interior inspiration: modern farmhouse

 these two images have been on my mind often recently. i find myself referring back to them- each an utterance of a modern farmhouse. the rusticity i find myself craving; a bit of provencal, the handmade and folk blended seamlessly into a refined, sophisticated decor. well edited, each extracts the essential primitive simplicity of tools, furniture and wood while making parings, such as the lucite chair with the ruddy black desk that do not allow the look to slip into the dowdy or dated but be enveloped by utilitarian beauty. what do you think of these two spaces? 

both images via design*sponge sneak peek; heather chontos. sara bedford&alan hill 

flowers for friday

 happy friday everyone. i spent the earliest part of wednesday at the san francisco flower market, a must if you are in town or if you ever visit. the anemone this time of year are absolutely gorgeous & locally grown so i couldnt resist picking up a few bunches - i love the contrast of their dark centers with aged silver and pewter vases.... i wish they had had a little more time to open but alas...

still lovely i think and i adore how all the colors look mixed together. 

simon pearce

vermont has a very special place in my heart. as a child i spent many vacations exploring its woods and experiencing its landscape. i spent winters there learning to ski and to love the crisp cold sound of snow underfoot. eventually i attended college there and lived some of the most important years of my life. 


vermont is a state unlike any other, handmade has always been and remains a way of life. hard work, creative thinking & kindness are the most valued traits a person can possess. when i am an old woman i hope to own a little piece of land with a brook running though the back in a sweet little town somewhere in the state. there i will master the art of fly fishing, raise bees and grow things from the earth....

as a child i have vivid memories of visiting the studios of Simon Pearce. the pottery and glass blowing were equally captivating. the studio sits in a mill at the crest of a huge falls on the Ottauquechee River. through a maze of things i could never touch and down into the belly was where the demonstrations happened. so vivild is this experience etched into my mind i can still feel the heat of those fires on my face. 

it is a beautiful company with an inspired history. i was thumbing through their catalogue last evening and couldnt help but share some of their work - 
brookfield nesting bowls; hartland candlesticks; corinth thistle vase; barre serving bowls. 

wine list wednesday

humm... so not a drop of wine this past week ... so i thought perhaps i would share one of my favorite local beverages : anchor steam liberty ale. its perfect to usher in the warm summer days.

anchor brewing company makes all of their beers much the same way as they did 100 years ago - using simple and traditional brewing methods they create a truly delicious selection of beers. 


anchor liberty ale has a crisp slightly lemony flavor, pale amber color and delightful little bubbles. it really does pair quite well with a summer evening .....oooo & perhaps some homemade guacamole 

zola collection

i recently released a new collection: the zola collection. its full of texture, patterns hints of spice and the exotic but i wanted to share some of my inspiration behind this collection. 


"Zola" is for emile zola the author of the Ladies Paradise: its really a wonderful novel about the opening of the first department store in paris -


- the fabric that i used to upholster this chair  - the choice seemed to expose me to an entirely new perspective one filled with the possibility of pattern and the interplay it could have not only with basics like whites and linen but with other patterns too - and i began to see it everywhere - patterns that you would not normally expect to see  together suddenly seemed to make sense and create deep layers one upon the other. the fabric can be seen in the photo below - 

i also began to notice beautiful baskets on many of my thrifting trips. lovely organic shapes, textures and all with different patterns

the final inspiration came when i revisited a project i has started a while ago and never quite finished. with the addition of some other lovely textured heavy tapestry type fabric i finally finished my project