moments ago. I certainly will need time to set them up in one of the fashions discussed earlier.

This post is about this wonderful shop that begs a visit, if you are in the area.

It is in a quaint town about 50 miles east of Pittsburgh, Pa.

This shop had a wonderful mix of old and new, all very artfully displayed. I talked with the shop co-owner April at length and wrote an article for Examiner about the shop.

April is a darling and boasts a long list of "comebacks" to the balking spouse.

"Oh you know what girl you married ."

and

"How about let's visit a furniture store with things like this and see the price for one of these new."

She goes on...

who needs an excuse for these?

or these?

L'oiseaux. Tres chic.

I might have to have this mirror. As you may notice, I was trying to squish myself out of the picture, unsucessfully.

Silly me.

Other people's wallpaper

I like wallpaper, I do. I just hate removing it. I have removed other people's wallpaper many times.

It seems to be a risky choice for the fickle.

When I recieved the sample book of Anna French wallpaper awhile back,

I nearly sent it back with an indignant note about not insulting my client's sensilbitlities or something.

It revived a memory or two

of 1972.

I think Anna French should stick to lace...

which appears to be quite lovely.