the angelo:HOME blog

celebrate...

2013-06-15T22:57:00.003-07:00

I hope it's filled with joy and love. Even though it isn't Monday,
this blog post feels like one of the best ways to remember my Dad:

HAPPY MONDAY

-angelo

a new summer flock...

2013-06-13T20:59:00.000-07:00

angelohomestore.com

clark kent gave me a dollar...

2013-06-12T22:28:00.000-07:00

I was dragging two very large boxes, that were both filled with other broken down boxes, from the angelo:HOME store to the dumpster that is located inside the building's parking lot.

I stopped in front of the metal gate that is the entrance to the garage and put the boxes down. I was fumbling around for the remote control that opens the gate to the parking garage. My head was down. I was unshaven and my grunge work uniform of old shorts and straight out of the dryer wrinkled shirt, wasn't going to inspire any fashion trends.

As I was searching for the remote I heard a man say, "Here you go." I half looked up and a gentleman in a very crisp suit, neat haircut and Clark Kent glasses was handing me a dollar. I was so completely out of it I wasn't sure what was happening. He put it in my shirt pocket and said, "Take care of yourself" as he smiled and walked away.

Oh my God! He thinks I'm a homeless guy carrying my cardboard boxes around.

There are a lot of homeless people in Downtown L.A. and there's a bench just a few feet from the store, on the way to the parking garage, and there's usually the same homeless guy there everyday. I see him when I'm taking out the trash, or when I'm heading to the store from the garage.

Sometimes we nod at each other, or say "hi." He never asks for money and the few times he's tried to say something beyond a "hello" it doesn't make much sense. Actually, it feels that he's talking more to the air than to me or anyone in particular.

When "Clark Kent" walked away and I was contemplating what just happened, I looked over at the bench. I hadn't noticed it or the man who's usually on it earlier that morning.

I have spent the last two days redoing the store. Top to bottom. Over 60 new inventory pieces came in and not only was I making room for them...there was the unpacking, the cleaning, moving, assembling and all other kinds of non-glamorous grunt work that goes with a re-do. I love it. It's fulfilling to see something take shape and the control freak in me wouldn't have it any other way, but on those sweaty/messy days where I am super focused--I rarely notice anything beyond the tasks I have laid out for myself.

I made numerous trips to the dumpster in the past few days and I saw nothing but the boxes/trash I was carrying. All I could think about was how quickly I could get back to the store and continue to work.

At this moment, I looked for The Bench Man. He was there and we was looking right at me. He and the bench were no more than 8-10feet away from me. I wasn't sure what I wanted to say to him, or if I had anything to say. I took the dollar out of my pocket, walked over and handed it to him. He smiled and said, "Thanks."

I went back to pick up my boxes and heard, "Welcome to the street, man."

I turned around and he was getting up. He looked at me with a half smile, picked up his tattered bag, and mumbled, "It's weird, right?" as he walked away.

It was weird.

So much seemed to happen in a minute. Or at least so many thoughts went through my head in that short amount of time and yet I couldn't form any words to say what I thought I was feeling, or what I felt I wanted to convey. Nothing. It's as if the past couple of days of physical labor had left me without the ability to use language.

My reaction was physical and emotional, yet no words.

I finished throwing out the boxes and went back to wrap up the day's work and get the store ready for it's fresh start tomorrow.

Maybe "Clark Kent" will come in. If I'm there, I'll make sure he gets his dollar back.
-angelo

pillow power...

2013-06-10T05:41:00.000-07:00

my love of yellow...

2013-06-09T07:18:00.000-07:00

My very first car, that I bought with my own money, was a very yellow 1976 honda civic wagon.

It was not as spiffy or blemish free as the one in this photo.

It had a line of rust running along the bottom/base of each side of the car, and there was a rust hole through the floor of the passenger side. The floor mat covered it nicely.

My family christened it, "The Duck."

I had picked it out myself from the used car lot near our house.

I remember going with my Dad to look at cars after pleading for weeks to go and see at what they had. I had spotted it from afar every time we drove past the lot. The two things that caught my eye were, that it was yellow and it was a wagon. For some reason, I was obsessed with owning a wagon. Not the sexiest car for a teenage boy. What I really wanted was a Volvo wagon, but that was waaaaay out of reach.

"Who do you think we are?" My mother asked, not really wanting an answer. "Part of the Onassis Family?" She continued. Anytime there was something out of reach financially, the Onassis Family would always be invoked. I think it's was mandatory for Greek immigrants to use the Shipping Family as a way to drive the point home that their kids better not get any "funny, fancy ideas" about what could or could not be attained.

Even though I was going to buy a car with the money I had saved from working, it was frowned upon to buy something beyond what we were. We were working class and we should have working class things.

I had saved $700 from my job at the White Hen Pantry and I was not to be stopped from spending it on a car.

I had been driving my Dad's "project car." It was a 1967 Buick LeSabre and it was in even worse shape than the rusted out Honda Civic. It would die if you were stopped for too long, the steering pulled towards the right. A lot. And when you went over 50 it shook like an amusement park ride. It was the car I used to drive 45 (plus) minutes into Chicago everyday to go to school. The LeSabre's unreliability was not a good thing.

One very cold and icy winter morning, I started my trek into the city by pulling out of our neighborhood McDonald's drive-thru. I had just purchased an Egg McMuffin and was looking forward to driving and eating while listening to the radio. To this day, it is still one of my favorite things. I love road trips and drive-thru meals while the radio is humming along.

I had just pulled up to a red light after getting my McMuffin. I proceeded to unwrap it when I started to hear a screeching noise. I looked up into my rear view mirror and I could see someone slip-sliding behind me. The driver hadn't calculated enough room to stop for the light, so he and his car were now skating at full force right into the LeSabre.

The LeSabre was a boat. The damage was minimal and it was already missing a back bumper. The worst casualty was my breakfast. The McMuffin went flying out of my hands, hit the windshield and then feel all over the floor. It was not salvageable. His car, I can't remember what it was, was also a boat and sustained minimal damage. He took off as soon as he could get control back of his car. Good times.

My Dad's car project would not be the same. We had to scrap it. Now was the time to strike! I needed a car for school and "The Duck" was to be mine.

Later that day, when my Dad came home, we went to the car lot. I immediately went over to the Honda Civic. It was priced at $850. My Dad was looking at other, less bright vehicles. I agreed with him that the color may not be the way to go, but it was the only wagon on the lot. Plus, I knew he loved a good car project and I thought, once the weather warms up, we could do the body work on it and then paint it. We never did.

"I don't have an additional $200 to give you for it." He said. I hadn't asked or expected him to.

For some odd reason, I was confident that they would take exactly $700. They didn't. I gave them what I had and made payments on the rest. I believe it was $50 a month.

No one liked the car. In a neighborhood where all my contemporaries were driving Camaros, Firebirds and the occasional Mustang, The Duck did not exude any sort of cool or hipness.

I loved it. I even grew to like the color. It was a manual that drove rough but steady. I could fill it with more dumpster dive finds than I could dream of, AND I could find it in a parking lot without much effort!

It was the beginning of my love of yellow and I truly started thinking of ways to use it in my personal and school art projects.

Since my first real car, I've had many others including my current and second Volvo wagon. I do not think I am an heir to a Greek Shipping fortune, or that I'm fancy, but I do think I am very lucky. The Duck would be proud and would wonder why my current wagon is grey.

Grey goes very well with yellow. -angelo

craptastic...

2013-06-06T17:01:00.003-07:00

Yesterday was a crappy day.

I would use the words that were flung about less than 24hours ago, to fully describe it, but that would be inappropriate and knee-jerk reactionary.

Let's just say, you know what I'm talking about.

You've had one of those days. You may be having one right now.

The kind of day where not only everything that can go wrong--does, but the stuff you don't anticipate blowing up--does.

How do you handle that kind of day?

Do you address everything that is blowing up head on?

Do you run from it?

I wanted to do both.

And neither would have been the "right" thing for me to do.

Addressing the issues in the moment would have meant that I would have lead with emotion/rage/disappointment.

If I ran, like say--away to Paris. For a month. Ok, maybe for a year--that would have not resolved the issues, it would have delayed the inevitable.

So, I had conversations with myself. Loud, boisterous, sailor/bar fly type of conversations.

I'm sure the neighbors thought that I was either watching "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" reeeaaally loudly, OR that I am insane. I'll let you debate that.

In my re-hashing and re-working of the day's events, I came to several conclusions. Most of which I will not bore you with, but the one that kept circling was that I am at fault. I set myself up to be "surprised" because I have different expectations than what I know to be possible.

My reaction should have been, "There it is."

It's a scene for 30ROCK.

Liz Lemon (Tina Fey) is speaking at an ex-boyfriends wedding. She is desperate to find someone "normal" and not settle. The guy that keeps appearing in her life is all about "the settle." Then, she sits next to someone who seems normal. She lays it all out on the table with him, and then.....There It Is.

That SHOULD have been my reaction to everything that was happening. Of course. Why was I surprised? I knew that this was coming, but I expected more. Better.

I thought that at this point in the game--logic, big picture thinking and long term goals would all be taken into account, since they have all been discussed and "understood." Multiple times.

What I failed to understand is that they were understood---by me. That's it. I was the only one hearing it and fully understanding it. Even though past experience had shown me what would happen, I had fallen for my own story and believed that I was actually making a difference.

Well, today is better.

The Scotch and hot dogs last night (nothing but the best) helped. And putting some inexpensive Bouvardia Flowers in my favorite Ikea vase also helped.

But, today is better because I am one step closer to truly believing that you can't change someone else's point of view just by speaking. They have to be open to that, and THAT you cannot control.

That doesn't mean you have to settle, but you have to listen. Especially to the unspoken. Really listen, because it gives you so many insights into what you can truly expect.

So, when you get the "plushies" response, you can say---"There it is" and have a hot dog.

-angelo

up against the wall...

2013-06-05T12:35:00.002-07:00

Recently, someone showed me a picture of their living room.

They wanted to see what I thought of their newly finished space.

My first question, always, is "Do you love it?"

If they say they do, my work is done. There's nothing else I can offer other than to say, "Awesome. You should!"

If you love the space you have to created, then it's a done deal. Who cares what I think.

Great design is about you being happy, confident and comfortable in your home. No trends, design advice, or any other outside influence should change that.

The newly *remodeled living room kids* that were showing me their room on their phone, loved their space--but they felt like something was missing. They kept walking around the room and thought that something was a little off. Maybe I could tell them what that was.

"There are no tables" I blurted out before I could finish looking at the picture.

Fair warning, if you ever show me a picture of a room and ask me what I think, I may spontaneously blurt out exactly what I see/think. I have had to learn to control myself. Kind of like learning to control myself from spontaneously moving the furniture and accessories of any room, store or hotel I enter. I think I may have designer tourette's.

It's a reaction I have gotten better at anticipating---taking a breath or two, before slowly and carefully saying something.

The room in question had color on the wall, a brand new spiffy patterned rug, a beautiful sofa and two vintage looking chairs, a very elegant chandelier and a floor lamp. There was some artwork on the walls and the oversized windows were bare. Quite well done and I told them so.

Yet, all the furniture was up against a wall and in the center of the room was a large expanse.

There was at least 11ft from the end of the sofa to the end of the chairs on the opposite wall. Appox. the same distance, if not more, in the other direction as well.

I assumed the coffee table situation was on order, "Are you waiting for your coffee table to arrive, or a cocktail ottoman?" I asked. Surely what was going to happen next, was that I'd be shown another iPhone photo of the table/ottoman/milk crate that was on the way.

"No." They replied.

Then, it happened.

"Oooooooooh. We should have something in that space, right?" They both said.

They didn't even think about a coffee table, end tables, bookcase, shelving, or any kind of accent furniture piece because they were afraid of closing the room off.

I get it. Totally understandable.

But, without at least a large central piece of furniture, the rest of the room felt like it was just floating there. It seemed like the furniture had been moved all up against the wall, just for that day, to make room for dancing lessons.

Even a small, round accent/end table between two chairs can be enough without adding much bulkiness.

Then, a soft/tufted ottoman can act as the central coffee table. Also, it becomes extra seating and a great place to put your feet up!

Adding accent furniture doesn't have to be one of those things where all of it has to match. The woods can be different. Actually, they all don't have to be wood. The more eclectic you are with your choices, the more interesting and layered your room will be.

Go Forth and Design Fun! -angelo

salty and sweet mother of pearl...

2013-06-03T10:07:00.000-07:00

Salty and Sweet.

How do you feel about that combo?

I've always felt really good about it.
It's one of the basic reasons the classic pb&j work so well, right?!

This month, our crafty and uber talented Baker Beth combines the salty and sweet into squares that I dare you to resist.

Look at them!

Sweet. Mother. Of. Pearl.

Enjoy. -angelo

FROM BAKER BETH:

This month nearly had me stumped. Until I revisited The Daily Tip – I miss the daily tips! – in which Angelo plugged Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate Pretzel Bark.

Oh? Dark chocolate pretzel bark?

I can work with that.

I ran through many ideas but ended up modifying a recipe I've made since my childhood.

The cookie portion is very rich and toffee-like in taste, though, thankfully, not in texture. As originally written, the recipe calls for the cookie portion to be topped with milk chocolate and chopped nuts, to mimic toffee. But I recently started making the recipe with dark chocolate. So it wasn't much of a leap to swap out toasted walnuts for salty pretzels.

Et voila!

It might not be the most likely cookie to kick off summer, but hey, with the weather these days, it may be like fall tomorrow.

Enjoy!
— Beth

Dark Chocolate Pretzel Bark Toffee Squares
(Adapted from Betty Crocker’s Cooky Book, Published by General Mills, 1963)

1 cup salted butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
4 to 5 dark chocolate bars (depending on how much chocolate you want on them; I used five Hershey's Special Dark bars; they're just dark enough but still sweet)
1/2 cup (or more) crushed salted pretzel sticks ***

Heat oven to 350ºF. Mix butter, sugar, yolk, and vanilla. Measure flour by dipping method*. Stir in flour and salt until blended. Pat into a 9x13 baking pan. Bake 25-30 minutes. Crust will appear soft. Remove pan from oven and immediately place chocolate on top of crust**. When melted, spread with the back of the spoon to cover the crust. Sprinkle with pretzel pieces and, with the back of a clean spoon, tamp them slightly to set them into the chocolate. Cut into squares while still warm, then allow the chocolate to set up and the cookie to cool before serving.

* Dipping method: Slightly fluff up flour with a spoon or measuring cup. Dip measuring cup into flour and overfill. Level off measuring cup.
** Break the chocolate into pieces and space the pieces slightly apart on the crust. When they've melted, you'll be able to spread them into each other to cover the crust completely.
*** I put them in a plastic bag and whack 'em with the side of a meat-tenderizer mallet.

One year ago: Don Draper Cookies

Two years ago: Sesame Seed Rings with Roditis Cream Cheese Dip

cry baby...

2013-05-29T05:59:00.000-07:00

People ask me all the time, why people cry during TV makeover reveals. It's not because the room is pretty--it's because they see possibilities.

Possibilities of what can happen in their lives. Some of the best "reveals" and conversations with the homeowners, that took part of a renovation or design makeover, happen when the cameras turn off. They talk about how they feel like anything is possible--How their new space is a visual, tactile example of how they want to live and see themselves.

Those possibilities make me misty-eyed for them as well. There's power in the way we live.

There are plenty of ways to make a living and like most, I've had my share of jobs.

I've made coffee, served pastrami to starlets in Hollywood in the middle of the night at 24hour deli, designed layouts for magazines, delivered newspapers, made bagels, waited tables, installed roofs, designed and built stage sets and retail window displays, but my work in the world of design has been the most fulfilling.

There's nothing quite like seeing a new room through the homeowners eyes.

Making a living isn't enough for me.

Being a part of a something exciting, personal and an emotional connection to home, IS!

Design has changed my life--It can change yours.

I truly believe that design should be fun and attainable for all.

At angelo:HOME we're passionate about Home. Yours. -angelo

woo-hoo...

2013-05-28T02:55:00.001-07:00

angelohomestore.com

my tea with Michelle Pfeiffer...

2013-05-19T05:14:00.000-07:00

Well, now I know for sure what I will be serving on my date
with Michelle Pfeiffer!

I think it would be a breakfast. Not so much pressure and if things go well, there's always lunch and dinner.

I cannot imagine for a minute that she wouldn't love these.

Thank You, Beth! -angelo

P.S. Apologies to David E. Kelley.

FROM BAKER BETH:
Angelo has a lot of admiration for a lot of women worth admiring: Tina Fey, as you so well know.
Meryl Streep. Kate Winslet. I could go on. The list is pretty long. But he seems to hold an extra-special place in his heart for Michelle Pfeiffer.

Angelo and I share an appreciation for "Grease 2," which is both delightful and cheesy. By which I mean that the film is both delightful and cheesy and the fact that we appreciate it is both delightful and cheesy. Everything associated with "Grease 2" is delightful and cheesy.

Whether or not you factor "Grease 2" into the equation, Michelle is unquestionably talented and strikes me as a lovely person, relaxed and refined. Captivating, Angelo calls her. That's a good description.

So it will come as a surprise to exactly no one that I pondered a Michelle Pfeiffer-inspired cookie.

She's vegan. So I wanted to create a vegan cookie. I really did. So Angelo could invite Michelle over for tea and have something to serve to her. (You know Greeks and their hospitality ... .) But my psyche was not prepared for recipes that contain ingredients such as soy protein isolate and xanthan gum. I can't do it, vegan friends.
Angelo and Michelle will just have to meet at a vegan cafe for a coffee date.

But I carried on with the idea of a Michelle Pfeiffer-inspired cookie. I knew I wanted to bake something soft. "Nothing crunchy," I wrote in my notes. "It would have to be a soft bite of something, because I don’t see Michelle chomping on something crunchy. She should be able to chew it delicately, quietly. Someone refined and captivating wouldn’t be OK with sounding like she was chewing on gravel."

(My stream-of-consciousness cookie notes are full of tidbits like that.)

I had decided that lemon curd would be involved, which made me want an accompanying cookie that involved cream cheese, because cream cheese and lemon are lovely together. And the color of lemon curd ties in with her blondeness. Each cookie is bite size with the slightest bit of a sugar coating and can be spread with a bit of curd and enjoyed whole. That way, no crumbs.

Crumbs are not captivating.

Enjoy, kids! Angelo, have fun on your date!

— Beth

Cream Cheese Cookies with Lemon Curd
(Based on this cookie recipe and this lemon curd recipe.)

Cookies:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg yolk
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup flour
Additional granulated sugar for rolling

Preheat oven to 350º. Cream the butter and cream cheese together. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well. Chill dough for an hour or so to allow it to firm up. Roll small amounts of dough into small balls* then roll in granulated sugar and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes or until the sugar is just barely golden at the edges.

*I used small amounts of dough, about measuring teaspoonfuls, to make small cookies. You needn't be so obsessive. You can make slightly larger cookies, as normal people would do, and bake them a little longer. As for yield, it will depend on how big you make the cookies, but this recipe does not make a lot of dough.

Curd:
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
2/3 cup fresh lemon juice (3 or 4 lemons)**

In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer, about 2 minutes. Slowly add the eggs and yolks. Beat for 1 minute. Mix in the lemon juice. The mixture will appear curdled but it will smooth out as it cooks.

In a medium, heavy-based saucepan, cook the mixture over low heat until it looks smooth. (The curdled appearance disappears as the butter in the mixture melts.) Increase the heat to medium and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens, about 15 minutes. It should leave a path on the back of a spoon and will read 170°F on a thermometer. Do not let the mixture boil.

Remove the pan from the heat and transfer the curd to a bowl. Press plastic wrap onto the surface of the curd to prevent a skin from forming and chill the curd in the refrigerator. The curd will thicken further as it cools.
Covered tightly, it will keep in the refrigerator for a week and in the freezer for two months.

**Note: The original recipe calls for stirring one teaspoon of grated lemon zest into the curd after it's taken off the heat. I omitted it for my purposes, because I didn't want bits of zest to mar the silky texture of the curd, but you may want to include it.

Yield: about 2 cups

One year ago: Portlandia Cookies

Two years ago: Sablés and Dark Chocolate Espresso Biscotti

hankering...

2013-05-13T04:03:00.000-07:00

Sometimes you just can't get something out of your head.

For some reason, I can't stop thinking about cheese biscuits. I haven't had them recently, and I think the last time I did was probably a year ago.

Also, it's not like I'm going to be in a place where I can make them anytime soon. I'm currently on the road and hotel rooms, for the most part, frown upon any kind of oven involved cooking done in your room.

That does not mean that you cannot partake of baking and biscuiting.

As the food Gods would have it, when I meandered over to Food52, there were cheese biscuits staring right at me.

They are worth staring back at.

Just look at 'em. Gorgeous. Recipe for these beauties HERE.

Have a great week, kids!
-angelo

mother's day breakfast...

2013-05-11T19:25:00.000-07:00

This seems like a good one, no?

Recipe from Smitten Kitchen, adapted from, Marion Cunningham's Breakfast Book, where it was adapted from an old Fanny Farmer cookbook.

Happy Mother's Day, however you celebrate and nosh!

-angelo

wander...

2013-05-10T07:38:00.001-07:00

how about a monkey...

2013-05-09T13:48:00.001-07:00

coming this summer...

2013-05-07T21:45:00.002-07:00

to a bedroom near you...

2013-05-06T08:30:00.000-07:00

dining stories...

2013-05-04T14:54:00.001-07:00

Where do you eat your meals?

In the car, at your desk, on the sofa?

I'm usually on the road so most of my meals are either in a rental car, or hotel room desk.

When I was growing up in Chicago, dinner time was a big deal at our house.

Not just the making of the food, but the sitting/gathering at the dining table.

Stories and the day's adventures were shared, even if the baklava wasn't.

Our dining table also became the place for my countless art and baking projects.

So, when it came time to get into the world of dining room furniture, I wanted it to be a warm, inviting, and casual---even if you dress it up with your finest china, I like the idea that it's never fussy.

The woods are reclaimed, so no two table are exactly alike.

The chairs are in a great linen/twill type of feeling and looking fabric, but easy to clean. Just in case a scuffle breaks out over the last piece of cake. I've been there. It isn't pretty.

The LEXI Dining Chair has great nail head detail along the base and the back, button tufting and a slightly arched back. It's a classic style that partners beautifully with the more contemporary and rustic feel of the BROOKDALE Dining Tables.

The tables also make swell desks with the LEXI being the perfect desk chair.

Grounding the whole dining room with a great big rug (I recommend at least 8x10, enough so that your chairs don't get snagged on the rug when they are being pulled in and out) pulls the whole look together, and makes for a beautifully layered/personal space.

Plus, I encourage you to mix n' match. All the chairs don't have to match--feel free to add your own flair.

It's the beginning of your own meal time memories!

-angelo

sale...

2013-04-27T16:52:00.000-07:00

thank you...

2013-04-25T13:57:00.000-07:00

Twice a year I make a pilgrimage to High Point, NC.

I'm there for the furniture market where all of us that love design, home furnishing and all around home stuff, gather to see what's new, display what's new and celebrate it all!

I'm usually there for two weeks. A week of setting up the showroom and a week of taking the whole experience in.

It's a lot of prep work and setup. This year we debuted our new feather/down/8-way hand tied sectional, new larger scale sofas, brand new sustainable wood pieces, dining tables, rugs, throws, accent pillows, bedding and a new collection of lighting.

NONE of this is possible without an amazingly hardworking, delightfully inappropriate and fiercely loyal group.

A BIG "Thank You" goes out to everyone at Handy Living, Surya, Culp, Hallmart, Bocasa, Modus, AFLighting and JeffCo, along with all the enthusiastic and tireless reps that are the front line and goodwill ambassadors of our angelo:HOME brand. Their tireless efforts make each market better than the last!

Our retail partners, new and existing, make this journey so much fun and memorable at every turn. They are the best at what they do, and we're honored and proud to be a part of their team!

Also, let's not forget three places that keep us very well fed and hydrated.

PITA DELITE for the best customer service and sheer joy of food at the Market.

OSCAR'S for one of the best burgers!

THE OLD FOURTH FILLING STATION for pretty much everything on their menu.

Thank You! -angelo

design fun...

2013-04-25T12:17:00.000-07:00

We all know that lighting can change the way a room feels and looks.

Why stop there?

How about the actual lighting itself making a statement of fun, while adding warmth and shedding light!

My new Brighton Collection was designed with just that in mind.

Fun and Function make for a great way to design in any room in your home.

Take a sneak peak at the whole NEW a:H lighting collection from AFLighting HERE.
-angelo

deal o' the day....

2013-04-23T19:43:00.000-07:00

spring.

color.

fun.

happy weekending...

2013-04-12T10:48:00.000-07:00

It's almost the weekend and as always, I'm thinking about food.

Tomorrow, I'll be on a couple of different planes jouney-ing to High Point, NC for the furniture market. There will be plenty of Southern Foods to keep me well sustained for the next couple of weeks down there.

In the meantime, I'm already nostalgic for some of the beautiful to look and oh so tasty to try, chocolate creations I stumbled upon this week.

-Chocolate Baklava from LRF

-Dark Chocolate Fudge Doughnut Cakes
from Edible Garden (thanks Baker Beth)

-Irish Coffee Brownies from Confident Kitchen

Hope Your Weekend is Swell, Kids! -angelo

the "why"...

2013-04-11T01:23:00.000-07:00

if you can't make it to napa...

2013-04-09T08:27:00.000-07:00