morning // night

//

a million flowers for Dior

ISN'T THAT INCREDIBLY BEAUTIFUL?

turqouise teatime

The turquoise and gold cup is my little time machine to the era of French Baroque. Even if I can't enjoy my tea in the company of Marie Antoinette, I can at least feel as decadent. By the way I recommend you watch the film "Vatel". It's extremely well researched and historically authentic... the colours, the costumes, the spectacles.. need I say more? 

Sunday, 10pm

Sunday, 8pm

Sunday, 6pm

countryside decadence

Sautéed oyster mushrooms with fresh spring herbs and champagne
2 servings

oyster mushrooms
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 spring onions, finely chopped
1 tbs balsamic vinegar
a glass of champagne
a handful of fresh spring herbs
flour to slightly dust the mushrooms
3 tbs olive oil
sea salt
freshly grated black pepper

Place the olive oil in a large sauté pan. Stir-fry the garlic and the spring onions. Then raise the heat to high and add the mushrooms. Stir and turn until all mushrooms are browned. Dust them slightly with flour.

Remove from heat, add vinegar and champagne. Toss to incorporate. Return to heat and let the flavours  
blend. Now add the finely chopped herbs and let them warm for a moment.

Best with chunks of baguette and ice cold champagne !

finally finished

Before I continue to cook my Sophie Calle inspired menus in red, pink and purple, and before I reveal  more about myself by participating in @fatmumslim's photo-a-day challenge I  invite you to finally have a glimpse into my kitchen. Yes, into the new one! The light-flooded one! You can't believe how happy I am with all the works finished.

Well, there are still missing some blinds and a real nice work of art (black-and-white photography?) on the wall behind the table, but overall I'm super happy that I've met the challenge to transfer my kitchen from the dark to the bright side of the house. The former kitchen has become a cosy little library.

Those of you who are visiting my blog regularly know that I passed through hard times during the construction and at the end nearly lost my nerves, my energy and my patience..  A big thank you to all my friends who supported me and especially to those who helped me "not to give up three meters in front of the shelter"!

Have a relaxing weekend!

peek into a collector's home

I'm happy to have decided to take a break for my exhausted renovation mind. Actually I spent the last days in Munich, super relaxing, brought a bucketful of inspirations  and even got some old silken curtains to take with me which should fit perfectly well into my study...


The studio

 

The boys' room

The kitchen

The bathroom

kitchen turnaround

Hi, my dear readers! First I must apologize for having been such a lazy blogger lately. Things are taking up speed, the turnaround of rooms is going to start on Thursday. Yes, this Thursday! As I mentioned it in an earlier post I've decided to move my kitchen from the north/eastern side of the house to the former music room in the south. A wall has to be removed to give additional space to the new kitchen, the floors have to be replaced, the former kitchen will become library, two new windows  (towards south) will be quarried out...   and  I stop here because you already can imagine  how excited I am right now.

I hope the coordination of the different craftsmen will work out well (the most important thing in my opinion) and there won't be too much dirt. Meanwhile I'll try to keep you on the loop by the one or the other shot from my camera. Wish me much luck and good nerves!

Opulence in Red and Green

Only one week until 1. Advent! For us it's the weekend we light the first candle of the Advent wreath and we decorate our homes in the traditional colours: sprigs of fir, box and holly, red candles and ribbons. Red faced little apples and nuts on silver plates, pine sprigs and amaryllis on the window sills.

Feel inspired by my pictures; if you are interested you find all these pretty things in Ursula von Hake's studio and shop.

I especially fell in love with those laquered boxes and the fancy trays and side tables. Living in the forest with the one or the other stag lurking around the corner of the garden I also couldn't say no to traditional stag candles (They hide in the left corner of the second picture. I'll post better pictures later!)

The neutrals of F&B and my home

Farrow&Ball Shaded White in my guestroom

The neutrals never get boring, they are incredibly warm and beautiful. But don't think that it's an easy matter to choose the right one. You have to consider the incoming light, the electric lightening, the furniture, the height of the ceilings and even the surroundings (yes, it's quite different if you look into the green, the blue or the grey) .  The pigments mirror  the outdoor colours, so that a stunning yellow "Babouche" may turn your room into a swamp if there's a lot of green reflected.

Actually, when I'm repainting a room, I can spend days with the colour fan in my hand, being entirely sure about my choice  in one moment,  dismissing everything in the next. That's the moment I usually  ask my friend Nancy for help, who looks at the setting with a fresh view and with plenty of experience!

Farrow&Ball Matchstick in the living room

So far, only the repainting of my kitchen ended in a disaster. With the last brushstroke I knew: NOOOO WAY!!  HELP! I should have known it. 

"Matchstick, the perfect colour for the living room had turned my beautiful bright kitchen into a dirty fish tank.

At that time there didn't yet exist a stockist in Dresden and I had to wait 2 long weeks for  the remedy "White Tie"...

Farrow&Ball White Tie in my kitchen

45 days until Christmas: time for the first rough planning

For now I'm collecting ideas, browsing cookbooks and blogs. I write to-do-lists and have a look into my chests filled with  Christmas decoration in the basement.  I call up my dearest relatives and friends to find out how many guests we will  have on Christmas. Hopefully last year's crazy snowfalls  won't keep them off from coming.
(I have to buy a new snow shovel!  FORGET NOT,  FORGET NOT,  FORGET NOT...)

Ah, and have you already thought about Christmas gifts? Everything planned and fine??

If you are looking for pretty and useful things made from extravagant fabrics I strongly recommend you browse the website of Juliane Jdanoff.  Luckily she lives and manufactures in Dresden. I promise, you couldn't resist if you saw all these beautiful pieces exhibited in a winter garden flooded with sunlight. I was tempted to buy a baby's napkin bag sewn from an eye-catching monkey/ jungle fabric to use it as a clutch!

Juliane is open to suggestions, be it special sized cutlery bags or your desired colours or designs. Just pass by, give her a call or send an email!

I wish you a lovely weekend!

Simple lunch between painting old furniture for the guest room and fitting new shutters for the girls' room: Fusilli salad with mini tomatoes and blanched spinach

Yes, we are living most busy and crafty times this moment!

So busy that I finally  forgot to take a picture of the  finished salad.  I'm sorry! Instead I'll give you the exact instructions (very easy) how to assemble and some pictures of the renovation in progress.

As for the salad: in the beginning, just follow the pictures 

250g fusilli

a handful of mini tomatoes, cut in halves

500g spinach, blanched

herbs from the garden ( mint, lemon balm and oregano), finely chopped

Assemble all ingredients in a bowl, pulling the spinach to pieces and season with salt, pepper, vinegar and olive oil. Enjoy it lukewarm or cold, it's equally delicious!