Giannetti Home and Your Chance to Visit Patina Farm

April 9, 2019April 9, 20192 Comments

On a trip to Santa Barbara a few weeks ago, I made it a point to stop into Giannetti Home owned by Brooke and Steve Giannetti. They are an incredibly talented couple who have managed to establish a design and architectural firm, retail shop (which they’ve designed a clothing for), build a home/farm in Ojai (and chronicle it on their wildly successful blog Velvet & Linen and new site Giannetti Home), as well as author three books (Patina Style, Patina Farm, and Patina Living). And if that’s not enough, in Steve’s free time he also manages to paint! The retail shop, Giannetti Home, is located along State Street, one of the City’s most prominent (albeit touristy) streets. The shop is housed in a charming two-story Spanish building with a small courtyard out front.

Above Image via Giannetti Home

I love the work of Steve and Brooke Giannetti and have wanted to visit their shop for quite some time. Many of my readers may be familiar with at lease some of their endeavors but may not have had an opportunity to visit their shop so I thought I would share a bit of that with you today. Unfortunately, I stopped by on a day the shop was closed. It’s only open a few days per week, so plan your visit accordingly if you ever pay a visit yourself. Luckily, I was able to walk into the courtyard and sneak a peek through the glass storefront windows to snap a few pictures…

You can see copies of Patina Farm, the Giannetti’s second book, prominently on display. I shared pictures of Patina Farm in a prior post that you can read about here. You also have an opportunity to visit Patina Farm in person…keep reading.

I recently received a couple of emails about an event tied to the release of Brooke & Steve’s newest book, Patina Living. Since the information is now being shared on their website I feel it’s okay to share here on my own blog.

If you happen to be in California next month you don’t want to pass up an opportunity visit Patina Farm. On May 11, 2019, Brooke and Steve will graciously open up their property for a party to celebrate the release of their newest book. You won’t be able to tour the house, but you can walk the gardens, mingle with the animals on their farm, purchase antiques and furniture, and purchase clothing that will be displayed in the guest house. It sounds like a wonderful event and if you would like more information, check out their post here.

orvieto_custom stationery_reviving charm

Why My Dog Has His Own Custom Stationery

March 30, 20193 Comments

There is an etiquette column in the March issue of Good Housekeeping that provides tips for “Saying Thanks”. Good manners never go out of style so I thought I would share some useful information as a reminder of what an appropriate level of “thank you” should look like. In my own life, I don’t practice a one-size-fits-all approach when it comes time to expressing gratitude. We may have busy schedules and it may be easy to take advantage of technology to send a quick text, but depending on the gesture this might not be enough. The list below was taken directly from Good Housekeeping and provides rules for what level of gratitude is most appropriate given a particular situation.

Send a text or email: appropriate for when a person’s thoughtfulness doesn’t require them to go out of their way. For example, a colleague shares notes from a meeting you couldn’t attend or a friend refers you to their doctor who turns out to be great.
Call or say it in person: appropriate when a small effort was extended. For example, a neighbor collects your mail while you’re away for a weekend or a fellow parent drives your kids home one day.
Send a handwritten note: appropriate for when time, energy, expertise, or effort was given. For example, someone gives you a gift for a special occasion, an acquaintance lets you pick their brain over coffee or a colleague covers for you at work. Personally, I love sending and receiving snail mail and I take great pride in purchasing stationery and composing a handwritten note.

We added a new Italian Greyhound puppy to our family several months ago (@orvietotheiggy) who, not surprisingly, has turned out to be quite the spoiled pooch. He has been lavished with gifts from friends and family since we got him and I found a fun way to show our appreciation for their thoughtfulness: I ordered personalized stationery for our dog! After all, good puppy manners are very important! Personalized stationery would also be a fun, unexpected gift for a new pet owner.

Here is our puppy checking out his new order of stationery.

The pets in our family always give each other gifts for special occasions. Here is a thank you note being composed for Bradford, his Greyhound cousin.

Our dog has perfected his paw print “signature”, with a little help from a rubber stamp and my favorite ink pad (StazOn ink).

I might consider buying custom postage stamps in the future that feature a picture of my dog. However, in the meantime, Scooby-Doo will have to do.

Here you can see notes done and ready to be mailed. You can bet that our pup will be accompanying me to the post office to drop off his mail.

Resources: I love supporting small businesses and was looking for something specialized so I first turned to Etsy to purchase both the stationery and rubber stamp.

Correspondence cards: I purchased my correspondence cards through this vendor who has stationery for specific dog breeds.
Rubber stamp: You can probably find a paw print rubber stamp at most craft stores. However, I wanted a very small stamp that I was able to find here.

Paying Tribute: Marella Agnelli

February 23, 2019February 23, 20192 Comments

I woke up this morning with Mr. B informing me that Marella Agnelli passed away today at her home in Turin, Italy. She was 91. Marella came from an aristocratic family; her mother was a whiskey heiress from Peoria, Illinois who married into Italian nobility. Marella married Gianni Agnelli, late Fiat president, in 1953 and they stayed together until his death in 2003. They had two children, although her son died tragically of suicide in 2000. She had a sophisticated look and was referred to by Truman Capote as one of his “swans”, the nickname he gave to some of his inner circle, wealthy and stylish women friends that also included Babe Paley, Slim Keith, Lee Radziwill, C. Z. Guest, and Gloria Guinness. The nickname was appropriate since she was known for her elongated and slender neck. Marella was also a former Condé Nast photographer and editor. She designed textiles and published books, including “The Last Swan”, an autobiography published in 2014 that was co-authored with her niece, Marella Caracciolo Chia. Marella and her husband were avid art collectors and she served as the honorary president of the Pinacoteca Giovanni and Marella Agnelli in Turin, which Mr. B and I visited during our trip to Italy this past fall.

For more about the stylish life of the Agnelli’s, check out my prior post here. You can also read a 2014 article written by her niece in T Magazine that provides a comprehensive overview of Marella’s life.

Remembering Lee Radziwill with a Look at Her Former Paris Apartment

February 17, 2019February 17, 20196 Comments

Yesterday Lee Radziwill, former princess and sister to the late Jackie Kennedy died of natural causes, as confirmed by her daughter. She was 85. She lived what seemed to be a happy, free-spirited life that was also shrouded by sadness. Like Jackie, she had a soft spot for Paris and once owned a beautiful sixth-floor apartment in an 8th-arrondissement neighborhood facing Avenue Montaigne with views of the Eiffel Tower. Lee put her 1,625 square foot apartment up for sale in Fall 2017 citing that she was no longer spending enough time there. In memory of Lee Radziwill, let’s take a look back at the beautiful Paris apartment she once owned and decorated herself. In a comprehensive article by T Magazine, Lee was quoted as saying that the Paris apartment was her “favorite of any home I’ve ever had”.

Photo credit: T Magazine photographed by François Halard circa 2013; Match Magazine circa 2015; Real estate listing photos circa 2017.

The Pink House Outside Paris

December 27, 20186 Comments

It’s been a challenge to find time to write a proper post since we’ve been back from our Fall trip to Italy. Today is a good day to break my silence. After seeing this home online at Architectural Digest I knew I immediately had to share it with you. It is the home of Jason Basmajian, CEO of the esteemed menswear line, Cerruti. Basmajian is a Boston native but now lives in London. This is Basmajian’s country home located outside of Paris that serves as his weekend retreat. I love that he maintained the home’s original antique, rosy hue. Isn’t it beautiful? The interior was remodeled and required the installation of new bathrooms in the attic space since the original home had none. Creature comforts!

I left all the creaks in the floors and wanted to keep the old house’s sensitivity, but with all the modern comforts. –Jason Basmajian

How You Can Tour the County Estate “Patina Farm”

November 4, 2018November 4, 20183 Comments

If you’ve never been to the charming town of Ojai, located in Ventura County 80 miles northwest of Los Angeles, then I highly suggest you plan a trip this upcoming weekend. It may be last minute, but wouldn’t life be dull without a little bit of spontaneity once in a while? A trip to Ojai any time of the year is wonderful but this weekend is particularly special – especially for all you design enthusiasts out there. To kick off the holiday season, the annual Ojai Holiday Home Tour & Marketplace will take place November 10 & 11.

The official website describes the event as follows:

“Each year the Ojai Holiday Home Tour welcomes designers and florists, each of whom are assigned a home and tasked with bringing their own vision of décor and the holidays to life. This year (November 10-11), we have lined up the following designers Bruce Abbott, Angela’s Flowers, Carolyn Bennett of cdb gardens, Laurel Crary, Brooke Giannetti of Giannetti Home, and Ojai Blooms.”

What particularly caught my attention is that the home of Brooke and Steve Giannetti is included in the home tour this year. Inspired by the country homes of Europe, the talented architect and designer/husband and wife duo Brooke and Steve Giannetti designed and built a country house in the Ojai Valley of California. It took them 6 months of planning and 18 months of construction to develop the five-acre site that is now their home and farm. Brooke is also the author of a website that I’ve followed for many years, Velvet & Linen, where she chronicled the project that ultimately led to the publication of a beautiful book that I am happy to have on my bookshelf. I’ll also be preordering their latest book, Patina Living, that provides insight on what they’ve learned while living on the farm. Patina Living is due out in April 2019 and is available for pre-order on Amazon.

The Ojai Holiday Home Tour is a wonderful opportunity to step inside some of the most beautiful properties in the valley, including Patina Farm. Tickets to the event can be purchased on-site or in advance here, with proceeds benefiting the Ojai Music Festival. I have other commitments this weekend and am very disappointed that I won’t be able to attend to tour Patina Farm. However, I do hope that one day I might be invited as a guest. In the meantime, I will sit back and enjoy Brooke and Steve’s lovely book. You can purchase your own copy here.

If you happen to attend please send me a note to let me know…I’d love to hear all about it…

STEVEN GAMBREL RESTORES 27 SUFFOLK STREET

October 9, 2018October 9, 20181 Comment

I’ve never met an interior designed by Steven Gambrel that I didn’t like. I follow him on Instagram (along with 78,000 other people) and have been enjoying the images of the work he has been doing at 27 Suffolk Street in Sag Harbor, New York. I noticed a couple of days ago that he announced that the home is now officially listed for sale. The home was originally built in 1854 and is officially known as the Captain Osborne Edwards House. Steven Gambrel collaborated with Timeless Homes Ltd. to beautifully restore the 5,200 square foot home from top to bottom with upgraded, modern amenities that anyone would be happy to call home. The price tag? $6.795 million.

A MARTHA’S VINEYARD CHARMER BY LILIANE HART

September 20, 2018September 20, 20185 Comments

I may have been born and raised in a suburb of Los Angeles but sometimes I feel like a New England girl at heart. I have traveled to the east coast on numerous occasions and each time I visit I fall more in love with the region’s classic coastal style. Maybe part of the allure isn’t just about the architecture or decorating style. It really is about a lifestyle – one where much of life revolves around that water. Anywhere near the water is considered to be one of my “happy places”.

The Martha’s Vineyard home I am highlighting today was designed by Liliane Hart, a designer that Traditional Home Magazine named as one of 2017’s rising design stars. The home was featured in a recent issue of House Beautiful magazine and I have included pictures from both the magazine spread as well those from Liliane’s portfolio. This also reminded me that I really shouldn’t wait too long to plan a trip to Martha’s Vineyard since it’s a place I actually haven’t been to yet but something tells me that I’m going to love it…

I’ve mentioned before that our home is designed around fairly neutral colors with not a lot of pattern since I tend to tire of things easily. However, if there is one designer that can convince me to step outside of my comfort zone and embrace color and pattern, it would be the talented Liliane Hart. She has a flair for color and a wonderful eye for mixing color and pattern with classic style. However, she also has her way with neutrals that are just as captivating. Many designers have a signature and while there is absolutely nothing wrong with that,

http://lilianehart.com/portfolio.html

COLOR STORY: BOLD RED STRIPES

September 2, 2018September 2, 20181 Comment

It always feels like Labor Day weekend marks the unofficial end of Summer so if I had to pick a pattern that was synonymous with the season, it would have to be the classic stripe. I probably should have posted this at the start of Summer but frankly, Summer 2018 has been somewhat uninspiring for me (hence the lack of regular posts). I’m fairly certain that it has something to do with the fact that it’s my least favorite part of the year. I was going through some old pictures when I came across this image of a children’s bedroom I took a few years ago at a model home (YT- Do you remember this?). It’s definitely not my style but it was the inspiration for this post and serves as a great reminder that sometimes it’s good to step outside your comfort zone.

When it comes to my own decorating, the color red is usually reserved for the holiday season but I really do love stripes. To mix things up a bit I thought I would put together a few examples of bold red stripes that have Reviving Charm’s seal of approval. Several of these images may not be new but are definitely still relevant…and that’s a sign of enduring style.

Red stripe beach towel.

Red is designer Alessandra Branca’s signature color. No one does red better than she does so I thought I would end the last 2 pictures in this post with her designs.

Shall I Spell It Out For You?

August 9, 20182 Comments

I just realized that I haven’t written any articles dealing with curb appeal since “Naming A Home”, which I posted in 2015. When it comes to curb appeal, one shouldn’t overlook details such as doorbell or mailbox design because they are such an easy way to reinforce the style and character of your home. Another way to do so is by the way you choose to deal with address numbers. They are obviously functional, but can also be stylish.

I’ll admit to not loving the address numbers we inherited when we bought our house over five years ago but after scouring the internet I haven’t found anything suitable to replace them with. I always thought that when we got around to replacing our address numbers that we’d select something that you’d typically find in New England. I had my heart set on ordering something from the Chatham Sign Shop until I recently realized how much I love the look of script/cursive address numbers. In the end, I’m not sure which style will win out. Since we aren’t looking to redo the exterior of our home until perhaps next summer I have a bit of time to decide and it really will depend on the extent of renovations we do to the home. In the meantime, let’s explore a few examples together.

I’ve seen vinyl and painted options but I would definitely prefer to have the numbers fabricated from metal.

The next three pictures are coincidently homes of a similar architectural style. Our home looks nothing like any of these but they make me want to paint our house white to give our ranch home more of a seaside cottage feel. I also really like how the numbers are actually spelled out. If I choose to go the script sign route, spelling out the numbers is probably the look I’d be going for.

Here’s an example of a thicker font. Personally, I prefer a thinner, more delicate looking font like the examples above.

There are variations on a theme that also include a classic block letter which is also very nice.

Actual spacing of the letters is also something to take into consideration. Spacing the letters closer together, as shown in the picture above, appears more formal than if they are spaced farther apart (below).

So…what’s your preference when it comes it house numbering?

Reviving Charm

charming, stylish, and chic

Tag: style