5 May Favorites

May's Five Favorites!

First May Fave: Outdoor Parties
It has been an unusually mild spring here in Northern California, but it has been beautiful!  I attended an outdoor luncheon at a friends beautiful rose garden.  I soaked up a little too much sun that day for my fair skin but enjoyed every minute of it!  Here is one of hundreds of roses that were in bloom that day.

Second May Fave: Mother's Day Tea
My family loves tea nearly as much as we love coffee and a full service tea is always fun.  Each Mother's Day we usually take Mom to a ladies tea.  This year we went to Tea Anytime in Fair Oaks for a most enjoyable experience!

Third May Fave: Puppies
Springtime means puppies and kittens are finding loving homes.  One little pomapoo (pomeranian/poodle mix) found a place my sisters home.  She had been wanting a dog for a while and finally found the right one, Rex.  He instantly won all of our hearts with his adorable puppy ways.

Fourth May Favorite: Fun Runs
I usually try to do a few fun runs throughout the year and May is a great month for them since it's usually not too hot.  I ran the Folsom Run With Nature 5K to benefit Parks and Rec with my sister.  I really don't think running is fun but I love the festivities and the community showing up for a good cause.  Next up will be the Nike Women's Fitness Festival.

Fifth May Fave: Farmer's Market
Farmer's Markets are so fun in the spring.  There is such a feeling of freshness in the air that it makes me want to eat fresh and healthy foods.  Each stall is so colorful with their piles of fruit and vegetables.  What a great way to support local growers!

Photos by Rebecca Ward

Nesting Newbies

Have you checked out the new internet magazine called Nesting Newbies?  This magazine is for new, or not so new, "nesters" who would like some tips on decorating, cooking and entertaining in their new place.  The site and magazine are full of great ideas and inspiring images meant for the tech-savy nester.  Their slogan on the magazine is "For a Home Tweet Home" if that is any indication of the type of audience they are seeking.  I've enjoyed getting updates form them in my email and they usually have a great contest going on to enter.  Be sure to check them out!

Images from Nesting Newbies

Scott Residence: Before and After

The long awaited interior shots of the Scott Residence are here!  Enjoy the Before and After photos!

Photos by Aimee Thibedeau for Rebecca Ward Design

Getting to Know AGA

A client recently told me they were considering purchasing an AGA stove for their victorian kitchen.  I knew what AGA stoves looked like but not much more.  So, I promptly went down to my local dealer and got some more details.

AGA stove are cast in one of the oldest foundries in Coalbrookdale, Shropshire, which was established in 1709.  AGA seems like a great stove to get but it would take getting used to.  They offer what we would call "traditional" range with gas and electric cooktops.  But what really interested me were the the 4 oven cookers with the two plates on top. 

These can be warming plates, boiling plates or simmering plates and have insulated covers since they stay warm all the time.  There are no knobs or timers. 

Instead of doing most of your cooking on stove top, 80% is now done in the 4 ovens below which have radiant heat for the cast iron interior to ensure an consistent rate of cooking an all sides of what's inside, even a 25 lb. Turkey!

AGA now offers the full range of kitchen appliances so they all have the same look and color.  There are many color options available from Golden Yellow to Claret to Pistachio.  Find out more about AGA here.

Images from AGA

Seeing Black and White (and Grey) in Copenhagen

This rug is right up my alley namely because it's in a greyscale and also reminiscent of an animal hide (without acutally using animal hide)  I saw this Spine rug featured in Hospitality Design Magazine. It was conceptualized by fashion designer Camilla Staerk fo Normann Copenhagen which I just recently familiarized myself with.

Normann Copenhagen has an amazing design store in, of course, Copenhagen that I would love to visit.  The building they are in was an old water distillery turned theater turned sound studio turned store.  I'm sure it's worth a visit!  Go here to look through their site and see their other fun products!

Image from Normann Copenhagen

To Our Mothers...

Have a wonderful Mother's Day weekend.  Do something special with the women in your life!

Photo by Rebecca Ward

The Great Outdoors

On a beautiful day like today, I have a hard time not thinking about spending some time outdoors.  I think I wouldn't mind relaxing this afternoon in this space from West Elm showing off their great outdoor collection.

I love how they have hung the grommeted outdoor curtains on some thin rope. It has a certain relaxed feeling to it.

And what about these great outdoor woodblock mats?  I saw them in the catalog and thought they were the best looking mats I've seen in a while.

I noticed on the west elm website that their outdoor accessories are on sale right now.  Tempting!

Images from West Elm

Sassy in Black

Duravit, the German manufacturer of bathroom fixtures, recently announced that they are launching their Vero collection in Black this month.  Looking classy in high gloss black will be modern sinks, toilets and bidets.  The modern Vero collection ia also available in white and can offer nice contrasting elements for any contemporary bathroom. Take a look and learn more here.

Images from Duravit

Mythic Paint: Painting Green

When I was visiting the interiors store Scout in Oakland a while back, I noticed they featured Mythic Paint.  I wasn't too familiar with it so I decided to look it up and pass my findings on to you.

Most paint manufacturers like Dunn-Edwards are going green to reduce emissions and create healthier interior environments.  Yolo Colorhouse Paints' tag line is "the environmentally responsible paint company".
Mythic Paint has the phrase "non-toxic paint" built into their logo and it seems they are built around this fact.  Mythic has no VOC's (volatile organic compounds) which are bad for the environment and people.  This paint is safe for people, pets and the earth.  It has very low odor, which is one of the number one complaints people have about paints.
You may be familiar with the spokesperson for Mythic Paint, David Bromstad of HGTV's show "Color Splash". 

Mythic is another great option for eco-friendly paint.  For more information on the product, visit their website.

Images from Mythic Paint