Press Release - Holiday Cottage

I am very happy to announce that the Holiday Cottage magazine featuring our home has just hit the newsstands!

This is a special holiday edition of The Cottage Journal published by Hoffman Media.  It is available now at Barnes & Noble, and should be at nationwide grocery stores too, through December 16th.  Infinite thanks go out to photographer Lauren Rubinstein, who scouted and shot the feature.  She made our home shine in a way it never has before! Thank you, too, to The Cottage Journal for your interest in the story, for putting us on the cover, and for the beautifully written article by Karen Callaway.

In case you are wondering, we actually shot the pictures last January!  Lauren was at our house for a Christmas party in early December, but we found out that the magazine was interested in shooting it while we were out of the country on winter break.  As I am not one to take down Christmas on the 26th, the decorations were still intact and the tree was still standing, and ALIVE upon our return after New Year's! The Cottage Journal graciously gave me an allowance to freshen up the greens, and the photos were shot mid-January. How's that for getting the most out of your holiday decor? 

A few interesting side bits on the shoot... 

The cover shot was photo-shopped to make it look more festive.  They changed the color of our chair and pillow from blue to red, and added the holly berries to the greens on the table so it would pop on the newsstand.  Another fun detail is in what turned out to be my favorite photo.  Dixie, our Golden Retriever, still loves a party and would not leave the photographers alone. Lauren, a dog-lover herself, decided to embrace the situation by putting a bow on her. There she sat, the star, all poised and pretty for the duration of the shot.

Although they ended up using seventeen images from front to back cover, a couple of AWESOME pics did not make the cut.  Here they are for you to see....

That's all, folks! If you should need help redesigning your family home, or simply decorating for the holidays, I am booking clients for October and November now.  Please email me at lisagabrielson@att.net to discuss your needs. I am happy to help and can't wait to hear from you!

As always, I am so grateful for your readership and support. And although it's a bit early....Happy Holidays to all.

Cose Cosi'

Otherwise known as, a little bit of this and a little bit of that. Sorry for my absence lately. Some of you have told me you miss my posts, and I appreciate the feedback. Today, I am home recovering from surgery.  I am doing fine, but forced to stay put....WOW, what a concept. It almost makes me feel guilty. Yesterday, I had my fair share of cooking shows and couch time. This morning, Lorenzo and I ventured out to the corner at a snail's pace. The beautiful fall weather has inspired a blog post on what I'm looking at, working on, and dreaming of these days. Here we go....

But first, a little confession: I have the seven year itch. We have been in our house seven years now, and I am dying to move. For a variety of reasons, that is not happening anytime soon, like not even in the next decade. To appease my itch, inch by inch I have been whitewashing the walls, and have finally decided to take the plunge and do the family room too. In a perfect world (with no medical bills), I would also add beams and planks like this...

...off-white walls and Paris grey bookshelves, just like the mirror finish below.  Those are our sofas too...love the pillows, but these are too bedroom-y for our family room.

My office would go from light to dark, yet warm, clean and classy (below):

In the kitchen, I am on the lookout for new-old pantry doors, below...

The guest room would get a tiny makeover too, with a new striped headboard and touches of blue again.  I already have the pillows below (a total fluke), just need to recover the headboard.

How about cocktails on the chevron terrace in front of this spectacular fireplace?

And dinner under the Virginia Creeper pergola...

Here's what I'll be wearing this fall...

With grand plans of a client's bonus room looking something like this...

I also adore the vintage, yet modern look of this dress...my husband would hate it, I'm sure.

Once my swelling goes down, I am breaking out the belts.  I can't wait to try this Hermes version with a horse bit I have sitting around.

Add this to the wrist....yummmm!

At a client's we are adding striped panels tied with ropes to the basement windows...

 Their stairs are getting a make-over too...

(All images above via Pinterest)

Another couple got a new bedroom last week.  I will post before and afters once the back-ordered rug arrives.

Lunch break. I am on the look-out for iron rich meals, and am not really a huge fan of red meat, although the sugo bolognese tasted pretty good today. Please feel free to share some of your favorite recipes!

On another note, check out my Dad's recent blog post. He puts those cute little twenty-something DIYers to shame!  Here is the link to his blog.  Also in the news, the two of us will be guests on a local radio show next Thursday, September 19th from 3:00-4:00 pm. I will send details ahead of time if you care to tune in. This is a first for me, so I have mixed emotions of excitement and fear. But as my lovely son so bluntly put it:

"You can't be a wimp if you want to succeed."

                                              -Luca G. Russo

OK then friends, let's forge ahead. Thank you so much for following. You absolutely MAKE MY DAY!

I'd Walk A Mile For Your Style

Ciao!  I hope all of you are doing well!  Today I had the joy of being interviewed on Annette Joseph's, "I'd Walk A Mile For Your Style" blog feature. For those of you who don't know her, she is a rock star interiors stylist, designer, and cookbook author. Needless to say, Annette oozes with great taste and creativity. Her uber-hip house, which mirrors her artistic spirit, outgoing personality, her love of Italy, and cooking passion, easily makes the list of my top ten faves. It is an honor to be featured by someone who's work I admire so much. Mille Grazie, Annette.

Click here to read the interview.

...and thank you to all of you for following!

An Italian Vacation Home...Spettacolare

It's always fun to see great design around the world....

Thanks to my friend Janice, I heard about this fabulous rental property in Muro Leccese in Puglia, Italy (picture the boot...it's in the heel). 

It's near the Adriatic Sea; still unspoiled by tourism.

The interior design of 'Il Muro' is almost entirely antique and modest, but the overall effect is very modern, fresh and molto chic, thanks to the minimal decor, clean architectural restoration, and carefully curated accessories. Enjoy the tour...

Case in point...There is not a single modern element in this cucina, yet it has all the elements of today's trendy young kitchens: glossy white tile, clean lines void of trim, pendant lights, black and white contrast, and pale walls. 

This paint treatment has been used for centuries in Italian farm houses. Blogland is full of hip abodes featuring the same wide colorblock banding.

The walls were left with a natural patina. The pink is perfect here!

More pink with modern touches in the sun soaked living room. Here the archways look modern with sliding glass doors.

I love how they filled this archway.

I know a few Atlanta designers who would really dig this bathroom vignette.

 The house sleeps 16, with 6 bedrooms. All of them are simply adorned, with subtle touches of color.

How do you like the pendant over the bidet?

I love that they kept the doors in the original rustic state.

The dining room is the most contemporary space in the home.

Bathroom!

My favorite color. Notice the porcelain hardware and broken rush seat. Love it all.

This stone mantle and all of the stairs are made of 'tufo', a soft stone indigenous to the area.

I'll take the tile, the table and the art, grazie.

Dining al fresco under the wisteria covered pergola.

I will be copying the painted stripe on the adirondaks.

So much money being spent on ostentatious outdoor kitchens in the US these days....I prefer this look.

I assure you, the best meals have been made here...I'm not missing the Viking range a bit. Btw, how many of those really get a workout?

Someday, I will have an oval window...

And someday I hope to visit Il Muro. For more info on this property, please contact Priscilla Daroda priscilla.daroda@aliceposta.it.

Ciao!

A New Look

Ciao Belli! Today I'm sharing a little secret with you. Mind you, this happened to me by accident...I had NO idea what I was in for when I called photographer Marsha Mifsud. I was in need of a professional headshot for my website and press purposes, and thought I'd hop into the Savvy Photographer for a quick pic or two. Packing post-vacation lbs. and bad skin, I almost cancelled my appointment, (but she promised to edit out the bad stuff).

The Savvy Studio, located in John's Creek, GA, is a wonderful loft-like space with white walls and floors, cool vintage furniture, and lots of light. 

Marsha is a sweetheart, and makes you feel relaxed and right at home immediately with great music and yummy treats.  After an hour of hair and makeup by the darling and talented Theresa Stone, I was utterly transformed. I gave her carte blanche without peeking, and ended up with wavy curls and lots of dark eyeliner...a look I have never sported, but LOVE! So much so, that I went straight to Target to get a curling wand and some makeup for those special nights out.

The photo session consisted of several changes of clothes (I brought my own, but she has a whole rack of chic, flattering outfits), and dozens of shots with various backdrops.  Marsha is encouraging and a master not only at her craft, but also on how to get the best angle and pose for your body type. She warned me I would leave there feeling sore after some of the contortions she had me in, but that it would look great on camera, and that it did. 

One week later, I had probably 60 great images to choose from.  It took me an hour to whittle them down to four, and I am still wishing I had more.

 Mission accomplished, I now have some great professional shots. The unexpected benefits: a new friend, and a little jolt to my self-esteem. My only regret? Not planning a special night out in my new hair and makeup.  Instead, I spent the day hauling furniture and waiting in the auto body shop... then I waited till 9:30 for my family to get home so they could witness the transformation. Lorenzo was floored and even thought I had plastic surgery (no joke). Need I say more?

Call her for your Beauty Portrait....and tell her I say hi.

Ciao