Innholdsfortegnelse for January - February 2012 i Victoria

While the land is slumbering beneath a pristine blanket of sparkling snow, I cherish the early twilight and the long evenings spent with my family and friends. Home seems more precious when winter winds blow and darkness claims the outdoors. Crisp white décor is a perfect way to lift our spirits when the weather is bleak, so we have gathered an abundance of inspiring photograph-filled articles on the subject for this issue. I am especially fond of the elegant tabletop suggestions in “Palescapes,” on page 68, as well as the fabrics and wallpapers featured in “Colored by Winter's Twilight,” on page 74. What better way to pass the hours until spring arrives than by planning furnishings and entertaining with a nod to the many shades of white? As is our…

Naturalist painter Maryjo Koch demonstrates her innate artistic talent and exquisite eye for detail with each enchanted watercolor illustration. Inspired by nature’s fragile and intrinsic beauty since her childhood, the California artist has spent a lifetime building a fascinating anthology that includes hundreds of paintings and colorful books. From silk-fine brushstrokes, placed side by side, a feather in realistic shadings emerges, mirroring one found beneath the flight path of a soaring bird. Maryjo’s finely executed, twig-entwined nests are beloved for their feeling of intimacy with the winged creatures, who seem to have flown away just so she could paint the delicate colors of their tiny eggs. Rendered with astounding precision in a remarkable mix of seasonal hues, each work is a glorious representation of Mother Nature’s tiny miracles. “Happiness fluers…

Graced with a stately portico and fluted ionic columns, the majestic façade of the Chatillon-DeMenil house evokes a bygone chapter in Saint Louis’s past, when horsedrawn buggies made their way down dirt roads and opulent residences dotted the home’s fashionable neighborhood. The magnificent brick mansion, built on a pastoral hill overlooking the Mississippi River, often served as a guidepost to nineteenth-century riverboat pilots, signifying a tricky bend in their path. The home’s refined Greek Revival exterior belies its modest beginnings as a simple four-room farmhouse built in 1849 by Henri Chatillon, a Saint Louis native with a French heritage. A guide and hunter for the American Fur Company, Henri was heralded as a “gentleman pioneer” who possessed the enterprising spirit of a true explorer. His first wife, Bear Robe, was…

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2012 Possessing an entrepreneurial spirit, a creative sensibility, and an unwavering belief in themselves, these successful business owners took a leap of faith to pursue professions they love. Their personal journeys may inspire you to realize a long-held dream of your own. “I feel as though I have been a stationer all my life. Since I was young, I have always loved collecting, designing, and playing with paper goods.” KATHRYN KLAR Tulip Press | Toronto, Ontario, Canada Some people are fortunate enough to discover their passion early in life. Such is the case with Kathryn Klar, owner of Tulip Press—a homebased custom-design business in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. “I feel as though I have been a stationer all my life,” she says. “Since I was young, I have always loved…

Deborah Fay was born to be a shop owner. In her youth, she was smitten with a neighborhood flower and gift shop in her hometown of Long Beach, California. “Ever since then,” she attests, “my goal was to have a store just as beautiful one day.” While still in high school, she pursued her ambition by working for a neighbor who owned a flower shop, and then later by purchasing, with her mother, Helen, her own store. She even ventured into the restaurant business with an outdoor garden café called Fleur de Lis, which she ran with her sister Dawna. In 1997, the shop of her dreams came to life with the opening of Romance Etc., a marketplace of all things quixotic intended to intoxicate the senses. Located in Belmont…

COVER William Yeoward Country 3-pint jug, $130; from Bromberg’s, 205-871-3276. Antique gold-rimmed dessert plates, call for pricing; from Tricia’s Treasures, 205-871-9779. ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE Pages 14–15: To see more of Maryjo’s work, visit kochstudios.com. WRITER-IN-RESIDENCE Pages 16–17: To learn more about Tovah and her latest book, The New Terrarium: Creating Beautiful Displays for Plants and Nature, visit tovahmartin.com. THE WHITE ALBUM Pages 18–19: Pom Pom at Home Pom Pom Throw, $90, Malibu Throw, $140, Coco standard pillowcases, $105, Charlie European shams, $90, Mathilde standard shams, $80, Fleur European shams, $105, king duvet, $450, boudoir pillow, $45, decorative pillow, $60, Audrey cotton bolster, $115, and king bed skirt, $220; 818- 847-0155, pompominteriors.com. Elite Leather District Champagne pillow, $125; eliteleather.com for retailers. Petrusse Bolchoï shawl in Perle, $298, and Saks Fifth Avenue Collection Nappa…

My favorite comfort food is a big pot of vegetable soup, made from scratch. I love to go and pick out the best green beans, tomatoes, carrots, zucchini, and onions at my local farmers’ market and then head home to start the soup. To get the best flavor from the veggies, I roast them slowly in the oven, at about 250 degrees, just until they are tender. I add them to my slow cooker, along with fresh herbs and chicken stock. Fresh plum tomatoes add zing to the mix. The last thing to go in are roasted red potatoes, and then I just turn on the cooker and let it do its work. The aroma fills the entire house, and I look forward to sitting down with a big bowl…

My heart can be heard echoing throughout the caverns of the post office as I pull the envelope from my box. Yep, I think, as I give the piece of mail a few brisk jiggles to listen again for the clearly audible rattle coming from within. It is the sound of hope. It is the reverberation of promise. It is the seeds of the deep-royal-purple poppy I gushed over at a garden tour. I used to think that gardening was about digging. I figured that my role as a gardener was to fill the land with as many gorgeous living things as possible and to watch as they grew fruitful and multiplied. But no more. Lately, I’m seeing it from a slightly different angle. Of course, I still drool over…

The Embroidery Stitch Bible, by Betty Barnden (Krause Publications). Novice and expert needle crafters alike will embrace the joys of embroidery through this referential guide to various techniques and designs. Beautiful illustrations of stitches are organized according to use, and the hidden spiral binding allows simultaneous practice and perusal. In addition to providing an overall knowledge base, The Embroidery Stitch Bible educates by helping the reader choose the appropriate materials, tools, and fabrics, and it includes general working guidelines for a wide range of projects. Pair the book with an assortment of needles, floss, and an embroidery hoop to give as a gift. Wendy Knits Lace: Essential Techniques and Patterns for Irresistible Everyday Lace, by Wendy D. Johnson (Potter Craft). Blogger and author Wendy D. Johnson demystifies in her new book the…

Hilary Lowe is an ambassador for the craftspeople of Wales. An interior stylist with a fondness for subtle color and homespun design, she opened the doors of Damson & Slate in 2009 after bringing together a covetable stockpile of locally produced goods. “My idea was to prove that Welsh crafts need not equate with fluffy red dragons,” she jokes, referring to the iconic national emblem typically sported on flags, as well as on all kinds of machined souvenirs. “Most of those products were not made in Wales, and I felt this gave regional craftspeople a bad name.” After living in London most of her life and freelancing for companies including The Sunday Times, Marks & Spencer, and Laura Ashley, Hilary moved to Pembrokeshire when her son finished school. She immediately…

Dawn Casale created the perfect business by trusting her intuition. A former accessories manager at Barneys New York, she sensed the time was right to refocus her career, and in 2000 started producing, packaging, shipping, and selling boutique baked goods from her tiny living space in Greenwich Village. Appropriately named One Girl Cookies, her one-woman venture has become a charming success story that has since taken on a life of its own. “I grew up in a big Italian family, so most of my memories and experiences centered around food,” she explains. “I can really relate to the pleasure food creates and how it brings people together.” Dawn combined all the right elements for her company to prosper, drawing on her knowledge of baking, as well as her eye for…

It is difficult choosing the right shade of rose. Taped to my walls are paint chips in various hues. Stacked in the corner, waiting to be hung, are some recently framed pieces—a reproduction map of Paris monuments, an old window frame with squares of vintage flowered wallpaper peeking through the panes. What is certain is what I will hang above my bed. In my Nana’s bedroom, a print of two elegant women was centered over each single bed. It was a room of balance—two matching headboards and footboards, two night tables, and two porcelain lamps. The windows were large and low; the ceiling, sloped. On weekends, holidays, and ordinary days, Nana moved into the left bed so that I could take her place in the right one. With the ladies…

CLASSIC CALIFORNIA Immerse yourself in the splendor of the West Coast on a glamorous tour of San Diego and its surrounding beach communities. Experience the Victorian grandeur of the Hotel del Coronado, an iconic attraction that sparkles on Coronado Island, just across the bay. Built in 1888, this magnificent property has wooed dignitaries, Hollywood starlets, and esteemed guests for more than a century. Along this scenic excursion, we also present other upscale seaside hotels for you to explore, including the Grande Colonial Hotel La Jolla, the famed La Valencia Hotel, and The Bed & Breakfast Inn at La Jolla, right. AND DON’T MISS … MEET ME IN SAINT LOUIS Lovingly restored in 1965, the Chatillon-DeMenil mansion, located in the historical Benton Park neighborhood of Saint Louis, is a living tribute…

See Recipe Index, page 86, for recipe information.…

“A lot of my songs talk about the Deep South, and that comes from my reading—Richard Wright, Eudora Welty, Flannery O’Connor, and William Faulkner. In many ways, I patterned myself after those writers rather than patterning myself after other songwriters.” —CAROLINE HERRING In the second-floor corner room of an old farmhouse in Canton, Mississippi, Caroline Herring grew up poring over books she checked out on her daily excursions to the library, where her mother worked. She sang in the church choir, harmonized with her father on old gospel tunes, and listened to her parents’ folk records. When she was older, her understanding of her childhood and her hometown deepened. The musical traditions of the region—gospel, classic country, country blues, Delta blues—came to life for her, but she also began to…

THE INTERPRETATION OF CREAMS Begins on page 40 Sour-Cream Cake with Whipped Vanilla Frosting p.40 Makes 1 (8-inch) 3-layer cake 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened 2 cups sugar 4 large eggs 1 1/2 cups half-and-half 1 (8-ounce) container sour cream 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon salt Whipped Vanilla Frosting (recipe follows) 1. Preheat oven to 350°. Spray 3 (8-inch) pans with baking spray with flour; line with parchment paper, and spray again; set aside. 2. In a large bowl and using a mixer at medium-high speed, beat butter and sugar until creamy, about 4 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition, and scraping down bowl as necessary. 3. In a small bowl,…