Blooms in San Francisco….where I’ve always left my heart.
Monthly Archives: February 2014
Winston Flowers
Today’s arrangement! Winston Flowers.
Flowers for my friends!
Flowers by David Brown
Click on the link below and enjoy all 16 beautiful floral arrangements that Architectural Digest compiled from the best flower shops in the country… just in time for Valentine’s Day. The best thing about these pictures is that you can enjoy them and they will never wilt!
11 Kitchen Facelifts
I love the combination of farmhouse chic with the formal chandeliers in this kitchen. Judith Taylor, Houzz contributor, offers 11 updating ideas from inexpensive incidentals that change the feel of a kitchen to resurfacing cabinets and changing out counter-tops. All of her suggestions are terrific and offer a variety of price point updates. Houzz also has architects, contractors, suppliers and fixtures available on their site for your research. I’ve included the link below to her article which features examples of all 11 of her suggestions.
Valentines Day at home!
Now I admit this particular table setting might be a bit formal… but Valentines Day is supposed to be a bit special for those we love. The reds and the pales greens of this table are just visually wonderful. The other table shots from House Beautiful are equally as colorful just not as formal. I happen to love the lavender setting “Pastels Aren’t Cliche” and the “Go Vibrant” setting. We’ve always included our kids on Valentines Day, after all they are our loves as well. So it’s nice to see examples of a large table set for that special evening. Nowadays our grown children don’t always want to spend that date with us…but maybe some day in the future! I’ll archive them for another time. And don’t forget the Kollar Chocolates! They are artisan masterpieces in their own right.
http://www.kollarchocolates.com/
Love this house…he’s visually attractive too!
Patrick and Jillian Dempsey’s Malibu living room. My favorite room in their Frank Gehry designed home is the kitchen of course….and then I love the outside dining area, swimming pool and gardens.
Winter Fatigue?
After reading Alison’s article for Houzz, I remembered that comfort really can be simplistically achieved. What I most enjoy about the Holidays is the beautiful lighting that the yard and house take on with the Christmas decorating. So this year I did keep the little outdoor lights in the garden over the the patio and each evening when I turn them on it warms the outside with just a twinkle. So when we sit down at the Family table to share the rigors of the day the time is brightened by those outside lights, relighting the warmth of memories when we all were together at the end of the year.
Her other 5 suggestions I also follow, she hit the nail on the head on these. Cleaning is always gratifying, once you have finished! I have to admit I start with an hour of reading for motivation as well. Couldn’t survive without a throw, so I have a few in the house. A good run in the rain clears the cobwebs. Lastly a nice cup of tea and a warm tub is always relaxing if we can steal away those moments without feeling guilty; they are reinvigorating. Downtime is as important as up-time. Its always been difficult for me to remember the healing qualities of stop and relax.
Below is the link to her article, the pictures she uses are wonderful, especially the tub!
Packing made easy!
This is great timeline, written by Anne Simpson, beginning 4 weeks out for a smooth, successful move. The only thing I would add would be to take a photo of whats in the box so you have a visual inventory. It’s not so easy to remember what is in all those boxes once they’ve been taped shut, they all look the same. If you have a photo to jog your memory it makes locating items that much easier. I named and numbered my boxes by room and then correlated them to the photos that I printed out and put in a folder. It makes remembering sooo much easier!
http://authenticsimplicity.net/2013/04/when-to-pack-what-when-moving-tips-for-the-diy-move/
Room to cook?
I love the size of this center island….only to be surpassed by all the surrounding counter space. Oh the messes I could make!
Designed by Jennifer Gilmer Kitchen and Bath for
Remodel or Sell in 2014?
Faced with low housing inventory, homeowners are choosing to remodel their existing homes in numbers that reached over $130 billion in 2013. As reported by Kris Hudson in the Wall St Journal today, this is a 3% increase over last year with a prediction to become a 5% increase in 2014 as reflected by the pending home construction permits issued. One of the facilitators for the increase in remodeling is the once again available Home Equity Loan which almost disappeared after 2007. Property values have increased in some areas of the Bay Area by over 25% in the last year which increases the equity required by lending institutions to issue this loans. Economically speaking the increase in remodeling is welcomed by the contractors, architects, designers and suppliers by keeping their industry strong in these uncertain times. Tempered with the memory of the last housing market downturn, all parties appear to be cautiously optimistic that the return on the “re-investment” in their home is a better financial choice than facing the low inventory housing market which includes overbidding, multiple offers and asks the proverbial question, “Do we sell before we buy?”
If you are thinking of remodeling but don’t know where to begin, call me for a list of professionals that I have worked with, lenders and contractors.
http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303743604579355250986245422?KEYWORDS=kris+hudson