Mac 'n' Row

 

 Mackenzie Henson, at her estate in the south of France

There’s a little war raging among Huffingtons between cat people and dog people, with each of the embattled factions convinced they own the cutest specimens of their preferred breed.   We dog people will admit that there are some pretty cute cats out there, especially when they’re not our own — or when they’re in a book, like this adorable one about French cats! 

 A perennial bestseller at Huff Harrington Home, that even the dog people can’t resist.

But there’s no doubt that the dog people have a lot more fun when we go to France, where we can delight in seeing our favorite breeds tucked under tables in restaurants, greeting customers in stores, popping their heads out of Birkin bags on the metro,  propped in baskets on bicycles and generally treated as equal, and sometimes superior, members of the French family.

 

 “Please sir,” he begged his indulgent owner at a neighboring table in a Gordes restaurant, “May I have some more?”

 

The original French bulldog that inspired Linda’s adorable Cosette, in Paris.

 This scene, from the blog “Out and about with your dog,” is mighty familiar in France!

 From Roomaranda blog. A typical Parisian Yorkie — on the move.

In fact, dogs become kind of an obsession for us in France, always missing our own and wishing we could bring them with us on every trip.

 

 If only we could bring her on every trip!  Scurry Huff, the Queen of the Castle at Les Murets. 

So you can see how the book, Travels with Mac ‘n’ Row, reached out and grabbed us when we first heard about it, and even more so when we got to meet the lovely authors, a black lab named Mackenzie Henson, and her darling owner, Row.  And it turns out that for one of us, the connections run deep, given that we both live most of our time in Atlanta (although my husband may debate that!), but have houses in the South of France, both graduated from careers in high tech and both love our canine companions, with whom we especially love to travel, in France.

The cover of the book, photographed on Row’s property in the South of France.

 

Mac, at home in Atlanta

“This book is first and foremost a love story between me and my wonderful dog Mac,” writes Row in the forward. “As you will learn when you read our book, Mac came into my life when she was just about two years old and she turned twelve in April, 2013 – so she and I have been together for over ten years.”

 

 Mac, and her owner, Row

When you read the book , written lovingly in the canine’s voice, you will learn about how Mac came in to Row’s life, and how their travels together have bonded them closely, especially in the last six years.  But the book is also very special, because it’s about raising awareness and money for all forms of animal rescue, which it does by donating all the profits to animal charities.  What really got to us was the last sentence of the forward, written by Row Henson:

“Our story starts with me rescuing a dog – but by the time you finish the book – you will learn that she really rescued me.”

We are thrilled and honored to sell the book at Huff Harrington Home and to host a book signing by Row and Mac on Saturday December 14^th, from 2 to 4 at Huff Harrington Home.  We hope you will join us.  Whether you’re a dog lover, a cat lover or just an animal lover in general, we know you’ll enjoy meeting Row Henson at the book signing and we guarantee that you will fall in love with beautiful Mac!

 Mackenzie Henson, leaping for joy  in the Mediterranean

 Row says, “I always knew I wanted to write a tribute to Mackenzie.” She didn’t realize it would take on a life of its own and turn in to a beautiful book with a wonderful message for us all.

Hope to see you on for book signing on the 14th!  Meet Mac and Row, from 2 to 4.

Ta ta,

HH

PS All the profits from the sale of the books during our book signing on December 14th will go to The Atlanta Humane Society.

Table Envy

From Pinterest.

Maybe it’s because of our Thanksgiving festivities, or maybe it’s that we have entertaining on our minds … but some of us are obsessed with long, rustic dining tables. We love the kind that could be happy indoors or out, the kind that have lived long interesting lives, hosted numerous fabulous feasts and witnessed years of captivating conversations. Our clients must share this same obsession, because our extra long, extra crunchy tables are always the first to go when we bring in a container of antiques from Europe.

So what is it about these long, sexy, crunchy, aged-to-perfection tables that we love?

We love the combination of formal chairs and rustic table in this image via Pinterest.

Or the simplicity of this long and narrow table, which could be used for dining or a console. From Cote Sud via Pinterest.

Here we’re enamored with the marriage of modern chairs with rustic table, via Pinterest.

And here we’ll just take the whole vignette! From Architectural Digest via Pinterest.

 

This may be taking “Long Table” to new lengths, but how fun would it be to attend this wine tasting at the Joseph Phelps vineard in Napa Valley? Image via Pinterest.

My personal favorite is this gorgeous image of an outdoor table that is so inviting, through this fabulous glass “orangerie.” From Pinterest.

We see that wonderful mix again, of sleek and modern with crusty and old. Image via Pinterest.

And how inviting is this table, with that lush, dark wood and the contrasting pretty, white roses? From Pinterest.

We love the idea of mixing and matching chairs, and these old tables embrace that look beautifully. From Pinterest.

There’s that wonderful mix and match look again, dressed up with fabulous, formal chandeliers! From Pinterest.

Long tables work well with long benches too, as on this delightful sun porch. Image via Pinterest.

Finding the perfect table is not easy and there aren’t a lot of the authentic old ones, so we try to grab them when we can.  What do we look for?  First off, a beautiful wooden surface that has been aged to perfection.  We also like nice lines and a good proportion between the legs and the top.  As Americans, we tend to be bigger – and a lot of these tables were built for smaller people, so we always have to be careful about the height of the apron that supports the table.  And of course, if it’s going to travel by boat from France to Savannah, it’s got to be sturdy enough to withstand the stormy seas!

Here are a couple of tables that have rocked our boat on recent trips:

 A massive, and beautiful long table that could easily accommodate 18 people!

 

An elegant aged, oak table, originally from Belgium.

 

 This table was rebuilt to perfection, using old floorboards as the top, and old joists for the support.

A large table “drapier” from France, originally used to fold and cut fabrics in the 19th century.

A long and narrow 19th century pine table, elegant in its simplicity.

Will any of these beauties be coming home to us soon?  Maybe!  And you’ll be the first to know as soon as our container arrives.

In the meantime, we wish you and yours a warm and wonderful gathering around your family table during this holiday season.  Because ultimately we know  that whether it’s big or small, square or round, edgy or crusty, old or new, it’s not about the table … but the people gathered around it!

 From Pinterest.

Ta ta,

HH

Giving Thanks

 

from Abby M. Interiors and Pinterest.

We’re happily up to our eyeballs in all things Thanksgiving at Huff Harrington.  The big upcoming turkey day holiday is keeping us super busy helping clients fluff, prep and pretty up their homes for this Super Bowl of entertaining.  Linens, serving pieces, centerpieces, placemats, candles and hostess gifts are flying off the shelves as the frenzy builds.  We’re loving every minute of it.

The Huffingtons are brimming with their usual good ideas at the store – and Ann and I love the festive, fun and chic turkey-inspired tablescapes and vignettes the girls have set up.  As usual, it’s all about the mix and it’s wonderful to see the goodies we bought months ago all unpacked and merchandised so beautifully.

This is such a great time of year to set a table for an al fresco lunch, dinner or holiday celebration.  Lucky for us here in Atlanta, the days are usually mild and the evenings chilly – perfect for entertaining outdoors on the porch or patio and in front of a roaring fire.

 What could be lovlier than feasting and thanking outdoors? From Pinterest.

And when it comes to setting the perfect Thanksgiving table, we’re all about our HHH mantra:  elegant, organic and comfortable:

 

 From My Design Chic and Martha Stewart, more Thanksgiving style.

We feel strongly that a little touch of glitz and gold never hurt the table, either:

 

 We love the elegant simplicity of this Design Chic/Colin Cowie table setting. Just pour the bubbly and enjoy…

We love looking in the backyard – or grocery store aisles – for the most humble of inspiration.  Here, fall fruits and walnuts take center stage in the most stylish way. (From DesignChic and Pinterest.)

We’ll be closed Thanksgiving Day, of course, for a little respite and downtime before the big Christmas rush hits us.  We’ll be cooking up a storm with friends and family and probably popping the cork on a bottle of bubbly or two.  We’re big on Huffington traditions, so we thought it would be fun to quiz the girls about some of their holiday favorites:

 

 Alva

Alva: our traditions seem to revolve around food. Always turkey and cornbread dressing made by my mother (from my grandmother’s recipe). We have pan gravy and mashed potatoes. The green veggies change from year to year but the desserts are always pecan pie and pumpkin pie. The best tradition is that family is together!

 Allison

Allison:  I will take a Louisiana chocolate pecan pie over cake every birthday! My mom always found the best pecan pie recipes in the Junior League Cookbooks - River Roads, Cotton Country, and Stop and Smell the Rosemary; and all of my recipes for turkey dinner are from these amazing cookbooks!

 Gena Knox’s Southern My Way has been flying out of the store.

There's a new cookbook at Huff Harrington Home that has caught my eye: Gena Knox’s Southern My Way. I am very tempted to change things up a bit and try the Maple Brined Turkey with Pomegranate Roasting Glaze. Sounds so Southern and yummy!

 Barbara

Barbara: One of my and my husband Bill’s favorite and fun Thanksgiving traditions is making Old Fashioned cocktails to have before our dinner. Thanksgiving is the only time we have them all year – they just seem the perfect way to start our celebration. The Bourbon Old Fashioned was supposedly first made at the Pendennis Club in Louisville, Ky (my home town), in the late 1800′s. I would love to share our recipe:

In the bottom of a beautiful, Old-Fashioned glass, mix:

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon water

3 dashes Angostura bitters

1 orange slice

Muddle until sugar is incorporated

Fill glass with ice

Add 2-3 oz great Kentucky bourbon

Stir and garnish with an orange slice and cherry

Enjoy!

 

 

 A lovely start to the Thanksgiving feast. From Pinterest.

 Emily

Emily: It all starts with us waking up to the Macy’s Thanksgiving parade while my mom begins her magic in the kitchen. Seeing the mittened spectators in New York City is about as close as we get to a gust of cold air in Boca Raton, Florida. We always have family in town so our dinners tend to be quite boisterous & fun. Never missing are mashed potatoes, gravy, baguettes & pies to accompany the turkey.

The piece de resistance? My mom’s famous fresh cranberry sauce with orange zest. The feast is served buffet style on the dining room table & the adults eat in the living room. My cousins and I (the youngest is now 17) still eat at the “childrens’ table”; the best seat in the house! We finish the evening by watching ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ and retire to bed stuffed & thankful!

 Babs

Babs: All our kids and kids-in-law do a drawing for their Secret Santa on Thanksgiving and then the 9 of them really go all out to get the perfect – or perfectly funny – gift for their Secret Santa receipient. (we bet that makes for a lot of laughs, Babs!)

 Mackenzie

Mackenzie: We always cook this delish pumpkin cheesecake recipe that was passed down from my grandmother.  My grandparents owned this little restaurant that became a landmark in Bloomington, Il for 20 years and would cook the same recipe for customers every Thanksgiving.

For place settings we gather tiny pumpkins and paint them for each guest (my mom is one of 5, so our Thanksgiving table is always overflowing with family members).  We also tie little bows on little boxes of Godiva chocolates to pair with the pumpkins. The night usually ends with a massive tripoli tournament by the fireplace, and a lot of times going to the movies beforehand.

 

 A festive and fall-y centerpiece for the table. From Pinterest.

 

 Linda

Linda:  we love to go to our lakehouse at Lake Keowee in S.C. for Thanksgiving.  We invite all of our family on both sides, so the make up is different every year.

My favorite thing to do is to get up and start cooking!  My favorite recipes include a sweet potato and Grand Marnier soufflé, full on bread stuffing with oysters, and a green bean casserole that we have been making for more years than I can count!

When the Macy’s Thanksgiving day parade comes on I love to open up a bottle of Veuve Clicquot, and continue cooking as I wait for my beloved Rockettes to perform.  I had always wanted to be one, but alas I was too short!  Imagine that!   After our meal (consisting of two turkeys – one roasted and one deep fried) we settle in for our annual viewing of Chevy Chase’s “Christmas Vacation”.   Somehow it seems to get funnier every year.  Although Thanksgiving will never be the same after the loss of my mother in 2012, we give thanks for each other and for our many blessings and the time we spend together.

 

 We can totally picture Linda being a Rockette.

 Sam

Sam:  I don’t have any…..really!  (note from Meg and Ann: Sam is the busiest little Huffington bee and never sits for one minute, so her answer didn’t completely surprise us. We’re pretty sure she’ll be up on every new movie release by the end of the weekend, though, and will surprise us with the fifty million things she’s accomplished while we’re working our way through six courses.)

 Colleen

Colleen: my favorite Thanksgiving tradition as a kid growing up was all of our aunt and uncles and cousins coming in town and all packing into our house which was already packed with 5 kids, and I was in heaven having everyone around.  

Probably out of necessity, my mom and aunts wanted all of us kids the heck out of the house, so my uncles and dad came up with a great diversion. They would pick teams and we’d have our own Turkey Bowl football game in the front yard.  My brothers would give me plays on their stomach, 5 and out, every time. Every time I did not do that. I remember laughing until we cried and having the best time… and then it was time to eat! My mom and aunts are the best cooks ever. Still trying to live up to them!

Ann: For years, we have gone to our family’s summer house in Maine, where there have been as many as 28 relatives gathered for the Thanksgiving holiday.  Year after year, the traditions are plentiful, but my favorite is when we all write down on a little piece of paper something that we’re thankful for, then fold it up and put it into a bowl.  Between courses, we pass the bowl and take turns reading the little words of thanks  — and of course trying to guess who wrote each one.  Some are serious and some are funny, but the point is well made that we all have so much to be thankful for!

 

 The prettiest setting from Home Sweet.

Meg: first of all, I’m making a new rule that Barbara’s Old Fashioneds become a new family tradition.  My family is from New York and Scott’s is from Texas…and we live in the South, so it’s a little battle of the Mason Dixon line. We’ve got cornbread dressing sitting next to creamed onions and a deep-fried turkey sitting next to roasted parsnips.  We get a big fire going on the porch, put the footballs games on mute (but visible) and the family teenagers squish on the porch sofa for a good gossip-fest.  There’s bubbly, lots of laughs and movie-watching when the feast is finished.

 We love this rustic chic Thanksgiving table from Home Sweet.

Wherever the holiday weekend takes you, we wish you a safe and happy time with plenty of friends, family and loved ones. We’ll be right here, feeling full and as always, ever so thankful.

Ta ta.