A Deep South Home Tour & Pickled Shrimp

Well, hi y'all!

Purely by chance, last week I found myself in Augusta, Georgia on the very same day as the spectacular Summerville 34th Annual Tour of Homes. When my uncle said he needed to do a little work at the piano that Saturday afternoon, I leapt at the chance to wander through some of the most beautiful, original, hospitable, and eminently livable homes that ever graced this weary old world.

Here is a twin-gabled Dutch Colonial from 1911. Renovated over the years and now filled with an eclectic mix of contemporary art and antiques, the home resonates with a bold, fresh elegance inside, while the manicured grounds and the staid, traditional exterior of the home exude the old Southern order a la early 20th C. I was not prepared for the joy of discovering the lightness of mood and the treasures found as I wandered from room to room. A delightful home.

in the barrel-vaulted foyer looking left into the dining room; the

art on the right is Australian Aboriginal and the left is Miro

the traditional twin gabled exterior belies the eclectic and

energetic mix of furnishings and colors inside

a stroll around the backyard, anyone?

the living room features a Nordic farm chair circa 1800s, artwork by

Ricardo Azziz, David Silva, Salvador Dali, Roberto Matta and the

gorgeous circa 1700 Chinese carved cabinet

I love this painting; the artist I believe is Ricardo Azziz

beautiful marble fireplace flanked by brilliant blue wing chairs

creates a very welcoming scene in the library

artwork by Miro

a closer view of the pretty sofa in the living room

a Calder hangs happily over 18c English antique sideboard

in the dining room

the spectacular solarium features Aboriginal Australian art with

rattan furnishings and stunning tile floor overlooking the

back patio and gardens

the tile pattern on the front patio at the

entrance to the house; beautiful in its simplicity

the rear of the house seen from about halfway back in the gardens!

love love love the mossy old bricks of

this garden pathway!

***

And now for a truly delightful authentically Southern

recipe for your next party:

Gigi's Pickled Shrimp Recipe*

*(does not taste like pickles!!)

2lb Shrimp

Sauce:

2/3 cup Oil

1/3 cup Vinegar

21/2 T Catsup

1 T Mustard

2 T Heinz 57 sauce

2 t Tabasco sauce

1 T Worcestershire Sauce

2 cloves Garlic

1 small Onion, chopped

2 T Pickling Spice

Boil and Peel Shrimp

Place Shrimp into sauce and let stand in fridge for 2-3 days

in a large ziplock bag

Remove from sauce and serve

You can stick each shrimp onto a cabbage with a toothpick!

Old fashioned, Southern, and VERY delicious, we have been

serving this dish for many years in our family!

Champagne is good with this!

***

Thanks for stopping by! Kit

If Martha Were My Best Friend :)

I'd ask (no, beg) her and her editor Kevin Sharkey to design the pied-à-terre I would love to have in NYC! Their collaboration in transforming his apartment resulted in this very chic, "meticulous-attention-to-detail-as-only-Martha-can-do-it" and glamorous showstopper. Kevin's been working on the home makeover for over a year, and he blogs about it on Martha's blog. You can read about The Big Reveal and get lots of great design ideas (how to choose paint color, how to use mirrors, etc) In case you haven't seen the pictures, take a look.

Pretty nice place to call home, no? What do you think?

Kevin started out by choosing a paint color for

the entire apartment, and went with Martha Stewart's

Heath...keeping the palette subdued so the eye is

drawn to the views

I think those are framed pieces of Japanese

papers...they look great at a super price point...also

note the collection of silver on the left..trés Martha, non?

I'm sure the Buddha wouldn't mind chilling out

with the ipod every now and then!

If you did not already know Martha was involved,

you would when you see the drabware and the

elegant subdued kitchen

an inspiring perch for a little work desk

I love those mirrors marching up the wall from just

above the baseboard...in the entry I think..to great effect!

and those chandeliers came all the way from Florida (I'm

just guessing Miami)

another brilliant use of mirrors...here mirrors gives diners

a view of the outside balcony, and of course, double

the visual space of the room

Kevin's collection of Japanese lacquerware brings a

shot of color to the dining room

A Sumptuous Dining Room in San Francisco

We've been away for almost two weeks, celebrating weddings and graduations with family back east and I'll post more on that visit later! For now, an incredibly beautiful, sumptuous room in the hills of San Francisco overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge.

When I visited the San Francisco Decorator Showcase the stunning showstopper dining room in the venerable mansion was the brilliant work of Suzanne Tucker, acclaimed as one of the top 100 designers in the world by Architectural Digest. She created a most inviting room with a gorgeous tablescape set for a festive celebration. My photographs do not do this room justice!

the table is set using natural elements combined with elegant

china and glassware: the huge rock crystal forms the base of the centerpiece,

the use of succulents (so modern!) in textured silver vases, of sea urchins and

spiny flowers in coral, and those gorgeous amethyst hurricanes

things I love about this room:

1. the warm color scheme of yellow and brown with accents in complementary colors amethyst and coral

2. the brilliant use of detailing on those gorgeous chairs to give them an "outline" against the pale carpet and white tablecloth

3. the natural elements she brought into the elegant mix: sea coral, the huge rock crystal, the organic form of the lamp

4 .the mix of traditional furnishings with modern twist in the chairs, the art, and the collections displayed in the case

the very welcoming bar is a study in

balance: the large modern canvas offsets the

warm traditional wood table and floor; the spiky lamp

is a counterpoint to the smooth silver and crystal

martini, anyone?

***

.........................................

if you would like help creating a beautiful new look

for your home or event, either in the San Francisco Bay Area

or virtually anywhere else,

call or email me

kit@kitgolson.com

650.302.6883

Kit Golson Design

for elegant, sustainable and pragmatic

Chic Provence Interior Design

"It's Always Sunrise Somewhere"

If Father Time looks kindly on those who love clocks, hourglasses, watches, calendars & metronomes, then Brian Dittmar is in full grace. Captivated as a child by his grandfather's pocket watches, Brian's early love of clocks actually informed his later decision to pursue a career in interior design and architecture. The grandfather clocks he saw in museums on the east coast had architectural details on top: pediments, columns..small classical structures that fascinated him, and he later realized those led him to an early love of architecture.

A small room on the third floor under the eaves of a stately San Francisco mansion is now the hideaway for Brian's imaginary l'Horloger to spend quiet moments contemplating the passage of time and tinkering with the instruments of timekeeping. A fastidious attention to detail is a hallmark of this enchanting room designed for the San Francisco Decorator Showcase 2010.

Let's pause for a moment for a short visit with Brian:

display of vintage objects that mark the passing of time:

hourglasses, orbital sphere, clock

a setting (the photo shows part of a symmetrical arrangement)

includes a mid-century clock on the wall, reference

to ancient Greece in the Klismos chairs, and an iPod docking

station with digital time read outs

relaxed and smiling, Brian is seated in the chair

he designed as a direct reference to a casework (grandfather)

clock in front of the mirror etched with wise words about Time itself

three of Brian's grandfather's pocket watches

displayed in front of a vintage globe

an incredible view of San Francisco Bay, Marin County,

the Presidio and the Golden Gate Bridge

from the window next to the desk

Diane Dorrans Saeks did a wonderful blog post about the process of becoming a showcase designer and Brian's design decisions on The Style Saloniste...be sure to check it out for many more fascinating insights!

............................

for help creating a beautiful new look

for your home or event, in the San Francisco Bay Area

or virtually anywhere else,

call or email me

kit@kitgolson.com

650.302.6883

Kit Golson Design

for elegant, sustainable and pragmatic

Chic Provence Interior Design

Why I Love Kandinsky

"I applied streaks and blobs of colors onto the canvas with a

palette knife and I made them sing with all the intensity I could...."

~Wassily Kandinsky

That pretty much sums it up.

***

Get out there and apply some streaks and blobs!

Have a wonderful, colorful, creative and unihibited week!

Happy Monday!

***

Question: Would the brilliance of a

Kandinsky go a long way in breathing some life back into these

listlessly lissome and lifelessly anemic all white rooms?

What I'm saying is, couldn't these rooms use a little color?

Or are they already perfect?

What do you think?

***

.........................................

in 2010, it's:

Kit Golson Design

for elegant, sustainable and pragmatic

Chic Provence Interior Design