Brooke Giannetti

My definition of “luxury”!

September 25, 2017 By // by Penelope Bianchi 15 Comments

luxury

My friend who writes the blog “Splenderosa” asked us to

write about our “definition of luxury”!

Here is mine!!!

noun (pl) -ries

indulgence in and enjoyment of rich, comfortable, and sumptuous living

(sometimes pl) something that is considered an indulgence rather than a necessity

something pleasant and satisfying: the luxury of independence

This definition works for me!

Now; I will tell you what this means to me! And I suspect it will be quite different from others!

But maybe not!

I will start here! My picnic table my friend found in the nearby “collective antique store” for my 18 chairs I found in Paris

at the flea market 30 years ago! And my beloved bantam “mille fleurs Belgian chickens”! Every morning I let them out of their

coop! The joy of seeing them…indescribable!!!..the roosters, the chicks…and they change every day!

Not to mention their delicious eggs!

LUXURY! Not to most; but to me!!!

Meeting my friend Brooke for the first time! She and her husband Steve are two of my

most treasured luxuries! who could have known how close and

beloved we could become! When she called me her “mentor” and said that

our house had inspired “Patina Farm” (I get goosebumps typing this!!)

was one of the great “luxuries” of my entire life!!!

Honestly.

My family! Here is my darling husband and two grandchildren at

“Grandparents day” a few years ago!

Tremendous “luxury”!!!

5 out of our 7 grandchildren live within a mile of us! Lordy! LUXURY!!!

My Balinese chicken coop; designed and built by my beloved talented Radisha!

Every single day I see it; I think of him….and what a luxury! (as you can see the chickens love it too!!)

One of my greatest luxuries EVER were my parents! My Daddie died when I was 4;

and my Mommie when I was 33; but I had the luxury of the most loving

and supportive parents…in every way! And then I discovered this

amazing video a few years ago! (my cousin’s contractor discovered)!

the BIGGEST LUXURY OF THE LAST DECADE!

(see my blog about it if you are curious!)

An enormous luxury is our amazing house and garden we created

out of a “vacant lot”20 years ago! With more birds and creatures

than you can imagine! The quail running to their roosts; and their sounds

in the morning fill my heart with joy….and are a luxury far beyond!!!

My mother’s pink azalea in a pot…I’ve been dragging that thing around for

60 years…..(honestly, I have proof!) and every year when it blooms;

It is as though she is saying hello!

Our pond! (It was a luxury before when we dug it and it filled with water)

But then; with the drought…..it went away! (see previous blogs for story. SOB!!!!)

My husband Adam spent a fortune to line it. The minute it was lined and the water

trucked in; we set the duck houses in position; the

mother duck for the last 7 years showed up and claimed our pond and her house!

Hatched 7 ducklings the earliest ever in 17 years! March 6th!

My idea of Luxury!

More pictures of things I consider luxuries! Friends, places I have stayed,

things I love. Those are true luxuries to me!

My friend Renees house!

My friend James visit and his partner’s photo of us with dogs!

My husband and my visit to the Columbe d’Or 30 years ago or something!

My deer I bought from Nathan Turner when he was moving his shop! Above my living room window!

part of our garden!

My office!

my path to the pond!

My collection I discovered of china collected over 65 years!

My ducklings every single year! (this was last year….they narrowly escaped by walking a mile to my neighbor’s pond!!!

My collection of the artist Marcel Vertes started by my mother in 1961;

and greatly aided by eBay!!!

and I haven’t even started on my great luxury of true and talented friends.

I am a very rich woman; indeed!

So to wrap it up:

luxury

indulgence in and enjoyment of rich, comfortable, and sumptuous living

(sometimes pl) something that is considered an indulgence ratherthan a necessity

something pleasant and satisfying: the luxury of independence

All those things apply to what I consider “luxury”!!

Thank you Splenderosa for affording us the terrific opportunity to express our

different viewpoints on so many subjects!

BRAVA!!!!!

You are another of my Great Luxuries!!!!

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A blogpost from Brooke at Velvet and Linen about me!

July 15, 2015 By // by Penelope Bianchi 5 Comments

This was a post a few years ago by Brooke Giannetti at Velvet and linen!

an evening with penelope bianchi and lars bolander…

Having never attended school for interior design, I’ve always wished that I had a mentor. There have been a few times when I have met other eccentric, like minded designers, but they have never been receptive to sharing their knowledge.

Then in January 2009 I started receiving wonderful comments on V&L from Interior Designer Penelope Bianchi. I didn’t know anything about her, but I could tell from her comments we shared a similar design aesthetic. Her comments were always honest and straight to the point. She wasn’t afraid to share her opinions and offer advice. In a recent comment she explained that “drapes” are for coffins and “curtains” are for windows. Like I said, she is very straight forward!

A couple of months ago, I received my copy of House Beautiful and fell in love this Santa Barbara home.

Image via House Beautiful

The interiors had a collected “undecorated” feel to them.

Image via House Beautiful

The pink plaster made the rooms glow!

Image via House Beautiful

This image actually inspired me to paint my bathroom pink.

Image via House Beautiful

The rooms were perfect in their imperfection!

Image via House Beautiful

That day I brought the magazine with me to carpool pick up so that I would have some time to read the article while waiting for Leila to get out of school. Thank goodness all of the windows were rolled up (and I was sitting down!), because I screamed when I read that this gorgeous home was actually the home of Penelope Bianchi! This was more proof (if I needed any) that Penelope and I were kindred spirits.

Then last week I received an e-mail from Penelope inviting Steve and me to Lars Bolander’s book signing at her home. Penelope and Lars Bolander! This was an event that I definitely could not miss. So yesterday Steve and I drove up the coast to Santa Barbara for a once in a lifetime evening…

This was my “love at first sight” moment. The gravel path…

The gates made out of thick twisted vines…

The aged lanterns.

As we walked into the gravel courtyard, we were greeted by Penelope’s charming, vine covered guest house.

Mismatched terra cotta and stone pots, whimsical garden statues, and a pair of lacy iron benches flanked the welcoming entrance.

The shutters were weathered to gray perfection.

I yearned to be a guest staying here! I could imagine waking up, sipping tea and warming myself by the fire.

Walking out of the guest house doors, we faced the gorgeous garage with its wavy tiled roof (Penelope later explained that she asked her contractor to tell the roof installers to lay the roof as if they were drunk!) and magnificent gray doors.

The landscaping of the entire property had a lush overgrown quality that added to its old world charm. Penelope had to explain to her gardner that he needed to throw out his trimmers and blower. No pruning allowed.

Potted boxwood ball topiaries, geraniums, and citrus were so authentically Mediterranean.

Between the main house and the guest house was a small gated hidden pathway.

The main home was divine. Covered in vines, moss, and patina!

We walked through the Bianchi’s home to the back yard where we were greeted by the beautiful smile of the man of the evening: Lars Bolander! Although we sell his book in the store, I couldn’t resist buying a copy for him to sign.

Finally we meet! Yes, this is the amazingly talented (and beautiful too!) Penelope Bianchi, shimmering in silver.

Penelope was kind enough to take time away from her hosting duties to give us a tour of her magnificent property.

We walked across the back patio….

through a gravel covered space populated with three iron chaise and…

a wonderful array of cement animals.

The Bianchi’s garden was a visual explosion!

Everywhere we turned we viewed gorgeous vignettes.

A sitting area was nestled between two trees behind the house.

Walking down this lushly landscaped path, we had no idea what to expect.

As the landscape opened wider, we found ourselves in front of the Bianchis’ duck pond. Penelope placed the duck house in the middle of the pond so the ducklings would be safe from predators.

As Penelope explained to me, the entire back yard is dedicated as a natural bird habitat.

Even a fallen tree provides housing for wild life.

Penelope guided us back towards the house…

We walked past the house in the other direction…

only to discover another lushly landscaped path….

That lead us to: The Chicken Coop!

Penelope kindly allowed us to enter the coop after hours (the chickens have the “free range” of the property and walk themselves back to the coop at night).

Most of the chickens were too fast and blurry for Steve to capture, but the rooster was cool and relatively still.

Penelope built another house for the chicks and their moms.

Walking around to the other side of the house, we stopped at another fabulous outdoor dining area.

Penelope’s friend Richard joined us and described the parties that took place in this space so vividly that Steve and I felt as if we had attended those events.

As we turned the corner we caught a glimpse of the Bianchi’s grandchildren’s play house.

An Asian inspired bridge crossed the dry creek that creased the property.

Penelope’s stories about each area were captivating.

After touring the grounds we headed back towards the main house, where Penelope told us a story about the owl house she placed here.

She was very excited when she saw some rustling in the house, thinking she finally had an owl. Out popped one of her hens who had somehow found its way up on the roof and had babies in the owl house!

This is the outside of one of the most magnificent rooms in the house.

Inside we experienced the indoor/outdoor garden space where the vines were just as welcome as the guests.

A small desk sat in the corner. A perfect place to work and connect with the gardens.

This is where I would sit and read or just enjoy the landscape.

We left the garden room to join the party in the main house. The central room of the Bianchi’s home is large but very warm and inviting.

Penelope created several cozy sitting areas in the space.

Who wouldn’t feel comfortable sitting in one of Penelope’s chairs by the fire?

The window seat was filled with a glorious abundance of vintage textile pillows.

The walls were covered in faded paintings and antique mirrors…

We left the main room and entered the master bedroom. Oh how wonderful is this bed nook!

The large ottoman at the foot of the bed hides the television.

A small desk sat on one side of the room.

I think the bathroom was my favorite room. I loved the corner sink cabinets and the placement of the vanity in between. All of the colors are wonderfully muted.

The tub is the Queen, sitting majestically at the end of the room.

Steve pulled me out of the bathroom to continue the tour… Even the laundry room was inspiring. I need one of those drying racks. It’s so practical hanging from the ceiling.

Only Penelope would light the back hallway with three of these tole ceiling fixtures from John Rosselli.

Even the hallway was a place where I wanted to linger.

Back in the main living room, I met some Velvet and Linen readers: Laura, her husband Cleveland (sorry Cleveland, you blinked!), and their daughter Brooke (visiting from her studies abroad).

We spent a few more moments chatting with fellow Lars Bolander admirers, before we started on our drive back to Los Angeles.

I took one last look at the Bianchi’s magical home, trying to remember all of the details and the amazing evening we just experienced.

Thank you to my friend and mentor, Penelope Bianchi. You’ve had more of an impact on my life than you will ever know.

Brooke

If you would like help creating the home of your dreams, email me about our design services. You can also purchase many items found here on Velvet and Linen as well as “to the trade” furnishings through Giannetti Home. Email Kelly about the details.

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Monterey Colonial!! "Progress!" "More Progress coming next" This is the "Interior progress" midway! UPDATE!!!

October 25, 2013 By // by Penelope Bianchi 34 Comments

Well; again, instead of just launching into the
” update” on our “Montecito Monterey Colonial”; because of my new subscribers, I am repeating the “during” published in January!

With three children relocating from Europe; all the things I had done to the house in their absence, the progress now is slowing down! But “slow and steady wins the race!!” And our daughter

will not make any mistakes! This is the post that was posted in January!

(I will make some notes along the way!)

This is the continuation of the “restoration” of the Joseph Plunkett designed “Monterey Colonial” house we found (finally); in Montecito after a two-year

search for our daughter and her family to move “back to Montecito ” after 8 years in Switzerland!! I consider it one of the “magnificent houses built in the ’30’s!!!”;

by a premier architect in the “Monterey Colonial” Style!

First; the architect! Joseph Plunkett arrived in Santa Barbara and worked for the excellent architect George Washington Smith; and then was

half of the firm “Edwards and Plunkett”. Unfortunately, he died at 46!!

The fact that he is so famous and he died so young is a great testament to his talent! The most important part was to restore the house!

Before my next installment of pictures (our daughter really didn’t want this installment….but gave permission with the caveat:

“it isn’t finished being decorated yet!”

Well; in my world….nothing ever is! Her choices (my advice; but completely her choices) of colors, rugs, and finishes. This is the interim…….but the restoration of this house has been so educational for me!

So here it is showing a restoration in progress!

My philosophy (fortunately shared by my step-daughter and her husband) is to start with the house!

No complaints! the “bones” of this house are as “good as it gets” , in my opinion!

You have seen the before! And one installment of during! Mostly the exterior!

Here we go!!! The interior!

There were lots of things to be done before they arrived.

Let’s start with the entry hall. (I had been looking for two years; and when I first saw this house; the front door opened; I looked up and saw the sky!

I immediately thought; “this wants to be blue!” Our daughter agreed! We tried at least 6 colors of blue! emailing back and forth…….we waited until she

arrived…..we chose “light blue”; Farrow and Ball”

(All paints by Farrow and Ball used for the whole house!!)

(I have been a decorator in Pasadena and Montecito for 43 years.,,,never have I stepped into an entry hall and looked up and seen “the sky”!!)

Never! Here it is!

Here it is! this is the window one sees when you step in the door!

I thought……”this entry wants to be blue!”

Fortunately; our daughter agreed! She ‘got ‘it when she saw it!

we both (and the painter); learned so much from how colors change according to the “light”!!

One lovely reason to use “Farrow and Ball” (do not believe one paint store who says they can duplicate these paints!)

They cannot! There are way more pigments than any American paint!

Here it is blue! (Farrow and Ball, “Light blue”)

gorgeous!

By the way, this border looks orange in this picture! It isn’t! It is red; closer to the next picture!

The daughter had always dreamed of this runner! I suggested the red binding….she went for it! She loves it!

This house has the lovely architectural feature of an “enfilade”!

One stands just inside the front door; ( it is a central hall floor plan) and one can see through aligned doorways from one end of the house to the other! Each way. (very unusual in Southern California!) A beautiful architectural feature anywhere.

Looking into the living room!

The view from the entry to the left! (one can see through the far doorway the library fireplace !)

(If I were a better photographer)

Tucked under the circular staircase is a charming powder room (behind the white door in the entry hall).

I love the curving wall; I think it gives it the best personality and charm!

Many people would consider it a “flaw”! I simply adore quirky and brilliant things like this!

It is so obvious to me (even before I knew the architect) that this house was designed by a brilliant architect!!

Joseph Plunkett!

The charming little sink was original to the house in 1934; but it was pink! She did not want pink (nor did I); but we found

someone to refinish it!

I was delighted to be able to preserve it!

The Library transformed!!

One of the things that bothered us was that a window in the beautifully paneled library

had been removed to make into a TV cabinet! Thank goodness the window itself, and the outside shutters had been saved!

What a difference!! This is when we removed the cabinet. Great care was taken (by the owner who made the tv cabinet!!) not to enlarge the opening;

and so everything fit perfectly back together! And look at the light! And the view!!

What a difference!!!

This, below, is after the restoration; you will notice that we painted the backs of the bookcases to match the paneling.

The fireplace was an “antique” in 1934! And the restoration of the “window” was important!

Remember this bathroom?

It is between the library and the downstairs bedroom.

The boy twin has the downstairs bedroom; and this bathroom.

Fortunately, he never saw this!

But you may have; and if not, now you will!

YIKES!!!

THEN!!!

NOW!!!!!

Can you believe it? We approximated the marble on the antique fireplace; and our cabinet

man made all the new cabinets right on site!

We removed all the shutters from every window! They blocked out the light and hid the views!

The views are beautiful from every single window!

The mirror is a hinged medicine cabinet.

this is the same view that showed the two sinks………We reduced it to one…….removed the tile…….

and our boy grandson made friends with the bathroom!

The antique pavers on the floor were left over from our guest house! A bonanza!

Just enough!!

And the inside of the showers we did in “Brooke and Steve’s pool plaster”! (of “Velvet and Linen” and “Giannetti Architects”) It looks beautiful!!

You can put pigments in it; but this is just plain; and there is a very interesting kind of “patina”!

Brooke and Steve let me bring our plasterer down to their house in Oxnard to see!

Below was the built-in dresser between the bathroom and bedroom.

Nothing wrong with the drawers; soaked the shiny brass “lacquered ” hardware in some solution! Painted the cabinet Farrow and Ball “Railings”

And “POOF!!”

Good lines make easy solutions!

There are two windows in this space. The shutters shut out (interesting name for shutters) light, views, and also made it impossible to open the windows!

She picked a lovely camel grasscloth wallpaper; and then the mirror was hung!

this above; became this; below!

Same knobs. they were shiny brass! Soaked in turpentine; they became understated and they

are the new “unpolished brass…..which will weather naturally…..the natural finish that is

fortunately gaining force into fashion today!

The boy’s bedroom has three exposures; and wonderful views into the gardens!

Our daughter found some lovely “grasscloth”! and his room is getting better and better!!

The house is mostly one room deep; which is one of the best of its architectural features!

Two of the four bedrooms have three exposures; making wonderful light and views!

This post was meant to show; and it may (appropriately be called) “The end of during”

Henceforth, “evolving”!

Back to the entry hall; to the left is the living room with French doors opening to the front terrace and the back terrace; to the right is the dining room shown here! The beams in the living room and dining room were formerly brown. We selected two colors of off-white for the woodwork and the walls.

Both the living room; and the dining room have French doors on both sides; opening to the north (this view) and to the south (onto the front terrace).

The view from the dining room!

I am so sorry about these pictures! The beams and trim are a lovely off-white! The color of the beams is the same color as the trim!

Going up the stairs, these charming wood valances are over the two windows on the curving walls!

These were also original to the house in 1934! We plan to paint some detail!

(No curtains/ shades yet here and in the boy’s bedroom!)

Turn to the right is the master bedroom!

Now the Master Bedroom! Here it was with these beams, shutters and fireplace before.

The tile “sneaked” in from the bathroom!

It is the same tile as in the downstairs bathroom!~

This tile was “much loved” by the truly darling family that installed it (I am guessing 40 years ago!)

(I do tell my clients; and always have; try to put simple “permanent” things like tile and plumbing fixtures mostly white; because when

you decide you are “tired” of patterns or colors; paint and wallpaper are easy to change!) ( This tile

all over the walls and floors of two bathrooms and sneaking into the bedrooms and dressing rooms was not easy to change!!)

No more tile; painted the brick, and used some leftover marble from the downstairs counter on the hearth.

She loves carpeting in a bedroom; it makes it very cozy and this carpet seems like an extension of the hardwood floors!

I love it!!!

Beams removed. Such a pretty shaped ceiling! Again, this room has 3 exposures and beautiful light and views!

It also opens onto the balcony that runs the length of the front of the house!

(I were extremely disappointed with the curtains…….)!

Same fabric; new remake……..happy ending!!!

I love the bed alcove with bookcases!

Still working on the headboard; and getting the curtains right!

Pool plaster shower and walls; “borrowed light” ceiling ; new cabinet

with a space for either a dressing table or a free standing bathtub.

“Pool plaster” shower, limestone floors and countertop of beautiful new cabinet!

A medicine cabinet on the left and the right! (behind the mirrored panels)

Thank you Brooke and Steve of Velvet and Linen and Giannetti Architects and Giannetti Home for the pool

plaster!

Here is the view from the master bedroom, bath, other bedrooms of the mountains and trees!

That redwood in the right corner is so

tall I can’t even estimate!

These mountains are beautiful!

this is the view from every bedroom; the living and dining rooms!

Back to the “central hall”

At the top of the stairs; turn left and there are two “jack and jill” bedrooms (in this case they are jill and jill’s)!

Two bedrooms that share a dressing room, two walk-in closets and a bath! The girl twin and her older sister each have one!

Such a perfect set up!

This bedroom had a mural on all four walls!

They primed the walls before the ceiling and I came in! I said; “YIKES!!! Save that ceiling!! I LOVE IT!!!!”

Fortunately, my granddaughter did too! Two hand-painted birds are building a nest!

And it is a lovely sky!

I LOVE HAPPY ENDINGS!!!

The second bedroom which shares the dressing room and bath!

Still awaiting headboard and a few things!

(DON’T FORGET IT “ISN’T DECORATED YET!”)

Two exposures; facing East and South!

Farrow and Ball “Calamine”!

This daughter is 16! She loves “pink!”

Their bathroom was done completely in “pool plaster!

A new bathtub; and another cabinet made “on site” (the way they did it in 1934)!!

Again, like the master bath; limestone floors and counters; in this case; the splash had to have the faucets and spout come of of the wall to give more space!

Gorgeous! (to me!!)

I hope you enjoy!

Funny story. Our housekeeper was helping at this house;

and a man came in! He said….”I saw this house on the internet; I need to know the manufacturer, the colors and number of the paints on the outside!

( Our housekeeper is very, very smart!)

She said “I will ask”! “Mrs. Penny” (I love that!)

So; here’s what! If anyone wants the names and number of the colors; let me know!

I will list them all!

One of the greatest beauties of Farrow and Ball; is their “sample pots”!

Colors changed from room to room more than I ever thought possible!

The painter and I thought we were losing our minds!

(this has been my painter for 16 years) !!!

Critical in selecting a paint color! You

paint enough on the wall……and you look at it at all times of the day!

Take advantage, I suggest, of this feature this paint company provides!

(no I do no advertising)

I have no connection with Farrow and Ball!

“Old School” (you should see him……he is the coolest looking ‘surfer’ you will ever see!!)

And he is of the “old school” when it comes to painting! He subscribes to my bible…..and that is “preparation, preparation, preparation!!”

and another post is coming!

A house is NEVER finished…….and this, like all, is evolving! there are just more posts! and the next one will be in a day or two!

What a treat to work on such a treasure!!!

The repaired gate in the center of the back garden!

This is what Sara Dillard (one of my favorite bloggers and writers)!

calls an “axis” It is in the center of the hedges in the back garden and creates

a lovely focal point on axis from the center of the house! The entry hall!

Steve Giannetti suggested this “cathedral ceiling” in the porte-cochere!

What fun it is!

This lovely, classic house will continue to evolve! It is a house that is not too small for five people; and not too “big” for two!

Steve Giannetti has designed a terrific “playroom and guest room and bath in the garage space on the right in this picture!

(on his iPad to scale…it was a wonder to watch!)

When they can; this will be the next project!

The most exciting thing of all is having our grandchildren back from Europe; and our daughter

and son-in-law so close!

Our daughter says, every time she drives in the driveway, she “pinches herself” that she really lives in this house!

We all feel incredibly fortunate!

I am especially grateful for my “team”! None of this could have been done without my

absolutely amazing team! Alfredo; the most brilliant “jack of all trades” he made all the cabinets, the replacement french door screens,

repaired all the hardware; I could go on and on!

Joe; the best electrician in the world; (and the handsomest!);

Rick the best painter in the world,and all the wonderful subcontractors who fixed all the

things you could ever dream of!

It is now the “best of all worlds! The quality and beauty of an “old house”;

and the benefits of a “new house” with all the electrical, plumbing and heating updated and

energy-saving!

Hang on tio your hats

the most important changes were in this post!

the next one shows some more. Chip away!!!; it you do it right; it takes a long time to redo a treasure of an old house…….

Correctly!!

I hope you enjoyed this “catch-up”!

The next installment will be the most recent!

Remember; it takes a long time for a house to be “done”! (it is never finished!!)

It remains a work “in progress!!”

I hope you will enjoy the “process”! As our darling daughter and I do!!!

Next installment……..NOW!!!

9 months later!!!

October 26th!! 2013!!!

Penelope

Monterey Colonial!! "Progress!" "More Progress coming next" This is the "Interior progress" midway! UPDATE!!!Read More

The most beautiful thing about blogs!! Just wait till you hear!

November 19, 2012 By // by Penelope Bianchi 43 Comments

Hi my friends and followers! And thank you to the new followers……..I am struggling and my assistant is helping!

By the way; I am working on the second edition of “during” with the Monterey Colonial! I have a new assistant……I don’t know how to blog pictures well..

..blah blah blah! I’ll get there! I hope you can be patient!

I decided to “interrupt the program” with this, a truly heartwarming story !

And I think YOU ALL will have feelings about it!!

Background: After being in business for 17 years; I was first “published” (every decorator’s dream! I think!)

Perhaps not; but it’s always been mine! (not to be “famous”…but, to be able to inspire others to surround themselves with beauty!)

And to help show them how!! I started in 1970!

(decorating; not blogging! I am not Bill Gates..just so you know!)

The first time I was published was in 1987; in a one-issue magazine called “Tiffany Magazine”

It was published once……and it never hit the newsstands……it was an celebration of 100 years of Tiffany’s;

and it was given away at numerous fund-raisers all over the country!

I almost died of excitement! Beautifully photographed…….(I have no idea how they found me!! And our house in Pasadena!)

Second time was for a TV show! “Dream Living” about “people who live in their “dream houses”!!

(Lord have mercy….it is still on some channels…once a month I get a message…..or speak to an old friend…….

“Yikes! I was in this hotel surfing the channels and there you are leading a tour through your house in Pasadena!”

How funny is that!?

Yikes!! My goal achieved! “timeless decorating”! That is my philosophy !

Next time was 2002; in Traditional Home magazine! Be still my heart!

I was so excited I couldn’t stand it! I had heart palpitations on the way to the mailbox .

My new friend Bonnie walked into our brand-new house; and exclaimed……….THIS HAS TO BE PHOTGRAPHED RIGHT AWAY!”

And back she came the next morning with her camera!

She was (unbeknownst to me; a “scout” for Traditional Home”!)

As excited as I was; the magazine articles used to go into the stratosphere!

The only feedback (and believe me I don’t mean “only” in a negative way)

was a “letter to the editor” the following month.(they post very few, understandably; this letter to the editor is still one of my “peak experiences”!)

It said, (or something like it)! ” I enjoyed seeing the house that Mrs. Bianchi designed and built in Santa Barbara;

and I especially loved to see how Mrs. Bianchi used the furniture from her former house in the one that she just built.”

I don’t have that exactly right..but you get it! 15 years after being “published” in a small (yes, rarefied) magazine;

15 years later this lady in Maine is loving my way of reusing!!!??!! (it is my religion!) my “things”!

I had to go find a copy of “Tiffany” magazine to see the pieces she was talking about! (I asked for 20 copies; I just had to find them in my house!)

Yikes! I can’t even describe how happy that made me!

The feedback that showed one decorator learned something so important and elemental to me! Honestly; maybe I am easy to get excited…….

but that was a major milestone to me! “Use what you have!” Good Grief!

And that is the only feedback from several magazines I was featured in subsequently (the thrill never diminishes!; by the way)!

In the “olden days” when any of us were published;

it just went out into the “ether”!! I adored it; but none of us had really any idea

who read what or who liked what……or any of that!

The internet; as we all know, has changed our lives and our businesses profoundly !

Tonight I received an email! And here it is!

I was choked up with tears in my eyes! Totally wonderful for me and all of you; in every way!

Look what happens! Astonishing!

“Hi Penelope,

I just read your sweet reply regarding my name, Poppy, at Tone on Tone, Loi Thai’s wonderful blog. I was so moved by your lovely words that I clicked onto your name and your blogger profile came up. As soon as I saw ‘interior decorator’ and ‘Montecito’, I recognized you from a magazine article featuring your beautiful home that I had bookmarked in one of my decorating magazines! I clicked onto your web page and then onto ‘Press’ and, lo and behold, it all came back to me! Your gorgeous home and impeccable style were the first things that inspired me in the job of designing our first country home, here on the island of Crete, way back in 2002.

Today, ten(!) years later, to have been noticed, albeit because of my name, here in blog land, by the person who influenced my design style, is truly serendipitous!

I am a Greek Canadian living in the Cretan countryside, and I have been writing about my home in the village since May of this year on my blog: www.poppyview.blogspot.com. Interestingly, your name is derived from the great Penelope, wife of the hero, Odysseus, who is known for her faithfulness and feminine virtue, in Homer’s epic poem, The Odyssey. In my case, my lovely daughter nicknamed me Poppy (after the flower’s delicate quality and colour), a long time ago and friends and family picked it up immediately; it was the most natural thing!

It was a pleasure to ‘meet’ you! I still can’t believe my luck!

Hope you’ll drop by Poppy View sometime, and have a look around.

Sincerely,

Poppy”

Now it is me, Penelope again!

Can you wrap your mind around this?

Exquisite and heartwarming and soul-feeding; and words fail me!

(Whenever that happens…….I say “YOWZERS!!!”)

I cannot imagine anything (except from my family) moving me the way this did!

I was almost breaking into tears standing in line for popcorn at the movies! I bailed…tears streaming down my face! (no popcorn for me!)!

Honestly; one of the most meaningful and soul-strengthening things I have ever received!

And I am sure you all know why!

Sheesh!

I hope you all understand that there is no “bragging” going on here! (I do not mean to “brag”)

It is just “MAJOR” to me that I, (completely unknowingly), helped a woman build the house of “her dreams” on Crete! in 2002! Because of the article she read

(and SAVED) for 10 years!

She thinks SHE is excited! I haven’t even answered her yet!

I have to go to sleep first! I am way too filled with emotion!

I am posting this before I even go see her new blog ! (I think I am new, and I am, but she started in May this is just this last May!)

How lovely of her to send me this incredible feedback.

Thank you Tone on Tone; (for having such a great blog that people in Crete are reading your beautiful ideas!!) That is a wonder in itself!

and thank you for publishing my comment……

thank you Brooke…..”Velvet and Linen”..without you I would not have a website…..and this thrilling thing could never have happened..

Thank you , you wonderful woman.

And thank you all my subscribers!

If I knew how; I would send you all a personal thank-you note!

I will learn how; but until then, please know I get so excited every time I get an email…new subscriber!

I will get back into the swing of things as soon as possible!

Penelope

The most beautiful thing about blogs!! Just wait till you hear!Read More

a new blogger's dream comes true!

February 3, 2012 By // by Penelope Bianchi 26 Comments

Thanking blogdom!!!!!!

I started a blog last April (I think); and was encouraged by my dear friend Brooke Giannetti of Velvet and Linen.

I will learn how to make those links……(actually Velvet and Linen is in my sidebar and you can click on it!)

My nine year old grandson asked me what a blog was! I really couldn’t answer him. (see previous post comments……

they are wonderful and so informative.)

Well, anyway, I have been a decorator for 41 years (sorry, there are new people who don’t know!) and the thought of a blog had not

crossed my mind………until….way after ……..I discovered the internet!

First thing I did on the internet..(newyorksocialdiary.com).

No one called it a blog….I just knew I liked him; his point of view…..(I also love all the party dresses!!)

(David Patrick Columbia….now a dear friend)

These two things happened at the same time…..the other one was “Pale Male” the blog about the very first red-tail hawks

to nest in Central Park in 50 years, or more! (www.palemale.com)

the author of that one is a photographer for National Geographic.

I read about the hawk’s nest 22 years ago in the Wall Street Journal and sent our daughter (who lived there and was a teacher) on a mission to see this nest! She saw it!

(don’t forget, I am a decorator, not a techie)

So, along I go, discovering fabulous blogs along the way! “An Aethete’s Lament”!!??!! (I have not recovered!! the best of the best! Lordy! Grad school in decorating right there!

“Home before dark” are you kidding……….you cannot get that education anywhere…….nowhere at all. I am serious. There are so many wonderful blogs!

So I became a blog addict. Then……with Brooke (who when she met me could tell that my favorite thing is to tell stories…..encouraged me to start a blog! Of my own!)

So I did. I thought 3 people might subscribe. 5? maybe.

Sheesh! I am so way too wordy…….the point is this. I did start a blog. Once a week at most is all I could muster; but the fact is; it is one of my favorite things in my whole life! I am a storyteller! I love telling stories more than anything in this world! So here is the audience who have not heard my stories….

and if they don’t like them; one click away! POOF!

Here is the point of this. I received this in my email. This is the reason for this post. This is why I know I am doing the right thing.

This is a new blogger’s dream come true.

I received this from someone far, far away. It made me cry very happy tears….and I asked permission to publish it She said yes.. So: here it is!

This is an example of what makes this whole effort so way worthwhile: THIS:

“Dear Mrs. Bianchi,
my name is Bettina Baldassari, I’m writing you from Italy, where I live with my 5 cats and 5 birds, I found in years.
I just were looking around he web, and I came into your site.
So, let me tell you: that the pictures of your house

in S. Barbara are simply BEAUTIFUL, and more, the philosophy that I guess is beyond, that must be your life-style, is what I feel to be

nearest to mine.
So I can’t help to write and say THANK YOU, for your art, and for sharing your inspirations on your blog, that now is among my favorites.
Last year I’ve written and illustrated a book dedicated to the old school book I remember of my childhood, and to the places where I live, that’s the countryside near Ravenna.
Let me send you the link of the book trailer that we made (which I compose and realized the music for too), is just a small thing, but is precious to me, and I’m happy to share it with you.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-tZV8Edi8o
So, thank you again, and again.
I send you also a picture of my friends…
And since we still are in Christmas time, my best wishes for you and your family.
🙂
Bettina Baldassari
Conselice (Ra)

p.s.: Is there a book to order somewhere to know your work better, I mean something like a catalogue?
I would be grateful if you let me know.”

That is what she wrote to me.

Guess what? As a decorator, animal lover, and new blogger……..it doesn’t get any better! What a lovely letter and what a lovely thing that I touched a life in my favorite place in Italy……it doesn’t even matter where it is! Somewhere in the world I touched a heart, a visual person, a life.

This made my dreams come true!! Isn’t it astonishing????

Of all the wonderful things about blogging…..nothing means more than the comments.

thank you all so much for your comments……..they mean more than I can ever express!

And then she sent me this picture!!! Of 3 of her cats!

This is the best cat picture I have ever seen in my life! I have a cat sleeping on my lap purring right this moment…… who looks a lot like the last one….. a blue eyed calico. purring away!

I wrote her back immediately,

“What a lovely surprise! I love the book; and want to order it!

If you go to my website and click on the “Press” section; and click on the covers of the magazines and books, you can see more! www.mccormickinteriors.com

Thank you so, so much for your lovely comments!!
Penelope”

and received from her:

“The real surprise is you, Penelope.
Thank you again, for your kindness, for everything!
I’ve just visited the “press” section you say, on your website – the only one that I didn’t went in yesterday! – and I found there a lot of pictures and interviews that I’m going to read this evening, as I come back home.
The feeling I receive from you is of a pure sense of life, and joy… I can’t tell you why, but sometimes it happens, and I think is when you have a special “thing” in front of you, it could be a poetry, or a movie… or a person, that you don’t even know!
😀
But, in my life it has sometimes happened to me, and I rarely was wrong.
Unfortunately my English is not good enough to assure to me the proper and correct expression of what I meant to say.
Anyway, it has been a great pleasure found you Penelope, I’ll keep on following you on your blog, with a warm thought for you, for this upcoming new year!
Wish the best!
Bettina”

This is only one of so many wonderful and loving comments I have received from my readers, especially since my recent family health scare!

Thank God for animals, friends, family, and blogs!!!

I love you all

Penelope

a new blogger's dream comes true!Read More

"Porch" a wonderful store!

November 20, 2011 By // by Penelope Bianchi 7 Comments

Porch! A lovely store in Carpinteria had a ” Winter Fest”!!

The co-owners Christy and Diana are talented and energetic; and their store is truly special!!!

They describe their wares as “Shelter and Nature”. They have all kinds of things for bringing the outside in, and bringing the inside out! And these women (who own it and work there) really know how to “style” a showroom and garden!

Here is a little sample! A tiny olive tree in a pot; a hand-carved bowl, pomegranates, and portable wine glasses for wine tastings!

Of course, in the advertising for the event; my dear friend’s book “Patina Style”; was front and center!! It is such a beautiful book! Even before you open it up!

…

"Porch" a wonderful store!Read More