Hello. It’s Friday, and our team is hard at work closing an issue. I am going to pass the spotlight to the lovely and amazing, Jim Williamson. We have our first taste of winter—and it’s a big ol’ Texas-sized serving. Are you stoked? I am on the fence about the cold. I do like a change of season, which also means a change of closets, even though I have exactly three pairs of winter pants. Pants and I are having some issues. In my search for new ones, I tried on a lot—all marked as my size—but somehow, they all fit quite differently. Some I couldn’t get past my ankles, others dropped to my ankles, and the final pair required deep breathing exercises to zip. I gave up. I’m thinking of switching to kilts instead.
I have to admit, I’m kind of blue about the coming and staying of the “Brr.” As I was bringing in the plants to protect them from the cold, it was kind of like closing up for the season—only instead of closing the surf shack, I was closing my precious roof retreat. I wasn’t ready to shut down the space I worked so hard to make green and beautiful. A person can get used to 78-degree sunny days quickly. This explains why California real estate is so expensive.
But even if I’m not totally stoked about the cold, I can now stoke the fireplace (or flip the switch that turns on the fireplace). I consider our fireplace to be one of the world’s hottest fireplaces, and I am not talking “hot,” as in Joe Man “jello” hot. Our fireplace has two settings: hot and melt-sand-for-glass-blowing hot. There are actually other settings along the dial, but these seem to be the only two that ever work.
Most days I just want to take a sledgehammer and remove the damn thing since it is one of those weird corner fireplaces. I don’t care for it, and it limits furniture placement in that particular area. But usually on the way to retrieve the hammer, something else will happen, like, say, a leak springs in the newly fixed roof or a toilet overflows. This morning, we had no heat in the master. One thing is for certain with that fireplace, you will definitely need to hang those stockings by the chimney with care come Christmas for fear of a third-degree burn. You also better make sure those stockings are made from an all-natural fiber or they could spontaneously combust.
But enough about winter. We have many more months—and an ice storm or two—that will keep us in complaints. We should be talking about the new colors for 2015. As far as I know, Pantone has not announced THE color of the year for 2015 but lots of other people have. The colors have fanciful names like Baroness, Cyberspace, Antiquity, and Crystal Clear. Surely these names evolved during hours and hours of brainstorming and market research (aka: the corner bar). I’ll try to break them down so they are easily understandable: purple, gray, green, and blue. Yes, sometimes it is just that easy. Now what makes these colors different is they tend to be paler versions of colors from seasons past and have more of a matte or dry finish. Think of it as a dry pastel, especially for spring. But then when haven’t pastels been popular for spring? I have been secretly working on my own paint colors. They are currently in the name stage only: Surly Sage, Hard-As-My-Heart Heather, Curmudgeon Chalk, and Griselda Gray.
In other goings on in Dallas, luxury leather goods store Mulberry opened at NorthPark. There was a fun opening party hosted by some very talented and lovely ladies. We sipped specialty drinks and bites from an exclusive LA caterer. (So exclusive, I forgot the name.) Throngs of guests piled through the doors. At some point, when the crowd gets too thick, I become like a border collie and search for the nearest place where I won’t be boxed in a corner. Fortunately, all we had to do was just step outside where tables were set up to make your own hand-stamped leather bracelet. It was kind of like camp, only cooler. Instead of Converse and t-shirts, these campers came equipped with furs, jewels, and designer bags.
Anyway, I guess I was getting a little too carried away with my stamping and hammering, as I was asked to stop for a moment so someone could give a speech. I told the lady next to me that this was good stress relief. She asked how so, and I told her that with each strike of the hammer, I would repeat what I have heard from my client all day—every day—for the past several months. “Where’s my dining table? Where is my dining table?” She laughed and replied, “I’ll join you because I just moved, and I don’t have my dining table yet either.” I guess hammering and chanting is better than being hammered and chanting. But who am I to say?
So this leaves us with today’s image, which looks like a nice, toasty, and ever-so-fashionable place to sit. Today we are featuring Misia, a Paris-based luxury collection under the ever expanding umbrella of parent company Casamance. This is their first collection to hit the U.S., and it is lovely. Think beautiful luxurious textiles and wallcoverings with exquisite feel and a good dose of bon vivant from our muse, Madame M of Paris in the 1920s. I am crazy about everything in this image, from the digitally printed drapery fabric, which also comes as a wallcovering, to that soft-as-silk faux fur. Expect future collections to continue with our muse as she explores love and travels the world. I think Hemingway might even make an appearance, but I don’t think any wild game will be harmed or used in that collection.
So with this inspiration, I am off. Bonjour, mes amis! And joyeux vendredi. (I promise no more French after this.)
