la valencia hotel in la jolla

I recently celebrated my birthday at one of my favorite places, La Valencia Hotel in La Jolla. La Jolla at any time of year is a fantastic idea!

 

La Valencia Hotel, also known as "The Pink Lady," is a Mediterranean-style oceanfront resort located in La Jolla, California. 

This iconic hotel has breathtaking views of the Pacific Ocean and is the perfect destination for a romantic and quick overnight getaway.

 

I love this little stretch of La Jolla and the hotel's prime location, with stunning ocean views and easy access to nearby attractions.

We had dinner at Georges at the Cove, known for its yummy contemporary American cuisine and seafood. The stunning ocean views are breathtaking from the very top of this restaurant, and our dinner was perfect.

 

Another great breakfast, brunch and lunch spot that we love is Brockton Villa. It’s such a little cozy spot, and of course I love the old Spanish architecture of the building and courtyards. The breakfast sandwich on a croissant and the Coast Toast are out of this world!!

My husband and I always enjoy the hotel's historic charm and unique character, especially sitting in the bar for breakfast. 

 

Our favorite is a breakfast of fresh muffins and coffee with a gorgeous floor to ceiling view of the La Jolla beach and the Pacific beyond.

It was a foggy morning, but as you can see the day before was amazing! Look at the blue sky and sea! 

 

La Jolla Cove is a beautiful coastal area known for its stunning views, marine life, and unique sea caves. 

In fact the sea lions and seals make a point of sunning themselves on the rocks everyday, right down the block from La Valencia.

We always make a point of heading to the Sunny Jim's Cave for a stunning and unique view of the cove. It's a great little morning workout too! 

 

The La Valencia Hotel Pool

Sunny Jim’s Cave is accessible through the Cave Store, this cave features a tunnel with 145 steps leading down to the cave. It offers a unique perspective of the coastline and is a popular spot for visitors

 

After breakfast, we headed home but stopped at the San Diego Botanic Garden in Encinitas for a little hike around these stunning gardens.

 

This botanic garden features over 5,000 plant species and I love the Mediterranean and cactus areas a lot. There’s so much history there, but also it's a great source of inspiration for my own garden.

 

I hope you’ll follow along with me on Instagram for all the latest projects and décor I will be sharing in 2025.

 

ciao fabiana

 

 

beautiful heirloom pumpkins

My favorite time of the year will soon be here!

 

Can you guess?

It’s pumpkin time!🎃

 

And one of my favorite ways to decorate with pumpkins is to use them at the dinner table. It adds such a festive seasonal look that reminds me of being in the middle of a pumpkin patch.

 

Paired with beautiful plates, napkins, placemats, tablecloth, goblets and flatware, pumpkins make the best kind of statement at any tablescape. 

(Please check the bottom of this blog post for information on all this tableware.)

 

Even a pumpkin peeking out from a bowl adds charm to each place setting. I love the ones that are a soft clay color. They’re so sculptural and pretty.

 

This table even works nicely for a fun, bright take on a Thanksgiving table. Just add adorable Turkey place card holders likethese from Arthur Court.

 

All these pumpkins and plants are from my favorite nursery Armstrong Garden Center.

 

In addition to the soft colors of the pumpkins, I used muted varieties of ivy, succulents and begonias. It’s our very own pumpkin patch at the center of the table!

 

 

This style of seasonal table really works for weeks and weeks. Starting in September when the first pumpkins appear, and all the way clear through to the end of November, you’ll have a lovely fall set up to enjoy.

 

Our kitty Jasmine definitely approves of this table!

 Thanks for stopping by today 

for a visit to our pumpkin patch tablescape. 

Here are all the resources for the tableware used in this post:

 

ü  Pumpkins and Plants from Armstrong Garden Center

ü  Pumpkin Plates from Bico Ceramics

ü  Placemats from Carolyn Bender

ü  Tablecloth from August Table

ü  Napkins from Pacific & Rose

ü  Amber Goblets are vintage

ü  Turkey Place CardHolders from Arthur Court

ü  Flatware from Vagabond House

ü  Bowls are vintage

ü  WoodenCandlesticks from Carolyn Bender

 

  

 

ciao fabiana

 

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Please note that this post may contain affiliate links.

 

a Balboa cottage dinner party

Yesterday afternoon was so much fun! My friends Angi and Pete were hosting a birthday dinner party at their absolutely adorable Blue Door Cottage on Little Balboa Island, and I helped them by styling and setting a table for sixteen for them.

We were going for a sophisticated coastal theme, so I started by arranging four mason jars full of vibrant blue hydrangeas. The aqua blue jars were just perfect for this look since it reminds me of beach glass.

This adorable cottage is so reminiscent of Cape Cod, and the hydrangeas are too. I just picture them blooming all over Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket!   

The best configuration for this front yard patio was to have a large square table with four chairs on each side. That left lots of empty space at the center of the table for me to decorate.  

Pretty much everything for the table was blue and white, which coordinates entirely with the inside of the cottage, and I used lemons around the center lantern for just a pop of color.

Here’s the mood board I put together with the items we selected from the party rental company. 

I was so happy to know they offered so many interesting options, especially the blue goblets, blue and white china and gingham napkins, which are my go to items for a no-fail tablescape.

It's always more interesting to mix and match china, like  here where we used scalloped white dinner plates to set off the blue and white salad plates.

For a little fun, we added chunky white starfish at each place setting, and the best part of all, everyone also got their own personal “message in a bottle”.

This version is a lot more fun than the one Sting sang about. Angie and Pete took it to another level by making a whole party game out of this favor. Inside each little bottle, Angie hand-wrote interactive questions which urged everyone to participate. 

These messages in a bottle come all decorated with a tag and little anchor tied on with twine. They’d make great place cards too to for each place setting. Simply write your guests’ names on the little tag that’s already attached!

A white lantern was the perfect choice for the center of the table, as if offers a little height but doesn’t block dinner conversation.

I surrounded it with greenery, scattered lemons and more white starfish, inspired by my interpretation of a summery coastal California look.

Yesterday turned out to be the perfect summer evening for this alfresco birthday dinner. Check back soon for more on the Blue Door Cottage and get a little peek of the inside!

ciao! fabiana

 P.S. After I left Pete ran out to get some more votives for the table...
candlelight is so important to set the perfect mood!

a gorgeous kitchen tour

A couple of weeks ago, I shared a gorgeous tour of a home in Corona del mar that was designed by Prairie Interiors. Well, today I have close up details of the kitchen for you. I just love the openness of it and the pretty wicker accents.

Here’s a little Monday morning eye candy for you... 

  

Photos courtesy of Elle Décor, Prairie Interiors and Garden Studio Design. 

ciao! fabiana 

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