Chef Lea McIntosh will be making a guest appearance in the Christopher Peacock Showroom on Wednesday, February 2 from 1:00 to 2:00 PM…come and work side-by-side with her and she’ll teach you one of her fabulous recipes!

Jodi Murphy will be on a panel with Crystal Gentilello (Rue Magazine), Sarah Lonsdale (Remodelista) and Heidi Gerpheide (California Homes) in the A. Rudin Showroom on February 3 from 10:00 to 11:00 AM…come and chat with her and the other distinguished panelists about digital media.

Here are the official details…

See the entire line up for Design San Francisco.

Most of the attendees of Lavish! were young women and they all came so well put together. As I navigated through the posh Mansion on Peachtree hotel, I was wowed time after time by how poised my peers are. As bloggers, we spend much of our time alone behind a computer, but that’s no excuse not to put your best face AND foot forward when you step out!

In every session I attended, the presenters stressed the necessity of original content. Even if it is as small as a tip that you share or a single photograph that captures a project in progress, it’s important that it be YOURS and not a copy. The internet is so saturated with blogs; make sure you give your readers a reason to come back to yours!

Oma Blaise Ford from Better Homes & Gardens magazine and Jillian St. Charles from HGTV.com did a great seminar on the perspective of print and tv on the blog world. They realize that although some traditional media outlets are a little behind in embracing bloggers, most are well aware of their awesome potential. Case in point, Emily Henderson, a blogger and the latest HGTV Design Star winner; she had the two key ingredients for a great blogger! Not only does she consistently create fantastic original content, she IS her own brand.

People come to your blog for you! No matter what your subject matter is, they trust your taste and love your writing style. The best way to create a loyal blog community is to express your unique voice confidently. Share as much as you feel comfortable sharing about your life and career and you will establish yourself as a viable source for your niche.

Erica of Design Blahg and Nicole of Sketch 42 did a great seminar on how tools can aide you in your blogging. Anyone that blogs knows that it takes a tremendous amount of research, planning and work to get posts completed and uploaded on a consistent bases. There are many sources out there to make this process a bit lighter so that you can focus on what your passionate about, the content!

If you have any questions or would like to know more about Lavish! please visit the website! Feel free to contact me too.

Happy Blogging!

Niki McNeill

Image Source: CasaSugar

Place your vote!

Like the Pied Piper, Chef Lea McIntosh led the audience (right after her live cooking demonstration for the SFDC Culinarium) over to the Duralee Showroom for Chic Bites tasting! We simply followed the aroma-trail of her Truffle Honey Holiday Baked Brie (fresh from the Miele ovens in the Christopher Peacock demo kitchen). The reception was a celebration of SFDC’s Culinarium, Duralee Fabrics, Nesting Newbies, and AphroChic! Everyone was greeted with a beautiful vignette of Duralee’s tufted Riverside wingback chair and an AphroChic black and white Reflection pillow.

Serve them Truffle Honey Holiday Baked Brie…and they will come! Chef Lea is wearing one of her custom chef coats with interchangeable cuffs. These cuffs are ultra-glam and made with “Aquamarine” from the Marakesh Collection from Highland Court Fabrics by Duralee. As you scroll through the photos notice the “blooming branches” centerpiece and glass vases filled with handcrafted flowers…no need for fresh flowers when you can use Duralee fabric flowers instead! (We’ll show you how to make them in a future DIY post!)

Get the recipe!

The tables are set using linens from La Tavola Fine Linen Rental…They are one of the best sources when you are longing for linens that are really special. We were thrilled to discover several tablecloths available in Thomas Paul fabrics. A perfect fit for Duralee because they represent Thomas Paul fabrics! We selected Twitter in Maize.

Meanwhile…there’s lots of Muscat Pear Marmalade tasting going on : ).

(They don’t know it yet, but everyone gets to take some home!)

Rick Guerra was on hand to pour a selection of fine wines from Napa Valley’s Verismo Wines.

Laura Logan, the SFDC Duralee Showroom Manager, is AWESOME! We thank her for being her cool self and everyone at Duralee for hosting this fabulous reception.

Check out scenes from Lea’s live Culinarium event.

The day before WNWN, we joined bloggers from all over the country to be in the audience for the new Nate Berkus Show. For us, it was a chance to meet the faces behind some of our favorite blogs, and watch some behind-the-scenes action that goes into producing a network television show. Though many were disappointed that the show didn’t take full advantage of having decor bloggers in the audience, we thought how positive it was that the producers (and Nate) recognize the value and power of blogs, twitter, and new media. It’s the beginning of a relationship that will only keep getting better!

At NATE, we were captivated by the energy of Amy Beth Cupp Dragoo from ABCD Designs…she’s as vibrant as Manhattan! We met the lovely Susan Schneider, owner of Shandell’s, and Karen Young, founder of Hammocks & High Tea…two creative and successful entrepreneurs.

Speaking of recognizing the value of bloggers…it is NYDC who orchestrated “The New Curators,” and made sure that decor bloggers were an important part of their annual design event. Kudos to them! So there we were along with Elle Decor, Veranda, and Traditional Home. We gathered for a toast before our mission: meeting and greeting designers, and blogging about the showrooms on the fourth floor.

For us, we had a chance to interact with young designers from all over the world: New York, Philadelphia, Washington DC, and Australia. Our fellow curators were talking and tweeting about new products from the fourth floor showrooms…Aqua Creations, Bograd Kids, Kravet, Sun Decor Fabrics, DESIGNLUSH, Laserow Antiques, Flourishes, Restoration Timber, Calger Lighting, Mannington Commercial, TK Collections, and Weinburg Modern. The hour flew by!

Natalie Wi, our senior editor, reflects our sentiments: “We are so grateful for having had the opportunity to participate in the NYDC WNWN event. The building was electrified with energy and optimism, and we came home with a renewed sense of purpose.”

LINKS TO THE NEW CURATORS:

Lea McIntosh, Jodi Murphy, Natalie Wi
Nesting Newbies Magazine
Nesting Newbies

Amy Beth Cupp Dragoo
ABCD Designs

Liz Orgera
Shorely Chic

Nicole Gibbons
So Haute

Camila Pavone
High Heeled Foot in the Door

Patrick Hamilton
Ask Patrick

Tamara Stephenson
Nest by Tamara

Danielle De Vita
Design-Calendar for Inspired.talk

Christina DeSmet
DeSmitten

Jean Lin
Otto Design & Architecture

Emily Anderson
Good with Style

Julia Paulino Yenicag
Belle Vivir

Erin Gates
Elements of Style

Suzanne and Lauren McGrath
Good Bones Great Pieces

Carol Vanderkloot
2Modern

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