Wine Pairing of the Month

As the weather and climate in Texas moves from warm to extremely hot in the next few weeks, I am in “full blown” rosé mode as this style of wine delivers much fruit, defined acid, and refreshing taste. Unfortunately, the light hued colors of pink cause many to revisit their college days of cheap sweet Lancer-Mateus and that confusing potion created in California known as “White Zinfandel”. I refer to this reaction and phenomenon as “PINK PANIC!”. As such, I suggest an “intervention” for your palate and allow me the opportunity to advise on the great taste of dry rosé. To set the scene, I always say that rosé is sunshine, “kindness”, a child’s laughter, and the wag of a puppies tail all trapped in a bottle … truly, based on the previous, why wouldn’t you try a glass? As well, a reminder, dry simply means “not sweet” when referring to the fruits of the vine. Rosé is produced worldwide, however, I lean towards France given the dizzying levels of production, reasonable $$$, and numerous shades of light color. Once again, Chef Abitz has composed a great dish to enjoy with a great wine. This recipe is great representation of simplicity packed with loads of flavor.
Pesto + Sunset + Backyard + Chilled Rosé = “A Year In Provence” (keep smiling, do your research, is a great book!). As such, I suggest the following wine:

As a suggestion, make a trip to the Austin Wine Merchant on W. 6th Street and admire the outstanding selection of fantastic summer rosé. The pricing is reasonable, service excellent, the wine is always great, and of course, the above is available.

Please allow me to be your “Everyday Sommelier” and always, good wine tastes good, but good food paired with good wine tastes great!

Cheers!

Designer’s Spotlight: Land Art Garden Center

This past week, I had the pleasure of visiting LandArt Garden Center. Located right outside of Austin in Spicewood, LandArt Garden Center is your one stop shop for all your outdoor needs. Housed on an 8.5 acre lot, you can find anything you need from landscaping materials and resources to furniture and décor.

At LandArt Garden Center the staff is extremely professional, experienced, and reliable. To get a full tour of their 2,000 square foot showroom, ask for Suzanne! Do you need some knowledgeable advice on what plants to use in your outdoor space? Ask for James! He can walk you through their 4.5 acre nursery and fill you in on the latest trends. If you have a big project and need the expertise of a landscape architect, they’ve got you covered, just ask for Grant!

For custom design landscaping, consultations, installation, or renovations LandArt Garden Center is the place to go! They offer their services and products to both the trade and public, so take the time to go visit their space and view their showroom. “The exterior of your property is always the first impression,” why not make it a good one.

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Wine, Dine, and Design TV

This month Erin Hanrahan visits Land Art and Garden Center

Pretty Patio Retreat

Summer is in full swing and everyone loves a backyard barbeque. One trend that is taking off is dropping the lonely grill in the corner and having a full-service outdoor kitchen with a connecting patio for entertaining. If you plan the space right, it is like adding actual square footage to your home. In Texas an outdoor room can be enjoyed almost year round.
When planning an outdoor room consider good quality patio furniture with comfortable seating and weather proof fabric. If you purchase patio furniture right, you should never have to replace the frame.
A treated fabric can be used for operable drapery to close off the space in the winter. For a sleeker look, outdoor solar shades are great. Just add a patio heater, and you can easily get full use out of your patio here in the Texas winter.
Some other tips for designing the perfect outdoor room:
• Use bold colored fabrics. Outdoor spaces are not a place to hold back. Have fun and play off of the colors used in your surrounding landscape. Many of the Native Texas plants have fuchsia, coral or bright yellow.
• Include colorful throw pillows to make your patio space feel like the indoors.

• Anchor your space with an outdoor rug. This will add softness underfoot and will once again bring in your color palette.
• Nothing adds ambiance to a space more than lighting. Plan your outdoor lighting just like you would an indoor space. Consider recessed can lighting with dimmers and outdoor ceiling fans with light kits. There are also some great outdoor lamps to further add to that indoor feeling. Outdoor party light strings work well not only for a party, but are great for adding sparkle around your patio cover.
• Citronella candles are beautiful and are practical for keeping the pests away. They now come in many beautiful colors.
• Add large floor pots with those same native Texas plants that are in your landscape. I like to use perennials. That way if they die in the winter they will typically come back in the spring. An outdoor drip system in these pots will make them maintenance free.
These are just a few helpful tips to create an outdoor space you can enjoy and feel like you are on vacation even when you are home. Chances are you will not want to leave!

Wine Pairing for Romantic 3 Course Dinner

Salads are always a challenge regarding wine pairings given the defined “green tones” of the selected mixture of lettuce, frisée, spinach, endive or other chosen vegetables.  You also have to consider the style of dressing, which is the component of this dish that will determine the wine.  As per previous “Wine 101”, remember that acid in wine is Mother Nature’s gift to cuisine and is the “equalizer” when pairing food and wine.  For this dish, I am “back to bubbles” with the selection of a brut rosé sparkling wine (again, brut = not sweet).  Since 1864, Gratien & Meyer has been producing quality wines from the Loire Valley that represent excellent quality, taste, and value.  Produced in the same manner as Champagne, this wine is born from the use of Cabernet Franc that has a defined tart raspberry/cranberry/cherry fruit profile as well as a faint undertone of fresh herbs.  Fresh, “clean”, simple salad + dazzling bubbles = a perfect food and wine pairing.

Wine, Dine, and Design TV – Valentines Wine Pairings Explained

Designer’s Builder Pick of the Month

Jason Crabtree, Premier Partners

Premier Partners is a homegrown Austin based company that has been built on a reputation of trust, quality, and unrivaled service. When Premier Partners builds a home, it’s not just a job; it’s personal.  It’s about listening and understanding, and then delivering the kind of unsurpassed quality and superb experience that every client deserves and should expect from their homebuilder.

At Premier Partners, we recognize teamwork is fundamental in our overall success.  Our staff is a team of experienced professionals that are supported by skilled construction labor and the finest architects and home designers.  In addition, we have assembled a support team that shares a devotion to excellence and love of generating complete satisfaction for clients, whether with a custom home or one of Premier Partner’s notable renovations.

Whether building a Custom Home or remodeling your existing home, it’s a detailed process with many decisions along the road to completion. Premier Partners works side by side with you every step of the way facilitating this process and making it fun and exciting. Our approach allows you to play an active role in the building process by providing you with a financial road map to guide you through all the phases of the design build process. We make sure that your individual tastes are realized in each phase, while we closely monitor your budgetary goals versus your actual costs. This powerful design and build process has set the standard for the industry and ensures the fulfillment of your dream home will not only be on time but will be on budget.

All of these factors play a role in our long-standing reputation for our impeccable results and our ability to create a diversity of styles in communities throughout the Austin area.

We pride ourselves not only on the homes we have built, but also on the long lasting relationships we have developed with each and every client.  Our mission is to create unique and innovative homes with passion and integrity; because what you require from a home isn’t just a list of features, it’s a reflection of your distinctly different lifestyle and desires.

Twin Valley Residential Remodel

The Twin Valley remodel was a whole house remodel in which every room was updated in order to achieve a contemporary aesthetic and lifestyle with a home built in 1980.  The pre-existing 3000 square foot home greatly under-utilized superb hill country, lake, and golf course views from its hill top perch.  Highlighting the views, updating the style, increasing the utility of the given space, opening the floor plan up to create larger spaces, and adding capability to use the home as a “model” home were all goals of the owner.

Before:

After:

Master Bedroom Magic

When working with my clients to create a beautiful master bedroom retreat, I recommend starting with quality bedding.  This is a great way to establish a color scheme and design direction.  If drapery will be a part of the design plan, then I highly recommend biting the bullet and going with a higher quality bedding.  The higher quality offers a longer life that will hold up to the quality and coordination of the drapery.  Drapery is an investment that you will not be changing out for 15 or 20 years.

Many times, I hear from people that they don’t want to invest in good bedding because they like to change it out more often.  Having a “summer” and “winter” look is a great idea and keeping this in mind when planning the drapery is smart.  Other than that, a well designed space should be for the long haul.  A well designed room is going to take into consideration other elements such as art, accessories, rugs and lighting.  Changing all of this out often will get more expensive than merely designing the room to be amazing the first time.  I find the main reason people want to change things out more often is due to the fact they are never that happy with the room to begin with.  They keep tweaking things to try to get to that place of satisfaction that feels right.  A well designed space will feel terrific and will keep you happy for years to come.

Here are a few suggestions I have for a great master bedroom suite:

1. The master bedroom and bathroom should be considered one space.  They need to work well together with a cohesive look.
2. Blackout drapery is an amazing investment for a master bedroom.  If you have trouble sleeping or if you like to sleep-in  or nap on the weekends, consider investing in blackout drapery.  It is more expensive than something that is just decorative on the windows, but the sleep benefits are amazing!
3. Add a sitting area to your master bedroom.  Most of the master bedrooms are designed now with plenty of space to add a nice sitting area for reading and relaxing.  Adding this area to your master suite will give you a comforting place to retreat from your children or other activities going on in the rest of the house.
4. Plan the lighting for how the room is going to be used.  A well designed room should have five to seven light sources.  This is especially important in a master bedroom.  I love to read before retiring at night and having a good three-way reading lamp was an important part of my master bedroom design plan.
5. Instead of art, consider adding dramatic wallpaper, a fabric treatment, or have a decorative mural painted on your bed focal wall.
6. Adding fabric panels to a four-poster bed will make you feel like a king or queen.
7. Invest in a good quality mattress – it will make all the difference in how you feel.
8. Interior Designers sell high quality sheets and other linens that are not readily available on the retail market.  Great linens will feel better the more they are washed and used.

Investing in a beautiful  master suite is a great way to reward yourself and will be life giving in more ways than you can imagine!

Wine Pairing for Smoked Chicken Wings

Not all wines produced in California are from Napa and Sonoma.  Mendocino, Lake, and Amador Counties all produce excellent wines of varietal character and great price points.  The first Lake County vines were planted in the 1870’s and the largest lake in California, Clear Lake, is also located in this area.  Stephen Vincent wines represent quality, fine craftsmanship, and excellent value.  This Sauvignon Blanc is “textbook”.  Hints of “fresh laundry hanging on the clothes line” with defined acid, plus crisp flavors of lime/green melon/breakfast grapefruit/pineapple plus the absence of any wood.  This is a great example of how a high acid white can compliment spice and “heat” in a dish.

Bubbles, bubbles, bubbles … oh how I love thee!  Far too often, bubbles are incorrectly thought off as only for celebrations, when in fact, are truly one of the greatest of all pairing wines.  The texture of bubbles helps cleanse the palate as well as moderates heat, sweat, and richness in cuisine.  For the above, Solletico is Italian for “to tickle” and is a great reference to the small, prickly bubble profile.  As a plus, this wine is vintage dated (rare for Prosecco!) and is Brut regarding style (remember, Brut simply means not sweet!).  With crisp acid, refreshing bubbles, and tasty “crunchy” fruits of green apple, melon, and white peach, Solletico is a great accompaniment to the spice and smoke flavors of the wings

Each of the above wines is available at GOOD2GO for purchase.  As well, allow me to be your “Everyday Sommelier” and always, good wine tastes good, but good food paired with good wine tastes great!

Designer’s Realtor Pick of the Month

After a rewarding twenty-five year career with Eanes ISD, Dianne decided to turn her real estate investment hobby into a professional career. With both her father and her husband involved in real estate, Dianne’s knowledge of the profession extends from early childhood to her hands-on experience gained in the field. Energized by the amazing investment opportunities in the Spicewood/Lake Travis area for the past 5 years, she is now expanding her focus to include the Central Austin and surrounding areas. Dianne is always dedicated to working closely with her clients and many times forming personal relationships which usually result in a very impressive collaboration of efforts, always keeping her clients informed of the progress of their sale on an almost daily basis. She is committed to always exceeding expectations and brings unparalleled integrity, diligence and genuine concern for her clients to every opportunity.

Real Estate Affiliations:

• Austin Board of REALTORS®, member
• Texas Association of REALTORS®, member
• National Association of REALTORS®, member
• Austin Multiple Listings Service, member

Do you want to Tango?

The bold Pantone color Tangerine Tango #17-1463 can be used in just about any style of decor.  This orange hue adds “pop” and excitement.  Pair it with a rich dark chocolate and cream for an energizing room. Other colors that will be popular in 2012 are jewel tones of Emerald, Ruby and Sapphire.  Coral and Amethyst as well as other shades of purple are great for more peaceful schemes.

Glidden Professional’s color of the year is a blushing, lively, juicy red #B8.38.44.  Like Pantone’s orange hue, Glidden’s red is bold.  Red is a powerful mood modifier.  In China, it is associated with good fortune.  Children prefer it to other colors.  Grown-ups feel attracted to those in red.

Whether you like it or not, trends impact design.  I know we all fear that the next design trend will haunt us like that avocado green refrigerator or busy floral wallpaper.  Speaking of wallpaper, I am so thrilled that it is back!  The new look of wallpaper is textural and graphic.  Used as an accent with complimentary paint colors, wallpaper adds more interest and is similar in cost to decorative painting.  A lot of the faux painting techniques that have been popular so long are trending out.

We are all still keenly aware of our environment and repurposing.  This coincides with color schemes of earth and sky with soft blues, greens and rich earth tones like chocolate.  Benjamin Moore’s color of the year is Wythe Blue, #HC143.  By the way, this color pairs well with Tangerine Tango.

Other things to be on the lookout for in 2012 are native prints and geometrics, crewel or embroidery design fabrics, and damask.

Believe it or not, gold is also making a comeback.  This time it has more of a satin or toned down type of finish.  All metallics are hot.  I love to add some bling to room designs for a touch of glamour.

Monochromatic blends of grays and purple tones will work well for a more sophisticated and understated look.  If you are a cool color scheme person, the beautiful gray palettes are amazing!