"Personal details are important. How many times have you seen a gorgeous house in a shelter magazine that looks absolutely soulless? Everything's right but it's really not. That's because everything matches perfectly and the designer didn't incorporate the client's personal style--or any of those messy real things that people acquire."
Who said this quote? The answer is after the jump...
Ina Garten, aka the Barefoot Contessa. We finally got around to picking up her latest cookbook The Barefoot Contessa at Home, and the intro is an ode to how she learned to make a house a home.
[ Top photo is of Ina Garten's dining room in Martha Stewart Living 1993; bottom photo is from NYTimes. ]
Alexis' Modern Glass House 
Before & After: A Bathroom Goes From Pinky Peach to Sleek and Chic
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
Tom Black Espadrille
20 Scrumptious Brunch Recipes 
Magic One-Ingredient Ice Cream 5 Ways: Peanut Butter, Nutella, and More
Comments (6)
I just love Ina Garten.
oooh, she has the flame dutch oven. my favorite color!
You know, she used to annoy me. I thought she came off as arrogant and had an "I'm clearly better than you'll ever be" attitude, but I'm slowly realizing that's she actually not like that at all. She's actually kinda awesome!
I completely agree! For me, it's all in the books. Nothing screams "this home has no soul" more to me than no books, books clearly purchased in bulk for their spines, a collection" of leather bound/gilded Reader's Digest classics calling out for faux ivy and brass accents, all the same color cover like the current cream/white fad, books covered in paper with no indication of which book is which, and books shelved backwards with the pages facing out. Again, how do you ever find a specific book?
I think I must have been a bitter librarian in a former life.
I learned a lot from her. She said that when you throw a party, when the guests arrive the music should be on, candles should be everywhere, you should have flowers on all the tables and you should have a job for them right away - give them a drink and an apron. I loved that statement. Such a strong visual.
t8
www.strangeclosets.com
When design takes priority, the result is often strange closets.
Thanks to Ina, I have an arsenal of delicious, easy-to-make dishes that guests love. Her curried cous cous is a crowd pleaser, making it one of my go to recipes for pot lucks.