I have to admit I've loved seeing all the photos and videos of snow across the country. I'm longing (probably in vain) for a snowfall here. I really miss watching snow silently coat houses and yards. I miss ice crystals glinting in the sunlight. I miss snowflakes on my face. And so I created a snowy winter scene on my table for lunch.
A new year is a time for new beginnings, for celebrating the past and welcoming the possibilities of the future. This holds true whether you celebrate the new year on a fixed date (January 1) or celebrate it when the moon is new (January 25 in 2020).
Or of course, you can celebrate both days! Chinese New Year gives me a great reason to use pretty dishware, rich colors and dragons from my husband's collection. Although I'm not planning to set a table for it this year, I've created a small display within my glassware cabinet.
The colors in the salad plates play off the cranberry and blues of the stemware above. The light strips in the cabinet beautifully enhance the delicate colors of the crystal and spotlight the dishes, but they make it difficult to take good photographs.
Welcome to our new kitchen! One year ago we were midway through our nearly 6-month renovation. It's hard to believe — that it was 30 days behind schedule at the time, that we were living in the house the whole time, and that the past year has gone by so fast. We survived the renovation and we love the result!
We had neither the desire nor the time to handle the renovation
ourselves. We've refreshed or replaced the kitchens in several houses
and knew the scope of what it entailed. So we hired a designer and kitchen
remodel firm to translate our ideas, but remained very involved
throughout the entire process.
