A day to appreciate my Asiatic Pheasant collection

It's frigid cold in Greenwich this Sunday, so we're in "coz mode" with fires roaring the fireplaces, daughters making cupcakes, husband watching football and me appreciating my collection of Asiatic Pheasant blue and white transfer ware.


Asiatic Pheasants was the most popular dinnerware pattern of the Victorian era; its principal production and popularity virtually coinciding with the reign of Queen Victoria (1837-1901) and such is its enduring charm that it is still produced in Staffordshire today.

Mixed with traditional and contemporary furnishings they tie together a timeless design.  Besides being beautiful they are useful in entertaining as well.  I have a place setting for 25 for parties and love to use my antique serving pieces as candy dishes or simply used for a cheese plate.  What I really love are the pitchers.  You can't imagine how gorgeous hydrangeas look in a large blue and white pitcher.  

My breakfast nook.  

Asiatic Pheasant platters surrounded by a beautiful still life in oil.  The ribbons were found at a Nantucket antique store and the wallpaper is a check pattern grass cloth by Schumacher.

My living room mantle

Asiatic Pheasant covered dish below a hand carved 200 year old Federal mirror

This large pitcher is ALWAYS filled with hydrangeas.  

I love the afternoon light in my living room in the Winter.  

Footed platters are special and rare.  

Sorry I haven't been posting much lately.  Thornton Designs has been so busy with new and exciting projects and trying to finish up our new office.  Will keep you posted on the progress.  

My passion for English fabrics

I have always been drawn to anything English... a lovely country side home makes me crazy with thoughts of lovely dinner parties, cozy fires, gorgeous gardens and of course charming interiors.  But it's English fabrics that I truly adore.  I am fortunate that so many of our clients also love and appreciate English fabrics. Two of my favorites are Bennison and 

Robert Kime.

Below are some fabrics that we have used with recent projects.

 A Los Angeles pool house we designed with Bennison wallpaper and fabrics

The original English club chair done in a Bennison fabric

Robert Kime fabrics are fabulous

English interiors so lovely and charming!

I love this little nook

Classic formula

This is so charming and refined.

I adore dining rooms that serve also as a library.   

Whenever possible, I try to use chicken wire on cabinet doors.

This wallpaper is one of my all time favorite Bennison prints.  

Blue, cream, chocolate and charcoal... I love it!

There is so much here to love.

Wishing everyone a Happy New Year!

Tis The Season For Giving... A few thoughts for organizing your holiday gifts

When it comes to wrapping gifts I think planning your color scheme ahead of time is key.  I like to use a color palette of brown, red, white and burlap.  Very rustic and sweet!  Lots of monogrammed bags and tags make gifts very personal and special.  I adore the burlap bags below that I had monogrammed with the letter T.


Besides the usual gift giving ideas, I think the idea of sharing the seasons treats is the most charming way to give.


I bake all of the favorites:
Peppermint Chocolate Crinkles
Mexican Wedding Cookies
Cranberry and Pistachio Biscotti dipped in White Chocolate
White Chocolate/Peppermint Truffles
Stilton Walnut Crackers

Bags filled with holiday treats are my favorite gift for friends and family

 

Monogrammed burlap bags from Bell'ochio in San Francisco

Monogrammed name tags from Pottery Barn

 

Recipe for Chocolate- Peppermint Crinkles:


4 oz unsweetened chocolate/chopped
2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup canola/sunflower/vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla
20-24 peppermint candies
1 cup confectioners sugar




Melt chocolate in the top of a double boiler set over (but not touching) gently simmering water.  Remove from the heat and let cool slightly.


In a large bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.  In a large bowl, using an electric mixer beat together the eggs and the granulated sugar until well blended.  And the oil,vanilla extract, and melted chocolate and beat again until well blended.  Stir in the flour mixture just until fully incorporated.  Cover and refrigerate until the dough is firm enough to shape, at least 2 hours and up to 24 hours.


Preheat the oven to 350 and have ready an un-greased baking sheet.


Place the peppermint candies between two sheets of aluminum foil and strike with a hammer or meat mallet, breaking them into large pieces.  Then roll the candies with a rolling pin to crush them into small piece.  Set aside.


Put the confectioners sugar in a shallow bowl.  Pinch off a piece of dough and roll it into a ball about 1 inch in diameter.  Roll the ball in the confectioners sugar, coating evenly, and place it on the baking sheet.  Repeat until all the dough is used, spacing the balls 1 inch apart.


Bake until the cookies have puffed up and surface cracks, showing the chocolate beneath, 8-10 minutes. Let cool slightly on the pan, and then gently press some of the crushed peppermint all over each cookie.  Transfer the cookies to wire racks and let cool completely. Store in layers, separated by waxed paper, in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Enjoy!!!

Adore Home Magazine

Ever since Domino Magazine sadly closed we've been lucky to have some new and very similar magazines appear online. Below is an article from a new issue of Adore Home Magazine out of Australia.

In the most recent issue they did a piece on outdoor spaces, as it is Summer down under... They were kind of enough to do an article on a project we worked on in Los Angeles.

Adore Home Magazine  Here's the link.  Our story starts on page 20

I think you'll all enjoy this magazine

It all started with Martha...

I've always loved this time of year and now that I live in New England it has taken on a whole new meaning.   The backdrop for Fall coziness couldn't be better!  It all started for me when Martha Stewart was on PBS (20 some years ago) preparing her Thanksgiving dinner at her Westport Connecticut home.  Julia Child paved the way for all cooking shows and Martha took it to another level creating a lifestyle brand that revolved around food and kitchens.  I was hooked. This was way before the thought of a Food Network was around to inspire us with chefs and their recipes on a daily basis.   Martha lived in the most quintessential New England home appropriately named Turkey Hill Farm.  Her Thanksgiving special was so inspiring and there has not been a Thanksgiving since I don't think about What Would Martha Do?  WWMD!  How would Martha decorate her table?  Where would she order her turkey from?  On Thanksgiving day, while I am roasting the turkey, I go over her roasting instructions at least 10 times, even though I have made the same meal for 20 plus years.  She is my go to reference for Thanksgiving.

Martha in her original Turkey Hill kitchen

The perfect turkey and presentation

I love this simple and rustic Thanksgiving table setting 

 So Charming!

images from Martha Stewart Living

Another food icon for me is Ina Garten.  As you know from a previous post, I was lucky enough to visit Ina at her home in East Hampton this Summer and enjoyed a lovely lunch while she shared some of her recipes from her new book "How Easy is That"?  As I stood in her kitchen/dining area, I couldn't help think about how great it would be to be cooking my favorite holiday meal in her barn, and as I left that day I joked with her "OK SO WERE ON FOR THANKSGIVING RIGHT?"  She giggled as she waived goodbye!!!  I am hoping Ina comes out with a Holiday cookbook soon.  It would be another food bible to add to my collection.

Ina and her beautiful barn

 This barn was made for entertaining

images from Ina Garten Barefoot Contessa

Ina's Garten's Easy Cranberry & Apple Cake

Nothing makes me happier than going through my favorite cookbooks while hanging out in my living room with a cup of coffee on the weekend before Thanksgiving.

My love of Fortuny Fabrics

Fortuny fabrics are among the most finely crafted fabrics in the world. The richly printed fabrics were first created by Spaniard Mariano Fortuny.  Born in 1871, Fortuny had an eye for Old World beauty and textiles, and moved to Venice at the turn of the century to build his renowned reputation for creating a new standard in luxury fabric. 

Today many designers, including myself, incorporate Fortuny into projects.  Fortuny is one of the most sophisticated, colorful and lovely fabrics to work with.

On a recent project we used a gorgeous brown fabric on a custom lampshade and pillows

A bench we made for a dressing area

Another custom lampshade for a client

This is from the newly opened showroom in NYC...Gorgeous!!!

More from the Showroom, loving the detail on the bottom of the sofa!

And now... An iPhone/iPad App!!! I am officially happy!