If we learned nothing else from designer Beth Ann Shepherd‘s remarkable redo of the Montage Deer Valley residence featured in our current issue, we now know how much impact a light fixture can make on a space. Hand-blown to resemble vintage milk jugs, Shepherd created custom glass orbs that hang from a bronze-finished steel plate above a contemporary dining table. This made me wonder, what fixtures are currently on the market that can make similar magic? Well, there are many. Here are  a few that range in price, allowing you to splurge or save.

Annika Chandelier by Oly from Lightopia

Gabby Pendant from Stray Dog Designs

Petra Pendant from Crate & Barrel

Cellula Rectangular Chandelier from Design Within Reach

Cage Fuel Pendant Lamp from CB2

Roark Modular Ring Chandelier by Ralph Lauren Home From Circa Lighting

It’s true.

Once, I didn’t think twice about breaking out the KitchenAid, beating up a bunch of butter and sugar, mixing up a batch of royal icing and decorating dozens of cookies.

It’s hard for me to believe now.

But I–and my cohort in creativity, my sister-in-law Susan–was always a sucker for holiday traditions–I sewed the kids’ Halloween costumes and Christmas stockings, made Advent houses and Christmas ornaments, dyed and hid Easter eggs, and even served pancakes for supper on Shrove Tuesday.

I signed up for so much that I never got it all done, and frequently what I didn’t get done was Christmas cookies.

Hence, Valentine cookies. Heck, it’s just two months later and in a season rush of overconfidence, I had always already bought all the stuff.

Anyway, Valentine cookies are easier–you don’t need as many cookie cutters or colors of food coloring. That doesn’t mean the V-cookies weren’t outrageously elaborate. They were. One year, we thought they were so pretty, we went to the copy shop and Xeroxed them. Everyone received a cookie and a color copy of their cookie.

Anyway, over time, Susan perfected the cookie recipe. The one we started with tasted great, but puffed during baking so much that the hearts looked more anatomically correct than romantic. You know. Blobby, and a little gross.

But the recipe we tried without eggs didn’t taste good enough. So Susan, famously not the cook in the family but for sure the artist, brought her sculptural talent to bear and experimented until she found a delicious cookie dough that held its shape. To my knowledge, this is her primary cooking accomplisment in 60 years, unless you want to count porcupine meatballs, which we never do.

So here it is. Roll, cut, bake and decorate. We used a gently beaten egg white beaten with poowdered sugar and colored with Wilton food pastes. Now, if I were going to make them–and I’m not–I’d use cake jewels like these:

Buy them here: cakecrystals.com.

I’d use edible glitter like this:

You can order it on amazon.com or buy it at Michael’s.

And for grown-up cookies, I’d use edible gold, like this:

You can buy it here: ediblegold.com

You can make cookies at home almost as pretty as the ones in the picture at the top, which are from Kneadacookie. Of course, you can also just order cookies from kneadacookie.com, or for that matter, from our own Mrs. Backer’s Pastry Shop, which makes cookies that look like this and are beyond an amateur’s power.

Cookies

1 cup butter

2 cups sugar

4 eggs, separated

2 Tablespoons milk

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla

1 lb. powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

Cream butter and sugar. Add egg yolks, milk and vanilla. Mix together the flour, salt and powdered sugar, and then add to the dough. Form into a ball, wrap in plastic and refrigerate several hours. Or overnight. Or several days. Roll out on a lightly floured board to about 1/8-inch thick and cut with a floured cutter. Bake on a greased cookie sheet at 350 for 8 to 10 minutes or until light brown. Refrigerate dough between batches.

Icing

Lightly beat 4 egg whites. Using an electric mixer, add onfectioners sugar until the icing just barely stays on a knife, so you can spread it. Divide it into separate bowls and color each one as desired. Ice cookies. with this icing, you can spread a base coat, let it dry, then use a pastry bag or a toothpick to add different colored designs. Thin icing with hot water as needed; it thickens as it stands. Add dragees, sprinkles, sugar glitter or jewels. Place decorated cookies on a rack to dry.

I don’t know how many cookies this makes–maybe 3 dozen, but it depends on how big your heart cutters are.

Without question, Desireé Ashworth has a thing for the beauty and simplicity of French, Gustavian and Belgian design. Take one look at the home she and husband Matt created in Provo and it’s easy to understand why. The residence is truly spectacular making it a wonderful feature for the current issue of Utah Style & Design (Fit for a King, pages 58- 65). To learn more about the chic chateau, we visited with Desireé—the design talent behind Décor de Provence—to learn more about the inspiration and ideas that contributed to the creation of this regal home.

What inspired the home’s design?

The bones of the home were inspired from an old hunting lodge built in the 13th century in the South of France called Aramis. My husband Matt and I were so inspired by this home, that it became the foundation for our creation.

What specifically did you like about Aramis?

This hunting lodge displayed the beautiful simplicity of Provence. We loved the sparseness of rough hewn wood floors and the grayish blue stained doors—it was the perfect chateau. This home was comprised of all things Belgian and Swedish as well.

Belgian design has really been on the hot list lately. How do you define it?

Belgian design to me is seeing the beauty in the simple things, the funny little side table built by a Belgian farmer hundreds of years ago and organic rough materials that lend to a simple organic lifestyle. Less is more when it comes to the Belgian country lifestyle.

How did you integrate this sensibility into your home?

We left our floors unstained, our ceilings paneled and white-washed, and our furniture designed with rough linen, raffia and burlap.

The magazine story leads with an explanation of Gustavian Design. What’s your take this period style?

What’s so beautiful about this time period is the mind of Gustav III. He had such amazing vision and taste; he saw the beauty of French Neo-classical detailing with hints of Italian classicism and refined these elements creating one of the most sought after genres of design. Our home was not only Gustavian inspired, it’s was the perfect balance between Provincial French, Belgian and Gustavian design. I know this sounds a little confusing, but what’s so amazing is how well these genres play off each other so effortlessly.

Do you have a favorite object in the home? The Swedish Mora clock is one of our favorite pieces in the home. Mora clocks were made by humble farmers.  Due to the harsh winter conditions in Sweden, farmers could not make sufficient funds, so they would make Mora clocks as gifts for married couples.

The chandelier are pretty spectacular as well. How did you end up using them?

The juxtaposition of white-washed woods, grayed pastels and painted furniture coupled with fabulous crystal lighting is a signature note to the Gustavian period. That is why we hung 19th century French chandeliers throughout the home. I splurged on the light fixtures hoping they would carry this genre boldly. The mercury glass displayed on our fireplace mantel and also our dining room table reminded me of the mercury glass mirrored walls in the palace of Versailles.

What should people to take away from seeing this house?

If you really study this home closely, you will see how we value the beauty of simplicity. There is nothing I love more than a sweet piece of furniture made and designed from the heart of a simple farmer.  To me design comes from the heart and not the head and should be never over thought.  This is how the people in the South of France, Belgium and Sweden live.

Matt and Desireé

Snowbird‘s Aerie Lounge was designed in the 1980s and, well, it looked pretty much like that weird little decade. The elongated restaurant/bar was dark, strangely configured and it strangely reminded me of the hotel bar in the film Lost in Translation.

But designer Louis Ulrich, who designed the original bar/restuarant to match the tastes of the time, got a chance to bring the space into the 21st century and the new Aerie now lives up to the its need to be Snowbird’s premiere dining and gathering space.

Ulrich (and his firm luna) is popularly known for the clever design of Vinto restaurant. And he brought in some touches from that well-received project to his Aerie update. For example, Ulrich used the blonde wood that wraps Vinto’s booths to lighten and give warmth to Aerie. But the comparisons don’t go much further. This is a rooftop lounge at the base of one of Utah’s most spectacular mountains, after all. By day the views of the slopes and down Little Cottonwood Canyon steal the show; by night Ulrich brings up the lights and uses those same panoramic windows to reflect light back inside to emphasize  the social atmosphere within the  bar and restaurant.

“When we first designed the Aerie the emphasis was on the view, everything was designed to look out,” Ulrich says. “But at night there is nothing but darkness out there. We’re in the mountains after all. So we want the windows to reflect back in and turn attention to your friends and family gathered around you.”

The bar side is full of cozy couches for those that want to lounge. This area is separated from the actual bar counter by a smaller rail bar for those who like to stand and mingle. (One note: I would lose the intrusive piano player or, at least, turn his PA down.)

In the restaurant side a variety of table options allow for many dining options. There are tables against the windows and on the back wall, a selection of secluded tables for wooing couples and also larger-sized booths, with sadly, televisions in each. These so-called “Football Booths” are popular with families, according to restaurant managers, and thankfully the inset televisions can be covered with curtains for those of us who lament the incursion of flat screens into every public space in the nation.

The new Aerie is a vast improvement on the awkward dark, space it used to be. Ulrich’s emphasis on warmth and, as he says, “social density” are clearly realized throughout. Bottom line, the Aerie is now one of Utah’s coolest spots for a drink, dinner, special event or wedding reception.

One of my interests is tiny homes and cabins so this week’s collection is a sampling of little cabins. Some are new, some are quite old, but they all share warmth and coziness. I think we all want to be in them for just that reason.

Over the past month, dining editor Mary Malouf has been following the Mist:Salt Lake project, Chef Gavin Baker’s attempt to bring local chefs together to provide a culinary experience unlike any seen in the city at the Metropolitan for a limited time. Mist only lasts until Feb. 19, and tickets are sold out. Luckily Mary was there to review the food.

Click here for the first half of the review from saltlakemagazine.com, the rest is reposted below.

One surprising aspect of this dinner was the sense of camaraderie shared by all the diners—we were all there to embark on the same adventure together. That made it a lot less formal than you expect an expensive meal to be, and the service matched the mood. Servers explained every dish, kept your glass filled and fulfilled every request, but without any stiffness, even when there were mistakes (a missing garnish, for example).

Anyway, writers are supposed to show, not tell, so I’m only going to add to the dinner’s narrative that any good meal is about experience as much as nourishment. This is a basic truth, and probably cornerstone, of human culture, and something that the 21st-century has largely forgotten. The Mist Project makes you remember.

Sixth course: On paper, this course looked a lot like a miniature golf hole. “Where’s the windmill,” was the common quip at our table. Actually, the green was avocado puree, with an obstacle of tuna tartare, a disc of yuzu-soaked pomelo and a marvelous cluster of globes like tiny cannonballs on a courthouse lawn: Lebanese couscous, tapioca, salmon roe and wasabi tobiko and flying fish roe marinated in wasabi.

My two cents: It’s hard to get excited about tuna tartare anymore, for a million reasons, even though this was pristine. But the mixed orbs were pretty thrilling–all about the same size, every one a different texture. Some popped, some were chewy, some were soft.

Seventh course: A scallop, on a tangled bed of mild choucroute, sparked with sprinkles of thyme, pancetta and shallot, topped with a froth of mushroom foam and accented with a slick of apple gel.

My two cents: Honestly, these were hearty flavors, classic in their balance and contrast. The surprise was the mushroom foam. Foam is one of the molecular cuisine tricks that has been pretty widely adopted and hence, duh, abused. Here, it worked perfectly, giving an unexpected earthy whiff without the protein chew of an actual mushroom, just an odor, like you were eating shellfish in the woods.

Eighth course: This is the wild card course; guest chefs create it and introduced it every Monday. Then it’s served until the next Monday. Our course, by Colton Soelberg, was an angularly cut bite of rare squab, cooked sous vide, with braised Swiss chard and a sherry gastrique.

My two cents: I felt lucky to be eating the work of Chef Soelberg, owner of Communal, and a chef whose food seems to be the antithesis of the orchestrated Mist menu. Certainly a written description of this dish doesn’t sound shocking in any way. But Soelberg’s absolutely meticulous attention to detail segued into the detailed Mist style perfectly and made this one extraordinary pigeon.

Ninth course: Presented en cloche–under a ceramic dome–a raspberry-colored round of Idaho lamb loin, a tomato-honey confit, curried yogurt, garnished with a fried sweetbread, chile, garlic and a caper-raisin puree.

My two cents: Again, this doesn’t look like a plate of familiar food, but the contrast of tangy yogurt, fragrant spice, sweet and heat is home plate for anyone who loves Thai or Indian food. One of the differences is that the diner is in control of the balance–make it heavy on the sweet or on the heat, or one after the other. You could create your own forkful.

Tenth course: It looked like an old-fashioned glass, but the menu said it was short-rib and it was both: beef cooking to melting softness topped with nearly liquid potato mousse and a frisson of chorizo.

My two cents: Somehow the idea of drinking your meat is hard to swallow. I know: soup. And I may feel differently in another 40 years when I’m living on borrowed time and teeth. But this was more like a milkshake and though the flavors were nice, I would have preferred a little more chew or crisp.

Eleventh course: Here we entered into real fantasy land. The large plate, meant for sharing between several diners, was made of granite and rubbed with beef fat. The course is called “Campfire,” and the plate is centered by a plain aluminum can of beans surrounded by coffee-cured beef on broccoli and watercress undergrowth and edible coals and ash.

My two cents:: Until now, this had mostly been food taken very seriously. Well, except for the diapered bread. It was a bit of relief to see a sense of humor coming from the kitchen, and no less tasty for the laugh.

Twelfth course: Intermezzo: Taking us into candy land, the dessert courses, was a tall clear column holding a smaller glass in the top, with a coarse spiced apple granita, eau de vie and unsweetened meringue.

My two cents: Mild and pretty, and unassertive, a link between showpieces. Just what you expect from the term “intermezzo.”

Thirteenth course: Called “Sunrise from my plane window,” the plate is sprayed with sky-blue cocoa butter, the sun is a yellow half dome of thin candy filled with passionfruit mousse with a lychee heart. Wisps of creamy meringue and spun sugar form clouds.

My two cents: What fun!

Fourteenth course: This one was labeled “Palate cleanser,” and it was presented on a little easel. Propped on it was a graham-hazelnut cracker framing an edible photograph–a copy of one of the panels of Adam Finkle’s giant photo-mosaics used to decorate the dining room. With it, a glass of floral juice with a tab of fruit.

My two cents: This course had all the comfort of kindergarten cookies and juice, but for the artist’s sake, I would have liked the connection between the art and the edible to be clearer. Did everyone understand that the art is for sale? and, like the food, is a statement about perceived value?

Fifteenth course: Another communal course, the edible forest, was conceived by Rebecca Millican, pastry chef at Amano Chocolate: Dirt made of cake crumbles, chocolate twig trees, boulders of candied hazelnuts, powdered pistachio and powdered sugar snow and a minor muddy flood of hot chocolate sauce.

My two cents: Eating this offered the childlike delight in destruction, like knocking down your block castle–break off trees, swirl them in the mud and scoop up the dirt.

Sixteenth course: Mignardise. A little something sweet at the end, in this case a hollow chocolate aspen log anchoring petits fours, truffles and treats made by local pastry genius Romina Rasmussen.

My two cents: The absolutely gilded lily.

Several Utah restaurants holding special Chinese New Year celebrations to ring in the Year of the Black Water Dragon. How cool does that sound? And what does it mean to you?

Whether the Year of the Black Water Dragon will bring you good luck or bad luck can be determined if you know your own lucky element–metal wood, water, fire or earth. At this point I get totally bogged down, so if you want to know more, go here.

What I am clear about is that you have some good options to celebrate the beginning of the Year of the Black Water Dragon. A couple of them feature the traditional Lion Dance–if you’ve never met a lion in person before, here’s some etiquette tips:

Chinese lions love lettuce, metaphorically and actually–as he writhes past your table, put dollar bills in his mouth. At the end of the dance, he does an acrobatic jump to reach a head of lettuce, sort of like a piñata. Feel free to get up from your table to watch, and let your children follow the lion around.

There are dozens of variations of this thousand-year-old dance, but that’s the way they’ve done it at J. Wong’s Asian Bistro in years past. And that’s the way they’ll be doing it at the Chinese Year’s Celebration on Saturday, January 28 at 7 p.m. Make reservations!

The Mandarin in Bountiful will hold a two-week Chinese New Year celebration starting tonight and running through Feb. 4. A special menu for parties of four or more people is available for $20 per person. Chicken lettuce wraps, pork pot stickers, black bean beef and Mongolian pork with Chinese sausage are just a few items planned. (The regular menu is also available.)

A traditional Lion Dance will be performed by an eight-person troupe Wednesday, Feb. 1, at 6 p.m. Reservations are accepted for eight or more people; parties of fewer than eight may call ahead and have their name placed on the waiting list.

Val Rasmussen, Editor of Utah Bride & Groom magazine and contributor to Utah Style & Design magazine,  shares her inspiring interview with HGTV star Emily Henderson.

Charming, gregarious, and gorgeous can all describe Emily Henderson. Just like her personality on her HGTV series “Secrets from a Stylist,” Henderson seems to be keeping no secrets.

Since winning HGTV’s “Design Star” Season 5, Henderson’s fans follow her series due to her uncanny ability to repurpose and showcase furnishings, props and art in colorful modern interiors that beam with personality.  Her signature boho-chic spaces are funky and functional, and her girl-next-door allure is approachable and inspiring.

Henderson spoke on a panel at the Altitude Design Summit this past weekend at the Grand America Hotel in SLC, where 500+ design-minded bloggers, journalists and editors from across the country came to expand their knowledge of digital media.

During her panel and my one-on-one interview with her, Emily Henderson gave me her dos and don’ts for styling a room.

Do:

1.    Use big books, sculptures, boxes and vessels

2.    When styling a bookcase or a coffee table, use horizontal, vertical and sculptural elements

3.    Use flowers and branches

Don’t:

1.    Karate chop pillows

2.    Use messy throws

3.    Use oddly stacked books

4.    Use too many pillow

5.    Absolutely no fruit bowls

Q: What emerging trends to you see on the horizon?

1.    Neon. “In small doses though….and with a modern edge,” she tells us. “For example, hot pink pillows with gold trim.”

2.    Patterns inspired by the 80’s

3.    Supersaturated colors like hot pink and red

Q: What trends are “out”?

1.    Burlap upholstery

2.    Knock-off reclaimed wood or industrial furniture. “Like those wood tables with iron legs. If you have to use it, just use it in small doses. Don’t use it all over,” Henderson recommends.

Q: I want to redo my entire house. Where should I begin?

“Focus on a high-traffic room that will get noticed,” she suggests. “And if you’re going to splurge, go for a conversation piece; something unique that has never been seen before.”

How do you know if a piece of “vintage” furniture is junk or a jewel?

“If lines are good, you can always refinished, repaint, or reupholster. You can add piping or tufting.” For a good piece, the options are endless. Henderson adds, “Furniture from 50 years ago or more is likely to be handmade and well-made. If you find a hot ticket item like mid-century chairs that are a good price, go for it.”

If you designed a Utah house, how would you style it?

“Maybe I would use those Pendleton blankets mixed with a little glam and femininity. Hmm….Oh, brass! I love brass!” she blurts, “I wonder if my style would stay the same wherever I went? Maybe it would.”

When you started on HGTV’s Design Star, you were one of the weakest contestants, then obviously came back to win it. Where you in a design rut? How did you get out and what advice do you have for other’s who may be in a design rut?

“Well, I’m not really super competitive…and it took me a while to adjust to the show. Also, I felt I had a lack of resources. We were shopping at Sears where we had maybe one or two coffee tables to chose from and that was it,” she recalls. “Design rut? Ah, just take a break.”

Me with Emily Henderson at the “Dinner en Blanc” party at Altitude Design Summit.

All images courtesy of http://www.stylebyemilyhenderson.com

What is there to say about nightstands? They frame headboards, hold lamps and give you somewhere to park a clock and clutter. Most often, they do this identically on both sides of the bed. So, what else is there to consider? Well, nothing—that is, if you live in a Holiday Inn. But if you have a suite where style and substance are important, shake up your bedside table selection with something unexpected. Here are five ideas to get your started:

Butler’s Table.

The functional tray can be removed and set with morning coffee, and the piece’s scape fits a corner without adding bulk. Image courtesty of Thibaut.

Desk

It does  double-duty in a room lacking enough space for two nightstands as well as a desk.

Dresser

Wide rooms often require more than a narrow nightstand, and that’s when a full-sized dresser (with an appropriate height) stands in perfectly as a storage-rich bedside table.

Fabric-draped table

An easy-to-fashion, fabric-covered table adds softness and femininity while beneath the fabric, shelves provide an out of the way spot for storage.

Multiple Units

Adding storage, dimension and height to a wall lacking a large headboard,  matching pieces pair to create the look of a single, tiered nightstand.

For more on using and choosing bedside tables, check our the current issue of Utah Style & Design, on newsstands now.

This past week, I was back to make more images of the remodeled Fashion Place Mall. They have finished the new stores and entries on the West and South sides and it looks great! Now if I can just stay out of the Apple Store and keep Ann away from the Crate & Barrel!