A Fresh Look for Kitchen Chairs

I love my kitchen.  I don't mean I love kitchens.  I do, of course but that is not what I mean to say here.  I mean I love my kitchen.  After 15 years of living in Brooklyn I have been blessed with a dream kitchen.  It is spacious enough for a dining table and over looks the building's flower garden.  All of you jealous city dwellers feel comforted by the fact that I was once in your shoes.  In most of my Brooklyn kitchens I had to lean against the wall in order to open the refrigerator door.  Thanks to a generous stroke of good luck (proceeded by a few strokes of bad luck, which is a story we will save for another day) we are able to enjoy a well lighted, well cared for and spacious kitchen.  I will say that I did the same kind of cooking in my tiny kitchens as I do in this one and never shied away from dinner guests or parties.  It is possible, it just poses different organizational challenges. 

As a textile designer this is my favorite time of year.  At work we are scoping out new trends in colors patterns and fabric construction.  Spending a day in the fabric district, shopping and learning about new fabric styles and techniques feels a lot like when my Uncle Nino gave us free reign in his pastry shop. I can't help but bring a little of what I see home.  

I like updating the look of my kitchen with a rotation of textiles.  This works well particularly since our kitchen is mostly white and neutral.  Reupholstering these chairs has been on my project list for a while.     I found this fabric at Mood Fabrics.  If you haven't heard of Mood, it is an overwhelming 3 floors of gorgeous fabrics and popular among designers and trendy design students (largely form FIT).  So for this project, let me narrow it down for you, head downstairs. For a richer look, go with a fabric that is woven vs. printed. The printed fabrics at Mood are beautiful but on furniture the woven will give a more upscale look.  I like take to take a bunch of swatches to see what works best in my home.  

I haven't reupholstered chairs before but it was surprisingly easy.  If you are thinking of recovering your own chairs you will need the following supplies:

• one pair of good quality fabric scissors
• measuring tape
• a staple gun with extra staples
• 1 and 1/2 yards of fabric for 4 chairs
• 1 fabric crayon

1. Flip over your chairs and find how the seat is attached to frame.  For these chairs there were 3 simple screws that were easy to remove and put back.  I would recommend doing one chair first before taking the seats off of the other chairs so that you are comfortable with the process before you continue.  It is easier to fix a mistake once than four times.
2. Measure how much fabric you will need to cover the seat of the chair.  Make sure you leave enough room to staple the fabric on the back.
3. Staple the fabric to the back of the chair.  Staple once on each side of the seat directly across from the last staple.  Continue stapling in this order.  When you get to the corners, create a neat fold in the fabric and then staple. Make sure all of your folds are consistent and facing the same way.
4. Reattach the seats to the frame.

Before

After

Mise En Place: Tea Towels from a Vintage Tablecloth

I had this tablecloth for years.  It had been well loved and was showing it.  A spot of wine here and big yellow stain in the corner, but I just couldn't throw it out.  It is already hard for me to throw out anything I feel like I can make use of but this had sentiment as well.  It was given to me after having been in the wedding party for my friends Ben and Erin (see Ben's awesome food blog You Fed a Baby Chili?).  I remember Erin planning her wedding and ordering a different vintage tablecloth for each table.  Afterward, she and Ben sent the tableclothes to select family and friends.  I loved this tablecloth and I loved being among the ones they gave it to.  Just look at the pop in those graphics!

In the spirit of being green I have been teaching myself to sew.  The process is slow going I must say.  I  also have to say that it is mighty silly that I work in textile design and I don't know how to sew.  So I have started with simple projects.  Some successful and some not but this was an easy success.  I turned my stained but loved cotton tablecloth into a charming set of tea towels.  No need for a pattern for this job.  I just used an older tea towel for the size, folded the cut edges over twice at 1/4 of an inch and used a straight stitch.

For good deals on vintage tablecloths, fabrics and tea towels check on ebay or etsy.

Printable Spice Labels!

These labels are 1" x 2 5/8".  So here is how you can print your spice labels below:

1. Double click on the image below.
2. Then right click and you should see a window of choices.
3. Select print.

or

1. Double click on the image below.
2. Click on File tab
3. Select print.

Printable Holiday Menu Planner Giveaway!

So here is how you can print your holiday meal planner below:

1. Double click on the image below.
2. Then right click and you should see a window of choices.
3. Select print.

or

1. Double click on the image below.
2. Click on File tab
3. Select print.

Printable Weekly Menu Planner Giveaway!

Happy Fall!

So here is how you can print your weekly meal planner below:

1. Double click on the image below.
2. Then right click and you should see a window of choices.
3. Select print.

or

1. Double click on the image below.
2. Click on File tab
3. Select print.

Harvest Fundraiser

  My dear friend, Janice and I will be cooking a fundraising luncheon to help raise money for the Food Bank of NY.  Come eat some good food and help someone else eat at the same time.  If you read this blog and you a local, or visiting we hope you join us!

Printable Weekly Menu Planner Giveaway!

Planning my dinners at the beginning of the week has helped me immensely as a home cook.  I still have weeks where I fall behind, but when I am organized enough to take a few minutes at the beginning of the week to write out a meal plan, it saves me time. money and headaches.  It is important to me to cook at home, not only because I love to cook but it keeps us healthy and our pocketbooks happy. 

So here is how you can print your weekly meal planner below:

1. Double click on the image below.
2. Then right click and you should see a window of choices.
3. Select print.

If you have other ideas that help the process of making meals at home easier, please let me know.  I would love to hear from you!

Table Style: Porcelain Top Cafetera

Let me share with you my birthday present.  My husband knows how to make me happy.  I have kept this little coffee pot bookmarked on my wish list for almost a year.  It just wasn't that easy to find.  I first came across it in our neighbors' home.  I am very particular about my coffee and at the same time very simple in my lifestyle. Only a like-minded and worldly couple could have had such a beautiful object that makes good, simple coffee.  "Where did you find this?" I ask them.   Their reply?  Spain.  Great...so where do I get one?  I desperately ask if, per chance, they are going back to Spain anytime soon.  

I have always been a fan of the stove top cafetera.  It was my first coffee maker of choice and is fondly remembered in my household growing up.  Memories of dinner with guests always bring to mind the picture of my father raising himself from the head of the table after the main course had been adequately devoured and announcing "Who wants coffee?  Black or brown?"  Black or brown was my fathers' delineation between what was considered Italian coffee, espresso, and American drip coffee.  As an Italian-American household we always offered both. Now he has a fancy espresso machine.  Since he takes such pride in his coffee toy, we usually skip the American coffee.  I have to admit, it has been a long time since I have heard him ask, "Black or brown?" and thinking about it takes me back. 

Back to my new gadget:  unlike the signature, silver cafetera that I am so used to, this one has a porcelain top instead of the octagonal, aluminum one.  Yes, I am a sucker for this beautiful, white, ridged form but practically speaking, I love how it goes from the stove to the table.  The minimal oxidation is nice too.  It makes for some easy cleaning.  So through some serious google research we managed to track down this item on amazon.com.  If you are interested, it is made by a company called Valira and the model is Claudia.

Table Style: Scandinavian Design House

I went on a little window shopping walk in the area and found this great shop.  Scandinavian Design House is a tiny store off Bedford Avenue packed with stylish kitchenwares to add color and style to your favorite room in the house.  I just can't help sharing...

Pillows are made with Marimekko fabrics.

Check it out:

Scandinavian Design House

167 N 9th St.

Brooklyn, NY 11211

Table Style: Dressing Up Dinner

When Nick and I were planning our wedding my brother said, "Steph, you better register at a store for gifts or you will end up with three sets of kissing dolphins you can't return."  As I have never been entirely comfortable receiving gifts, telling people what they should get us felt very awkward.  On the other hand, our two room NY apartment doesn't exactly have the mantel space for kissing dolphins.  We went with my brother's advice but made our choices based on our utilitarian needs verses our decorative desires. I think by our decorative desires I mean my decorative desires.

In the past couple of years, I have thought a little more about home decor than I have in the past due to my career change from teaching art to designing.  I have recently been given the opportunity to design a line of table linens which seems to be a very appropriate form of textile design for a foodie, wouldn't you think?  I have spent a couple of days looking at store displays of table settings from high end to low, discovering an array of lavish textures, colors and elegant dishware. I find that my own taste is still utilitarian, and my tendency is not to shop for more but to use found materials and the objects I already have and love in new arrangements.

As much as I like to preach simplicity in design,  I love it when busy patterns some how just work well together.  

This is my only set of matching napkins and at the time I took this picture, this was my only set of placemats (they are turned upside down in order to coordinate better with the table).   I recently purchased a set in blue chendi ($1.99 at Bed Bath and Beyond) when I noticed how many objects and textiles I have that incorporate blue.  I don't have anything that matches the red linen napkins (can't even remember were those came from) so I filled a bowl with red apples as a center piece.

The textile used in the center is not an actual kitchen textile.  It is just a beautiful piece of fabric from my talented Aunt Lucy's sewing room.  She was teaching me how to sew purses from decorative scraps of fabric but I never had the heart to butcher this one.  It was too beautiful a piece for my sad sewing attempts.

I think food should be the table's centerpiece.  I am not a fan of straining my neck over a tree of flowers in dinner conversation.  The blue patterned fabric in the center is also from my aunt's sewing room.

I don't think you have to shell out a ton of bucks for a fresh look.  Which is good, because I don't have a lot of bucks myself.  I am a believer in buying only what you love and everything wil fall into place beautifully, whether it matches or not.

Help Japan: Buy Handmade!

I know all our thoughts are with Japan these days.  I want to take a moment to tell all of you consumers out there that every day etsy is devoting some of its daily picks to sellers who are donating some of their proceeds towards aid in Japan.

Art print by NanLawson on etsy. $10 and all proceeds go towards aid in Japan.

Soap lotion and perfume combo by chasestreetsoapco is $25 an dall proceeds go twards aid in Japan.

I bought these from DownToTheWireDesigns.  The were $20 and 100% of the proceeds go to Doctor's without Borders or American Red Cross, your choice.  The will send you a proof of the donation at the end of the month. Help them make their quota of $500 a month! 

Tshirts by jessalinb on etsy.  Price is $25 and $18 is donated towards aid in Japan.

Table Style: Ode to a French Butter Bell

Have you seen one of these?  Maybe you are wondering why my head has been under a rock for so long but I only just discovered this charming little crock.

One weekend not long ago, Nick and I were visiting our friend, Janice, in Beacon.  Imagine a beautiful, historical Victorian house on a hill overlooking the Hudson River.  After a wonderful day at the Dia Beacon (quite possible one of my favorite places) we had a lovely evening getting acquainted with new and friendly faces.  The next morning, I was the first one up in the quiet house and went to sit in what is my favorite room in any home.  So I slipped out of the bedroom, crept down the stairs and into the sunny kitchen complete with glass door cabinets, tall windows and exposed brick over the stove.  It wasn't long before Janice joined me.  She set a white, french teapot before me and we gossiped like high school girls (or at least the girls we were in high school).  When the rest of the gang got up, Janice played the good hostess and started on a breakfast spread that included some of the best blueberry pancakes I ever had.  She then offers us our syrup and butter and I notice the most charming little ceramic pot. "Haven't you seen one of these?" she asks as I marvel at the soft, perfectly spreadable consistency of the butter. "It's a butter bell."

Sometimes, it is the smallest details on the table that can also make a meal memorable.  Not to mention that the design of this crock is ingenious.  You add a little cool water to bottom half of the pot and butter is smashed down into the vessel attached to the lid.  The water will create a seal and regulate the temperature in the pot so that the butter keeps a long shelf life and remains in a soft and spreadable state.

I must admit the following morning I resolved to get one.  Being an artist myself I checked on etsy.  There is a lovely selection of these beautiful and functional objects.  I bought mine from a shop called claypots and am truly impressed by the workmanship.  Check out some foodie potters when you get the chance.  I am looking forward to trying out some flavored butter recipes.