The Phillippe Starck Louis Ghost Chair is everywhere. From weddings to kitchens and offices, modern interiors, waiting rooms, open air lofts and teeny tiny studios. Clearly, (haha, no pun intended) this chair has a serious reputation. It provides seating while remaining visually light, classy, sophisticated, modern and practically invisible. The MoMA sells it. Enough said.

We recently made a GIGANTIC move all the way from New Hampshire to California for my husband's new job. I had to completely rethink everything I owned. Moving from a four bedroom home to a 1+ bedroom apartment has been easy it's obvious challenges!! Not to mention the actual act of dragging your $#!^ across the entire country makes the whole "do I really need this?" a real, daunting and painful process. Gone were my six couches, my ten person farmhouse dining room table, china, pillows, (oh my god, the pillows) my painted furniture--ok, basically everything besides our king size bed (we agreed we would make that sucker fit no matter what) and my Grandmother's hope chest.

While our new apartment is not small by anyone's standards who actually lives in a small apartment--it took some planning to create a space that was not overwhelmed by our "stuff". In comes the Louis Ghost Chair. I purchased two on a complete whim, not knowing if I could ever make them work with the man couch and the gritty, worn, warm feel I always go back to. Well, I love them. They literally do dissappear and only come to sight when you want to look at them to appreciate how quietly they just sit there. As you can see, I roughed mine up with a vintage Imperial globe and my books stacked bindings to the wall so as to not create a visual mess with the varied colors.

It all made sense it last night when a friend who stands well over six-feet tall took a seat, and another friend remarked, "That's creepy! You can't even see the chair!". Well played. My Ghost Chair is not dissapointing.

as a nod to fall, here is a colorful recipe containing gamelli. you could subsitute the pasta for brown rice. it looks pretty and tastes amazing.

start with boiling a half box of gamelli or other pasta of your choice until al dente.

strain, add to bowl and mix with a half of container of feta and 1/4 bottle of Brianna's French Vinagarette dressing.

refrigerate for about a half hour or so to cool.

in the mean time, strain a half jar of mandarin orange slices.

using a large bowl, start layering your salad. add half of the cooled, dressed gamelli with feta, a layer of baby spinach, a layer of mixed greens, 1/4 cup of sliced almonds, 1/4 cup of craisins.

next, add the remaining gamelli, a layer of baby spinach, a layer of mixed greens, 1/4 cup sliced almonds, 1/4 craisins, mandarin orange slices, and top with remaining feta.

refrigerate until ready to serve, and serve with chilled vinagarette. your favorite warmed bread would be a welcomed side. enjoy!

ingredients:

1/2 box (1 lb) gamelli cooked al dente

4 oz crumbled feta, divided

1/2 jar (20 oz) mandarin oranges

1/2 cup sliced almonds, divided

1/2 cup craisins, divided

1/2 package (7 oz) baby spinach

1/2 package (7 oz) mixed greens

1 bottle french vinagarette dressing, divided

directions:

boil a half box of gamelli or other pasta of your choice until al dente. strain, add to bowl and mix with a half of container of feta and 1/4 bottle of Brianna's French Vinagarette dressing. refrigerate for about a half hour or so to cool. strain a half jar mandarin orange slices. using a large bowl, layering your salad as follows: half of the cooled, dressed gamelli & feta, a layer of baby spinach, a layer of mixed greens, 1/4 cup of slivered almonds, 1/4 craisins. add the remaining gamelli, a layer of baby spinach, a layer of mixed greens, 1/4 cup sliced almonds, 1/4 craisins, mandarin orange slices, and top with remaining feta. refrigerate until ready to serve, and serve with chilled vinagarette. enjoy!

in honor of national breast cancer awareness month, here is an ecclectic mix of interiors and pink touches for your home. click on images for links to purchase. don't forget to pick up your pink ribbon and wear your support.

a total bohemian lounge, found here, certainly evokes the feminine quality of pink without being in your face.

get the look:

i would scour thrift shops and the flea market to complete the look. vintage prints are everywhere, and people practically give books away. the bohemian look is about layers, multi-pattern schemes, and comfort.

the 14 year old girl in me would love this room. it's missing something over the bed, but it's close to perfect.

get the look:

for paint, try Quiet Home's Peony and Slipper (a zero voc paint and Portsmouth, NH based company). again, hit the thrift stores for vintage suitcases and phone. for the lanterns, TJ Maxx usually has them or look on etsy for some unique ones. i found those cute pinwheels on etsy and i would string them into a garland and hang over the bed.

this room is just asking for a girls brunch complete with strawberry mimosas (see recipe below)

get the look:

 the chairs are great (a set of six on etsy). i would update them with a coat of white paint and some rough sanding to expose some of the wood. for the rug, any sisal/jute rug would do. add a bunch of white blooms and maybe a few green plants. i would add some gauzy type curtains and maybe even use two pairs and aternate panels. i am not really a big fan of the light, but i am stumped as to what i would rather see there.

suggestions?

here's the mimosa recipe:

• 3/4 cup packed fresh basil leaves
• Juice from 2 large lemons (about 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice)
• 1/2 cup agave or honey
• 8 medium fresh or frozen strawberries, thawed and sliced
• One 750ml bottle Prosecco, chilled
• 1/2 cup soda water or sparkling water, chilled

Combine the basil, lemon juice and agave in a pitcher. Using a wooden spoon, lightly crush the basil. Stir in the strawberries, Prosecco and soda water. Pour into chilled champagne glasses and serve.

it wouldn't be as exciting without some befores...and when i say befores...

what's the matter? don't see the potential?! 

oh hey Kevin! here is the future Executive Chef of the cafe, Kevin, looking a liiiiittle bit scared...everyone looked a little bit scared...

my plan of attack:

paint--LOTS of paint

new flooring

new ceiling tiles

lighting

demo bathrooms

furnishings

accessories

here are my pinterest inspiration boards: CAFE

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coming to life... 

please note not all spaces were entirely complete at the time of photos, but hey, this is real life! hope you enjoyed this photo story. keep an eye out for professional photos coming eventually (we all know i am no photographer!). please feel free to ask any questions about sources, etc...

*General Contractor for the project was KRD Builders, Amherst, NH 

when we decided to do engagement photos, we both kind of chuckled---this isn't really like "us"; to capture personal moments to ultimately share felt a bit awkward. i wanted them to be artistic and have a vibe other than just our goofy faces. i wanted to find a photographer who's work captured me from an artist's point of view. while we know several extremely talented photographers, Boston based Dylan O'Dowd of DKO Photography was my choice. he is an unbelieveably gifted photographer/artist. he scouted out our locations, had the images in mind he wanted to capture and made short work of it. his images are alive and full of energy. lucky for us, he is also our wedding photographer. thank you, Dylan. you rock.

see DKO here:

flowers!

so we narrowed it down (for the most part!) to a mix of purples, greens, maybe whites, ivorys soft grays and a few other surprises...as anyone who reads my blog knows, i am obsessed with flowers and anything i find pretty and feminine...mix that with another creative, fashionisata, floral designing gal-Val= flower bliss!

Valerie at La Flora Couture sent me all these beautiful wedding inspiration boards... so imagine this: taking elements from all of these ideas to create my very own style. (i feel like #royalty!)

lavender will have it's own special place for all our guests to enjoy...

love the simplicity and the napkin detail

who says a barn setting isn't the most romantic, elegant place to throw a party?

succulents. especially love the napkin detail again...

La Flora Couture | Weddings & Events  

Visit them at With this Ring: Bridal Expo at:

Sky Meadow Country Club May 6 2012  

images via google

image

if i was a sexy blue eyed, design savvy man: i would be nate berkus. i often joke with my fiance that if i were a man, i would be the most stylish, blazer/khaki/skinny jean/cool hair/fab shoe wearing guy out there. which brings me to Nate B. if i were a man, i'd be him. 

nothing wrong with this view, nothing wrong at all. coming back to NH after a mini-vaca to this gorgeous beach on Anna Maria Island has got me thinking of all sorts of ways i can make a beach house my reality. in the mean time, i will decorate here so when the time comes, i will be ready!

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being a fan of a neutral pallette with pops of color (throw pillows, flowers, painted furniture....) i would opt for a fairly plain and clean vibe.

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how Dreamy!

it's been a while since i have shared a recipe, so here you go...

The Goddess

brown rice

1 carrot peeled & sliced

1 medium beet peeled & diced

1 small bunch broccoli cut small

1 large handful kale leaves

two 1/2 inch slices extra firm tofu drained & diced

goddess dressing  home made recipe

tamari or lightly salted almonds optional

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prepare rice according to package. using steamer basket, separate in half using foil. place beets on one side, carrots on the other. set timer for 10 minutes and begin steaming. turn to medium-low after three minutes. at five minutes, add tofu and broccoli on carrot side (to avoid turnng red). at two minutes add kale on top.

add rice to bowl and dress. add remaining ingredients and more dressing. top with almonds if you wish.

Enjoy!

get the real thing @ Life Alive an organic cafe in Lowell & Cambridge Massachusetts

via here

"We are a spirited, design-driven family of companies that creates enthusiasm through our timely and timeless lifestyle products and our caring commitment to people and process.

Our mission drives our business and our profitability feeds our mission." D&A

dash & albert....have you heard? unless you live under a rock and don't read design magazines/blogs, you may not have. i guess you could live in a house and just not read design magazines/blogs--but anyhow, these rugs rule. a cotton woven rug makes for an affordable, bold design element in any room. pair with neutral walls, soft florals and weathed leather...

they also sell a genius polypropylene indoor/outdoor rug for all of us dog lovers. check out their site, and fall in love with the stripes, plaids, and more.

dash and albert