philly outdoor living

If you live in the city, any amount of outdoor space you have is a luxury. Most houses do have yards, but they definitely aren't created equal. My friends Deepti and Scott live in Fishtown and have a pretty large yard (by city standards). They have a beautiful old Japenese maple tree in the back corner that offers great shade in the summertime. I love the lanterns they have hanging around the tree and the chandelier - which usually has a dining table below it. The hammock is also great - perfect for naps on a warm summer day!

My friend Robin lives in Pennsport and has created a really lovely space in her yard! It used to have a storage shed that took up a lot of space, but she tore it down, added areas for plants, great modern furniture and voila - the perfect little area to relax with a book or to entertain a few friends.

This is Eric's yard - he lives in the East Passyunk area of South Philly. He painted his block wall (I think the color looks really good with the greenery against it) and bought a table from Ikea (they have awesome patio furniture) and chairs from Fosters (sadly they are out of business). He also has a great little garden with tomatoes, strawberries and lots of different herbs. I love being able to just go outside and pick fresh herbs whenever we need to.

This is my yard - probably the smallest yard in the city! It's only about 3' deep, so it can fit 2 or 3 regular sized people or 4 really skinny people:) I still have a lot more to do (add more plants, make some seat cushions, etc.) but it's a big improvement from what it looked like before!

design star

I watched the latest episode of Design Star (on HGTV) the other night and saw something that I really liked...which isn't often because honestly, who can really redesign a whole space, be their own contractor, work within a very limited budget, and do all that in just a few hours? Not very many people - I definitely couldn't. In this episode they had to take a room and redesign it into a dining room while using the original furniture/accessories and refinishing/refurbishing them to fit into the new space (they were allowed to edit and get rid of some pieces). Below is the winning room and although I don't love the entire room, I think the pendant above the dining table is genius!

It was created by Emily - who works as a 'prop stylist' and is one of three contestants left. The original room was full of ugly fake flowers, which she then spray painted white and glued onto a white lamp shade. Its so simple, but really elegant. Who knew fake flowers could look so good? My only question is how is 'huevos rancheros' reflected in that fixture (each contestant had a dish that was to be used as inspiration for their design)??

apartment therapy in philly!

There have been Apartment Therapy meetup groups in a number of cities across the country, but none in Philadelphia...until now! They held their first meeting last night at a great little home store called Hello Home on 10th and Pine. I had a few drinks, met a few interesting people (Kristen Lubbe - a writer for Apartment Therapy was there!), and did a little shopping. Oh! And I won a raffle and took home the book 'Aparment Therapy's Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces':

It felt more like a little party than a meeting, but they are hoping to bring in designers and people in the industry to speak in the future. I got an email this morning about the next meetup (they're hoping to have one every month) - it's set for September 15th but the location is still to be determined. See you at the next meeting!

YUM

I got an email yesterday morning about the new burger at PYT: Korean BBQ Shortrib Burger.

We made an unbelievably juicy burger out of one hundred percent short ribs, marinated in Korean BBQ sauce. Topped with Kimchi and asian spicy mayo on the bun. The burger is served with fries & exra spicy mayo for dipping.

I love Korean food and I love love love Korean shortribs (kalbi). I can't wait to try this! In the meantime, I'm thinking that its time to make some kalbi at home using my favorite recipe:

YOON FAMILY KALBI
1 1/2 cups lite soy sauce
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup sesame oil
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
8-10 cloves of fresh garlic, crushed
6 large green onions, chopped roughly
4 pounds Korean-style short ribs *
Toasted sesame seeds
Combine the soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil and corn oil in a large mixing bowl. Add garlic and green onion and stir together. Put short ribs into large sealable freezer bag (you may need two). Pour marinade into bag and turn bag over several times to ensure all meat pieces are covered. Refrigerate for at least four hours, but preferably overnight. Turn bag at least once in the middle of the marinating process.
Heat grill to medium-high heat before adding the meat. Drain excess marinade off short ribs and grill them until medium, about 6-8 minutes. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and chopped green onions. Serves 6.
* NOTE ON RIBS: Korean-style short ribs can be found at most Asian markets. The cut is called "flanken," a strange word that refers to a strip of beef cut across the bone from the chuck end of the short ribs. Most short rib recipes call for individual bones cut into thick pieces. Kalbi is unusual in that it calls for 3 ribs, cut lengthwise across the bones, so that you end up with a strip of meat about 8-10 inches long that has 3, 1/2-inch rib bones lining the top

**For those who live in Philly, you can find the short ribs in the frozen section in Hung Vuong Supermarket at 11th and Washington.

door knockers

I had always planned on getting a door knocker for my front door but never got around to it. I found some cool ones walking around the city the other day (and apparently black and red are the most popular colors to paint your door!).

Bugs Bunny?

dream lighting...

I'm helping a friend select some finishes/furniture for her new house and one thing she needs is a chandelier for her foyer. So far I've only found a couple that would work for her space, but of course I've found a hundred fixtures that I want for myself!

This would look incredible in a two story space, like in a grand staircase...

I'm in love with this pendant by Marcel Wanders. I love the scale, I love the contrast of the smooth, minimalist exterior to the fancy, intricate interior. I need this in my home!



This fixture is beautiful and simple. Has sort of an industrial yet very chic and sophisticated feel to it. And the red wires really pop.

Wouldn't this chandelier look AMAZING over a dining table? Sigh...

modern baby shower

I still can't believe that I'm at the age where you should be having babies (or at least starting to think about it). Ah! How did I get here?! Babies may not be in my near future, but they are popping up all around me! My cousin just had her second girl the other week and one of my best friends already has two little boys. One fun thing (among others!) about friends having babies is throwing the shower. I've helped with a couple:

This shower had a "pig" theme because the baby was born during the year of the golden pig (it was a big deal for the mom). I found a gold piggy bank that we used as a cake topper and the invitations had gold pigs on them. The rest of the decor was just clean and modern.

This shower was for a second baby (boy). Since it was for her second baby, we wanted it to feel less like a baby shower and more like a celebatory brunch.

Another friend of mine is pregnant and I'm helping out with her shower so I've been scouring the internet for inspiration. There are some pretty bad ideas out there (think balloon arches and baby storks). However, I was able to find some really great ideas. Here are my favorites:

I found this baby shower on Project Nursery . I love the color scheme - very soothing. And how cute are those yarn nests with the chocolate eggs?!

This party is from Martha Stewart - I knew she would have some great ideas! The colors are pastel, but they're not the traditional pastel pink and blue. The mobile above the dining table makes a big impact but seems fairly easy to make.



This baby shower is really making me crave oranges! And chocolate. The color palette is actually very similar to the shower by Martha Stewart - they just used richer tones of blue, orange and brown. My favorite thing is the onesie cookie - so freaking cute! And looks pretty yummy too.

Mr. Rubber Ducky is always a good source of inspiration for a shower! This shower was featured on My Orange Project. I love the invitations - so simple but so nice! And yellow is a great color - so happy and gender neutral.



Have you found any baby shower ideas that you've liked?