Pages

February 16, 2010

What do New Orleans and pancakes have in common?

ned marshall peeling wallSo what, you might be wondering, what do New Orleans and pancakes have in common?? Well, today is the start of Mardi Gras in New Orleans, and it’s also Pancake Tuesday. So obviously, they make a perfect pair for a blog post :-)

hal williamson magnoliaI first saw pictures of this romantic New Orleans home over at Alkemie. I just love the soft blues and purples that designer Hal Williamson used. When they started working together, the homeowner showed him her collection of tassels that she had collected in Paris. They were in colours that she loved — purple, pink, citrus green, and a soft swimming pool blue. So Mr. Williamson incorporated all these colours into the home, and the final result is a soft, beautiful, romantic home…

The chandelier, urns flanking the fireplace, mirror on the mantel, and sconce in the living room were found in New Orleans antiques stores. It was important to the homeowner to buy as much as possible in New Orleans to help the economy get back on its feet after Hurricane Katrina.

hal williamson LR hal williamson LR 2

The dining room features a painting of gospel singer Mahalia Jackson. The homeowner  bought it from a local artist at a booth at the Jazz Fest.

hal williamson DR

The bedroom is a beautiful soft watery blue. The embroidered silk duvet cover includes all of the homeowner’s favourite colours. The day it arrived, the homeowner’s husband and two dogs took a two-hour nap on it :-)

hal williamson bedroomhal williamson bedroom 2hal williamson headboard

More beautiful purple and blue in the hallway and sitting room…  

hal williamson hallway hal williamson sitting room

This is the homeowner’s “Ella altar” — otherwise known as the parlour :-)

hal williamson desk

The banana leaf wallpaper was already in the kitchen. Mr. Williamson didn’t think twice about keeping it — he says that it’s not only a continuation of the courtyard, but it’s fun and the flowers have the purple that the homeowner loves.

hal williamson kitchen

The homeowner planted her late grandmother’s gardenias in the courtyard. She brought them from Alabama, stem by stem, with the roots in little jars of water.

hal williamson gardenias

And now here’s interior designer Ned Marshall’s colourful New Orleans apartment. Yes, this is an apartment — a 3,800 sq ft apartment!! Take a look at the bright pink sofa and chocolate brown walls that welcome you at the entry…

ned marshall entry

The chocolate brown continues into the dining room, which doubles as a sitting area. An idea you could incorporate into your own home if you have a nicely decorated but little-used dining room.

ned marshall dr

And another dual-purpose room — the guest bedroom doubles as a library. Check out the cool headboard.

ned marshall guest bed libraryned marshall bedside table

The master bedroom is… you guessed it, chocolate brown :-) Love the tall baseboards ad simple crown molding.

ned marshall master bed

I absolutely love the floor-to-ceiling windows in the sitting room, which is painted a vibrant orange. Mr Marhsall originally used an orange similar to the Hermes-orange on the chairs, but it was too bright. So he added some umber and some yellow ochre and came up with this colour. Good to know I’m not the only one who doesn’t always get a wall colour right on the first try ;-)

ned marshall sitting room

In contrast to the orange sitting room is the second-storey entrance hall. The walls are silver radiator paint with stripes in a grey-tinted glaze. Elegant and pretty :-)

ned marshall entrance hall

So which do you prefer — the soft colours in the home designed by Hal Williamson, or the strong colours in Ned Marshall’s home??

And now… pancakes!! Not that you need an excuse to eat pancakes for supper, but Pancake Tuesday should give you that extra little boost to whip up a batch of pancakes… and maybe some scrambled eggs… and why not throw in some bacon for good measure :-) YUM!!

This is one of my favourite pancake recipes, from the 1976 edition of Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook.

pancakesFavourite Pancakes

1-1/4 cups sifted flour

3 tsp baking powder

1 tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1 beaten egg

1 cup milk

2 tbsp salad oil

1 tsp vanilla

Sift together dry ingredients. Combine egg, milk, and salad oil; add to dry ingredients, stirring just until moistened. Bake on got griddle. Makes about eight 4-inch pancakes.

I like to add blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries. Or sometimes I make them with multi-grain flour, which gives them a really nice crunch. However you make them, enjoy your pancakes!! :-)

And Happy Mardi Gras… laissez les bon temps roulez!!

beads

sig new 

Unless otherwise noted, all images from House Beautiful.

21 comments:

Unknown said...

Phew! That was a long post...I think I might need some pancakes! Love, love, love the brown entrance with a pink couch! Zexsy!

Kathysue said...

I am loving Ned's colorful apartment, which by the way is waaaay bigger than my home!! Kathysue

Karen said...

What a great apartment! I like the way he's framed all the prints together in the bedroom artwork.
Karen

amariaf2000 said...

Love that house/apt!!! I can't imagine how I would pick which room to relax in?!?!?!

Love Pancakes - I've been craving them for a couple of weeks now...so the girls I work with and I are going out tomorrow to the Pancake House for lunch! (I make horrible pancakes...no matter how hard I try)

~angela @ peonypatch

Insurance Telemarketing said...

Beautiful pictures!! I love the color scheme of that house!!

And happy Pancake Day!!

BubBLeS said...

Absolutely love it! I think I'd personally do the soft purple and blue.. and have one room in that silver radiator paint with grey-tinted stripes! But then again, you already knew I love grey ;) Now if only I could paint that well.. and stay within the lines...

Happy Pancake Day! Will definitely have to try out that pancake recipe! Do you have one for waffles too? Then I'd have an excuse to get a waffle maker.. yummmm :P

Unknown said...

ooh, it's so hard to chose. i think both homes were beautifully designed, and the palette really suits each space. its all about context, so i'd say i love both!

I especially love the details about how the designer tweaked the colors: "Mr Marhsall originally used an orange similar to the Hermes-orange on the chairs, but it was too bright. So he added some umber and some yellow ochre and came up with this colour."

how did you get your hands on such juicy details?!

great post :-)

Kelly, Arte Styling said...

Oh my! I remember that House Beautiful article. I ripped out those pages so fast. It was a great story on a beautifully done home. I love how the designer approached the project - with such respect for the homeowner. And she was intimately involved in the process. And that banana leaf wallpaper? So cool that they kept it and worked with it. It's not for everyone, but you can't say it lacks personality! (A little movie set trivia - this wallpaper can be seen in a number of movies that were shot at the old Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. It adorned the restaurant walls. Pretty sure it's in a scene in That Thing You Do with Tom Hanks...)

Dumbwit Tellher said...

What a perfect way to end my evening. So much design beauty to behold. That banana leaf wallpaper I spied on Ebay a year or two again & have never been able to find it again. I love it as it is the wallpaper used at the Beverly Hills Hotel and wanted to use it in a small powder room. Glad the homeowner made it work, & it does. The bad news is this post made me hungry as I trod off to bed...morning cannot come soon enough. Hope you are doing well Kelly? All my best, deb

Susan said...

Both of these amazing homes are a feast for the eyes. There's something about that orange room... it's just so beautiful!
And for some reason I'm craving chocolate and not pancakes.
Susan

Jillian said...

Those are some gorgeous rooms! Love the colors.

Maya @ Completely Coastal said...

Love the apartment..., for its striking sitting room alone!

Karena said...

Kelly,
Amazing images, I love the apartments lush paint colors and the gray striped walls are divine! Some of my art would look great here!
Karena

Gayle said...

I'm still trying to picture a 3,800 sq. ft. apartment! Wow!

Jamie Gold, CKD, CAPS said...

Love New Orleans! Got married there and visited often while I lived in Louisiana. Thanks for bringing back very fond memories!

Janis@White Alder[Home] said...

Total beauties.....now that's an apartment.....would love to spend a few hours hanging out in either one of these homes soaking up the ideas!!!

PS: We are a pancake loving house, so Pancake Day is my FAVOURITE day in Feb.....really I like it more then Valentine's Day...I'm a simple girl ;-)

Jane said...

My favorite room was the orange one...I actually have a similar shade on walls in my office/studio. It's also paired with a gloss white. Still to come is the hardwood flooring.

Thanks for the inspiring photos and the pancake recipe!
Jane (artfully graced)

Jane said...

My favorite room was the orange one...I actually have a similar shade on walls in my office/studio. It's also paired with a gloss white. Still to come is the hardwood flooring.

Thanks for the inspiring photos and the pancake recipe!
Jane (artfully graced)

mrsben said...

All the rooms are so exhilarating I wud be happy in any one of them. My favourite furniture piece would have to be the one in the 8th image. (The turquoise desk 'n hutch.) It is such a delight to the eyes and wud make a great multi-task storage unit.
-Brenda-

angelo said...

Gorgeous rooms and photos! Who doesn't love pancakes?!

Tiina said...

what fabulous homes! Ilove everything, except the banana leafs wallpaper. To die for homes!

have a lovely day!
tiina

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.