Room Inspiration: A Room For My Hubby

This week's Room Inspiration is a result of my husband's love for Chesterfield sofas.  We've been discussing couch options for our family room and even explored the possibility of a tufted leather classic,  but I'm afraid it may not be the right option for that space.  Don't get me wrong, I love mixing styles and eras,  but a Chesterfield in this particular room  may be a bit much.  Hence the virtual room where a Chesterfield sofa would work perfectly.

The room's essential pieces:

A painting by Alex's newly found favorite artist, the Atelier Chesterfield in bottle green, accent pillows, a shag rug, the perfect reading light, The New York Times, a bottle of Chimay and cool coffee table.

What I find funny is that part of my job as a designer/decorator is to help couples sort out their style preferences and here I am revealing mine through a blog post.  I'm a bit nervous to see Alex's response.

Are you a Chesterfield enthusiast too?

Moving Mode: Exterior Paint Reveal

The exterior painting of our home is finally completed, including the entrance gate that became a dilemma.   After a little deliberation I decided to forgo an accent shade altogether and paint the entire house in the same color.  In the future I may try to go bold again, but for now keeping it simple is best.  Take a look at a few before and after (in our home's new color) photos:

Many thanks to those who offered their opinion of my accent color dilemma.  I particularly liked MT's comment on Cocoon's Facebook page.

Botanical Inspiration: Camellias

I thought that featuring a Botanical Inspiration post today would be a pretty start to the week.  The botanical of choice is a Camellia that recently revealed itself in our garden.  I love how its thin flower petals are surrounded by thick glossy leaves that showcase its fragile beauty.  It's precisely that frailness and loveliness that make the Camellia a symbol of  love and devotion.  I know many who are deserving of one today (and everyday).  Take a look:

What's blooming in your garden now?

Many thanks to everyone who offered his /her opinion on my exterior color dilemma.  This week I'll reveal our house's new look.

Happy Monday!

'Til Monday: 5 Weekend Favorites

1.  A perfect Fall jacket.

2.  A floating fire.

3.  Mexican Hot Chocolate for a cool Fall night.

4. A mood inducing light.

and

5.  a beautiful black berry pizza.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Off The Counter: Stir Fried Ginger Pork Meatballs

This week's Off The Counter is inspired by a recipe from Waitrose Food Illustrated, a magazine I bought in 1999 while living in San Francisco (and yes, I tend to keep many an old magazine).  This treasured dish conists of stir-fried ginger pork meatballs with shittake mushrooms and pak choi. This time around,  we were short a few ingredients but substituted with what was available.  Regardless, it was great to revisit the culinary pages that encouraged our initial love for cooking together.  Take a look at the ingredients and instructions below:

Ingredients:

Shelled prawns, spring onions, finely chopped ginger, grated lime, minced pork, soy sauce, sake, garlic, sugar, cornflour, shiitake mushrooms, vegetable oil and pak choi.

Instructions:

Chop and devein prawns and set aside in a mixing bowl.  Place onions, ginger, lime zest, 2 tbs of soy sause, 1 tbs of sake and 3 garlic cloves in a processor.  Process until the mixture is fine and add the prawns to it.  Combine the mixture with the minced pork and shape into small round balls.

Heat oil in large frying pan and fry the pork balls in batches for about 5 minutes. Remove and chill.

Tear or slice the mushrooms into large pieces, discarding the stems.  Mix in some soy sauce, sake and sugar.  Stir fry them with the pak choi and meatballs.  Serve and enjoy!