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“Hillary Clinton’s biggest criticism is how harsh she is,� said Mary Lou Andre, president of Organization by Design Inc., a professional image consulting firm in Needham. “I think by wearing certain feminine colors, she will connect with voters. I think the public knows she can do the job. It’s her likability that’s the issue.�(source)

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These pieces of furniture which aren’t practical shelving space, are called Dust Furniture and are designed by craft artist Vincent Thomas Leman. Vincent’s work has been described as ‘abstract traditional furniture.’ Each piece is essentially a traditional piece of furniture that is stretched, curved, stacked and stepped to fit his design intentions. While wood is the material employed to make his furniture, Vincent considers his actual medium to be ‘traditional furniture.’ The classical root of each piece helps maintain its identity as furniture and keeps the work familiar and approachable despite the unusual shapes. Environmental integrity is also very important to Dust Furniture.

They take care to use biodegradable packing peanuts during the packaging process, to avoid adding to the landfills. They also use waterborne urethane to coat the furniture, which is a gentle, high quality alternative to some very strong chemicals. One of their mottos is “We like to think that we’re changing the world… one piece of fun, American handcrafted furniture at a time.” Finnaly I don’t think that to many people would buy a piece of furniture like this, but at least you saw an interesting piece of furniture today. If you would like to buy a piece of furniture like this you can visit Dustfurniture or Vincent Etsy Shop - Via

Post from: Interior Design, Home & House Design, Furniture

Helen Amy Murray’s surface reliefs on everything from chairs to headboards to walls are just unbelievably gorgeous. The detail is just as amazing as the overall effect.

http://www.helenamymurray.com

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She had been worried

   but those moments were over.

 She had been sad

                   but those feelings had passed.

Thank you for your sweet words……It made everything so much better:-)

PS the Bahrainis were extra lovely.   Perhaps the universe was paying her back….?

Image by Maryam

House Beautiful Sept. 2007, Photo by Don Freeman
Hi all! I wanted to make a correction to an earlier post I did about the very beautiful light fixtures designed by Serge Mouille. I recently received a very nice email from the Jean-Philippe, a representative for the Serge Mouille company. Jean Philippe kindly supplied the correct information regarding the representation for the Serge Mouille light fixtures in the USA:

"Hi Katie,I read your entire blog "David Weeks vs. Serge Mouille" and your input is very interesting. However, I need to bring a correction as to who is representing the Mouille licensed re-edition in the USA. "Inside Modern Living" represents the re-edition in Canada only. The USA is being covered by GUERIDON, a New York based store selling European mid-century furniture. Gin Mouille contracted GUERIDON to be both her representative and distributor for the USA. I think it would be nice if you could redirect your link to http://www.gueridon.com/.I will leave the debate of David Weeks vs. Serge Mouille open. Representing the Mouille lighting collection, my input would not be partial of course. Even though David Weeks admitted to me of being "very inspired"� by the Serge Mouille lamps, he still designed lamps of his own without copying them. Congratulations for your blog, it brings an interesting comparison between the lamps I had never seen before. Jean-Philippe "

Thank you to Jean Philippe!

I met Veronica on the streets. She started off a little worse for wear. She was homeless when I found her. Outside, the luster had faded, there were quite a few battle scars.....but then that's what life can do, isn't it? I took her home. I thought all it was going to take was a little TLC, right? I thought I could get her back on her feet in no time. But after a couple of weeks (or was it three?) of hard core therapy....after some tough rehab, I did start to wonder if it was all worth it.

But then..... after peeling away the layers of dirt....after scrubbing clean the signs of age...I could see we were getting somewhere. I could see definite signs of improvement. It was time for a brand new coat...or several. A little color to top her off. And Viola! She is ready to face the world again. And she was definitely worth the effort.

There is more about her here.

I recieved an email the other day bearing some of the best news I've heard in weeks.

One of my favorite culinary TV series, "Two Fat Ladies," is finally coming to DVD!

For anyone who doesn't remember this fantastic British show (which aired back when Giada's decollete was just a glimmer in some TV executive's eye), there's still reason to check it out.

Don't expect healthy twists or 30-minute meals here. Instead, prepare to ride off with Jennifer Paterson and Clarissa Dickson Wright (by motorcycle and sidecar, naturalement) around Britain (and beyond) to prepare seriously hearty meals.

How about joining a hunting party in Scotland for a menu that includes roast grouse and venison with blackberries (episode 5)? Or perhaps you'd enjoy making lobster for a sisterhood of Benedictine nuns in Ireland (episode 14). Soused herrings, Welsh rarebit souffle, onion soup with Stilton, fruit tartlets...the list goes on.

These aren't all recipes that you'd likely rush out and make, but that's not really the point. The settings are verdant and the ladies are undeniably charming, entertaining, and passionate about food.

Even though the show itself is dated, it's novel and refreshing to see them, polar opposites of the squeaky-clean, book-deal-sniffing personae of today's food TV stars, preparing honest food without pretension.

Welsh Rarebit Souffle
Ingredients:
    2 large slices of good-quality white bread
    1/2 pound of high-quality, aged cheddar cheese
    3 egg yolks
    4 egg whites
    1 level teaspoon dry English mustard
    1 vigorous shake of Worcestershire sauce
    1 vigorous shake of Tabasco sauce
    Salt and Pepper

Grate the cheese and place in a bowl. Beat in the egg yolks, a level teaspoon of mustard, a good shake each of Worcestershire sauce and Tabasco sauce, and salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Toast the bread; whip the egg whites until they stand in stiff peaks. Add a spoonful or so of the beaten egg whites into tothe cheese mixture then gently fold the rest of the egg whites into the bowl. Put the toasts into an ovenproof dish and pour the mixture over them. Bake in a preheated oven at 450 degrees for 10 minutes until browned and risen. Serve at once with a salad or spinach on the side.

Recipe reprinted from the Two Fat Ladies DVD box set, Acorn Media, 2008.