Cheerful Spring

March is a tricky month if you’re a New Englander. She’ll flirt with you one day bringing crocuses and sunny skies, and the next, bring a snowstorm. However, we finally seem to be tracking in a good direction with spring weather and it most certainly lifts the spirits. This past weekend my husband and I popped into Cottage & Garden and it was the perfect cheerful welcome as the weather around us morphs into happiness. The Newport shop is one of my favorites. Owners Michael and Jill do a tremendous job curating the store with antique and special garden wares, and the topiary selection is always the best, bar none. Enjoy this slice of spring!

My Julia Child Tale

When we moved into our Rhode Island home over two years ago, it was emotional for many. For us, we approached the home buying process backwards as we bought a second home before buying our primary residence. After the most eventful bidding war, we somehow (shockingly) landed our “starter home” where we began our journey as new parents in the midst of Covid, in a new neighborhood, having just tragically lost one of our beloved Labrador retrievers. It was a heavy time, full of ups and downs, though somehow through the sleepless newborn fog, working full time and renovating our home, we knew those moments were precious memories we would later savor and reflect on.

The home needed a lot of work as it was owned by an elderly woman for over 40 years, who sadly, we learned has since passed. Before we moved in, we embarked on a few exterior projects and would visit the home while the work was being done. Our newborn son would be in tow, and we’d bring him out on the screened in porch to nap in his car seat while we’d setup folding tables in the “dining room” with pizza delivery and celebratory champagne, plotting away all of the changes we wanted to make indoors. Neighbors trickled over to introduce themselves, and many remarked about the woman who had lived in the house, “Kitty”. It turns out, Kitty was very much celebrated. Even the public works gentlemen would later cruise by the house and roll down their windows to remark about how much they adored her and how lovely she was. She sounded sweet, like a pillar of the community, and a class act. Increasingly, we felt a desire to honor her home and act as true stewards of this house that comforted her for all of her years and now marked a special chapter for our family. In fact, there is even an odd looking angel statue in the corner of our back yard that I would have ordinarily done away with, but I have always felt that it was Kitty looking after our family and it remains in its place.

When we finally moved in, there were bits and bobs left in drawers and cabinets primarily in the kitchen — items we were told we could just keep or throw out. One of which was a cook book. I thumbed through it and decided to keep it in its place whilst adding my personal collection of cookbooks. In the sea of unboxing our belongings, I didn’t think much of it.

While enjoying a remarkable cooking school experience in France last summer, which was in many ways, a moment to reconnect with myself after the fast and furious period of time I previously described, I had recalled that I had the cook book in our kitchen cabinet. When I returned home, I revisited the cook book and suddenly, my jaw dropped. I realized that it was a first edition cook book by none other than, Julia Child. Not only that, but it had been signed with a note addressed to Kitty: “To Kitty — I’ll never forget that blueberry tart you made. Julia Child”.

I couldn’t believe it. I cried. There was something about this discovery, and especially just having this fulfilling experience abroad, that felt full circle and sacred. Did Kitty know Julia? Did she participate in a cooking class just as I had? Had Julia been in our home? It felt kismet.

I will forever cherish this book, our home and despite not meeting her, Kitty will always have a place in my heart. Now on to master my blueberry tart…

Tucked away in Vermont

We’re tucked away for the week in our small cabin. Temperatures are quite cold and the snow is plentiful. There will be lots of wood burning fires, cooking, cocktails and winter sporting. For two self-employed parents, this week is the time we try to truly take “off”. We are so fortunate that having our businesses affords us with flexibility with our schedules, however that often means that even if we step away, travel or adventure for the weekend, there is most predictably a piece of work to address. Our minds are always in orbit and that can be quite consuming and exhausting. Being in Vermont often forces us to be a bit more disciplined with replenishing our minds and bodies. There is something about being surrounded by nature that is a forcing mechanism in realizing that sacredness.

Here’s to finding that bit of respite…

Reflections

With Christmas around the corner, I find myself reflecting on 2022.

I’m incredibly grateful for another robust year of consulting. It is an honor to help support and guide so many tremendously talented creatives, most of which work in the toughest industries out there. Yet, you still prevail, bringing beauty and inspiration to us all. Cheers to you!

Thank you all for championing for C&C over the years. May we continue to cheerlead and celebrate one another. May we be kind, work hard, and follow our hearts.

The C&C Gift Guide | 2022

What started as a fun task that I did for my own pleasure each year has turned into an Annual Gift Guide that so many of you continue to ask for. Truth be told, I’m not a big gift guide gal and dislike all of the flurry around spending this time of year. That said, as someone that loves thoughtful experiences, quality craftsmanship, and celebrating talented artisans, I do love curating gifts that I genuinely love and believe spark joy, provide practicality and are of the quality to endure for many years to come.

And thus, The Annual C&C Gift Guide has returned. Below you’ll find a few pieces I’m buying for others (or myself!) lusting after, or already have and want to share. Voilà!

La Forge de Laguiole Steak Knives via The Cook’s Atelier
Shop here
Move over Williams Sonoma, these are the REAL deal from Laguiole, France. Simple, refined and a true staple on your table — your beau will love using them to cut into a beautiful piece of meat.

MARCH Kitchen Soap
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A staple in our kitchen and a fabulous stocking stuffer, I adore this kitchen soap with its subtle scent of Dalmatian Sage, eucalyptus, and fir balsam. There is also something about the way it feels in your hands that appeal to me. Don’t forget a soap dish!

Hasegawa Lucano ladders
Shop here
I personally have this Japanese ladder on my list this year as we undergo our kitchen renovation and have functionality deeply embedded in my brain. They are consistently highly rated and I love their sleek design versus that rickety old ladder you pull out from the garage…

Custom Wastebasket
Shop here
Fun and practical, these would be fabulous to adorn a powder room, guest room or office. She also offers COM which could make this REALLY fun…

The Little Plains Firescreen
Shop here
When I first saw the photo of this firescreen I audibly gasped. I adore the play on “the lashings of a drum or a tent” and its brass finials add a major dose of chic. It’s incredibly versatile, from the beach to chateau, and can be done in custom colorways. I might add that anything from The Bouwerie is #candcapproved.

D.Porthault Towels & linens
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There isn’t another linen company that gives me as much joy as D.Porthault. They are happy, snappy and old school in the best way possible. I recently stashed our ramshackle bathroom up north with plentiful Porthault prints just because they inject any space with cheer. I also travel with their lingerie bags which make beautiful gifts as well.

Rôtissoire and Copper Pan Set
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I was lucky enough to see this beautiful piece in action this past June when I travelled to France for my Cooking Masterclass with The Cook’s Atelier. On the final day, we headed to the countryside and roasted the most magnificent Gigot D'agneau (a french leg of lamb) in an open hearth. The mere process of cooking this piece of meat was pure seduction — and insert your handsome man tending to this beauty, it’s a downright aphrodisiac!

A "Titan of Design"

I pre-ordered Stephen Sills’ new book what feels like decades ago. This was one I joyfully anticipated for all these months and I have to say, now that it has officially landed, it sure is sensational. Not that anyone had reservations, of course. Each page is juicier than the next — glittering with images from his sophisticated, singular portfolio, interspersed with design boards from each project. A “bonus” is the conversation, both in text and in visual form, on gardens with Stephen’s neighbor Martha Stewart. Between a forward from Tina Turner, text from David Netto, Martha’s spotlight and Stephen’s dynamite work, this is a blockbuster hit that will remain on the top of my stack.

Stephen Sills

Autumnal Assertion

Chartreuse & brown, textures galore, sultry lacquer and all of that moody magnificence…that’s what’s on my mental mood board. Ushering in fall is always bittersweet but for some reason this year I’m mentally more ready. Here are a few snaps I’ve saved that are helping me settle into this transition (credits below). This fall, a few fun trips are on the horizon, as well as renovation planning and some exciting client kick-offs.

More on those fronts soon.

Labor Day

Labor Day was spent in the mountains, a few low key days with family. While the holiday very much marks “the end of summer” for us New Englanders, it can be the most blissful time. The ocean is still warm, the humidity slightly subsides and the tourists retreat back to their homes. I’m looking forward to savoring the last bit of “summer” while preparing for a busy fall and winter.

Below, one of my favorite textiles from Leah O’Connell’s line, “Harriet” in Cricket. The pillows rest on wicker chairs on our porch in Vermont.

Make it #CandCapproved

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