My obsession with Morocco continues with this beautiful garden hotel.
I am having a Marrakesh moment and can’t stop fantasizing about lounging here…..
after having an indulgent meal here.
I would love to drift off to sleep under this canopy…..
And wake up to freshly brewed mint tea.
I’d have breakfast on the terrace….
And then take a luxuriously long bath filled with rose petals.
Late afternoons spent in bougainvillea filled courtyards.
Evenings reading by the fire…
Who wants to join me?
I just read a fantastic article on Donatella, the attorney-turned-culinary mogul who has become one of the most successful women in the world of food.
Donatella opened her first restaurant, Bellini in 1998 and then subsequently opened a string of flourishing and highly acclaimed restaurants in New York City including Mia Dona –which was re-opened in late 2009 as a tribute to the “cucina povera” of her mother’s native Puglia.
In April 2010 Donatella Arpaia unveiled her prowess in the kitchen with her first cookbook, DONATELLA COOKS: Simple Food Made Glamorous.
Taking cues from her personal style that is more Missoni and Marni than “mamma mia,” Donatella has rolled up her sleeves in the kitchen to serve up straightforward, beautiful recipes designed to add sparkle to a dinner table.
Donatella is currently developing her own food television show, having become well known for her regular appearances as the “tough but fair” judge on the Food Network programs Iron Chef America, The Next Iron Chef, and Bravo’s Top Chef. I ordered her cookbook today and will let you know what I think.
Who is your favorite chef?
To start this week off right I feel compelled to share with you one of my favorite films of all time. “A Good Year” was directed by Ridley Scott and stars Russell Crowe and Marion Coitillard.
After years of no contact with his Uncle Henry, London banker and bond trader Max Skinner learns that his Uncle has passed away and that he has inherited his château and vineyard in Provence.
Max had spent every summer of his childhood there, learning maxims and how to win and lose, and honing his killer instinct (at chess, which serves him well in finance).
Max goes to France intent on selling the property. He spends a few days there, getting the property ready to show.
While making the preparations, memories, a beautiful woman, and a young American who says she’s Henry’s illegitimate daughter interrupt his plans.
Crowe and Coitillard have undeniable chemistry and having you laughing the entire time.
The film is truly spectacular and would be worth watching just for the scenery alone. I am always shocked by how many people still haven’t seen this incredible movie. Rent it tonight!
On Saturday I went with a girlfriend to one of my favorite places in Orange County – Rodger’s Gardens.
Rodger’s Gardens is an expansive nursery and home store. They carry the most pristine plants and beautiful items for decor and entertaining. These blooms above are all fake!
They have everything from ground-cover to fully trellised bougainvillea. Their quality of their plants is what impresses me most. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a dead bloom on any plant!
Walking through the gardens feels like walking through a spread in Home & Garden Magazine.
Mixed amongst the plants are gorgeous fountains and water features (all available for purchase – yay!).
In my opinion, the best thing about this place is the incredible creativity used in their visual merchandising. Each nook and cranny of the store is filled with wonderful surprises.
Springtime in the gardens is absolutely breathtaking. Christmas time in the gardens is a close second though – they string strands of white lights to the very tips of all of the trees and around all of the trellised walkways. They play Christmas music and have more Christmas decorations than even the largest Newport Beach mansion could hold. It is so magical.
Rodger’s Garden’s is my happy place. I can spend hours there designing my perfect imaginary backyard.
Inside awaits all things fabulous. French soaps from Marsielle….
Beautifully merchandised home decor…..
Subtle accent pieces….
Inspiring coffee table books on event design, interior design and entertaining…
Wonderfully intoxicating candles and home fragrances…
And a whole gourmet food section with cookbooks, inventive sauces, colored pastas and marinades. I purchased a container of peach salsa and a raspberry-orange barbecue sauce!
Last, but certainly not least, they have all different kinds of outdoor furniture and accessories. I loved the rope detail on these throw pillows. So chic and perfect for a Hamptons beach house. I hope that you all had lovely weekends filled with rest and beauty. xx
Today’s post features another captivating home that I toured in Dana Point, CA. I was so inspired by this property not only because of the quality of the home, but also because of the playful decor.
I was stunned by the level of detail that was put into staging this home. Notice the sumptuous throws draped over the couches and the stacks of enticing books.
Outside those french doors awaits this. Not a bad place to watch the sunset.
And below is a full pool, fireplace and additional outdoor dining area.
The kitchen was my favorite area. I loved the whimsy of the sea-glass light fixtures.
Isn’t this the perfect little breakfast nook? I think that I could become a morning person if this was where I ate breakfast.
The dining room did not disappoint either. The designer struck the perfect balance between eclecticism and simplicity.
This little area awaits you to your right at the top of the staircase.
What a fun little retreat to take a phone call or flip through a magazine.
It’s all in the details.
The master bedroom was so serene with its calming colors and sunlight pouring through the windows. So many options of places to sit and read with a nice cup of tea.
I can just imagine sitting upon that chaise next to a little fire, having all of the windows open, and drinking in the fresh sea breeze.
“Her” master bath. I’m seeing a trend of breathtaking bath locations in Dana Point homes.
This beautiful bathroom was off of one of the bedrooms upstairs. The textures of the stone and tile add some much interest to this space.
And in that same bedroom was that this wonderful little workspace.
This was the chicest “workout” room I have ever seen. I think that I would feel bad about sweating in such a beautiful space.
Look at this gorgeous table. I think a bottle of Gatorade would look a bit out of place, don’t you?
Of course there’s a wine cellar!
Here’s the hubs looking fabulous. I think the property suits him quite well.
Last Sunday I spent the afternoon touring some incredible properties in Dana Point, California. Click here to see the full property listing of this $17 million dollar home. I think the price is justified by the bathroom alone! 
This is the view from “her” master bathroom.
This home had a separate wing for the woman’s bathroom and closet off to the left of the master bedroom.
“Her” closet. It extended around the corner as well and had a beautiful marble vanity.
“His” closet and bathroom. This center island featured a watch safe (for about 20 watches) and winder that rose out of the top. Every man’s dream.
What man wouldn’t love to get dressed here?
And he could even watch the game during the process…
The master bedroom. Not a bad view.
A beautiful sitting area in the master bedroom. I love all of the white coral accents.
The gorgeous entryway. Again with the spectacular white coral. I found some at ZGallerie that I am excited to integrate into my decor.
This is such a beautiful kitchen with the great light fixtures and counter-tops, but I must say my favorite part….
is the view. Dreamy, huh?
The backyard isn’t too shabby either.
The Ladurée family credits themselves for creating Paris’ first tea salon. In 1862, Louis Ernest Ladurée, a miller from France’s southwest, created a bakery at 16 rue Royale in Paris.
During the same year, the first stone of the Garnier Opera was laid, and the area surrounding the Madeleine was rapidly developing into one of the capital’s most important and elegant business districts. The most prestigious names in French luxury goods had already moved into the neighborhood.
Cafes developed and became more and more luxurious. They attracted Parisian high society. Along with the chic restaurants around the Madeleine, they became the showcases of the capital.
Women were also changing. They wanted to make new acquaintances. Literary salons and literature circles were outmoded. Ernest Ladurée’s wife, Jeanne Souchard, daughter of a well-known hotelier in Rouen, had the idea of mixing styles: the Parisian café and pastry shop gave birth to one of the first tea salons in town. The “salon de thé” had a definite advantage over the cafés: they permitted ladies to gather in freedom.
In September 1997, Ladurée opened a restaurant and tea room on the Champs-Elysées. The mission of the President David Holder is thus to bring back the great classics, which have contributed to the reputation of this ‘salon de thé’, as well as create an environment for gastronomic creativity in Paris. With him, Ladurée will be a tea salon, pastry shop, restaurant, chocolate shop and an ice cream parlor. The Holder group intends to introduce this century-old name in the main capitals of the world and develop new business opportunities.
Here I am in front of one of their gorgeous window displays on the Champs-Elysees in Paris.
And me again, enjoying one of their life-altering macaroons.
Giada Pamela De Laurentiis was born in Rome, Italy. Giada grew up in a large Italian family where the culture of food was a staple in and of itself. She is the eldest child of actress Veronica De Laurentiis and her first husband, actor-producer Alex De Bendetti. As the granddaughter of film producer Dino De Laurentiis, Giada consistently found herself in the family’s kitchen and spent a great deal of time at her grandfather’s restaurant, DDL Foodshow. Giada and her siblings moved with their mother to Southern California when she was a teenager. She graduated from UCLA with a bachelors degree in social anthropology.
Giada studied at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris with aspirations of becoming a pastry chef. After returning to the US, she became a professional chef working in several LA restaurants, including Spago. She founded GDL Foods, a catering company in Los Angeles. She later worked as a food stylist and was contacted by the Food Network after styling a piece in Food & Wine Magazine in 2002.Her cooking program, Everyday Italian has been broadcast on the Food Network since 2003.
On May 25, 2003, she married Todd Thompson, a designer for Anthropologie. The two had been dating since July 1989. The couple’s first child, Jade Marie De Laurentiis Thompson, was born on March 29, 2008.
And today a personal dream of mine came true. I got to meet Giada – the woman who inspired and taught me to cook and entertain. She fostered in me a skill that has given me so much joy. She was even more beautiful and gracious in person.
Few things make me happier than a visit to my nearest Sabon location. I was hooked from the first time I walked into the charming shop and saw, touched and smelled their incredible products.
Their website states that “in the summer of 1974, in a small farming town in Israel, a young couple made soap in their back yard. Guided by an ancient aboriginal recipe they had stumbled upon during their travels, they meticulously blended various local herbs and flowers into their magical mixture of fragrant oils and lye. After cooling and setting, this mouthwatering soap was sliced into hearty chunks, liberating the dreamy fragrances that would invite the curiosity, and envy, of their neighbours and friends.”
Hence the name “sabon” which means soap in Hebrew.
Today, with the same love and creativity that inspired the original bar of lavender soap, Sabon has somewhat expanded upon their soap line to include delightful and dreamy products for the body and home. This wonderful collection of lotions and potions is now available in stores across Israel, Europe and America.
