Pink

My country upholsterer just delivered these...

pink linen + ebony wood + nickel nailheads
= a seating confection

John Kerry's Isabel

Oh, to marry well

No Pictures

To be totally honest, I hate malls.  But I was at SouthPark for a Genius Bar appointment to cure my addled MacBook and found myself just around the corner from the new Tory Burch shop. So I popped in and, without any pretense whatsoever, took a slew of snaps to include in this very post. No salesperson urging me to stop, completely lacking in 'no pictures, please' signs.

On my way out, I stopped to tell a blonde employee just how beautiful I thought the shop was and that I intended to tweet & post all about it. Without missing a beat, and in a completely condescending tone, she informed me that I was more than welcome to post, but could not include any of my pictures.

What?

I celebrate your style, Tory, but you just lost a customer.

Dixie Vengeance?

Have you ever been to Connecticut's Shady Glen? And have you had what All-American foodies Jane & Michael Stern call 'the most amazing cheeseburger we've ever met'? 

I was first introduced to the burger in 1970, laid out on a very large platter with a side of crinkle cut fries just across the formica counter-top from my own pb&j.  As skinny as she is, my momma is a huge foodie and used to love her some Shady Glen cheeseburger.  And it is a sense of familial loyalty that now compels me to report on the burger brouhaha currently afoot.

In 1948, the original Shady Glen Dairy Bar opened smack in the middle of Connecticut cow country. And very soon after, the Bernice Original was introduced, a grilled burger surrounded by a large dose of melted American cheese, made extremely crisp by a well-seasoned griddle.

Originally, the cheese came directly from the owners' local Jerseys & Guernseys. More recently, Shady Glen was purchasing twenty four tons of cheese a year from a Wisconsin supplier, made only from the milk of Northern cows. For the past several weeks, however, there have been reported grumblings over the quality of the cheese covering this iconic burger. And even The Hartford Courant was reporting that some were threatening to "boycott the Manchester dining gem until something is done about that cheese."

Enter the Glen's owner, suitably distressed, who immediately began searching for a cause. And what did he find? That his supplier had recently moved its Wisconsin headquarters, shifted its supplier base, and  the milk used in Shady Glen's ill-received cheese was now coming from Southern cows. 

I'm just sayin'

Chills

It's about 100 degrees in CLT today, but this crazy beautiful room is making the hair on the back of my neck stand up. Love Love Love. Anyone know where it's from?

Design*Sponge

Kate & gang, thanks so much for featuring one of my chairs in your fabulous Before & After section... Check it out, y'all!

Wednesday Chair Deliciousness

These just arrived, fresh & fabulous in all their Windsor Smithiness. Without a doubt the most comfortable chairs in which I've sat. Nice tall backs to rest your head, thick smooshy cushions in feather & down. What's not to love?

Atlanta

We arrived late Friday afternoon, with just enough time for quick trips to Pieces...

Armour & Co.

and Bella Cucina

Each completely fabulous in its own way! And then off to tasty mojitos & tapas on the back veranda @ Noche. All in all, an amazing day.

Better Late Than...

Unfortunately I missed the Adler/Pieces party tonight (had a dinner here I couldn't miss!) but will be heading down to Atlanta for the gift show tomorrow... will tweet if I see anything good.

{photo via a gift wrapped life}

Beach Bound

A pair of these amazing BRNO chairs just left for Southampton.
Enjoy, Melissa!

Party Party Party

This Thursday night @ Pieces, an event not to be missed. Promises to be hot (Atlanta) & drunken (Svedka) & fun (Adler). And look, FREE VALET. Music to my ears.

Farmers Market

Summer weekends require early morning trips to the local farmers market. Mine, the Community Farmers Market in a fabulous small town south of Uptown, is particularly well known for its direct-from-farmer (rather than distributor) freshness. With coffee & organic blueberry muffin in hand (from a practically sold out artisan pastry chef named Lucy), I hit the tents...

Before + After

{linen ticking = Cap Ferrat Stripe in Azure

from the La Plage collection by Ralph Lauren}

Chair Not-Quite-Pair Love

these make me crazy

Green + White + Silver

This room just hollers summer

Where to Stay in the Hamptons?

I'm considering a weekend in the Hamptons. Any recommendations?

Chandeliers of a Different Sort

Love these shoes from Prada, and the tangerine polish too.

Happy 4th

Enjoy a fabulous start to your summer. See you in a few days.

Zig. Zag.

Happy chairs

Fabulous Stuff on Sale

Don't miss the Annual Sale at Post & Gray, today through July 17. I have a few pieces on sale + lots of new arrivals...

{That amazing aqua check, really perfect paired with the hand-screened linen, came straight from Shannon @ The Designer's Attic}