a peek at lisa vanderpump's Pump Lounge

 

Real Housewife of Beverly Hills' 

Lisa Vanderpump's

new restaurant Pump 

is stunning!

And, surprise, surprise

look who collaborated with

her on the decor...

Bravo's own Jeff Lewis,

talented designer and

idiosyncratic reality star.  

 Pump is filled with

glamour, drama and sexy details.

You enter the courtyard through

a wrought iron gate, 

which is embellished with

a golden coat of arms.

So British! 

Olive trees and candles create an intimate setting.

Here are three different vignettes of that same space.

 

Lighting is the key to a perfect romantic setting.

A stunning group of vintage chandeliers sits above the bar.

You can always count on Lisa for glamorous details.

Pretty cocktails too...

Vintage finishes and furnishings really do add to the charm.

Wouldn't you love to have lunch with these two?

 ciao! fabiana

Photos credit: Domaine & Pump

hydrangeas and roses from the garden

Happy Saturday! Today I’m sharing a little on my garden, which I know for some of you may be a little bit of a snooze fest, but, believe me, the outcome will be enjoyed by most of you, haha!

Beautiful garden flowers brought into the house create simple impromptu arrangements. I spent so much money last year on flowers every time I went to Trader Joe’s, that the practical side of me got to thinking, “why not plant more hydrangeas and roses in my own garden?”

Hydrangeas from the garden in a cane wrapped vase

Wouldn’t it be just fabulous to go out into the garden and just cut a few pretty blooms to bring into the house? 

Well, it just so happens that last fall we had to replace a large stretch of our back yard fence, which meant tearing out tons of overgrown and weedy honeysuckle vines and other meaningless plants. 

We now had a blank canvas of prime garden space that instantly became sunnier with the removal of all those invasive vines. I knew I wanted to plant roses, herbs and another small lemon tree as the focal point of the space.

I helped design this curved garden gate with a custom wrought iron peeping window and interesting round black iron handle. The iron window piece is a vintage little goody that I found at the Tustin Flea Market months earlier.

The paint I used was a hodgepodge of leftover blue paint from Farrow & Ball, a lime wash that I was experimenting with and then a little accent of wisteria paint for good measure! 

The color scheme, like the rest of my garden became purple, blue, pink and white with a little yellow accent from the lemons when they’re fruiting.

This is one of my favorite ornaments in the garden, a dainty little lady embellished with a seashell necklace, all found while thrifting, of course! She's surrounded by white begonias and succulents.

Tons of foxgloves were necessary for that cottage look I had in mind. They’re so cute and do make fun cut flowers too!

Here’s a simple little arrangement I made for my friend Heather. All I used was a variety of roses in that simple color palette of white, pinks and purple.

In fact the purple rose is one of my favorites. It’s a Downton Abbey rose, of all things! And this one’s named “Violet’s Pride” after Maggie Smith’s hilarious character.

All the roses I planted were old-fashioned English garden roses, and most of them have that cabbage rose look, that I absolutely love!

These roses are just starting to bloom and will open up to that full cabbage look that’s so charming.

So yesterday morning when I woke up, I went out to the garden for a look and ended up cutting these pink Gertrude Jekyll roses and some more of the violet ones for a simple little arrangement in the breakfast room.

Not only do they brighten the whole room, but they smell amazing too! 

Oh, and the hydrangeas, well I went a little crazy planting those this past spring too. You can never have too many hydrangeas in my book! 

Dugan 

And for my recent photo shoot with Cottages and Bungalows I ended up buying five more Hydrangea plants, two blue ones and three white ones. 

I probably have to plant them this weekend! I know Dugan will help me. Here he is on the stenciled floor near the shed that I painted last year and surrounded by lavender, another great flower for cutting. 

ciao! fabiana

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always a project or two around here!

Happy Sunday!

It’s been so nice here in Newport, and the mornings and most of the day have been actually quite cool and it’s really starting to feel like fall.

I’m just waiting for that “Indian Summer” weather to kick in one of these days, but in the meantime, it’s been extremely pleasant here, and perfect for working on some things around the house.

I kind of just wanted to show you what I've been up to this week...

Please excuse these pictures I took with my phone. They’re a little flat and just were intended to show my mom the progress on the dresser in my dining room that I painted with milk paint last week.

But things are finally coming together in this funny little dining room of ours. It actually only has one wall, and this is it. The rest of the perimeter of this room opens up to the living room, kitchen nook and hallway.  

So while my husband was out of town last week, I spent three whole days sanding, painting and waxing this piece [e]. It was originally part of a “suite” of furniture from my husband’s nana and it works perfectly in this room.  

I found the mirror [a] a few months ago at my favorite local thrift store. At first, I thought I scored a cool antique, but when I was loading it in my car, I noticed it was marked Pier One! I balanced each side of the mirror with a pair of vintage majolica lamps [d], also from nana. All they needed where some new oval lampshades.

A few of my favorite black and white plates [b] balance out the look on each side. These are just a collection of some of my favorites that I pick up here and there. And a grouping of white books [c] acts as a centerpiece, for now.

Here’s me just snapping a little pic to show my mom this cute wire basket [c] I had just scored at an estate sale a few minutes before! Only six bucks, and I just quickly filled it with a few velvet pumpkins [d]. I actually found these at Home Goods, and guess what? I pulled off the plastic stems and hot glued some real ones on!

Ssshhh… don’t tell anyone! Did you know they actually sell real pumpkin stems on ebay? Yah, well now we all know!  

Reflected in the mirror, you can see another one of my favorite collectibles, round convex mirrors [a]. If they’re brown when I find them, I usually paint them white with gold accents, but if they’re already black or crème colored, I usually let them be.

The oval mirror [b] is a family heirloom, probably French. 

This little vase of blush colored roses is a sneak peek at one of the exclusive tablescapes I put together this week. I’ll fill you in on it soon!

I’m currently working on an amazing Halloween tablescape in my dining room that’s filled with lots of spooky vintage accents. 

When I saw this blue and white entry on Instagram, I “instantly” fell in love with it and thought this look would be perfect for my front entry, since I already have similar wainscoting.

I’m on my way to Farrow and Ball this morning to look at their wallpapers…

I recently found out through Ancestry that I’m not only 68% Italian, but I’m also 19% French! Ooh la la ! News to me! (They recently updated their DNA data.)

So when I spotted this cute French inspired side door in the neighborhood, it just spoke my language, and I couldn’t resist taking a quick pic. Those French doors, shutters and the little iron gate are just darling!   

↑

I also wanted to share my most popular post on Instagram this week, and I was thrilled when Roger’s Gardens reposted it!

If you don’t already follow me [here],

I’d love it if you did. 💝

I share lots of extra stuff there that

you won’t see on the blog!

Thanks!!

 ciao! fabiana

P.S. Don't forget to follow me on instagram for all the latest!

black and white curb appeal

White homes with black trim… it’s a look that’s been around for ages, it’s a look that I have blogged about a few times, and today I have a few more of my faves to share with you all, just for fun! Don't you love this idea for different black and white tiles on the front steps? 

The wrought iron details are fab!  

A classic look with a farmhouse fence and gate.

I love the symmetry and those huge palm trees,

and circular driveways are the best! So elegant!

Modern townhouse living with traditional style.

Three stories of fabulousness in this Carolina home,

with tons of outdoor porch space too. 

White painted brick is one of my  all-time favorite looks.

I love how the front steps just draw you in... 

I love the steel framed door paired with this classical pediment.

Story book charm and charming turquoise door.

  

This one of my faves! -- My husband's childhood home in Geneva, Illinois. Not only did he grow up in this house, but so did his mother!

Here’s a cute little cottage in my neighborhood. The stonework really works in nicely with the black and white look.

And for all you "black sheep" out there, why not try a black house with white trim! Kind of a fun look, ya think? Well, I hope you’ve all enjoyed a marvelous Monday and MLK Day. The kids were off school today, and we just lounged around a little today, and got some odds and ends done around the house. 

The fun part for me was that I got plant some winter lettuce and kale in large pots in the yard, and then I ran over to Roger’s Gardens to get a few of my favorite herbs to fill in gaps in my garden; Sage, thyme, mint and lavender. Our lemon tree is practically falling over, full of fruit! 

And, you know what they say, "When life gives you lemons," well, you can fill in the blank, but in my case, we enjoyed this proverb to it's literal meaning. We made some fresh-squeezed lemonade.  

ciao! fabiana

photo credits:

Serena & Lily

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Traditional Home

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