It is my favorite time of year, again, fall! I love the feel of the first couple of cold fronts coming in, the pumpkins piled everywhere and the smell of apple cider. Things start settling in after all of the craziness of the summer and everyone starts making plans to spend time with friends and family. The Interior Design Society has a fund raising party coming up this month to benefit Safeplace. It will be a costume party (come as your favorite era) 1980 here we come! The Homebuilder’s Association has graciously offered to host our event at their beautiful party room at their offices. Everyone is invited and encouraged to come to help us meet our goal to obtain all of the furnishings we need to complete a room make-over project for them. To find out more about this event, visit our blog or the website for the Texas Hill Country Chapter of the Interior Design Society (www.idsaustin.org). In our newsletter this month, Chef Ryan shares a wonderful fall dessert; we recommend a wonderful red wine that works well for the season; and our featured builder is Eddie Williams of ProTractor Services. Our design feature is on accessories – the jewelry of a room. We talk to our floral designer, Michele Christiansen, about how to add beauty and life to spaces with floral design.
Accessorize,
The design team at Robin Bond Interiors
Culinary Creations
From the Kitchen of Cielo Su Terra
Simple Creme Brulee
1 quart heavy cream
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
1 cup vanilla sugar, divided
6 large egg yolks
2 quarts hot water
Directions
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
Place the cream, vanilla bean and its pulp into a medium saucepan set over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat, cover and allow to sit for 15 minutes. Remove the vanilla bean and reserve for another use.
In a medium bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup sugar and the egg yolks until well blended and it just starts to lighten in color. Add the cream a little at a time, stirring continually. Pour the liquid into 6 (7 to 8-ounce) ramekins. Place the ramekins into a large cake pan or roasting pan. Pour enough hot water into the pan to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake just until the creme brulee is set, but still trembling in the center, approximately 40 to 45 minutes. Remove the ramekins from the roasting pan and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 3 days.
Remove the creme brulee from the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes prior to browning the sugar on top. Divide the remaining 1/2 cup vanilla sugar equally among the 6 dishes and spread evenly on top. Using a torch, melt the sugar and form a crispy top. Allow the creme brulee to sit for at least 5 minutes before serving.
Visit Chef Ryan’s website at www.cielosuterra.net and keep his services in mind for parties, events, anniversaries or a special evening at home.
2010 ElvioTintero Moscato D’asti
Moscato is the sparkling and aromatic wine typically drunk at parties and festive events. It comes from the grape-pressing of the harvest of one single vineyard with a prominently positioned slope towards the south or southwest. Its bouquet is complex and aromatic with a taste balanced by a soft, convincing and velvety sweetness. It is at its best when served with desserts or fruit. This particular wine has classic Moscato sweetness, with white berries, peach, pear, apricot and green apple. Long finish and excellent freshness.
Designer’s Builder Pick of the Month
ProTractor Services, LLC
ProTractor Services, LLC, Professional General Contractors, has been serving the Lone Star State for over twenty-four years with over sixty years combined experience from the principals.
We are a full service General Contractor specializing in single family remodels and renovations. Our forté is in our beautiful kitchen and bath renovations. Our detail work is absolutely perfection and we always give the very best overall value.
We answer our phones when you call, are available 24/7 and we are perfectionists. Our technicians are “surgeons” and our twenty-four years of serving the Lone Star State supports our impeccable reputation. We are always “On Budget! On Time! Every Time!” guaranteed. And we give a written warranty on all of our work.
I want to be your contractor, your “go to guy” for all your contracting needs. And when emergencies arise, I am always there. There is no job too small and our scope of work is large enough to build a home from the ground up. You can always reach me, Eddie Williams, at 512/657-0466.
A recent kitchen/bath project:
Accessories – The Jewelry of the Room
Just as you would never take all of the jewelry out of your jewelry box and wear it all at once, accessories require restraint. One of the biggest mistakes I see when helping people with their homes is too many little items everywhere. People accumulate things here and there – before long there is too much and it creates chaos.
A few key accessories will yield big results. Instead of purchasing many little items, invest in a few large items that will make a statement in your room. Accessories are a great way to create rhythm in your room design by repeating shapes, colors or patterns. They warm up a space and keep it from feeling cold. Use multiples of an accessory for maximum impact such as several mirrors grouped together, a grouping of paintings or matching urns.
It could be argued that area rugs should be considered an accessory. Whether you consider a rug an accessory or a textile, it goes without saying rugs are one of the more important elements of a room. If a rug is working it has impact, if it is not it can ruin everything else you started in your room design. A rug can be the inspiration for a total room design.
Custom throw pillows are one of the most expensive items in a room, but also very necessary. They are a great way to bring in color and also create comfort. I like designing custom pillows to tie in fabrics to other fabrics I have already used in the room.
My favorite accessory of all time is the lamp. Did you know a well designed room should have at least five to seven light sources? Most people forget about lamps or do not have enough lamps. Lamps are beautiful and create immediate ambiance when well planned in a room.
Custom floral designs are a way to add some life and texture to a room. I tend to use greenery and floral very sparingly, but where impact is needed it can be just the thing. Check out these two gorgeous floral arrangements my floral designer, Michele Christiansen, created for the Hampton house project. Don’t miss my interview with Michele in this month’s Wine, Dine and Design broadcast.
LINKING LUXURY, QUALITY AND STYLE
Robin Bond Interiors was established in 2003, as a full-service design firm with an emphasis on custom drapery and high quality furnishings. Our niche is working with clients from concept to completion, a room at a time, creating a beautiful, pulled together space, which reflects our client’s style. Robin Bond Interiors operates in an ethical fashion and our goal is to build long-term personal relationships with our clients based on mutual trust and respect.
Contact us today for a FREE 1 hour consultation and let us make the space of your dreams a reality!
I want to be your contractor, your “go to guy” for all your contracting needs. And when emergencies arise, I am always there. There is no job too small and our scope of work is large enough to build a home from the ground up. You can always reach me, Eddie Williams, at 512/657-0466.
My favorite accessory of all time is the lamp. Did you know a well designed room should have at least five to seven light sources? Most people forget about lamps or do not have enough lamps. Lamps are beautiful and create immediate ambiance when well planned in a room.
