Happy Memorial Day!

Love,
Whitney
And don't forget to thank those who have served in our Armed Forces for their sacrifices!

Proud Mary

Did you have too much fun last night?  Are you hosting brunch this morning but you hate champagne?  Do you just love tomato juice?  Then order up a savory and spicy Bloody Mary, often called the "world's most complex cocktail."  

There shouldn't be anything so complex about vodka and tomato juice, but elaborated recipes have been challenging bartenders to create opulent and wild versions for decades.  Common ingredients include Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco sauce, beef consomme or bouillon, horseradish, celery, salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, lemon juice, and celery salt, all served in a tall glass, often over ice.  Garnishes include celery stalks, limes, lemons, carrot sticks, huge jumbo shrimp, basil, crabmeat, parsely, cherry tomatoes, green beans, olives, hot peppers and even scotch eggs. 

A classic Bloody Mary (also known as a Red Snapper) at the King Cole Bar, NYC

via MetroWize

via Top Dekk

via All Things Edible

via Epicurious

The Bloody Mary was invented by a French bartender named Fernand Petiotin in Paris in the early 1930s.  He came to New York and brought the recipe to the King Cole Bar where it became an instant cocktail star.  A visit to the King Cole Bar (in the equally-elegant St. Regis Hotel) will grant you the pleasure to see the famous three-paneled  “Old King Cole” mural by Maxfield Parrish.  If you're in New York City this summer, treat yourself to a Bloody Mary and a huge basket of sugared almonds at the King Cole.

image via Yelp

If you're looking for a refreshing, crowd-pleasing drink to serve at a party -- especially a daytime event -- consider the wonderfully fun and complex Bloody Mary.

Awesome graphic recipe via Mrs. Lilien

Bottoms up!
Whitney

Fiddle Me This....

When my House Beautiful mag arrived in my mailbox this week, I saw Ken Fulk's lovely room on the cover with a happy little fiddle leaf fig tree on a table behind the sofa.  "Another fiddle leaf fig!" I exclaimed.  These beautiful trees are very popular in the design world and have been popping up everywhere lately, including my own projects.  Way prettier than a ficus, and funkier than a palm, the fiddle leaf fig is a cheery, chic and natural addition to a room.

Ken Fulk for House Beautiful, June 2011

Chloe Warner

Burnham Design

Robert McArthur via Alice Lane blog

Brian Park

via Domino

via Elle Decor

It's alive! via Elle Decor

Whitney Interior Design

Grant K. Gibson

via Rue

Tim Clarke

unknown origin

via Style at Home

via Table Tonic

Ficus lyrata, called the fiddle-leaf fig because of its violin-shaped leaves, produces both tree and bush forms. The large, veiny emerald green leaves can grow up to 15 inches long.  These plants do well if they have good light, evenly moist growing media, and frequent feeding.  They can fill in a lonely corner or brighten an otherwise flat plane.  They bring nature into a room and serve as happy, live accessories.  Find a mature fig tree at your local nursery and liven up your room this weekend!

You dig, fig?
Whitney

A Critter Connection

Anyone going to be in the Hamptons this weekend?  Stop in Sagaponack to visit the ARF Thrift & Treasure Shop fir its Grand Opening weekend.  There's a party on Saturday night to honor the Showhouse featuring designer vignettes inspired by the thrift store donations, a silent auction and cocktails!

ARF - Animal Rescue Fund - of the Hamptons works tirelessly to provide animal welfare to the critters of Eastern Long Island.  They offer adoption services, obedience classes, and clinical spayings & neuterings. The Thrift Shop, located at 17 Montauk Highway, will certainly be the place to thrift & socialize this summer.  ARF's adoption center is located in Wainscott at 90 Daniels Hole Road. 
Ruff ruff!
Whitney

Calling All Tri-State Fabric Lovers

Rogers & Goffigon and DeLany & long Ltd is having a huge sale next month, on June 16th, 17th, and 18th in their Greenwich, CT warehouse.  Mark your calendars!

Make a day out of it by visiting adorable & historic Greenwich, CT.  Visit the art+science Bruce Museum, stop by Rinfret for décor inspiration, and go to The Ginger Man for lunch and a libation.
See you there!
Whitney

Château de Fontenay

Did you see May's Architectural Digest?  Since Margaret Russel took over the mag, things have been so much better within those pages.  Just look at the artistic perspective taken on the coverage of a newly-acquired French country estate by an English businessman.  Built in the 16th century, the Château de Fontenay features a stunning neo-Gothic façade with red felt on the walls in the billiard room, hand-block wallpaper in one of the bedrooms, and encaustic tiles in the corridor.  The château is at once romantic, masculine, civilized and earthy.  Arch Digest did right by this shoot; I loved this spread.  Read the whole article here.

all images via Architectural Digest, May 2011

This image is my absolute favorite.  Those columns along the veranda are huge tree trunks set onto stone bases.  Click on the image to view full-size to see the wonderful details. 

So, in honour of Château de Fontenay's English owner, I'll bid you Cheerio, and Au Voir!
Whitney

Bulbous Beauties

Crafty Camilla, my fellow blogger on Home & Family Network, whipped up some industrial-chic sculptures using burnt-out light bulbs and a glue gun.  These darlings are getting my mind rolling for other fast & unique accessory projects, not to mention eco- and budget-friendly! 

See instructions & more photos of Camilla's inventive project here.

Happy crafting,Whitney

Rooftop Refuge

Having roof access or a terrace, by New York City standards, is big time.  If you can snag a property with this kind of airspace, you've made it.  Place some lovely yet durable outdoor furniture, pot some plants & trees, and you've got your very own Central Park atop your apartment building!  Heavenly!

Holy Green Growth!  image via Design Squish

via Kottke

Robin Key Landscape Design

I want to be here, now.  image via Martha Stewart

via Ruth Rogers, courtesy Flickr

via Just Terraces

via Design Squish.  Check out that rad dome on the building next door.

See that hedged skylihgt? And the steps leading up the the vegetable garden? Awesome.
image via FreshHome

A terrace is a gift.  Giselle agrees.  image via Vanity Fair

There are a few dozen choice rooftop/terrace bars and restaurants in New York, which get swarmed all summerlong, but to have one's own outdoor roof space??  That's the tops!
Whitney