Lisa Mende Design: July 2013

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Paris Awaits!!!!!

I've been practicing my French! (Bonjour) Hello, (s'il vous plait) if you please, (merci) thank you, (au revoir) good bye, (ou sont les toilettes?) where are the toilets, (quelle heure est-il) what time is it?, and the most important one of all - (ou` est le vin) Where is the WINE!!!!!!

I have been so distracted ever since I found out I was going to Maison &Objet I have barely been able to contain myself! It's the last week of summer and I have decided to take a breather from my blog and plan my trip to Paris in September. My friend Julia Buckingham Edelmann and Holly Hollingsworth Phillips will be going with me as well as several other designers and architects. It's going to be fabulous!

I can't wait to share with you more about my amazing trip to Memphis with Brizo and my unbelievable trip to California with Traditional Home Magazine and Thermador. I promise to share as soon as I can, but for now, I have a trip to plan!

(Au revoir) Good bye!

More to come as soon as I get my ducks in a row!

(or my Laduree macarons)

Thursday, July 25, 2013

Thermador and Traditional Homes Sponsor Great Kitchens Event In LA

I just returned from the Thermador and Traditional Homes Great Kitchens Event in celebration of Traditional Homes Great Kitchens Issue. The event was held at the Thermador Design and Experience 17,000 square foot showroom in lovely Irvine, California. All I can say is wow! I am blown away by the technology that has gone into making the Thermador products. Not only are they beautifully made, but Thermador products are truly built for "real cooks". Julia Child, the grande dame of gourmet cooking, chose Thermador for her own kitchen.

Founded in 1916, by William E. Cranston, did you know we have Thermador to thank for being the original creators of the wall oven and stainless steel appliances in 1947? Here are the other products created by Thermador and the year they were introduced:

1948 - The first "pro range"

1952 - The first "warming drawer"

1963 - The first "self cleaning" oven

1970 - The first smooth cooktop developed

by Corning and used by Thermador.

1976 - The first "speed cooking" oven

1978 - The first "down draft"

1982 - The first "super burner"

1987 - The first "sealed gas burner"

1994 - The first "extra low burner"

1998 - The first "star burner"which

is unique to Thermador thanks to trademark protection.

2002 - The first "jet impingment" oven

2006 - "Modular refrigeration"and the first "convection warming drawer"

2008 - The "sensor dome"

2009 - The "first induction cooktop" with sensory technology and also the "sapphire dishwasher" which had the largest wine glass capacity of any dishwasher on the market!

2010 - The "Steam & Convection" oven

Do you see what I see? Thermador has been setting the industry standard for generations! Why not go with the leader instead of the follower? I'll put my money on the company who is the industry innovator and that is definitely Thermador!

To read more about these products click here

"For eleven decades, Thermador has been making the American kitchen more beautiful, more efficient and more luxurious, with meticulously crafted appliances engineered and designed to appeal to the most discriminating culinary enthusiast." - Thermador website

Can't wait to share everything I learned while at Thermador! Here's a peep at what makes Thermador special:

Why Five star burner technology is the best in the industry!

Want to know why chefs everywhere are in love with induction cooking and why Thermador's "Freedom" Induction cooktop is the industry sweetheart?

Stay tuned for more! I can't wait to tell you all about our trip.

I might even tell you about the handsome chefs at Thermador too!!!

If you are a designer, make sure to pop over to Thermador.com and sign up to become a Partner! As a partner, you will be the first to know what's going on at Thermador! Read more on why you as a professional should be a Thermador partner here!

If you haven't read the Great Kitchens online issue from Traditional Home Magazine, make sure to pop over and read it here! It's chocked full of beautiful kitchens and much needed info if you are designing your dream kitchen or want to know what's hot now!

Visit the Thermador website to find out how you can design your dream "real cooks" kitchen today here!

Thank you Thermador, Traditional Homes and Zach Elkin, Lore McKenna, Beatriz Sandoval, Mark Weinfeld, Brenda Lynch and the entire team at Thermador and DGWB, Finn for a fabulous experience.

Thermador and Traditional Homes sponsored this trip,

but the opinions in this post are my own.

Photography courtesy of Thermador

Also, if you haven't already... Make sure to follow
Lisa Mende Design by clicking here for google+ or bloglovin'
It is listed on both as lisamendedesign

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Happy 27th Walker!

#1 Birthday

Hanging with his cousins at the beach

Thanksgiving 2008 at the Cabin

Levi the dog!

Elizabeth Edwards said it best in her book Resilience, "When you lose a child you go from parenting the child to parenting the memory of the child". It's true. When their birthday rolls around annually, it's still their birthday, only they aren't around so it is a really strange feeling. Do you celebrate do you quietly remember them? What do you do? I personally spend the day reflecting on how lucky I was to have such an awesome kid. He was more than I had ever hoped he would be He was a lovely son, great friend, loving grandson and all around stellar guy. Yes, my life was better having him in it! Do I still miss him? Like crazy everyday of my life, but how thankful am I that I had that? So many people don't. Yes, I am the lucky one for having him and now having the beautiful memories.

Walker, we miss you, love you, and will always remember you on this day. I know you are enjoying yourself where ever you are and probably making everyone laugh. I know you would want us all to celebrate this day and be happy for having you in our lives, instead of sad, because you are no longer here. Today, we celebrate you Walker, you will forever be in our hearts. Memories of you are sweeter than ever!

Happy 27th Birthday My Sweet Son!

We love you and miss you greatly!

Cheers!

"Life is eternal; and love is immortal; and death is only a horizon; and a horizon is nothing save the limit of our sight" - Rossiter W. Raymond,

Monday, July 22, 2013

Custom Shower Experience with Brizo

Sunday, July 21, 2013

Visit To St Jude "Target House" with Brizo Blogger19

Did you know what this is? Here's a clue...it's a main tool utilized by artists like Brad Paisley. Guitar picks, right? Why am I talking about guitar picks? To get your attention! Why am I talking about Brad Paisley? He is one of several celebrities who have sponsored rooms in the St Jude Target House. Target House is a long term lodging facility, where one family member and child can stay if the child requires more than 90 days of medical care at St Jude. Target house is named for its generous sponsor, Target! Brad Paisley's room was an interesting curation of items befitting the country music singer. Paisley along with Shaun White, Kimberly Williams-Paisley, Scott Hamilton, Amy Grant, Sean Conway Jonas Brothers and Tony Thomas have all been instrumental in providing the furnishings for the rooms at Target House.

The guitar picks from above are the decorative center
of the table in the room.

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The room is a reflection of Paisley's music and style which is "down home country". He even painted the painting above the mantle. The main conversation piece in the room had to be the guitar chandelier.

I think I can comfortably say this chandelier is one of a kind. It was created with eight of Brad Paisley's guitars.

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One corner in the Paisley room pays homage to the singers music industry's accolades and pictures of his family.

Now that I have your attention let's take a quick tour of

Target House beginning with the exterior.

Designer Sean Conway designed the outdoor spaces at Target House.

Everywhere you look, there are pretty flowers and outdoor seating, so families can rest and enjoy the outdoors. This is so important when spending stressful days inside the hospital. There are spaces for kids to play while parents watch in a tranquil environment. St Jude does everything possible to provide places of respite for their patients and families.

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The outdoor pavilion was sponsored by the
Tiger Woods Foundation

There is an outdoor playground for the kids.

The Tiger Woods Foundation also sponsored the library. This was the first charitable sponsorship by the foundation. Woods memorabilia decorates the room. Tiger's signature red is part of the decor.

There are so many private and corporate sponsors of The Target House Rooms. Each room has a sponsor badge such as the one below:

There are so many rooms to entertain the patients and their families while guests of Target House. There are suitable play rooms for each age group. There is a library, workout facilities, a gym, free laundry facilities as well as large communal dining room and kitchen. The house features 96 fully furnished two bedroom apartments. Each apartment has a complete kitchen, two twin beds, one queen bed, sofa, and entertainment system.

Here are the some of the other celebrity sponsored spaces:

The Shaun White Room

The tv's were decorated in the theme of the rooms.

Shaun White's rock and roll themed room was designed in 2009. It has everything possible to entertain adults and kids alike. Complete with five televisions, this room also has pictures of the Olympic snowboarder in action.

The Amy Grant Music Room

Amy Grant's Music room was definitely a favorite with those on my tour. It was so relaxing and comfy. If you will notice the seating is designed for adults and children. Families can come here to play the piano, drums or guitars as well as listen to music.

Before families leave Target House, they are asked to leave their mark by decorating the walls with pictures or words, to express what Target House meant to them. It's fun to see what the families leave behind, as every family has its own unique story to tell or words to share.

Another favorite display in the Target House is the Wall of Elephants created by celebrities, artists, poets and musicians. The elephant is the symbol for Target House because elephants represent family, long life, strength and playfulness. The fountain outside Target House has an elephant base. Here were a few of my favorite elephants on the elephant wall. There were so many more that were adobable, but I snapped a pic of the ones created by people who mean something in my life or were in colors I liked, while on our tour. I thought Maya Angelou's was especially interesting since she didn't color her's at all, but instead left it black and white. The stark contrast of her colorless elephant, made her elephant stand out among all the colored elephants.

Of course I had to include Thomas O'Brien, since he is a fellow designer. There is art everywhere lining the walls of Target House. When we got to the Scott Hamilton sponsored "Art Room" I figured out why.....

The room was filled with every art medium imaginable. It was like the art room we all dreamed about as children. Color everywhere! This room definitely hit a chord with our group. We all wanted to sit down and create. It was so much fun to see what the children had made. I have always loved art done by children, but this was extra special. You could feel the emotion of the artist.

This piece of art I found in the art room summed up our visit to The Target House and St Jude perfectly. "St Jude Children's Research Hospital is a good place four children" by artist, Justin Laws

All possible because of one man's vision, dedication and dream to do something for others! Thank You Danny Thomas and all who have worked to create this special place of healing for children.

You can visit Heartwork to buy art to benefit Target House

To learn more about Target House and St Jude visit here!

(All art work used in this post is property of Lisa Mende, unless otherwise noted, please do not use with out giving credit. )

Saturday, July 20, 2013

St Jude Hospital ~ A Place of Miracles, Founded by Danny Thomas

Entrance to St Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee

I was extremely fortunate to tour St Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee as a member of Brizo's blogger19 alumni reunion tour, last week. Brizo luxury faucets, has partnered with St Jude for the past three years as sponsors of the hospital's largest fundraising effort which is The St Jude Dream House Giveaway by donating all the kitchen and bath faucets to the houses. To date, the hospital and their partners in the cause such as Brizo, have raised over 260 million dollars. As a Brizo blogger19 alumni, Brizo wanted our group to experience first hand, why they consider St Jude and the medical care given there so important. Founded by Danny Thomas in 1962,St Jude has changed lives around the world, since the hospital's inception. A visit to St Jude is an experience of a lifetime. I hope you all will a visit to St Jude to discover how you too can help the fight against childhood cancer. [click header to continue reading...]

Thursday, July 18, 2013

Brizo Blogger19 Reunion in Memphis

I have had an incredible three days in Memphis with the Brizo team and Blogger19 Reunion. It has been an action packed trip but, full of fun! We visited St Jude Children's Research Hospital, toured their target house for families, and the Brizo Factory in Jackson, Tennessee. Today, we were given a sneak peek of some of the new designs Brizo will be rolling out next year! Brizo products just keeps getting better and better! Can't wait to share with you all I have done and seen. My report will have to wait til later, because I am out the door to Beale Street and a Jazz Club! Hold on to your hat, you are going to be blown away once I share all the knowledge I have learned while working with the Brizo team! For now I'm out the door to hear some really good jazz!

I tried to share my instagram pics on here, but for some reason there was a glitch. If you want to see pics of what I've been doing, check out my instagram at LisaMendeDesign

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Royal Baby Mania!

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Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Doris Leslie Blau & Bunny Williams Rugs

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For 45 years, Doris Leslie Blau Gallery has been the designer "go to" resource for antique oriental and custom made rugs. Located In New York City, the gallery was sold to Nadar Bolour, thirteen years ago. Since that time, Nadar has continued to provide exquisite rugs both antique and custom to Architectural Digest's Top 100 American Designers and many more. The company has collaborated with many well known designers. Recently, Doris Leslie Blau collaborated with Bunny Williams to create an exciting collection of bespoke rugs with all over patterns in stylized classic motifs. Here are sampling of rugs from the collection, but make sure to pop over here to see the complete line of these fabulous works of art designed especially for your feet!