Tifmurray

Okay, Target. You and me need to sit down and talk. Because really, girl? Really? If I didn’t already think that you are heaven on earth with all your pretty floor displays and well-priced sheets, I certainly do now. Because, Target, you are BLOWING MY MIND. I already made note of how much I love Nate Berkus’ home collection for Target a little while back, but now the Fall 2013 collection is upon us I think it bears repeating: this is legit where it’s at. This fall’s collection, a sweet amalgam of high style and low price, includes dozens of items that I am mentally hoarding: a  beautifully brassy/marbly task lamp, a sculptural golden candle holder, and a set of trays that satisfies my desire for all things black and white. My fiancé better watch out because Nate Berkus totally has my number. [Okay, overly-effusive rant done.] —Max

1. Classic Task Lamp | 2. Multiple Taper Cande Holder | 3. Folding Metal Stool | 4. Metallic Plate Decorative Pillow | 5. Water Hyacinth Storage Basket (Coming Soon) | 6. Accent Table | 7. Marble Print Decorative Trays

Every year, around this time, my love for vegetables seems to expire. All summer, I’ve embraced simplicity, drizzling tomatoes with olive oil, eating cukes on my way home from the market, and schmearing plain corn with butter. When I dig a little deeper into my fatigue, though, the truth comes out: I’m not tired of all vegetables, just raw ones.

The answer, during this time of vegetable plenty, is to use the harvest in recipes, not just in salads. And I’ve got tons of recipes, for veggie side dishes and mains, that will make all those plants palatable again. Ditch the kale salad and get cooking!

**12 Great Cooked Veggie Dishes for Salad Fatigue**

1. Baked Tomatoes with Breadcrumbs & Thyme. Turn tomatoes into warm, gooey, and crunchy little numbers simply by slicing them and roasting them beneath a crown of breadcrumbs. These taste delightful at room temperature, so make them in advance, ditch the boring caprese salad, and delight in tomatoes anew.

2. Quick Cabbage with Mustard Seeds. Much as I adore a good slaw, I love how cooked cabbage takes on an almost butter aspect–without, however, much butter added at all. I start this dish by toasting mustard seeds in hot oil. After that, there’s not much more to do, besides savor the warm, almost-creamy vegetable.

3. Roasted Caponata Salad with Goat Cheese & Chickpeas. OK, so you might not usually eat eggplant or zucchini raw anyway, but in this simplifed, roasted version of caponata, you’ll love how the softened vegetables mingle with their tangy-sweet dressing, hearty chickpeas, and creamy cheese.

4. Iranian Greens Omelet. A new-to-me style of cooking eggs, Middle Eastern omelets are made by overstuffing beaten eggs with lots of filling–or so it appears. In fact, though you’ll feel like you’re throwing in way too many greens, the spinach, herbs, and scallions cook down to make this a totally vegetable centric main course.

5. Corn Pudding. Look, I think you could take anything, combine it with milk, flour, butter, and sugar, bake it, and it’d taste okay. Yet off-the-cob corn is the perfect match for this set of ingredients, and this recipe, from my friend Kate’s mom, is an extraordinary side. If you’re daring, just turn it into your main course and maybe bring back a salad to eat on the side (I realize that’s contradictory advice in a no-salad post).

6. Roasted Fennel. A spin in the oven turns crisp, licorice-flavored fennel into something sweet and tender. The very edges grow crisp while the center become soft and juicy. You can eat the roasted fennel on its own, or pile it on top of salads (if you’re still into them) or inside pretty much any sandwich.

7. Seared Radicchio Salad. Radicchio is a beautiful vegetable, with dark green outer leaves hiding the purple-and-white head underneath. It’s also a little bit bitter, too much for some tastebuds when served raw.

8. Potato, Leek & Fennel Gratin. Now we’re truly in comfort food territory–without leaving our vegetable fixation far behind.

9. Baba Ganoush. You’ll hardly remember you’re even eating your vegetables as you dip pita wedge after pita wedge into this creamy vegan eggplant dip. You can even spread baba ganoush on an egg-and-vegetable sandwich for a slightly tweaked version of the Sabich Sandwich.

10. Heirloom-Tomato Pizza Stuffed Zucchini Boats. Taking inspiration from pretty much my favorite food ever–pizza–I use roasted vegetables as both “crust” and filling. Pretty late-summer zucchini act as containers for a savory filling of heirloom cherry tomatoes, breadcrumbs, grated Parmesan, and plenty of garlic.

11. Homemade Sun-Dried Tomatoes. I have a serious soft spot for sun-dried tomatoes–their chewy texture and sweet taste–but it took me a while to learn to make my own. One way to get through bushels of the remaining tomatoes is to bake them slowly, with garlic and herbs, until they’re dried and delicious–a different fruit altogether.

12. Eggplant & Zucchini Lasagna with Fontina. When I’m in doubt about an ingredient, my go-to move is to add pasta and cheese. That’s what I’ve done in this summery lasagna, to brilliant effect. Even though it appears just plain rich, this baked pasta dish is also rich in veggies.

i love the home featured in the new issue of covet garden. owners and architects Janna and Dean designed their home to help demonstrate how you can build a sustainable house in the big city — in this case, toronto. But they also show how you don’t have to sacrifice style, comfort or personality in a modern space — there is just so much attention to special details, and a truly eclectic mix of cultures and collections here — appropriately, they like to call it ‘bricolage’ (the construction or creation of a work from a diverse range of things that happen to be available). i love the industrial-looking light fixture from castor design studio hanging over a heirloom dining table from jenna’s side of the family. you gotta go check out the whole, beautiful space — including a green-living rooftop garden.

oh, and just to let you know the new Covet Garden Home magazine in print is now available for preorder. Visit their shop to purchase your advance copy.

• all photos by donna griffith for covet garden.

I’m one of those people that still listens to vinyl and I’m not ashamed to admit it. There’s something about the crackling, lo-fi sound that only comes from playing a record and it totally reminds me of my childhood (ok, I’m old). One of my favorite things growing up was my parent’s stereo console that had all the audio components fit into a piece of furniture, including the record player. So seeing the Folded Record Bureau made me want to bust out my vinyl, sit back, and listen all afternoon. Designed by UK-based Hugh Miller of HM HandMade, the piece combines the compact beauty of the old console units with storage for your collection, all in one modern package.

The piece mixes Miller’s three favorite things – wood, vinyl, and 80′s styling. He uses solid Iroko wood that appears to be folded to form the low bureau. Set within the top is a 1985 Bang and Olufsen turntable that’s built right into the wood seamlessly.

The folded planks of wood punch through the top to help form an angled shelf underneath for record storage.

Maybe I’m living under a rock, but I just discovered Crosley, a company that makes turntables that are as delicious to look at as they are to listen to. They also make microphones, radios and headphones, so head on over to Crosley’s website to see the rest of the lineup.

Some of them are even made to be portable and look like the finest of old-timey suitcases, down to the sewn leather details.

My favorite, however, is this metal hottie:

You can pick one up on Crosley’s website or Amazon.

It’s true we’ve been looking at a lot of chairs and eating areas of late, but autumn makes us hungry. These dozen dining rooms are perfect for gatherings with friends and family. Better than breakfast nooks but not fancy or formal, they’re just where we want to be at the end of the workday.

Above: Dining room in a single family residence in West London by London-based DOS Architects. It was the firm’s first residential refurbishment project.

The simple slat-top dining table and angular wood chairs have the same matte black finish as the kitchen cabinetry and pendants. The subtle contrast with the dark floor keeps things grounded, while the white walls open up the space, which was designed by Swedish studio Nyström Persia.

Johannesburg-based studio Nico Van Der Meulen Architects re-worked this 1960s home into a contemporary stunner. The open floor plan, with double-height ceilings, is dotted with copper pendant lights, including a trio over the dining table. They add a lovely lustre amidst the neutral floor and black furnishings.

Radka Valova of OOOOX designed this dining room in a home in the Czech Republic. The wood table and plush upholstery of the molded chairs warm up the glossy lacquer surfaces and concrete floor, as does the cloud-like pendant above.

Photo by Art Grey

The custom brass branch lighting fixture, suspended by a rope, and the dining table were both designed by San Francisco-based Charles de Lisle Workshop, who handled the interiors of this Bay Area home. Designed in the 1950s by architect William Wurster, the ranch was renovated by Ian Moller of Moller Architecture. The dining chairs are T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings.

Photo by Alex Jowett

This cabin in the Canadian woods sports quite the contemporary dining table. The glass top echoes the wall of windows, while the wood benches reflect the tall trees outdoors.

Design Within Reach paired plush white upholstered Saarinen chairs with the master’s iconic pedestal table, and topped it all off with an oversize brass sputnik chandelier. The sleek, mid-century modern vibe is softened with painted white floorboards.

Photo by Jan Sondergaard

This looks like a home, but it’s actually the dining area of The Apartment, a design store in Copenhagen, which was featured in T Magazine last fall. Co-owner Tina Seidenfaden Busck pairs an oak table designed for the store by Kobenhavns Mobelsnedkeri with Eero Saarinen chairs. Michael Anastassiades designed the Tube Chandelier, and the Royal Copenhagen Konkylie tureen is by goldsmith Arje Griegst.

Photography by Line Klein

Revisiting the cozy idea of adding a kilim under the table, this dining room, featured in Elle Decoration UK, uses the black bordered rug as a stage for a simple wood table and black Wishbone style chairs.

Marimekko makes everything better. Under the bold black and white oversize polka dot tablecloth (which looks to be just a length of fabric), seems to be the simplest of bare wood tables. The wheat colored images of the framed print picks up on the raw wood tone, while the black chairs hold everything in place.

Photo by Laure Joliet

HGTV star Emily Henderson made over DesignLoveFest blogger Bri Emery’s home. In the dining room, Max Wagner’s “Tulum” photo hangs on the wall behind the dining set, purchased at Mid-Century LA. The amazing light fixture is by Brendan Ravenhill, and the layered kilims add lots of color.

Photo by Andreas Mikkel Hansen

Spotted in Danish design mag Bo Bedre, this Nordic dining area mixes old and new with the marble topped table, earthy bentwood chairs, and fanciful brass chandelier. And the fire is divine.

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Name: Charlie Cosby, creative at Farrow & Ball
Location: Southbourne; Dorset, UK
Size: 860 square feet
Years lived in: 3 years

I was bursting with curiosity to see Charlie’s house — I tracked her down after falling in love with her incredible flamingo-tiled bathroom on Pinterest. I was even more intrigued when I found out that she is a creative at paint company Farrow & Ball and lives only a short drive away from me. I picked out her house straight away by the immaculately painted front door.

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Rachel and Tyler Grace bought their 1920s style bungalow in Haddon Heights, NJ back in December 2010 when it was in need of some serious TLC. But the interior designer/carpenter couple the two saw the potential and history it possessed and chose to restore it to its former Craftsman glory. (Rachel spent the last year working with Caitlin Wilson Textiles before turning freelance, and Tyler has his own residential remodeling business, TRG Home Concepts.) With that in mind they chose to decorate minimally to highlight the home’s original and new architectural details and mouldings. Their next project is renovating the kitchen, but that will have to wait until after their baby arrives. Many thanks to Rachel and to Courtney Apple for the wonderful photos! –Anne

Image above: Walls are Martha Stewart spring melt with Benjamin Moore decorator’s white trim and wainscoting paint, a Uo zigzag duvet cover and shams, Ikea Vinstra bed, vintage milk glass lamp and Home Depot wales mirror.

Image above: With 2 large dogs and an infant on the way we were delighted to find a stylish indoor/outdoor area rug at Avalon Carpet Tile and Flooring. It cleans like a charm! Vintage Lane coffee table, and pillow covers are Caitlin Wilson Textiles: Mustard Signature, British Bouquet, Charcoal City Maze and Peacock Scallop.

Click for more inside Rachel and Tyler’s home after the jump!

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After returning from a trip to Thailand, my good friend Josh served me this drink which immediately took its place at the top of my favorite cocktails list. He called it The Monk Gets Fresh, as an homage to the special ingredient, Franjelico- the hazelnut liqueur dressed as a monk. The cheeky name is right on- this drink is fresh, tart, and a little bit nutty. The Franjelico and lime pair together in a way you might expect in Thai cuisine, but in cocktail form will take you by surprise at their absolute (No pun intended, since I used Tanqueray.) deliciousness.

• 2 ounces of vodka
• 1.5 ounces of Franjelico hazelnut liqueur
• 1 large or 2 small limes
• 6 ice cubes
• cocktail shaker
• (optional) jigger for measuring ounces
• (optional) lime juicer

Fill your cocktail shaker with two ice cubes. Slice both limes in half, cutting two slices to set aside for garnish, then juice them into the cocktail shaker. Add the vodka and hazelnut liqueur and shake until the ice is completely melted. Place two ice cubes in an 8 ounce glass, add one lime slice, cover with last two cubes, then add the contents of the cocktail shaker. Top with the remaining lime slice for a garnish, and enjoy your Thai-inspired hazelnut and lime cocktail!

The post COCKTAIL HOUR | Hazelnut & Lime Cocktail appeared first on Making Nice in the Midwest.

this home from stadshem is a stunner. and to think it was for sale. if i owned this very ecelectic home, i think i’d be likely found laying on my back all day, staring dreamily at these amazing crown moldings and ceiling medallions. people would say, ‘victoria, get up already!’ and i’d say, ‘leave me be — just a few more precious minutes’. i guess i’d finally get up, and then i’d put something on the turntable — because just look at those fabulous built-ins and that vast record collection. the kitchen would keep me busy too, because i think i’d like very much to be in close proximity to that big black scissor arm task lamp — i could cook up a storm here. then, i’d finally retire to that bedroom with it’s dramatic black walls and fancy-schmancy chandelier. anyway, it’s all very alluring, don’t you think?

• all photos via stadshem.

What’s not to love about NYC-based photographer Arne Svenson’s Strays? His clever approach captures kittens entirely disengaged from us, gazing off into their own little kitten worlds—an endearing twist on the typical cute cat factor. Read on for Svenson’s words about the project—quite a charming story.

While sitting on a beach, relaxing from a particularly grueling shoot photographing forensic facial reconstructions at a medical examiner’s lab, my friend, and art dealer, Cliff asked what my next project would be. I urgently needed a visual—and spiritual—antidote to the series I’d been working on, Unspeaking Likeness, but had no idea what path to take. So I asked him for suggestions. Cliff paused, turned to me, and whispered one word: kittens.

Once the decision was made, my question was how to do it; how to photograph kittens in a way that would connect to the underlying theme in my work, which is to cast light on the unseen, the ignored and overlooked. Was there a way to take a portrait of a kitten and not have cuteness dominate the image? Was it possible to ignore those big, entrancing eyes and find the kitten’s inner life, his back-story? Did kittens have back-stories?

I threw myself headlong into answering this question and initiated a kitten search. Enduring many false starts, I finally found a place in upstate New York called Animalkind, a cat and kitten rescue facility. After undergoing rigorous questioning regarding my credentials and intent, the staff were kind enough to “loan” me kittens to photograph.

That first day, I gathered up a squirming litter of five kittens, put them in a carrier, and proceeded to the studio. Waiting were my two “kitten wranglers”, Liza and Charles. After a disastrous attempt at letting them all out, which resulted in total mayhem, we proceeded to take one kitten out at a time and put them on garish, exaggerated versions of cat-calendar backgrounds of fabric, towels and afghans purchased from local thrift stores.

After taking numerous pictures of the kittens looking at the camera I realized that there was something missing. Or perhaps there was too much—the cuteness factor was stifling. But finally a kitten sat, looked at me, and turned her head all the way around to stare at the background. I snapped the photo and realized this was the portrait I wanted—a kitten who was more interested in the world around her than in me. And who, by means of posture, carriage and attitude, had exhibited facets of personality long-hidden behind that force field of kitten-eyes. As many artists know, much can be learned from a portrait of the back of a head…

If you enjoyed this post, please consider donating to Animalkind.

It’s not the first time we’ve seen German photographer Martin Klimas blow up a thing or two, but somehow it never tires. Here he tries his hand at flowers in a series where photography meets science experiment, aptly titled Rapid Bloom. His chaotic creations fill the frame in their dazzling mimic of an accelerated bloom, freezing an action we know was instantaneous. For just the right boom effect, Klimas drops the blossoms into liquid nitrogen to render them as fragile as eggs, after which he shoots them with an air gun from behind.

The sleepers are a testimony to a China where workers wake up early, go to bed late and recuperate with short naps during the day, showing a respect for biological rhythms, and an awareness of the body and its needs. Workers escape from the present, taking a momentary time out, without fear of being seen. These candid siestas reveal the complex link in China between private and public spheres: private life overflowing onto the sidewalk; privacy integrating with the wider community.—Elsa Fayner

Shanghai-based photographer Eric Leleu captures various incarnations of the nap in a series he calls Day Dreamers. From factory worker to executive, Leleu shows us there is no wrong way to catch a snooze in the hustle and bustle of Shanghai.

Need a quick dinner, appetizer, or party side dish?  Elevate the traditional homestyle french fry with these easy to make fingerling potatoes.  Between the roasted garlic and fragrant rosemary, your kitchen will smell like a 5-star restaurant without ever leaving your home. So, who will you impress tonight?

Rosemary Fingerling Potatoes 
ingredients

• 1 ½ lbs. (1 bag) fingerling potatoes
• olive oil
• coarse sea salt
• 1 head of garlic
• 2-3 sprigs of rosemary

how to make the potatoes…
• Start the oven at 500°F. Line a baking sheet with tin foil.
• Wash the potatoes, cut them in half lengthwise, and put them in a large bowl.
• Make a bath of olive oil and coarse sea salt for the potatoes to hang out in.  Stir gently, coating each one evenly.

• Cut the head of garlic in half crosswise, pop each clove out of its pocket and put them in the bowl. Add the rosemary by taking the sprig between your thumb and index finger and run it opposite threw your fingers, or you can throw the whole sprig into the mix.  Give everything a good stir.

Now the potatoes are ready for the hot oven. Spread them out evenly over the lined baking sheet. Add a dusting more of coarse salt.

Let them do their thing for 20 minuets.  Listen to them sizzle and smell the rosemary as it fills the kitchen. Just when you thought they were done, bake them on broil for 7-8 minuets, but don’t walk away or they will burn!  Watch them bubble and get golden brown. Take them out of the dry hot sauna they have been baking in and set aside to cool while making the aioli. yield: 4 appetizer servings.

Lemon Garlic Aioli
ingredients

• 1 cup mayo
• 2 lemons, juiced and zest
• 1 t. fine sea salt

how to make the aioli…
Pick out the heads of garlic from the potatoes and finely chop them.  In a small bowl, add mayo, garlic, lemon juice and zest, and fine sea salt. Whisk until creamy.

*Try a variation with the aioli using a 1/2 cup of a good quality dijon mustard instead of lemon.

enjoy!

(recipe + photos by leslie grow for designlovefest– want more food posts? go here!)

Name: Roger
Sex: Male
Age: 22

As one of the most dangerous cities in America and the most violent in California, I found Oakland’s culture of memorializing death aberrant and worth observing. On average a life is taken in the streets here every few days after which friends, family, and neighbors will erect a shrine over the area of sidewalk where the person was murdered. These are roadside tombstones yet contrarily ephemeral in nature and are usually gone within 10 days.
—Brandon Tauszik

White Wax is Oakland-based photographer Brandon Tauszik’s ongoing project featuring images of Oakland’s murder shrines. He has set a goal to photograph these shrines for the entire year of 2013, during which he says approximately 130 people will lose their lives via homicide. The shrines Tauszik has documented thus far have all been for gun related deaths. We recently talked to him about about the project.

Name: Olajuwon
Sex: Male
Age: 17

You explain on your site that the series is updated weekly. How do you find these urban roadside memorials?
“Keeping up with the number of homicides here has been more of a task than I originally bargained for. Every evening I scan Twitter for terms like “oakland homicide” or “oakland shooting” or “oakland187” and I can usually find most there. I also have Google Alerts set up on various terms, so if something is posted online I will see it. The problem is that some of these deaths don’t even get a write-up from local news outlets, so then I have to rely on someone telling me about it or I end up missing it. Shine In Peace has been keeping a pretty updated map.”

Name: Jubrille
Sex: Female
Age: 15

Name: Ronald
Sex: Male
Age: 32

Name: Alquino
Sex: Male
Age: 18

Do you try to find out what happened to the people that died at these locations or do you leave that a mystery?
“I have the names, ages, dates, and locations for most of these, but nothing more in most cases. There is usually very little information that can be obtained as these deaths receive little to no press coverage and the Oakland Police have a murder case solve rate hovering around 29% which is the statewide low. That being said, there are a lot of circumstantial similarities among the murders behind the images. The vast majority occur at night, take place on the streets, and involve young males. More often than not the causes seem to stem from small gang squabbles or perceived disrespect.”

Name: Donitra
Sex: Female
Age: 21

What camera are you using for these images?
“I use a Canon 5D mkIII with a 40mm pancake lens and small flash. The gear itself isn’t too important, but when I began the project I wanted to set some aesthetic parameters. I shoot all the images at night, crop them to the same dimensions, use the same exposure, etc. As the project continues to grow, I feel these parameters help create a somewhat hypnotic experience throughout the work.”

Name: David
Sex: Male
Age: 17

Name: Mikell
Sex: Male
Age: 27

Name: Darryl
Sex: Male
Age: 60

Name: Eddiebo
Sex: Male
Age: 21

Name: Kiante
Sex: Male
Age: 18

Name: Edward
Sex: Male
Age: 22

Name: Kimberly
Sex: Female
Age: 29

Name: Bobbie
Sex: Female
Age: 16

Name: Quinn
Sex: Male
Age: 34

Name: Ken
Sex: Male
Age: 17

Name: Designer Allison Burke, with architect husband Ryan and hound dog Blue Jay
Location: French Place/Cherrywood; Austin, Texas
Size: 1600 square feet
Years lived in: 3.5 years; Owned

Allison Burke is a designer with 13 years of experience in high-end residential, small scale commercial and craft-driven interiors. It's not surprising the home she shares with her architect husband is a modern mix of white walls, pops of color and purposeful accessories. But it's her sensitive approach to designing interiors that's made their home truly warm, welcoming and livable.

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