Simple Entertaining in California with the owners of French General

I pulled this story from Martha Stewart Living magazine (sorry can't find which issue) but it was photographed by Dana Gallagher. Juan Carlos Zabala and Kaari Meng, are owners of the Hollywood store French General. I just loved the ideas for simple entertaining with friends. The party was hosted in their shop, a 1926 Spanish bungalow.

The buffet has been layered with French ticking and other fabrics in the textile room of the store - adding colour and emphasising the casual setting.

A tiered cake stand is perfect for serving the pieces of the torilla Espanola - made with potato, egg and onions.

Above from top left: Behind the shop potted plants surround a colourful bench outfitted with pillows made from antique fabrics. Glasses of Lillet have been mixed with oranges and mint for a refreshing drink, piles of quilts fill the cupboard in a corner of the store and outside, guests sit at round tables with their plates of food.

A mix of Spanish and French food is served up on the day - leeks marinated in a lemony vinaigrette, a selection of cheeses - a French Muenster, a Spanish Cabrales, istara, made from French sheep's mild and French l'Edel de Cleron served with apricot and almond paste. Croquettes and roasted cauliflower with olives and stuffed peppers.

Tartlets made with puff pastry and topped with strawberries or plums mixed with honey, lime juice and lime zest make for a light dessert. Espresso and steamed milk is served in individual glasses.

I just loved the simple entertaining ideas found in this story. It just goes to show, you don't need to go mad with over the top accessorising and flowers. Sometimes it's the simplest things that make the best impact. Happy entertaining!

Weekend Collector: The Art of the Cross

Above: A charm bracelet from the 1940's.

Used throughout history and across many cultures - pagans, Celtics, Christians and Native cultures have all been drawn to this icon as reflected in their art, jewellery, architecture, religious iconography, textiles and even pottery.

Mary Emmerling, a noted collector and contributor to numerous magazines in the United States as well as being the author of 20 books, fell in love with crosses over twenty years ago. She has collections of crosses throughout her homes and her book, The Art of the Cross which was published in 2006 by Ancient City Press shows some of her own collections along with other examples of crosses throughout the southern United States. It is beautifully photographed by Jim Arndt and all the images on this post today are taken from her book.

She has homes in Santa Fe, New Mexico and Phoenix, Arizona so much of the images she has captured in her book are reflected by the regional art and colours.

Mary loves cowboy boots - these were custom made by Rocketbuster and adorned with crosses made of Swarovski crystals.

Above: A Navajo cross pendant with turquoise. Middle: Hanging French filigreed silver heart with cross on top. Right: Modern gold-on-silver belt buckle with cross in centre. Below: Contemporary silver concho with cross in middle.

Two pairs of Native moccasins with beaded cross designs.

A modern 'Day of the Dead' sterling silver cross necklace with turquoise. Influenced by the Mexican culture, 'Day of the Dead' art is prevalent throughout the southern states bordering on Mexico.

A natural wood saint with a ball in hand, wearing an antique rosary.

St. Francis Cathedral in Sante Fe, New Mexico.

One Lovely Blog Award goes to...Garrendenny Lane Interiors, Design Heaven, Eddie Ross, The Haystack Needle and Homebug (for now)

Lorna Sixsmith, blogger and interior designer at Garrendenny Lane Interiors - http://www.gdlaneinteriors.ie/ - sent me a "One Lovely Blog Award" this week. Thank you Lorna!

Since I began blogging it has opened up a whole new world to me and I do so enjoy 'meeting' other bloggers in cyberspace and reading about what they are passionate about. I enjoy logging in to see their latest posts for inspiration, news, events and ideas to try at home. Since I have yet to do a blogroll on NenaghGal - here are a few of my favourite bloggers who I feel deserve the 'One Lovely Blog Award'.

Back at you Lorna! Lorna's blog at Garrendenny Lane Interiors http://www.gdlaneinteriors.ie/ - she posts about interior design but I also love how she mixes in her thoughts on life in general, raising children, living on a farm, cooking and local events. She has an great online interior store and is currently offering a special product per day on sale.

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In Dublin, Mel, an Australian, posts about interior design on her blog Design Heaven http://designheaven.wordpress.com/. She has a strong contemporary edge which is good because I tend to lean more towards traditional so I like to see what's hot in that scene and keep up to date with it. Recently Mel posted a great piece on package design.

These Green Berry Tea bags come in a simple box with origami inspired tea bags. As the tea infuses, the bird shape expands. Very cool! It was designed by Russian Nathalia Ponomareva.

Back in the States, you must check out Eddie Ross - http://www.eddieross.com/. He and I used to work at House Beautiful magazine together in New York and he did a fantastic column called Weekend Shopper which inspired all our readers along with the staff.

This is one of the Weekend Shopper columns he did at House Beautiful.

After House Beautiful he went onto Martha Stewart Living magazine and in 2008, he and his partner Jaithan founded Eddie Ross Inc. Now, he's got this mega decorating/flea marketing/demonstration thing going on. He was one of the contestants on the show Top Design and is just an amazing wealth of talent. He and Jaithan host flea market trips and sell many of their fantastic finds on his Etsy store all for $100 or under. His blog gives you loads of ideas and he has got a massive following of fellow bloggers and readers. I get inspired every time I log on!

Also in the States is The Haystack Needle - http://www.thehaystackneedleonline.com/. It's written by Jennifer Jafarzadeh L'Italien who worked as Home Editor of Real Simple magazine and Lifestyle Editor at Redbook in New York at the same time I was there. The site reflects her passion for home design, handmade crafts and greener living. Amen to that! Recently she posted about David Starks' new Christmas collection for the store West Elm - already on sale and going fast! (Now I do wish I was in New York)

Another blog I have really enjoyed reading here in Ireland was Homebug http://www.homebug.net/ but Zita has not posted since 22 June and her readers are very anxious. I've seen that she has been writing for the Tatler, the new Prudence magazine and others but Zita it would be really great for you to let your online fans know if you are coming back? I think we'd all understand if you weren't but people do really enjoy going to your blog and don't your fans deserve to know what's up?

Of course, there are so many fantastic blogs out there and I'll make more of an effort to help find them for you and let you know about them.

Happy blogging everyone!

Maison & Chateau in Dove Hill Irish Design Centre, Carrick on Suir

For the autumn issue of Munster Interiors magazine I was assigned to write a story on storage solutions (which will be out at the end of next week) and while gathering images for that, discovered the company Maison & Chateau - http://www.maisonchateau.com/.

So, last week I arranged to meet the Managing Director and Owner, Derek Kehoe at the Dove Hill Showroom. There is also a showroom in Cork, an outlet in Waterford along with another showroom in Dublin (details at end of post). Dove Hill Irish Design Centre is certainly worth a visit if you are in the area. Meadows & Byrne and Blarney Woollen Mills are the key anchor stores in the complex joined by Linen Loft, Helen McAlinden and George Francis Interiors which is right next door to Maison & Chateau. There's a lovely restaurant on the first floor over looking the spacious showrooms and even an outdoor patio for outdoor dining on on a good day.

Walking into the Maison & Chateau showroom, I felt like I was back in some trendy loft space in New York. What a breath of fresh air! Sofas were slip covered and upholstered in soft linens in a mix of muted colours. The various spaces were effectively divided by huge sheer panels of fabric that hung from the high ceiling creating drama and keeping the loft feel intact.

Derek told me that the niche at Maison & Chateau is in "organic contemporary designs and our concept is really unique in an Irish context."

Much of this organic contemporary design can be seen throughout the showroom in their Environment Collection - www.environmentfurniture.com. Environment is an American company, based in Los Angeles and Maison & Chateau is the exclusive stockist for Ireland, the UK and Europe. In fact, the Dublin store is actually only Environment. Time Magazine recently recognized the company in its annual Green Design 100. The issue highlights the people and ideas behind today's most influential design. The best and the brightest in environmentally conscious design including eco-pioneers, companies, architecture, hotels, home furnishings and more. Environment was recognized for the minimalist lines and eco-edge of their sustainable home furnishings designs.

So, honestly, it's pretty exciting to have a company like this represented in Ireland. Sustainability and green living is such an important way to live - well it always has been but with the recession and the impact we, as a people, have on the planet - it's high time we all took a closer look at our carbon footprints and the general running of our homes and lives. Anyway, I'm not going to give you a green living lecture today although expect it in a later post :)

Environment Furniture creates unique furniture collections from reclaimed, recycled and sustainably harvested wood that is comprised primarily of Brazilian Peroba Rosa and Indonesian Mahogany. They show respect for nature's bounty and reaffirm a deep commitment to sustainability. Most recently they passed stringent entry requirements to become a partner member of the Tropical Forest Trust (www.tropicalforesttrust.com) which is a leading global organization working to promote sustainable forestry at the local level. They have also eliminated stains, in the production of their furnishings, which emit volatile organic compounds (VOC's) and are constantly working to streamline their offices and carbon footprint.

Wow, I'm impressed! And so is Derek Kehoe and that is why he is proudly bringing this collection to the Irish consumer. What is great as well is that for all the design and quality, the line is very reasonably priced. I'm all for investing in good classic pieces that will stand the test of time even if initially they may cost a bit more. I've certainly got my eye on a few pieces in the showroom myself.

Environment's Beam Coffee Table.

Environment's Gavia Buffet and Campinas Mirror.

Environment's Santomer Dresser and Campos Bench.
Showrooms:

Maison & Chateau

Dove Hill Irish Design Centre

Carrick on Suir, Co. Tipperary

Ph: 051-649677

Maison & Chateau

Glanworth Mill, Co. Cork

Ph: 025-38555

Maison & Chateau

Outlet Store

Park Road, Waterford

Co. Waterford

Ph: 051-843602

Flagship European store for Environment Furniture

CHQ Building

Customs House Quay, IFSC

Dublin 1

Ph: 01- 6360114

English Market in Cork

So, last night I attempted to make a fish pie. It turned out okay but my husband only tried a bite as he's terrified of fish bones. My daughter was pretty good about it and I plowed into it only to come across a bone myself which gave me a bit of a fright as it tickled the back of my throat - Sugar, what did you think of the rest of it? In this family I better keep to the basic seafood - shrimp, mussels and scallops - no bone worries there! So much for my attempts to conquer new recipes.


On to something that really makes me smile- the English Market in Cork City. When cousins came over from the States earlier in the summer - I knew they'd love to visit and it gave me an excuse to get down there for the first time! It was well worth the trip and all that I had hoped for. The market started trading in 1788 actually 80 years before the famous Boqueria in Barcelona.

You enter in off the street into this lovely open atrium area. Upstairs is the Farmgate Cafe and Restaurant where we ended up going for lunch.

I'm always looking for the details when I take photos and just loved these wooden support archways.

The menu board up at the Farmgate Cafe. I had delicious St. Tola organic goat cheese with salad greens - my idea of heaven. Farmgate opened in 1994 and in addition to my lunch they serve up loads of local food including oysters, tripe and drisheen, corned mutton and beef. They are open from 8:30am - 5:30- Mon-Fri. and 8:30 - 4pm on Sat. There is also a restaurant across the atrium which servies dinner until 9:30pm Thurs-Sat. They don't have a website but you can email them at farmgatecafe@yahoo.ie.

The displays at the fish stalls are beautiful. I've always loved that kind of thing. Such variety - a rare chance to see the range of fishes that are caught and can be eaten (even if I have to eat them on my own).

Beautiful mackerel.

And even shark.

One of my favourite stalls was the Real Olive Company. All the yummy things I love to snack on - I bought some Kalamata olives and some cornichons - umm so crunchy and vinegary.

Of course, the butchers displays were equally as beautiful. There is something to be said about European markets - I know we are not used to seeing so much in America - but honestly - I think it truly is a very appealing way to shop. I was looking through some travel website and one woman commented that English Market was a huge disappointment -she had a huge problem with so many animal parts being out on display. She was from California and clearly had not been to a real market like this before- yes, it is hugely different from the American markets but it's always been this way and as long as you know what you are walking into - there won't be any surprises.While it can take an adjustment, it is better than buying your meats all shrink wrapped up in Styrofoam packaging.

Even the display cases of just eggs made me smile. I guess it's the presentation thing - it makes you want to buy them even though God knows what I'd do with so many eggs ! Omelette's anyone?

And the freshly made bread.

And cheese...I have to say I was very good and held myself back. I have definite issues with cheese and bread (all good ones of course) but I love artisanal cheeses and homemade breads - the smell, the warmth of a fresh baked loaf - it is one of the true simple pleasures in life.

Do go for a visit next time you are down in Cork. It is right in the city centre just behind the main shopping street.

To find about the rest of the stalls in the market- check out http://www.corkenglishmarket.ie/.