Wendy Krispin’s ROYAL SIXTY restaurant is a casual neighborhood bistro that is “a little soap opera by day and maybe a tad romantic-sexier at night” located at 150 Turtle Creek Boulevard, Suite 202, inside the International Design Center on Turtle Creek Boulevard.

“I thought it would be fun to try cooking French food that was influenced by all the former colonies of France, and I am calling it ’French Colonial Cuisine’,” said Krispin. ”Any dish of Texas, Vietnam, New Orleans, Paris, Montreal, Des Moines, etc.-any cuisine influenced or occupied by the French. S

Read more…


| Tags: Royal, Royal Sixty

A country cottage style bathroom is the perfect blend of country and light airy floral elements.  Many of the items found in this type of decorating offer vintage appeal; the look is charming and old-fashioned, the perfect place to relax in a hot bubble bath after a long day.

Whether you have a large decorating budget or barely any budget at all, you can create the look in your own bathroom with these easy tips.

Warm up the walls

The right walls are essential to creating the country cottage style bathroom.  If your walls are simple painted sheet rock, you can easily transform the look.

Use beadboard (a special paneling designed with a distinctive grooved pattern) to dress up the walls.  Hardwoods create an authentic country look.  Just run beadboard panels from the baseboards to about half way up the wall, then paint using those soft pastel colors often found in a cottage chic decor such as cream, soft yellow or sage green.

Vintage style fixtures set the mood

In a country cottage style bathroom, the fixtures make all of the difference.  If your budget allows, purchase a pedestal sink and claw foot tub to lend an authentic look to the room.  You can often find bargains at antique malls and flea markets if your budget is tight.

If you cannot afford a claw foot tub, the pedestal sink alone will give the bathroom old-fashioned appeal.

Light and airy is the look – windows and mirrors make an impact

If you have a window (or windows) in your bathroom, avoid using dark colored window treatments.  Light, gauzy sheers enhance the look and allow plenty of natural light to spill into the room.  If you love the look of wood, and interior shutter-style window treatment works well – make sure you use a light color such as white or cream.

An etched Venetian mirror also helps to add a light, airy feeling to the room, especially when placed across from a window where it will reflect light.

Floral accents and wicker complete the look

Floral accents are a huge element in cottage chic decorating.  Plush towels designed using floral accents coordinate with walls; a floral arrangement atop a round white-washed wicker table adds charm and a feminine touch.  An old wooden chair that has been white-washed is the perfect accent for a corner; stack plush washcloths, towels and other linens that complement the decor.

A small crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling adds a touch of romance; wrought iron accessories blend well with vintage elements and wicker.

You can picture the country cottage bathroom in your mind easily; comfortable country blends perfectly with light, airy cottage chic elements.  Put these tips and ideas to work in your bathroom, and see how easy it is to indulge all of your senses after a long day at work.  Just for a few minutes, escape the kids and the worries of the world.


| Tags: Bathroom, Cottage Style, Cottage Style Bathroom, Style Bathroom

A new kitchen is one of the most rewarding gifts you can give yourself and your family. The heart of your home, your kitchen is where late-night talks, homework sessions, and casual celebrations (the best kind!) happen naturally. Its where memories are made. This is 12 tips to a great your kitchen design. 1. Choose the right layout No matter what your style, budget or space, every kitchen layout should be designed around what experts call the Golden Triangle. This involves placing the main work areas fridge, sink and oven/cooktop close to each other, positioned at three sides of a triangle. Regardless of kitchen size, these activity zones should be no more than three metres apart, so you can move easily between them. 2. Read more…


| Tags: Great Kitchen, Kitchen

Residence for Abhilash Veena Nair, The house was for a couple where the husband is a doctor and the lady is working at a radio station. Both of them leave home by 8.00 AM and reach back by 7.30 PM earliest with their kid who spent all this time at the play school. This is a typical scenario at nuclear families of present day hectic schedules. The result is they get very less time to spent with each other and live together as a family. This had to be addressed.

The main thrust of the design was to make spaces as open as possible so that there is always a visual connectivity among spaces of various activities. Hence the kitchen, dining and the family living is one single volume which helps such that even if the lady is cooking she can see her kid or the husband around reading or watching TV.

Read more…


| Tags: Nair, Veena Nair

Lawn Love Letters

Posted by: Dorothy Hall in Gardening Online No Comments »

Cover photo location, garden of Susan Harris

With the release of Evelyn Haddens new book from Timber Press, beautiful no-mow yards, a bunch of bloggers and fellow Lawn Reform Coalition folks decided (with Evelyns gentle encouragement) to talk about our love/hate relationships with lawns.  Valentine love letters.

Since yours truly has 60 photos in the book I have a few things to say, or rather show you, what I love about no-mow yards.  The book is not simply about lawn substitutes but all the ways we can re-think our yards and the space too many folks leave for lawn.  How about patios ?  Veggie gardens ?  Ponds ?

And how about meadows ?  Oh boy, can I write love letters to meadow lawns !  I ca

Read more…


| Tags: Lawn, Lawn Love

Banks Fine Art cordially invites you to come meet artist Marty Ricks. They will be exhibiting more than 20 of his newest works from his series “New Works: Across America.”

The artist will be at the gallery February 23 and 24. Friday he will be there from 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. and on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Even if you miss the man himself, you don’t have to miss his work. Ricks’ work will be exhibited at the gallery February 24 – March 31, 2012.

“New Works: Across America,” embodies an American panorama of light-filled hills and languishing streams; proud evergreens reaching to the sky; clouds full of thunder and rain; light and the sun and the moon; and fields aligned with Nature’s bounty. They are all painted with the remembrance of how light affects each composition and subject. Plein air at its best

About the Artist:

Marty Ricks was born in Rexburg, Idaho in 1961. As th

Read more…


| Tags: Artist Marty, Artist Marty Ricks, Marty Ricks, Ricks