Gourmet cooking is such an interesting thing to experience because it allows you to be creative with your food. At The Meadow, host of the Salt Block Cooking Class takes place, the first thing you see when you walk in, are these stacks of Himalayan salt blocks, fresh flowers, and this expansive wall of gourmet chocolate…not a bad start!

Working with a salt block can be as simple as placing fresh mozzerella and apple on the block. After a few minutes you’ll taste an exquisite little twist of flavor. Another technique is to heat the salt block on your stove top, replacing the need of a pan. Like Mark Bitterman, the owner of The Meadow, is doing above.

And the big payoff of my evening…la pièce de résistance…Chocolate fondue! I would never have thought to mix salt with my chocolate, but using this salt block bowl, the chocolate took on a life of its own. I love the unexpected and wasn’t disappointed here!

Thank you Anne for introducing me to The Meadow a great store for adventurous cooks and all of us that take our chocolate seriously!

The way he juxtaposes texture in contrast with his lacquered finishes like one of these red detailed pieces above is intoxicating… and the strawberry sculpture (which you would expect to be red) is a wonderful play on the senses. Known for his impeccable craftmanship, (this table top alone has 120 layers of the tree sap used to create the lacquer, and many of his pieces take over one year to produce) each piece is truly a work of art!

I recently attended a wonderful launch party for the new Robert Kuo fabric line for S. Harris. Robert has very successfully transformed his signature artistic style into fabric form and the outcome is stunning!

I just loved how Robert interpreted  his signature textures from his furniture collection to his new fabric patterns…this cloud pattern is a wonderful example. I can’t wait to use some of these exciting new fabrics from Robert Kuo’s collaboration with S. Harris in my clients’ homes!

]]> http://www.robinbarondesign.com/2010/12/the-fabric-of-furniture/feed/ 1 http://www.robinbarondesign.com/2010/11/diy-oh-my/ http://www.robinbarondesign.com/2010/11/diy-oh-my/#comments Tue, 23 Nov 2010 16:00:30 +0000 robin http://www.robinbarondesign.com/?p=4285 I know I don’t usually talk about DIY projects but while at the Martha Stewart Living for Home Depot party last month I saw these great decorative paint kits being demonstrated and I just had to share it with you! I know that decorative painting techniques can seem daunting to say the least but these all in one kits provide just what you need to easily create 8 different techniques from raw silk to basket weave.

There was a fun live demonstration of a painter using the kit, showing just how easy it is. Here the painter is using their Faux Bois (French for “Fake Wood”) technique…  doesn’t everything sound so much chicer in French?

If you are inclined to try a DIY project this Martha Stewart Decorative Paint Tool Kit is a great place to start. But if you’re less like Monet and more like No Way! and doing it yourself is not your thing… feel free to call me, I have wonderful creative, decorative painters that I can recommend!!!

Martha Stewart Living is doing it all…cabinets, countertops, hardware, glass…everything but the kitchen sink, but I’m sure that’s on its way! She even has displays showing how you can reinterpret the cabinetry to be used in laundry rooms, offices, or anywhere else you can think of! Martha introduced her line at the opening, and it was fun to see her personally. I enjoyed hearing about her favorite nuances in the line first hand and seeing her unquestionable enthusiasm.

As I mentioned, the collection goes beyond just cabinetry. The  counter tops for her new line are made from Corian. Now let me just say that this is a material that I’ve never honestly liked before, but I’ve never seen it look so good! The new stone-like looks of her Martha Stewart Living Corian gives this material by Dupont a more natural, textured feeling making it very appealing.

The cabinetry itself comes in a variety of style options and finishes enabling you to create your own dream kitchen. Not to mention the detailing that is available , like the great painted colors, glass selection, and custom looking brackets pictured below from the Seal Harbor style in the Picket Fence color.

All in all I must say… I am impressed. Kudos to Martha Stewart Living!

These days we’re all budget conscience, and as the Holidays are quickly approaching, many of us are wondering how to feel festive affordably. Here are some ways you can take the Fall indoors by creating accessories yourself and by using the simple things around you. Its a big part of my philosophy… Simplifying Fabulous!™, simplifying ways for us to love our home and inspire our life.

For those of us that don’t have a lot of time, a quick way to create a great look is to start by scouring your local farmer’s market for an array of gourds and pumpkins in variety of sizes and colors. Add apples, pomegranates, and cinnamon sticks to your basket for some extra color and texture. On your way home, gather some colorful leaves and interesting twigs and branches. Once home nest the branches in a vase and place on a mantle of table like this arrangement at Martha Stewart. For extra color, scatter the leaves along the center of your dining table interspersed with a few small gourds and a larger pumpkin centerpiece. Voila! Without spending much money, you have a fabulous vignette.

To feed your inner creativity, dive into Michael’s (or your local craft store) my favorite place for inspiration, to make your own beaded branches for your living room mantle! Browse the beads aisle for your favorite beads in yellow, red, orange, amber, and brown. Add some wire, just make sure its sturdier than jewelry wire (you can find some at a hardware store, too). You can either string the beads to make branches separately by color, or be daring and mix all the beads into a bucket and have fun stringing different patterns together from this great color palette! Once you’ve strung several strands, join a few together at the base, and bend them in random places to create the look of a tree branch. You can lay your finished branches along your mantle mingled with picture frames and a few small gourds or pumpkins, or even intertwine them in your chandelier like this one.

If you love a modern look try a monochromatic gourd vignette. Take a can of flat white spray paint, and cover your gourds and pumpkins. Once dry, arrange them along your coffee table as your monochromatic autumn-inspired art piece.

For a fireplace that needs some sprucing up, a great way to utilize this space is to create a “pumpkin hearth” by loading up on pumpkins and let them spill out from the fireplace. It makes for a festive holiday look by adding color and interest in the room.

Never underestimate the power of shopping in your home and utilizing your surroundings. The most important thing is to think outside of the box, allow yourself to be inspired and have fun…after all having fun is the name of the game!