What do we really want for Valentine’s Day?

We are pretty excited that the CBS TV affiliate in Atlanta has chosen Huff Harrington Home for a segment on Valentine’s ideas, but there are two problems with the request:

1. It will be taped at 5 a.m. (oh no … and the DryBar doesn’t open until 8 a.m.! Will we have to have our do’s done the day before and stay up all night to prevent the flat hair syndrome?)

2. We don’t really have a lot of Valentine’s goodies in the store.

Don’t get us wrong. We have lots and lots of new goodies in the store, with recent purchases arriving daily. But there isn’t a lot of red. There’s not a lot of heart shaped anythings. And we certainly don’t have red roses.

But that got us thinking. What do people really want for Valentine’s day? Is it stuff? Or is it thoughts? And what do we like to give for Valentine’s day? Does it have to be red, sweet or heart shaped? Or should it be something a little more thoughtful, fun, and personal?

We decided to go to our favorite source and ask our Huffington employees what they liked giving or receiving for Valentine’s day. And these are the ideas they came up with:

Linda says:

I love to give newly sprouted Daffodils or Forsythia to friends.

My husband and I treat ourselves to a nice bottle of red wine and a seafood pasta dish.

Of course, the “widow” (Veuve Cliquot Champagne) makes an appearance, along with some chocolate.

Veuve Cliquot by Amy Dixon

I’m going to use a recipe from the Veuve Cliquot cookbook this year!

Colleen says:

Don’t go out to the fanciest restaurant, but do stay in and cook a special nostalgic meal with your loved one(s).

Do buy your lady a piece of karen sugarman, but don’t buy her whiskey stones! Kidding! But not really ;-)

Karen Sugarman, Prasiolite Earrings

Allison says:

My wish list (hint, hint to Mark!): Huff Harrington Home jewels (prehnite, labrodite, or lemon citrine) or shagreen skin cuff or turquoise bangle.

Or even sexier -Amy Dixon nude. You know that's my fave!

Past faves -- including menu items -- have been: silky lingerie, Palace Cafe's White Chocolate Bread Pudding, Capo's Chicken Diablo, and madras pjs. (Editor's note: We need to have great PJ’s at HHH. Oh, guess what! We do! They’re on their way … from Paris … where they don’t call them PJ’s!)

Emily says:

1. Give a certificate for manicure/pedicure, green fee (men) or favorite restaurant. Wrap it with a couple of cute accoutrements that correspond, such as for the spa a cute book like Daily Candy from HHH to read while getting pampered.

If the restaurant certificate is for a French place include an Eiffel tower bottle opener or our guide to French wines book.

2. I'm making this for my door and as a gift for a couple of girlfriends: cupcake liner wreath.

(Editor’s note: Emily, this is adorable!!)

3. What to get the person who has everything? A 'have a little heart' gift. Make a donation in their name to the American Heart Association or their favorite charity and include it in their Valentine card.

Sarah says:

First and foremost, some kind of chocolat or sweet treat is required to make it officially Valentine's Day. Oh how I wish Atlanta had a Ladurée ...

The caramel are my favorite.

I love receiving things I normally wouldn't buy for myself: a fancy candle, a beautifully packaged lipstick or perfume, or a gorgeous bouquet of flowers (but not red roses!).

Sparkling objets (of the bauble or bubbly variety) are also always acceptable. I've never been the type of girl to turn her nose up at any kind of gift, let's be honest...

Sam says:

Johnny and I dance to "My Funny Valentine" sung by Johnny Mathis every Valentines Day morning before we go to work. Great way to start the day! A gift you can't buy but worth a million dollars.

Ann and Meg:

So what will we tell our TV viewers about Valentine’s day?

It looks like nobody asked for or wanted to give red roses. And there wasn’t a lot of heart shaped requests either. Instead what we heard was:

Make it personal. Make it thoughtful. Make it yummy. Make it sentimental. Make it glitter (jewelry!). Make it memorable. Make it a surprise. And if you have the skill and inclination, make it by hand.

To this, we would add that the little heart shaped present we would want most is … make it heartfelt.

Happy Valentine’s day!

Ta ta …

HH

Bon Voyage…and Bon Appetit!

Even with all the crazy stuff going on in the Huffington world right now, we do have our laser beam sights set on two special dates coming up this year: June and September. That’s when we’ll pack our bags, leave a forwarding email (or maybe not) and head off over the pond to gorgeous and glorious Provence with a group of fun, adventurous and hopefully hungry travelers.

It’s so fun when a trip can be healthfully hedonistic (and somehow it’s easy to do at Les Murets). It’s all about eating what’s ripe and in season so the flavors are bursting with every bite. It’s all about eating leisurely and taking one’s time to savor and enjoy every little bite.

Dinner’s ready at Les Murets

It’s all about lively conversation, meeting new people and finding common ground over simply but beautifully prepared meals.

It’s all about the ritual of the meal – a nicely set table, some candlelight and plenty of time to savor and relax.

And the wine…well, the wine is simply sublime and a hugely integral part of the whole Provencal experience.

Among lots of other things, we’re happy that our weeklong Provence tours pay due homage to the French tradition of honoring food and the special ceremony of the meal.

At lovely Les Murets, breakfast is as simple as a freshly-gathered egg, a slice of perfectly ripe Cavaillon melon (these are tiny and perfect little melons grown in Cavaillon…they look like mini-cantaloupes but the taste is nothing like you’ve had before…) and maybe a slice of fresh bread or croissant, smeared with locally produced jam and a sliver of slightly salty butter.

The days revolve around lunch: where, what and when. We time the market visits around the lunchtime destination so on Tuesday, it’s a tiny little restaurant in Oppede (a pretty as a picture village near Les Murets). The restaurant is a small little spot and everyone who works there wears about five hats. Jean-Marie is in charge (when he’s not managing his transportation company and driving tourists all over Provence) and we’re pretty sure the nice girl who takes the orders is also busy in the kitchen barking orders and plating the yummy salads and delish main dishes that make up lunch.

Lunch in Oppede.

We love this picture of lunchtime Provencal wine…with the Diet Cokes in the background!

Another favorite spot is gorgeous Ile-Sur-La-Sorgue, the antiquing capital of Provence. The market, brocante and antiques are feasts for the eyes and after a few hours, everyone needs a feast for the tummies. One of our preferred spots is a beautiful little spot off the beaten path. The menu is limited to the day’s offerings…and we’re always delighted with what is set down in front of us. (Plus, it’s sort of a hot spot and you never know who you’ll see…)

The garden setting of our lunchtime pick in Ile Sur La Sorgue is divine…

It’s always fresh, creative and elegantly presented.

And, it wouldn’t be a trip to Provence without a stop at the well-known Bistro du Paradou. Loud, energetic and totally unpretentious, this little gem always seems to win awards for its amazing cheese tray – not to mention the eggplant appetizer and…if it’s Wednesday it’s rabbit, cooked to utter perfection.

Yum….

Lots of ooohs and aaaahhs for the fabulous cheese tray.

Bistro du Paradou…could it be any prettier?

Over in nearby pretty Loumarin is La Cour de la Ferme, you get to sit outside on a terrace with umbrellas shading you from the sun. The menu is carefully chosen and is always perfect. The wine is sublime. The company is fun and relaxed. It’s nirvana. (And, the last time we were there, we were pretty sure Britsh author and Provencal celeb, Peter Mayle, was sitting near us.)

Dessert…

Dessert: all gone.

But, the best meals of the trip always seem to happen right at home on Les Muret’s terrace. Whether it’s the magical Provencal light, the camaraderie of new and old friends sharing countless adventures over the week or the simple and fresh food, we’re not sure.

One thing’s for certain: no matter how much delicious wine we drink and meals we inhale while we’re there, we never gain weight! Call it the French Paradox or what you will…we just call it a wonderful time and a little slice of heaven.

Cheers!

Ta ta.

A Little HHH Make-Over…

Imagine our excitement when a dear friend (and art-loving client) came to us and told us that, according to the elves, she has been a very good girl. Santa had agreed to give her a mini-makeover for her living and dining room. Would Huff Harrington Home like to help? There were a few pieces that had already caught her eye…

Of course, we said oui, oui and oui and spun our little selves to sleep for many nights imagining what we could send her way.Now, the first thing you need to know is that this client’s home is already fabulous, gorgeous and filled to the brim with one-of-a-kind antiques, art and special “found” pieces that she has picked up in her many travels. The home has been photographed and published numerous times. This Madame possesses a very keen eye and has wonderful taste so we were anxious to listen carefully to what she had to say.

The Living Room: Before. It’s elegant, sophisticated and full of special, one-of-a-kind objets. We were worried…how could we possibly improve upon this?

The Living Room: Before. We love the lines of the pretty antique bench and the glass side tables that sit on the wall opposite wall to the armoire.

Our client spent an hour or so with Sam (our interiors wizard) and the two of them came up with a nice little wish-list of what the homeowner would love to see.

She wanted a new look for her dining room and was willing to replace the light fixture and the table and chairs for something with a little more oomph. She also requested something that was a little more “user-friendly” for her pretty living room, although we were having a hard time envisioning anything prettier than what was already there.

The Dining Room: Before. Our client was preparing for a party so the rest of the chairs had been moved out. We love the existing Italian slipped chairs.

(And, by the way, what made this even more fun is that the Madame was going out of town for a few days. We had carte blanche to do as we wished while she was gone…)

So, first on the list was a long, clean-lined white linen sofa that we had custom ordered for HHH several months ago. It’s bench-made by a small California company, took forever to arrive but when it did, we all fell in love with it. It’s squishy and comfy but very, very good-looking. We would constantly find clients lounging on it, texting furiously as they took a little break from the madness. To us, that is the sign of a good sofa.Then there was a crunchy and texturey low-slung coffee table that looked and felt like driftwood. The client adores the the beach and we loved that she wanted to incorporate that passion into the room. And, to pick up on that beachy, casual and relaxed vibe, there were two extraordinary chandeliers that she immediately gravitated to.

We weren’t sure which one the client would end up with….

Madame, our client, had spotted some other things at the store. There was a fantastic, 19th century oak dining table that seats twelve at the drop of the hat. Ann and Linda found it in Belgium and recognized it immediately as the perfect example of the authentic Belgian-Dutch design that is so hot right now. Aged and limed oak, graceful but strong lines and incredibly functional and strong: this is a table to linger at and pass down to future generations. Our client spotted a set of nicely-shaped neutral upholstered chairs to go with the table. (We recommended new chairs as opposed to antiques because we find the old styles simply aren’t as comfortable for lounging around the table as we know this client likes to do.)

We thought these would be a nice counter-point to the woodsy Dutch dining table our client fell in love with.So, in a pouring December rain, we packed up the truck (our loyal guys from Distinguished Transport in Atlanta helped us out) and drove off to the client’s home. And then the fun began.With Sam leading the charge, we rearranged, rehung, repositioned and then sprinkled the whole concoction with a smattering of gorgeous accoutrements.

The pretty living room, before. Pretty darn gorgeous and hard to improve.

And, after…

The new living room: the yummy linen sofa sits where the armoire used to be and is flanked by two scrolled iron lamps. And there’s the texture-y driftwood coffee table now accessorized with some of the the client’s books, a horn bowl and two mounted tortoise shells. The client’s own abstract (by Bonnie Beauchamp Cooke) hangs over the sofa. We’re crazy about the interior Frenchy shutters and couldn’t resist adding a walnut table topped by another mixed media figurative painting by Tracy Sharp. And, we do adore the trio of crystal obelisks and the African antelope horns, all framed by graceful windows.

The armoire moved to the opposite wall and is now flanked by two slip covered armchairs…one of them sports our very favorite Union Jack pillows (done in a very cheeky pale blue…)

Looking into the dining room….

Here’s the impressive 19th century Dutch dining table, the homeowner’s own rustic buffet and lovely Louis Philippe mirror…and an edgy abstract by George Marks. We love the pattern that the driftwood lantern throws up on the ceiling. Sam also insisted that we remove the seagrass rug…and voila: the room feels even more spacious. The French doors lead to a cozy little porch that the owners use all the time.

We couldn’t live without the existing Italian armchairs having a major role in the room…we love the play of curvy Italianate married with chunky and strong Dutch. Quite the European union.

The homeowner already had the crusty buffet and Sam had the brilliant inspiration to pair it with an elegant Louis Philippe mirror that the client already owned.

The dining room with George Marx’s abstract hanging behind the table.

Flanked by two floor-to-ceiling windows, this curvy French table is the perfect backdrop for crystal, African antelope horns and a sexy painting by Tracy Sharp.

The story has a happy ending: the client arrived home with lamps softly glowing, candles lit and everything looking cozy and inviting. She was happy and loves her new spaces. And we were thrilled with the results of our very first professional “install” -- and can’t wait for the next chance to mix, marry and merge all the things we love.Ta ta.

Top Ten for 2011

It’s the season of Top Ten countdowns and we have thought about writing a well earned blog about our “Top Ten Bloopers” as we’ve forged our way into new adventures and businesses. And we will do this – if we don’t write the book first! But this has been a pretty remarkable year for us Huffingtons and we think that before admitting to all of our little faux pas along the way, we’d like to reflect upon the top ten events that have made 2011 our most exciting year in business.

#10: The Raw Space

Finding and falling in love with the old Mercedes dealership on West Paces Ferry, and thinking that with a little TLC, make up and lipstick, it would be the perfect spot for Huff Harrington Home.

Isn’t she pretty? See #1 if you don’t believe us!

#9: The Blonde Bombshells at Huff Harrington Fine Art.

This was one of our favorite shows ever. The artists enjoyed it, our clients seemed to love it, the press got a kick out of it, and we all had a ball!

From top left: Lorraine Christie, Melissa Payne Baker, Dawne Raulet, Aaron Whitehouse and Bonnie Beauchamp Cooke.

#8: Shopping in Europe!

As soon as we signed on the space, we were out the door and over the pond shopping for merchandise. We’ve got enough stories to fill a book on this one, but let’s just say that as usual, it was loads of fun.

Ann posing with a beautiful antique French “Miroir a Fronton Coquille”

#7: Trips to Provence:

We made several of them this year, many of which were documented in previous blogs. One of our favorites was the incredible “Painting in Provence” trip with the effervescent Nancy Franke.

Nancy Franke leading the painting trip at Les Murets

#6: The Paris Apartment

It took almost a year of renovations, and more frequent flier miles than we care to count … but in the end, the renovation of the Paris apartment was a collaborative effort among several Huffington designers, and one of the most satisfying and beautiful projects we’ve ever been involved in!

The Beaumes de Venise apartment we renovated in Paris

#5: A JDRF masterpiece

What started as a simple request to one of our artists – to paint a painting for the live auction of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation’s annual Gala – turned in to one of our favorite projects, led by Melissa Payne Baker and several junior ambassadors from JDRF. The results were incredible: The artists painted a masterpiece which raised over $12,000 for JDRF during an exciting bidding war at the gala in May.

Melissa Payne Baker at the gala with the masterpiece.

#4: Lorraine Christie’s Solo Show

Lorraine gave it her all, and the results were amazing. With 22 of the 24 paintings sold in just a matter of days, this was one of the most exciting and sought after shows we’ve ever hosted, and certainly one of the most fun as well. Our congratulations to Lorraine and to the lucky clients who were able to purchase her paintings before they flew off the walls.

“Assent” by Lorraine Christie

#3: The Dream Team

They probably like this better than being called Huffingtons (!), but regardless of the name, we couldn’t be happier with our new little family at Huff Harrington Home and Huff Harrington Fine Art.

HHH Dream team, from left: Sam, Emily, Allison, Ann, Meg, Collee and Linda.

Sarah Sullivan is now the manager at Huff Harrington Fine Art, enabling us to split our time between Huff Harrington Home and Fine Art.

Sarah, right, shown here with Meg, Ann and Linda

#2: Opening Night at HHH

We were exhausted, exhilarated and almost ready to be exhumed, but it was one of the most fun nights of our lives, and definitely, one of the most memorable. Surrounded by friends and family, we opened our doors and prayed that nobody would buy anything, because we were still struggling on how to use the cash registers!

Cheers!

#1: 11-11-11

That was the day that we officially opened our doors at Huff Harrington Home (and the day that we learned happily how to use the cash registers). It’s been a dream come true, one made possible by the help of so many people: Supportive vendors, friends, artists, clients, husbands and family, as well as the friendly, trusting and respectful partnership that we’ve come to share. 2011 has been full of surprises, adventures and yes, mistakes – but it has also been so much fun. We can’t wait for 2012!

Huff Harrington Home

Tata,

HH