2010 May | Glamorous Green

Archive for May, 2010

Blue Star and Marcus Samuelsson

Tuesday, May 25th, 2010

Last week we were invited to a private event with Marcus Samuelsson and Blue Star Appliances. The two have recently joined forces to promote restaurant style cooking at home. It couldn’t have been better timing because we’re designing a kitchen for a client who loves to cook and entertain so much that she takes it to a professional level. Forget about the usual bangs and whistles, her must have in the kitchen is a salamander. I do love to cook, but to be honest, before her request I had never even heard of a salamander. That’s because they’re generally reserved for commercial cooking, giving meat and fish that sizzling, finishing touch. After our meeting I got on the Internet and started my search only to find that A) THEY’RE HUGE (not ideal for pretty designs) and B) they’re not approved for residential use. Finally I spotted the Blue Star salamander, the only professional quality device approved for residential use and found the invite to their event in my in box the same day.

In addition to being a total sweetheart, Marcus can cook. He is a Top Chef Master, has competed against Bobby Flay on Iron Chef America, stars on a few of his own tv shows and prepared a state dinner at Obama’s White House honoring Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. We were walked through the preparation of a four course meal and given invaluable tips along the way. Two of my favorites were: when shopping for fish, tell the vendor you’re making sushi and they will walk to back and come out with an entirely different grade than what’s on display- without an additional charge. Since ”we” don’t cook with non stick coating because it’s toxic, to prevent food from sticking, make the pan as hot as possible so you hear a serious, sizzle sound when the two make contact. We’ve tried this one on our Viking stainless and it does work.

The food was fab (surprisingly large portions) and I really enjoyed his green message: stay home and cook to enjoy fresh, well made and happy food.

Tags: blue star appliances, cooking at home, iron chef america, marcus sameulsson, salamander broiler, top chef masters, viking stainless, white house state dinner
Posted in Events, Green Living, Kitchens, Lectures | No Comments »

Legends of La Cienega Design Walk

Wednesday, May 12th, 2010

This weekend the fine shops of La Cienega opened their doors for the Legends of La Cienega Design Walk sponsered by Elle Decor. This year they upped the ante, displaying film and TV inspired window vignettes up and down the boulevard. Eat your heart out Simon Doonan! The window at upscale, vintage retailer Dragonette , designed by Melissa Levander, was my favorite.

Truth is that the entire store looks like a perfected, larger than life, 60s musical, set design. It’s divine and totally defines glamorous green . Some of the other eco friendly features were Mary Cordaro’s living green lecture at Bausman and the living wall at bookstore-bistro combo, Assouline.

Prosper Assouline chatted with me about how to curate a modern library. According to him you must have a point of view and make it come to life. He and his wife are charming folks and I highly suggest you pay the West Hollywood shop a visit the next time you need to purchase a present. Their books are really something else and who else has candles that smell like leather, old paper and cigars?

Other star studded events included the Catherine Malandrino fashion show and an Elle Decor party at Baker to close the three day extravaganza. I brought Elle to meet Margaret Russell. She fell in love with my daughter and offered her an internship at the magazine. Nothing like securing a position early. Viva Legends of Design Quarter! I can’t wait to see what they do next year. To top this one, I’m expecting the Harlem Choir and elephants!

Tags: Assouline, Baker, Bausman and Co., Catherine Malandrino, Dragonette, Elle Decor, Legends of Design Quarter, Legends of La Cienega, Margaret Russell, Mary Cordaro
Posted in Events, Green Living, Lectures, Magazines, Parties | No Comments »

Lori Dennis Shop is open for business!

Saturday, May 8th, 2010

For years I’ve been getting calls and emails from around the world asking…”where can I buy this (lamp, rug, throw, pillow, chair, sofa, etc) that I saw in your design. I’ve also received thousands of inquiries from people asking how they can make their rooms look like the ones I’ve designed. When I tell someone what is involved (especially the fees) in putting these rooms together, the average person, understandably, is less than willing to commit. So after decades of reading fashion magazines’, “get the look” sections, a light went off. I’ll offer “get the look” for people who love high design without the high end fees. In the Lori Dennis Shop you can instantly find the treasures that took me an entire career to locate. Everyone who has seen the shop, loves it and People magazine recently featured our sheep throw.

Some of my favorite items are the beeswax candles, which are eco-friendly, 100% beeswax, long burning candles that contain no artificial dyes or fragrances and are made in the USA. Sweet, light honey smells fill the air and the wicks contain no metal or lead.

Since the weather is so nice, I am also loving the outdoor furniture, especially the Maui Bed. There is nothing like getting some fresh air and lounging while returning work emails!

If you have some time, check it out, I’m sure there’s something you’ll love.

Tags: beeswax candles, get the look, Lori Dennis, outdoor furniture, people magazine, retail
Posted in Accesories, Furniture, Green Living | No Comments »

[LORI DENNIS INTERIOR DESIGN]

Lori Dennis formed Lori Dennis Interior Design, specializing in green interior design, in 1998. Her work has been featured in the New York Times, Coastal Living, Southern Accents, Woman's Day, Los Angeles Times, Apartment Therapy and countless other magazines, books and websites throughout the world. [more..]

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