blood orange caipirinhas

: : since I was born in Brazil I was brought up on Brazilian caipirinhas, I remember drinking them with water instead of sugar cane rum when I was a kid. It's always been the favorite drink in my family and it didn't take long for Iz to pick up the caipirinha making skills (it was sort of a requirement or he probably would have been kicked out of the family), today he makes mean caipirinhas. Last weekend he was experimenting with a mix of blood orange and lime and it came out amazing.

here's how he did it: muddle 1 lime, 1 blood orange and super fine sugar. then add cachaca (some sparkling water if you like) and ice, shake and pour into glasses. enjoy!

Home Design Ideas - Drop the Ceiling!

My design philosophy is all about getting big design impact from simple ideas.  After all good design ought not to be expensive.  So here is a simple trick that I have been using for years - "Drop the Ceiling".  Take a look at the examples below and I think you will agree.  Simple Idea - Big Impact!

Here I added a gypsum board "bulkhead" to help define the spaces on either side of the kitchen.  Making the walls extra thick allowed space for ductwork in this otherwise wide open floor plan.
This home design offered for sale at Deephaven Modern Cottage

Here is the same bulkhead idea as seen from the dining area.
This home design offered for sale at Deephaven Modern Cottage

In this home I again utilized the dropped ceiling theme to define the space between kitchen and dining.  Here the client wanted a little more segregation of the spaces, so we crafted a beautiful buffet cabinet and anchored it at the bulkhead.

Here you can see a subtle drop in ceiling above the foyer.  The crown molding and color tone differences help to emphasize the edges of the space.
This home design offered for sale at Lakeland Cape Cod

Similar to above we positioned dropped "soffits"along the circulation lines between rooms.  Simple gypsum board "columns" marked the corners of the spaces.  We took advantage of the soffits by placing the main ductwork runs within.
This home design offered for sale at Apple Valley Foursquare

Old Leather Books

There's this bar called the Library Bar in downtown Los Angeles that we go to once in a while.  Its walls are lined with these antique books that we thought are pretty cool.

 If you ever wanted that lived-in, antiqued look, there's this line of antique library books you might want to check out. They retail for about $10-15 each or something like that...

The web site is decorativeleatherbooks.com

Painted Ceiling

We were helping a friend with paint colors in his new house the other day and it dawns on us that everyone always thinks about painting the walls, but never the ceiling.  Most people just leave the ceiling white.

But why oh why?  Let us tell you, painting the ceiling is one of the best things you can do to your house. It warms it up instantly.

Here are some quick samples:

Photo credit:  Benjamin Moore

Next time you plan to paint the house, think about the ceiling as well...

Oh Mon Dieu

: : a new favorite Swedish blog that a friend recommended called .oh mon dieu. has wonderful and hilarious illustrations by Frida Stenmark. this last one is for my sister. I think about her often when she's sitting on the train. she hates taking the train. I understand her, you would to, if you knew what she's been through. Puss Karin!

New Unique Ranch Plan

Simply Elegant is now offering a new unique ranch house plan.  The "Somerset Ranch" offers a modern open floor plan, a main floor master suite and a generous front entry porch.  This modern Ranch with it's clean lines and careful attention to detail is definitely not your parents Rambler.  Check it out!

View of Entry Court.  Dormers filter natural light down into the vaulted living room and master bedroom spaces.

Nicely organized floor plan - a hallmark of Simply Elegant Home Designs.  Three additional bedrooms are located on the walkout basement floor.  This layout is ideally suited to "empty nesters" or families with tweens.

Front Elevation - Careful attention to proportions.  Clean and simple lines.  Also notice the transparency through the windows.  

Left Side Elevation.  Designed for a walkout lot.  The stone base wraps the entire footprint.

Rear Elevation - Abundant glass to take advantage of rear yard views.  The screen porch is smartly placed to the side so as not to obstruct.

All in all a very New and Unique Ranch House Plan available from Simply Elegant Home Designs.

Pretty Pillows from Allem Studio

We saw this adorable pillow line at the New York Gift Show and we thought you might want to check them out.  The pillows are made of cotton/linen fabrics and are either embroidered or silk-screen printed.  They're so pretty and fun....

These run about $90-120 each and you can find them on our decorative pillow section...