House Beautiful

Tag Archive for 'fall'

Good Things { November 2020 }

Welp, here’s at least one thing we can all agree on: QUESO IS DELICIOUS.  This recipe is from Pinch of Yum – lemme know how it is if you try it before I do, but I’ve had really good luck with her stuff before.

While we’re getting fatter just sitting here looking at stuff, I am taking this Blackberry Thyme Brie en Croute for a spin at our next suppa party.  Cheese is never a bad idea.

This Penny Morrison fabric appears to be discontinued, but I’m still lusting after it.  Big luscious drapery panels (???) – yes please.

New Favorite Podcast = Wine for Normal People.  We binged it recently a few weeks ago with the same fervor as we would a new season of Stranger Things.

Is there anything sweeter than an old golden??  ANYTHING IN THIS WHOLE WORLD??  …OH, GUSSIE!  (ps these photos are by Dai Chan – beautiful pics of his pup here).

I just found this pic on my phone when I was on a plane yesterday, bored to tears and deleting old photos, which made me cry when I saw it.  It’s my sweet Daddy and Gus.  My Dad LOVED Gus…  LOVED.  You know if you follow me on social media that we are obsessed with and adore little Goose, but man.  They are all such little individuals and such people.  There will never be another O.G.

Our officiant at our wedding (who is a close friend of Chris’) a few weeks ago spoke about Gus, and the life & marriage lessons we could all take from him for a large part of the ceremony.  I think people assumed we fed him the lines, but it was a surprise to both myself and Chris – and there was not ONE DRY EYE IN THE DAMN HOUSE.

photo by Anni Graham

Also had these as our cocktail napkins.  I had a lady named Alicia on Etsy make them (she was wonderful) – I sent her a picture of Big Gus and she sketched it out and it was printed on them in copper.  My baby boy was there, everywhere – on the napkins, in the sermon, in my heart… everywhere.

Favorite kind of mani – besides the vanilla kind I usually get (Bubble Bath!) is a half-moon mani like this.  Makes the grow out easy breezy.

The perfect green!  Belongs in my future house somewhere – butler’s pantry, a vanity or a laundry room.  Ladurée in Paris.

Really pretty exterior brick & paint combo.

This hexagon mosaic pattern is pretty specific, but man it’s rad.  Via Rebecca Atwood’s Insta.

Love this for Fall.  Source unknown.

I’m all about staple shoes, and here they are.  I can hardly find these anywhere, except maybe on Poshmark or eBay, in a size 4.

I do other peoples’ kitchens for a living, and it may be my most fun room to do, because it’s like a portrait of the homeowner you paint via the combination of finishes, materials, and the way it functions.  This one is by Jessica Helgerson (credit:  for AD), and I audibly gasped when I saw it.

Favorite parts include:

  • the hand painted floor, which is a big commitment in a space like a kitchen – where doodles can’t easily be un-did – but in this case, I feel like it is what makes the space, but it definitely has a more timeless quality than so many of the patterned floors I’ve seen.  The terra cotta color is rich and warm, and becomes a neutral in the space and another layer of texture.
  • the Rocky Mountain Hardware brass apron-front sink, which I’ve been trying to get into someone’s house since the beginning of time (it was in this doodle back in 2014), and
  • the Lacanche range.

 

If I were doing it, I would probably have swapped out the freestanding island for an antique shop counter, like this one from Field & Fort in Santa Barbara:

And I would make room for (I can do this, because this is fantasy land and I’m the mayor) my two favorite Italian 1950’s vintage pendants that I picked up at Hollywood at Home a few years ago – almost identical to these: 

Anyhoo.  Since now we have the wedding under our belts, it’s about that time to try to settle into a house.  We love our (operative word: little) cozy place in Crested Butte, but we’re tinkering with the idea of either building (which is not a speedy process here) or buying a resale that we may have to do some work to (and knowing me / us, nothing will be the way we want it so I’ll have to turn it inside out).  Building costs are also bananas in this town… and I would almost equate trying to nail down subcontractors to herding sheep, but that hardly cuts it; it’s probably a little more like trying to nail molasses to the wall.  IT’S OK I’LL FIGURE IT OUT.  Anyhow, I’ll have to write a separate post soon to share all the fun stuff we wanna do, and then imma hafta figure out how to stretch our budget from stale beer to bubbly champagne so I can include all the highfalutin things we want.  But while I’m at it, here’s a wallcovering I die over slash MUST HAVE – via Nicky Kehoe.  Looks like William Morris but can’t 100% place it.

Also die over William Morris’ Pimpernel in Fig / Sisal.  It’s elegant, it reads old world and timeless but can also read modern, depending on what you put it with.  And it feels in motion, which I love.  The combinations in each colorway are also stunning.

Waiting with baited breath for Carolina Irving’s new release of “Delos.”  Spring 2021.  Have my hand on the buzzer à la Family Feud to use it on one of my fave clients’ dining chairs or counterstools.

I saw this Royal Cauldon Dinnerware pattern at an antique store on our mini-moon and I stalking it hard trying to collect it.

I could keep hunting that, or just blow my future kids’ college funds on the Oriente Italiano collection, which is so beautiful it’s stupid.  I’ll gladly eat trash scraps under a bridge on those plates.  jfdlsjfkdsjhakjfhdajkhakjha

How cute is this dress?  It almost looks like the maternity version and the inverse of Julia’s dress from the polo match in Pretty Woman.

Also, these pearl studs.  OMG I have to post something about Def Leppard or a t-shirt from Goodwill stat before I go straight snooty sorority house meets Golden Girls right in front of your eyes.

Here’s one of my fave new (old) songs:

 

I pride myself on lots of things, but one of them is sniffing out (get it?) the best candles for every season.  I’ve ordered a few brands into the shop (and returned almost all of them) – because sometimes they have a good nose (e.g. when you lift off the lid and sniff them in the store) BUT so many times, then they don’t smell the same (or smell at all) when they burn, which has to the ratio of the actual oil to wax that the candlemaker uses.  Anyhoo – one line I kept is NEST, which I carry exclusively in Crested Butte, and also 1 flava-flave from 1 other line.  Here are my 4 favorites for this time of year:

1 – Ethics Supply Co, Black Elk Peak, $38.  Has a woodsy, cozy, almost spicy scent to it that I think works great during the Fall but also into the holidays.

2 – NEST Holiday, $42 for the regular size, or $68 for the 3-wick.  A holiday classic!  So good, and the box is gorgeous for gift-giving.  I have both sizes in the shop.

3 – Thymes Frasier Fir, price varies per size.  Smells like a Christmas tree, but super potent and super delicious.  Only one I don’t carry, but the nice lady across the street (Elena / Casa Bella) does.

4 – NEST Moroccan Amber, $42 for the regular size.  Kind of a warm, vanilla & amber, fireside, more gender-neutral candle you can burn year-round, but great for the holidays, too.  I have been surprised how much I love this one.

Comment on this post or email me at stephanie.m.ballard@gmail.com to order!  Or just pop in the shop sometime!

Speaking of the shop – I have made a lot of custom ottomans for it in the past few years, but I’ve never seen an ottoman I’m more obsessed with than THIS one from House of Windsor by Windsor Smith.  Even Chris Driscoll lost his mind when he saw it.

How pretty is this for a stacking band?

Maybe I’ll add it one of these days?

Saw and screen shot this ages ago on Sally King Benedict’s Insta Story – cuz that is a BOMB STACK.

How dope is this Bolivian Frasada I picked up at Porch in Summerland (Santa Barbara) during our honeymoon?

Speaking of… I referenced it before, but our 10.22.20 wedding was insane.  I-N-S-A-N-E.  So magical I don’t have the words to describe it.  Will also have to post about that someday soon (lots of pics on Insta and in this highlight), and tell you about everything from mind-bending drama like the time my one-time DJ called Gavin Newsom (as in the Governor of California, on the phone) about my wedding, to mind-blowing wedding cake aka the time we flew in the orange shebert cake from Cru Cafe in Charleston.

We mini-mooned in Santa Barbara & Paso Robles – also must write out recs for those.  Also must book trip back ASAP.  My, I’m making myself a fat to-do list for a lazy Sunday.  Santa Barbara in particular may be tied with San Diego for the places my soul was meant to live.

{ via }

Here’s one rec for your Thanksgiving Day table: we had a few favorites from Paso, but Adelaida was our fave vineyard, and this is my fave wine for the price point from them.  My favorite wine altogether is the 2016 Syrah, but this one is a fraction of the cost, still delicious, but a really good table-drinking wine.

Also, the 2017 Lazy Creek Pinot Noir slays.

I also totally want to blog (soon) a Registry List with our favorite things we got (plus favorite kitchen stuff we already had), and a few tabletop mock-ups, so remind me to do that.  All of this (except the silverware, which is vintage – and which we used at the wedding) can be ordered thru yours truly.  What I love about this set-up is how versatile it is.  I have a few vintage and/or colorful tablecloths that all of this plays so nicely with.  You could also totally change up the napkins and the glassware depending on the season / what else you have happening chez vous.

PS these were our tabletops at the wedding.  CAN YOU EVEN HANDLE IT.  Photo by Anni Graham.

The patina on this antique piece in an entryway by Amber Lewis is perfection.

Well friends (!) thanks for letting me brain dump all over you and all over the interwebs on a Sunday afternoon. Gotsta scoot to do precisely this:

I for sure blabbed about what to blog about next, but what do YOU guys want to hear about?

xoxo,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

{ Currently Loving } Fall 2019

I wish there was a scratch & sniff on that picture above cuz MAN – is there anything better than Fall?!  I personally think Pumpkin Spice Lattes taste like old socks but I DO otherwise get real goofy this time of year… and by goofy I mean almost achingly nostalgic (…I just felt Chris Driscoll’s eyes roll into the back of his head – HAAAAAA).  But it’s true, yo: the Fall always feels like where things come full circle, and it seems to be where all of my sweet, in-slow-motion memories of growing up come flooding back and make a vivid resurgence. To the tune of the St. Elmo’s Fire Theme Song, obviously.

 

Have truer words ever been spoken? Pretty sure I post this quote every year as part of an annual nerd-out post about Fall.

It reminds me of high school volleyball season – squeaky shoes on the gym floor and the sound of whistles and the smell of Ball Gym… and the dynasty that is Burris Volleyball.

It reminds me of the big maple tree in the yard in the front yard of the little red house where I grew up.  Of watching Felicity and wondering if she was ever really gonna end up with Ben.  Of waiting with baited breath, then watching my high school crush round the corner in the hallway the first day of school each year – also in super slow mo – and then dying on the inside when he smiled at me.

Fall reminds me of college bus rides back from away games that were seemingly never-ending, and the fact that we were all always cozied up in our little seats with pillows and blankets and seemed to have Legends of the Fall, A League of Their Own and Sleepless in Seattle on a permanent loop on the bus’ VHS.

I smell bonfires and wet leaves underfoot and feel a chill in the air – which, we’re def feeling here in Crested Butte (cuz it snowed up on the mountain last night). PS Travel Crested Butte has the most beautiful pics, always.

GRACIOUS IT IS GLORIOUS!  That was a medium-sized tangent… scuzzi!!  (But if you really wanna go to crazy town, these posts from when Covet Living was just a baby are ALL. ABOUT. FALL)…

Fall Faves 2016 | I Dream of Fall 2014 | 7 Fall Looks to Love 2013Fantastic Fall 2011Ode to Fall 2010

Moving along… HERE ARE SOME OF THE THINGS I’M LOVING THIS SEASON:

THIS is one of my favorite autumn candles – put this guy in yer pipe this Fall & smoke it!  A huge shipment of these are arriving to my shop today and you better believe I’m lighting them all up at once.  You can also buy them here.

WHAT IS THIS FABULOUS OUTFIT AND WHERE DO I GET ONE?

These Ulla Johnson Carin booties are a start.

How fabulous is this rug?  I snapped it up for a client’s office and I’ve been cursing myself ever since that I didn’t keep it for my personal collection.  JUST KIDDIN SUZ!

I do have this one on its way to the shop though and I’m LOVING the sage + tangerine + chocolate hues!

ALSO – could we please discuss this rug I just picked up. I’d love to say “COMING SOON TO THE SHOP!” but I actually don’t know if I’ll be able to sell it (every 5th one or so, I keep… #whoops).  It will, however, look really pretty to sleep on when I’m living under a bridge in a few years because #rugsaremydrugs and when I see a super unique one, my credit card accidentally swipes itself. It’s crazy.

Can we also discuss that Amber Interiors did a wall mount wicker dining banquette? WALL MOUNT WICKER!  I am dead every time I see this.

Perfection. (source unknown)

The only thing it’s missing is THIS:

Would you like for me to make some pillows out of you?  Cuz I will.

SWEET BABY JESUS IS THERE ANYTHING MORE PERFECT THAN A NATAN MOSS LAMP?? I’d put it on my registry if I wasn’t afraid of getting judged until the end of time (they retail for about $1500 each). Oh wait, I put a copper Kitchen Aid Mixer on there, so that ship has sailed (DID YOU KNOW THEY CAN SHRED CHICKEN? #notjustforcookies). Natan Moss Lamps are available through Hollywood at Home.

There are no words.  Except that Ulla Johnson is a damn genius.

I think I’ve posted this short rib truffled gnocchi 75x and haven’t made it yet.  THIS IS THE YEAR PEOPLE.

I think this is Ted Baker from last season and I can’t find it for sale anymore, but I can still dream about it.

If there is a perfect guest room, this might be it. Photo by Luke White.

Same for the perfect Lacanche range.  (via)

I am literally DEAD over these platters by Ingrid Wens Ceramics.

Have you seen Anne Hathaway’s country house in the new Arch Digest?  Pam of Studio Shamshiri is the master behind it (she was one of the founders of Commune) and I think it’s so brilliant. Check out the whole thing here.

WHO KNEW THEY MADE A TILE THAT LOOKS EXACTLY LIKE FALL? I get a little tickle in my shorts every time I see a cement tile that isn’t the same black & white pattern that’s circumnavigated the Pinterestphere 875,000x in the last 5 years. Tulipier by Cement Tile Shop.

J’aime beaucoup le bijoux.

J’aime beaucoup aussi having brassy cabinet door fronts.

AMEN. Last night (Chris is out of town), I came home from work, made myself a delicious bowl of ravioli and plopped down on the sofa with a glass of sauv blanc, and then embarked on a Felicity binge, which I do almost every Fall. And it was divine.

The show came out the same year I went to college, so it takes me straight on back to 1999.

Was here last weekend to do a little wedding biz… this picture by Studio Castillo envelops how it feels to be in San Diego, almost to a T.  It was heaven.  We were in Wilmington for Labor Day weekend a few weeks back and one of Chris’ college buddies was telling me about how he went there for a small stretch of time after a breakup and that the only word he could use to describe it was “rejuvenating.” (*Cough* – sounds familiar)… but that’s exactly what it is, that place.

There may not be anything more charming than a pleated / shirred lampshade.  Thinking about starting to stock these…

These little pleated sconces in a laundry room by uber talented San Diego Designer Amy Meier also kill me.

HOW SWEET ARE THESE MUFFINS?

Brass + Mint Green = good times… (though not sure about that “+” hack around the shower trim). Or was that intentional? If it was, I strike the “hack” comment from the record.

Amber Lewis nailing it for – I dunno – the 75th time this week?

I would buy this, except it’s from one of those wild goose chase Tumblr posts. But we can all marvel at it – and then maybe find its doppelgänger at Forever21.

The lines on this chaise lounge slay me.  I would like to curl up with a nubby blanket and some popcorn and a fat glass of red wine and watch Dead Poet’s Society here… and maybe while burning a pumpkin spice candle.

I don’t think I have ever loved any piece of clothing I’ve ever seen more than this one.  Maybe second only to my wedding dress, which, if I didn’t have it, I might break with tradition and do this green guy.

So I’m not getting married in a green dress, but I sure as sh*t am doing this green bar.

Look at this little Moroccan buddy!

The kind of entry that (mountain rustic) dreams are made of.  (Source unknown)

I love this and I have no idea where I saw it… oh right, Jayne’s closet in 1987.  I LOVE IT STILL!

Um, Clé just started doing Victoria Larson’s fern textile print on cement tiles.  I die.

OBSESSED with this wallcovering from Wallshoppe!  I just got a sample of the removable version, just in case I wanna slap it somewhere in the office or – oh – I dunno… our bedroom?  Did I say that out loud? It’s labeled as “tan” but it’s actually more khaki with a green tint to it which is PERFECT.

You know what I actually really wanna do? I wanna wallpaper some panels – or a folding screen. I just saw this one that I may grab:

I mean, what if I also slapped these in our house before he comes home?  “I dunno babe – some vendor just delivered them by accident.. guess we have to keep them. #whoops”

Where does this lead to?  Probably heaven.  By Lowe Hardware.

I love Pratt & Larson for their myriad of colors, textures, and how the glaze pools in the corners.  This bathroom is by Emily Henderson.

The cutest Smurfmobile I’ve ever seen.  And I think the seats are wicker which means my brain just exploded. (Source unknown).

How stunning are these?  I think they might be artifacts in a museum somewhere or something, because they’re labeled: “MURRLE BENNETT & Co 1896-1916 Art Nouveau Earrings.”

Very into the scarf thing that’s happening this year.  (source unknown)

THESE ARE THE MOST DELICIOUS CHICKEN TENDERS!  My friend made them the other day and I wanted to steal them off the kids’ plates when I was done with mine.

Mommy likes.

I have a thing for handmade, salt glazed pottery.  Why is it so elusive?? Ever since Karrie & I bought the most beautiful mugs that Michelle Luu made for us (shown here, in my grubby little hand, and on Karrie’s shelf)… Um, our open shelf in the kitchen with ALL of our every day (and favorite) dishware fell a few weeks ago and every single piece shattered.  Michelle was lovely enough to tell me she’d make more, but (she’s doing the mom thang now) and her Etsy shop has been on vacation mode for YEARS.

I also do love Freckled Pottery, but she’s also tricky to pin down.  Because I have a wee retail storefront now, I’ve started also curating (in addition to vintage rugs, pillows and some custom furniture) really lovely home accessories… the kind that are harder to find, some handmade, etc.  Things like these… stay tuned!

I love this Lady Pin.  Little pricey at close to $45 after you ship it, but really rad.  I also just got a lecture from a stylist about how I’m murdering my hair by heat styling it all the time, and putting it up in ponytails, so this seems like it would be a little easier on the locks, yes?

What does this mean for you??  My favorite time-wasters are: blogging (heeeey), moviefest-ing (this means a double or triple feature in PJ’s), or meandering through antique stores on Saturday mornings.

I was binge-watching Season 3 of This Is Us last night, and she had a tweed/plaid coat on in one of them and I immediately took to scouring the interwebs for it.  Crested Butte – the little Colorado mountain town where we live – is a little more shall we say – utilitarian?  So I might get laughed off the street if I went traipsing down Elk Ave in that (don’t even get me started on heels – haven’t worn them in years) – but I could put this in the arsenal for an east coast trip, or just whenever I’m feeling like scaring the locals to death.  LOLOLOL

Speaking of fancy… I literally will probably be barefoot for most of our wedding (which they strictly say is prohibited in the Darlington House bible of rules, but whatevs)… but I guess I do need a pair of kicks to walk down the aisle in.  I’m not doing heels, and I know these are a little like, 2000 SJP chic, but I love them still.  Photo by Rachel Elaine Photography.

This should all be in a separate wedding post but HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THESE INVITES?  I have had this pic saved for probably 10 years, and Linda + Harriet no longer do calligraphy… (I begged to no avail)… so looking to do something similar.  In the world of, “Does it really matter?” – ehh probably not, but it’s REALLY FUN.

Hello Fall and nostalgia, all wrapped into one cozy sweater.

Hello shagreen scales – do you see the little mother of pearl detail in there too?  People have so much talent.

Sunnies are the bomb.  Source unknown, which I know makes you want to punch me in the face.

That’s all I got for now!  Well… that’s a lie.  I have GOBS of fun wedding stuff to spitball – but will save it for next time!  Have a great weekend!

xoxo,