I chatted with the very sweet Ruth today…

Posted by Lena

I just got back from a quick trip to Portland, Maine. I was there to work, but spent a big portion of the time eating!

Dining in, dining out... both simple food and sophisticated... it was all so delicious.

Here are some snapshots of my meals in Portland, and a list of restaurants I highly recommend.

FORE STREET
Fantastic local, seasonal food in a beautiful old building.
288 Fore Street

BRESCA
A sweet, intimate restaurant with great Italian dishes, also made with fresh, local ingredients.
111 Middle Street

BLUE SPOON
The perfect place to get a really delicious soup and salad for lunch.
89 Congress St

FLAT BREAD COMPANY
Wood fired pizza with toppings like organic vegetables, homemade maple fennel sausage, and goat cheese.
72 Commercial Street

SARA'S TEA SHOP
This sweet little tea shop doesn't have a website, but the loose teas are wonderful and the homemade scones are to die for.
195 Congress street

She was mulling over her book, you see -- the one she was doing for Artisan Books, called My Marrakech.  She had been writing.  She had been sharing pages with strangers on planes.  She had been taking photographs.   She had been going back and forth with her editor. 

She was trying to get it right. 

She thought about books on Morocco that she loved.  Like this one, Un Hiver Berbere: journal d'un sejour dans le Haut-Atlas, with text by Karin Huet and drawings by Titouan Lamazou.

It had.......such a sense of place. 

Its writing was so sweet.

Its visuals were so arresting.
 

It was the kind of book you kept on your nightstand just so you could reach out and stroke its pages.

A book that kept you up late...very late, transported by its enchanting stories.

It was the sort of book that had you buying not only a copy for yourself.......but one for your best friend. 

*

The blogging girl laced her fingers.  She furrowed her brow. 

She wanted her book to be special, too. 

Unpretentious.  Charming.  Inspiring.

Most of all, she wanted it to be worthy.  Worthy of your consideration.

My stair

When we were looking for houses in Sacramento, we fell in love with a neighborhood called Curtis Park. The houses date from the turn of the century and most were completed before the 1940's. We bought our first house in this neighborhood, and started our family there. When it came time to find a larger house, we couldn't bear to leave the neighborhood. So we patiently waited. We contemplated adding a second story to our existing house, but didn't think it would pencil out. So we waited some more. Through a total fluke, we found this house....our new-old house. And one of the things that sold us was this staircase. Every day I climb these stairs and think how fortunate am I to get to see them everyday. The craftsman detailing runs throughout the house, but it is the staircase that really shows it off.

The staircase provides such an opportunity to showcase interesting detailing, and can be such an important feature in a home. I have gathered a few that have been collecting in my "idea files" to show you exactly what I mean.

House and Garden November 2005, Photo by Simon Watson

One might think at first glance that this stair is in an old English Tudor home in England. But It is actually in East Hampton Long Island. Elizabeth Brockman converted a Playhouse built in 1916, empty for a decade, into one of the most wonderfully "authentic" Tudors I have seen. With her keen eye for detail, she has collected architectural details to refurbish the home, one of which is this amazing spiral staircase. She happened upon it as it was being unloaded onto a pier. Another serendipitous moment.

House and Garden October 2007, Photo by Simon Watson

This Staircase is in the Galatasaray, Istanbul home belonging to Furniture and Interior Designers, Asli Tunca and husband Carl Vercauteren. Small wonder that they would create such a breathtaking space.

House and Garden March 2004, Photo by Thomas Loof

The simple white walls create the perfect backdrop for this striking modern stair created by Architect Lee Skolnick and Decorator Sharon Simonaire for a vacation home in the Hamptons. The wood railing looks like it is being supported by an iron Jacob's Ladder.

House and Garden September 2006, Photo by Francois Dishinger

This amazing lattice staircase is owned by Phillips Hathaway and graces the front hall of his shop/home (yes, both!), Ragamont House Antiques in Salisbury, Connecticut. Everything in the home is for sale. It might be a bit difficult to let some of these treasures go!

In Style October 2008, Photo byFrancois Halard

If you haven't seen the home of Christian Louboutin in the September issue of In Style magazine, then you are missing something special. There are pictures of the whole amazing French chateau. But since I am discussing stairs, I thought you might like a little glimpse of his front hall. He has lived in the home with business partner Bruno Chamberlain for 20 years. The Estate has been in and out of the Chamberlain family since the Middle Ages. Really a story that you should go out of your way to read.

Elle Decor April 2006, Photo by Simon Upton

American furniture designer Todd Hase and his wife Amy have created a bit of a furniture empire. And to enjoy the fruits of their labor, they acquired a chateau in the French countryside. I love the seemingly simple stair railing, a painted Louis XVIII wood banister. If you look more closely, you cannot fail to appreciate the way the columns have been precisely carved gradually changing proportion as they go up the stair. Beautiful.

House Beautiful, July 1994, Photo by Jeff McNamara

This home built by McKim, Mead and White in 1882, sports a beautiful screen between the living room and stair . Described as a Japanese influenced Aesthetic Movement screen, it was a style commonly used by the architects early in their careers. When the home was purchased by Dick Cavett and Carrie Nye, the screen was hidden away behind wallboard until it was discovered by Nye. And thank goodness! With it's intricate lathe-turned lattice work, it is one of the most stunning details in the home.

House Beautiful May 2006, Photo by Tim Street-Porter

This stair looks like liquid butterscotch spiraling down from three stories high. This house, interior design by Steven Schubel, is located in Marin County California, but could just as easily be from Morocco. The stair was made by Olivier Garnier of Stucco D'Olivetti of San Francisco.

House and Garden February 2007, Photo by Simon Upton

Just a classically beautiful limestone stair with a subtly painted iron banister. The zebra design runner is from Patterson, Flynn and Martin. Interior Design by Michael Simon. Who would think this was a house built in the 60's in Florida?

House and Garden January 2001, Photo by Melanie Acevedo

House and Garden July 2007, Photo by Eric Cahan

Even the simplest of stairs can have a story, create a focal, point, or a mood. I love these stairs, from the Maine beach house of the family of Patricia Lansing,( fashion editor for Vanity Fair and Daughter of Carolina Herrera) and her husband Gerrit. Pristine and white, beautiful in their simplicity.

House and Garden June 2003, Photo by Matthias Petrus Schaller

And then we have the "over the top" and stunning stair designed by William Diamond and Anthony Baratta. The floors were hand stenciled by the Diane Warner Studio. The runner is from the Diamond and Baratta Collection by Stark. And yes, you have probably guessed that the hand-painted wallpaper is from Gracie Inc. The stair railings are original to the house, a 19th century East Side New York town house.

Elle Decor February March 2004, Photo by Pieter Estersohn

This very contemporary stair is not without it's own exquisite details. Notice the steel and fluted glass screen standing 16 feet high dividing the stair from the kitchen, inspired by the "industrial windows in the First Church of Christ, Scientist in Berkeley" says owner James Mohn, architect.

Elle Decor October 2007, Photo by William Waldron

I wanted to show this amazing staircase and ceiling because of it's very interesting history. It is the apartment of Valesca Guerrand-Hermes which is found in the Hotel des Artistes, a "Gothic-style enclave on Manhattan's Upper West Side" built in 1917. The owner has turned the stairwell into a gallery and the ceiling is original. Guerrand-Hermes says "Hotel des Artistes is an extravagant place, designed for people who want to be different." I'll take that "different"! Simply stunning.

I am leaving you with the amazing staircase at the Palazzo Reale in Naples, designed by Dominico Fontana circa 1600. For more original photos and information, please check out the brilliant blog, Architect Design. You will not be sorry!

Oops, I missed my plane yesterday. No, it wasn’t the time change, Delta changed my flight by an hour and did not notify me about the change. I was actually there in time, but the same people who work the Delta desk in Charlottesville also board the people on the plane, so there was no one there to help me. Then I got to go rent another car, even though I had paid for me car through today. Thanks a lot Avis! Apparently, it was fate that I stay in C-ville another night and visit with my friends and get those yummy margaritas at Continental Divide that are only $6. Charlottesville is the best, and if you have a chance to get there within a week or so, I can’t recommend it enough - the leaves are just about at peak color!

photo via virginia.edu

We’ve come to the close of our special two week decor8 discount period - I hope that you’ve enjoyed all of the generous discounts this year! It’s always a pleasure to present you with these offers each November — my little way of thanking you for reading my blog and being a part of my life - it means a lot to me to have you join me here on decor8 as your busy schedule allows. And yes, you can expect more discounts in the new year but for now, our final discount is from the lovely gift shop Orange and Pear, they carry John Derian, Hable Construction, Agnes & Hoss, Snowden Flood, Skinny LaMinx, Helene Batoff, Jonathan Adler, Thomas Paul, Roost, Kobo Candles (yum), Le Palais des Thés, Soap & Paper Factory, Saipua, and more!

From now until November 21 you can save 20% off by entering the code “Decor8″ upon checkout. Orange and Pear also offers gift wrapping services for $1 - A recycled chocolate brown kraft boxes and paper with double face satin ribbon. They’ll also hand write a message for the gift recipient on their cards (designed by Delphine). They are happy to ship worldwide but please contact them first so that they can add your country to their shipping settings before you place your order. You can contact them at customerservice AT orangeandpear.com.

(images from orange and pear)

The Devil's Postpile

The Tufas at Mono Lake

Stalagmites and Stalactites in the California Caves in the Gold Country

2) I love the extremes, like:

Mt. Whitney, the highest Peak in the contiguous United States

Death Valley, The lowest place on earth, and the hottest in the United States

The Redwood Trees, the biggest trees on earth

Lake Tahoe, the biggest Alpine Lake in the United States

3) I love the varied architecture and architects, like:

Frank Lloyd Wright's Walker Residence in Carmel

Greene and Greene's Gamble House in Pasadena (where I grew up), a prime example of Bungalow Style Architecture

Frank Gehry's Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles

Julia Morgan's Hearst Castle

4) I love that we can do all this within a few hours drive:

Horseback ride in the Mammoth Mountains in the Eastern Sierras

Fish at Lake George

Cross Country Ski in Bear Valley

Play wave tag in Newport Beach

Hang out at the beach in Laguna

5) I love that California has a Cuisine named after it and world famous wine country:

Alice Waters, co-founder of the esteemed restaurant, Chez Panisse, in Berkeley, California is usually credited with originating "California Cuisine". The emphasis on using fresh ingredients in season grown by local farms garnered her reputation as the proprietress of one of the top 50 restaurants in the world.

Photo by Brent Miller, WineCountry.com

Then there is the Napa Valley, or what I like to call "the Valley of the Gods". It is stunningly beautiful and produces some of the best wine in the world.

OK....that is my five things.

But, as much as I have tried, I cannot wittle it down to five. I have to add:

What would we do without it?

And this:

California, the home of The Happiest Place on Earth

Kay....I'm done now. And I am tagging:

Pigtown

Cote de Texas

Lime in the Coconut

The House of Edward

Visual Vamp

Designing a modern addition on our home had been a long time dream for my wife and I. We were lucky enough to have a very talented friend, an architect, who sat down with us and listened to our needs and helped us to create a plan. There were a couple of things that we wanted to be able to incorporate into the design. First, we didn’t want a big house, 1,200 square feet was plenty for us and our dog, but we didn’t want it to feel small. To help increase the perceived space we wanted to have a long line of sight. Having that line of sight makes a house feel big even if it isn’t. Second we wanted lots of built in storage. We had spent too many years in small apartments with no storage and had learned just how valuable storage can be. Lastly we wanted it to have a strong connection to the outdoors. The final design incorporated all of these features, a long hall with built in storage gives line of sight and a place for everything, while the courtyard between the kitchen and master bedroom gives the outdoor connection. Best of all it could be built for around $125 a square foot. In return for designing a beautiful home for us, I built a simple modern birch kitchen for my friend, the architect, for the cost of material. It was a win win situation for everyone.

Lessons learned:

1. When it comes to designing a space find someone who is not only extremely talented, but also willing to listen to your needs.

2. Trade skills. Everyone is good at something. Good old fashioned bartering and trading goes a long way in the modern world.

I cover some of our design inspirations in this post.

More details on the kitchen I built here.

Personally I know that I would like to have in my apartment a wall that looks like a stone wall, but how this is not possible you can still have this idea by using a wallpaper that looks like a stone wall. For those of you who like this idea, and are already thinking on how their apartment will look with this stone wallpaper you can buy the stone wall from Target.

a

Wallpaper that Looks like a Stone Wall

Susie & Heidi Bauer, sisters and owners of Rock Scissor Paper, want to offer us a 25% discount on everything so I have just one question…are you cool with that? Thought so. I SURE AM. I own so many cards from these ladies and I’ve nearly run out so it’s time to stock up. I’m crazy for their handmade cards with the fabric inserts. This discount expires on November 21st, please use coupon code “decor8xmas” upon checkout.

Shipping notes: They ship worldwide. Yay! Their shopping cart will list your shipping cost at $15.00. Since rates to each country are different, they will advise you of the actual shipping charges via e-mail before they process your order.

California peeps: If you are in LA this weekend, you can catch these lovely ladies tomorrow at the Holiday Gift Bazaar in Santa Monica or at the Felt Club show on Sunday, November 16th. If you’re in San Francisco, meet the girls at the Bazaar Bizarre on November 30th. OR if you are in LA in December, you can visit them at the Unique LA craft show on December 13 & 14th. Details are here.

FYI: This discount does not apply to their Etsy store, only their website found here.

(images from rock scissor paper)

Picked straight from our Moroccan garden and offered to you, Mr. Obama.

You're proof that every day is a chance for a new beginning. For all of us.

With love and best wishes,
Maryam in Marrakech

• Natural colors
• Mix of materials
• Rustic ornamentation