At Home with Kim Vallee

ENTERTAINING, OUTDOOR entertaining | September 7, 2009

Outdoor Entertaining Ideas by Martha Stewart

I succumbed to the charms of these photos. It is a fact that the team of stylists at Martha Stewart often make us dream. Here why these photos are my favorite ideas of the moment. + Eating s’mores around a campfire is a treat. In case you were not aware of this tradition, the basic campfire [...]

ENTERTAINING, OUTDOOR entertaining | September 1, 2009

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Silk Lanterns Elevate the Garden Party

Inspired by the fabulous work of LA-based event design Flite, I examined how to best use silk lanterns in a garden party to get a stunning effect. It starts with the superb Vietnamese silk lanterns, which are a lot more sophisticated than Chinese paper lanterns. When you are hanging lanterns, mix the shapes and alternate colors. Pumpkin, [...]

ENTERTAINING, PICNIC | August 29, 2009

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Elegant Dîner en Blanc Party in Montreal

On August 20th, 2009, there was an outstanding picnic party in Montreal. The Dîner en blanc (White Dinner) was imagined by François Pasquier 20 years ago. He ran 20 editions so far in Paris. His son Aymeric, who now lives in Montreal, organized the first edition in Montreal. A bid crowd invaded a large place in the [...]

DINING, FOOD + drinks | August 25, 2009

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How to Make the Best Iced Tea

First of all, you need to use loose leaves. No powder and no special machine. All you need to make the perfect iced tea is a glass jar, cold water, possibly a kettle, loose tea leaves, other ingredients to add flavor and garnishes. Chances are that you make iced tea with hot water but I prefer [...]

ENTERTAINING, OUTDOOR entertaining | August 19, 2009

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Cool Ideas for a Summer Party on Design*Sponge

Montreal, like the rest of the North East region, is in a heat wave right now. We welcome the chance to eat outside at night. I started a search for cool ideas to enjoy the summertime. I found on design*sponge a few ideas to make your party a success. + To hang out outside all night, [...]

ENTERTAINING, OUTDOOR entertaining | July 17, 2009

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Four Alfresco Menus and Table Settings by Martha Stewart

For the start of the weekend, I wish to inspire you to organize an easy get-together with your friends. This is a time to have fun, have great conversations and laughs. You will find for each picture, the recipes on Martha’s site. + If you are planning a picnic style, go for the Chicken Sandwich Menu [...]

ENTERTAINING, OUTDOOR entertaining | June 25, 2009

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A Cool Trick to Make your Own Cucumber Water or to Serve a Summer Punch

I saw that trick yesterday at the Fairmont San Francisco. I had to share it with you. It looks great on the cucumber water and the lemon water as shown here. But it would be even better for sangria, punch and any other summery cocktails. The idea is that instead of putting the ice cubes directly [...]

HOME + GARDEN, OUTDOOR space | June 23, 2009

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The Landscape Room by LiD Architecture

Without going into details, I needed some relaxing views today; you may have noticed that my blog was down for a couple hours. It happens as I was sitting and live blogging at the Social Gaming Summit 2009 in San Francisco. Therefore, I was glad when I came across this amazing modern architecture project done in [...]