Friday, May 29, 2009

Inspiration: Oysters

Like going to an art museum and using every bit of restraint in you not to touch the oil paintings, we're drawn to things that have texture, like oyster shells. Their pearlescent colors lure us in and all that rough calcified texture distracts us from what's inside.

Lucky for the oysters, we're less fascinated with what's inside. As the oysters disappear, beachcombing allows us to reuse and repurpose the shells. And we like the interaction between human hands and nature as the shells travel from beachside to beach house.

We draw inspiration from all kinds of marine life. But the oyster is truly a special creature. We've tried to capture its stories here in each of our oyster pieces.

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posted by Wisteria at 2:26 PM 0 Comments Links to this post

Friday, May 22, 2009

India Spring 2009

We love traveling to meet our vendors all around the world. We not only meet our suppliers in the established markets, but we also meet with them in their homes. It's always an adventure. Recently, we were in India meeting with one of our favorite vendors. They make a lot of the fantastic furniture you see in our catalog. We always like to show up at their facility around lunchtime because they serve the most delicious vegetarian meals. During our last visit, I saw one of the men making chapati (an Indian bread). Of course, I had to try my hand (literally) at making it. All the cooks covered their mouths to hide their laughter as I tried and tried (and failed) to get it right. Even so, our hosts were generous enough to take my half-baked creation and serve it at lunch. We all took a piece of bread and passed it around. In many ways, that's what is so great about this job. We get to travel around the world, meeting all sorts of wonderful people and sit down and break bread together, laughing, arguing, teasing, all over the best-tasting food ever!




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posted by Andrew at 3:40 PM 0 Comments Links to this post

Friday, May 15, 2009

Lemonade


When it comes to lemonade, you can call me a purist. Now, I've heard stories about people, more extravagant than myself, who enjoy infusing their lemonades with flavors like lavender, vanilla, and elderflower. And I have to admit that sounds intriguing. But personally, I prefer the classic, no frills, variety of lemonade, super sweet and really cold with lots and lots of lemons. That's the kind of lemonade I grew up on. And it's that same homemade lemony concoction that Shannon and I still serve to our guests. While the recipe hasn't changed much since I was a kid, the beverage dispenser certainly has. So if you're a lemonade purist like me and you like to keep things simple this recipe is for you.

Simple Sweet Lemonade
1 1/2 cups freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup sugar
6 cups water
Lots of ice
  • Combine all ingredients and garnish with lemon slices.
And if you find even the simplest of lemonade recipes too much of a task to tackle in the summer heat, don't worry, we've got a recipe for you too. According to the ladies in the Wisteria office, the hands-down, easiest way to add extra cool to your cup is to simply add sliced cucumbers. Aromatic, refreshing, and easy to prepare, it is a great way to pamper yourself and your summertime guests.

Cucumber Water
Sliced cucumbers
Water
Ice
  • Combine all ingredients and enjoy!

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posted by Andrew at 11:09 AM 2 Comments Links to this post