The Absolute Must List: Tesuque Village Market – They rotisserie their own turkey and chicken, so my favorite salad is the Hacked chicken salad. If you want some seafood, try the truck tacos with shrimp. They are famous for their tortilla soup. You definitely need a prickly pear margarita to wash it all down, then either a slice of pecan pie
Read morePhoto: view of clouds over the Sangre de Cristo Mountains from the back patio I apologize for not blogging the last couple of weeks – we are on vacation at my grandparents’ house in Santa Fe, NM. Sadly, they are no longer with us, but we visit the house as often as we can and think of them. As mentioned in my
Read moreCheck out the panoramic views of the Chicago skyline from the rooftop deck outside my new office space … the Willis Tower to the John Hancock Center. The clouds are amazing, don’t you agree? I will share some pics of the office interiors soon. Many thanks to Product Architects for sharing office space with me … you guys rock!
Read moreI am reading 2 books right now: “The Perfectly Imperfect Home” by Deborah Needleman and, “Undecorate” by Christiane Lemieux. Both are easy reads that emphasize a more relaxed approach to home décor with an eclectic aesthetic. They are great books for both new and seasoned homeowners … they highlight how nothing needs to match (refer to my post, Does this
Read moreI love things in a room that are a little bit peculiar or odd or a bit off. Why? They invite inquiry. I’ve written in the past about how your home design should reflect your individual style and taste and how your belongings should tell a story about you, not about where you bought them. Here is a recent example of peculiar
Read moreAre your red oak hardwood floors looking a bit too pink or orange for your taste? Are you skeptical of staining them dark or desire a lighter or more neutral color scheme? Take a tip from my fave site/blog/app/book Remodelista and whitewash them. Click here to find out how to achieve the neutral, French oak look.
Read morePhotos and a summary of my Miller Beach project can be found here.
Read moreI was hired to update a family room that had dark wood paneling. The client wanted to lighten up the space, so my solution was to whitewash the wall panels and the panels in between the ceiling beams (the ceiling beams and trim remained natural). The Reclaimed Oak Parquet bookcases from Restoration Hardware on either side of the TV console appear light in
Read moreCheck out these painted concrete tiles from Sabine Hill that I recently found while researching tile for my client’s kitchen backsplash. They can be ordered from Artistic Tile – my favorite source for tile because they represent unique product lines. I love the colorways and they are available in gloss or matte (I am specifying glazed tile for the backsplash for easy cleanup). This Seville design has
Read moreHere is a just a sample of my photos of a completed project in a new construction, two-bedroom, two-bath vacation home in Lakeside, Michigan. The owners are an architect and a realtor in Chicago. The architect owner who designed the house took advantage of the site by capitalizing on natural light and views of the property with the use of large, sliding
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Rachael Franceschina 