YEAH! POP-UP WITH PHARMACIE LA

Over the weekend I had the pleasure of attending YEAH! Furniture's pop-up speakeasy party with Pharmacie. The evening included a tour of the furniture line's stunning statement pieces (which I would like to own very much), fabulous craft cocktails from Pharmacie - in beautiful vintage glassware from The Hostess Haven, tray-passed delights from The Vetted Table and free oxygen from The Plant Library. It was such a lovely evening. Here's a photo tour. *Please excuse the shaky iPhone photos.

The first vignette. YEAH! describes their pieces as "classic mid-century design, reimagined with a modern California edge." I'm in!! Every piece was truly fabulous.

I love being greeted with a glass of prosecco upon arrival. How gorgeous is this champagne flute from Hostess Haven?

I concur!

Lovely view of downtown through the DJ set-up.

The gentlemen of Pharmacie.

The first cocktail of the night - "The Starlet" - A martini with fresh mint.

Delicious bites from The Vetted Table.

I became an instant fan of The Plant Library - you can rent their beautiful plants for events. GENIUS.

The "Italian Swizzle" went down reeeeaaaallly easily.  

Ended off the night with "The Confirmed Bachelor" - Pharmacie's take on the Manhattan. I'm tipsy and ready to buy everything. Thank you everyone for such a beautiful night! xx

THE PERFECT PAIR: GORGEOUS CHAIR TWOSOMES

Chairs: One Kings Lane (vintage), Knoll Saarenin Side Table: Design Within Reach, Pillows: John Robshaw, Persian Rug: Vintage, Sheepskin Throws: Pottery Barn, Artwork: Beau Patrick Coulon, Bad Photography: Me! 

Recently my family and I moved into a new house and the black, mid-century head-of-dining table armchairs no longer worked in the new space. So I was inspired to create a great little conversation nook with my two lovely vintage chairs. This had me on the lookout for the most gorgeous, interesting and special pairs of chairs. Here are some of my favorites. If only I could have ten homes...

Theory's Andrew Rosen and designer Jenny Dyer's NYC Duplex via Elle Decor

La Maison Hotel, Champs Elysees, Paris - Gilded Lounge Suite. Image Via Viacomit.net

Image via Domaine Home

A foyer in South Kent, CT. Photo By: Wayne Eastep

Patent Leather Louis Chairs via Pinterest.

A Richmond, Virginia home via Veranda

Rita Hazan's NYC apartment, designed by Nate Berkus and Jeremiah Brent via Domino

Image via Lonny Magazine

Image via Pinterest

Image via April and May

Image via Tumblr

LOVERS' SUNDAE

Since ice cream is my favorite food (Sis and I are lobbying to make it an official Food Group), I figured I should come up with a special Valentine's dessert, using it in all its glory. The dark chocolate ice cream and raspberry sauce combination was inspired by an Italian dessert, called a Tartufo, that our dad loved when we were growing up. There's a little bit of wait time between steps but there are only a few ingredients. You can (and should) make all of the components ahead of time and throw it together when you and your Valentine are ready for a sweet treat!

Ingredients:

1 Pint Good Quality Chocolate Ice Cream

1 & 1/2 Bars Dark Chocolate, Medium-Finely Chopped

One 10 oz. Bag Frozen Raspberries (plus extra fresh raspberries, optional) 

1/4 Cup Sugar

1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice

1/4 Cup Water

1 Teaspoon Arrowroot Powder, Tapioca Starch or Corn Starch

Pinch of Salt

Let ice cream sit out so that it softens JUST A LITTLE BIT. Scoop ice cream into approximately 2 & 1/2 inch-sized balls. You should have four evenly sized scoops from one pint. Place each scoop on a plate covered in parchment paper. Return to the freezer immediately and let them re-freeze until hard (this could be 2 hours or more; overnight is fine too).

Now make the raspberry sauce. Place frozen raspberries, lemon juice, water, starch or your choosing and salt in a sauce pan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Once it starts to simmer, lower heat. Cook and smash with a wooden spoon until fruit is completely broken down. Remove from heat and push through a mesh sieve or strainer. Once the sauce has cooled, store in an airtight jar or container and refrigerate until serving. Can be made up to three days ahead.

Hand chop chocolate into small pieces.

Remove Ice cream balls from the freezer. If you refroze them overnight, let them soften ever so slightly, for 1-2 minutes. Roll each ball in the chocolate pieces, pressing the pieces into the ice cream as you roll, until the entire ball is covered in chocolate. Once all of the balls are covered, place them back on the parchment paper plate and return to the freezer until it's time to serve.

When you are ready to serve, place the ice cream in a dish (you and your valentine can share a sweetheart bowl... or if you are like me, you might not want to share at all!) and pour the raspberry sauce on top. I like to add fresh raspberries to finish it off!