A Chicago Interior Designer's Insights
talking holiday with Katherine Kelly
I am giddily grateful for all the years I have loved my planning of parties, wrapping of gifts and testing tastes and treats, fore this year, the media angle has bestowed upon me, television and radio segments abound the Chicagoland area.
It’s a part I have been prepping for over the last dozen years and my design ideas are old and new, naughty and nice, but best of all, with the holiday cheer in mind.
talking holiday with Jeanne Sparrow on WCIU
I shared some holiday table tips on WCIU. Whoa, it was an early call time. I am not sure who functions at that hour on a daily basis, but it is not me. Once I stumbled around some basic points, I dropped my bevy of “ummmm” (even though my mom specifically told me to be aware of that word), I got to talking about my design esthetic and how I like to entertain. Hopefully you enjoy it as well.
I spent today prepping for my holiday WCIU segment tomorrow. I can’t lie, it is more fun than opening gifts.
These are my talking points, I’m sure once the camera rolls, I’ll forget most of them…
WCIU Holiday Table Prep
KEY POINTS:
Oh holiday season, how I love getting ready for your arrival. It is such a fun time of year.
I host a holiday hoopla sneaky santa grab bag party for a growing number of friends every winter.
I am adamant about the holiday decor being holiday – neutral. My base theme consists of: snowflakes, snowmen, white, blue and sparkles.
the menu: latkas, tomato/mozzarella salad and champagne punch. Guests are more than encouraged to bring anything to add to the menu and if no food, an extra bottle of prosecco. More prosecco is encouraged to keep the sneaky santa more festive.
And now on the first night of haunkkah, I am rushing out of the office to get some last gifts before lighting the candles and singing the songs.
creative menorahs are more fun
Last week on the Frank Fontana Show, Frank and I got, in his words, “Down and Dirty” and swapped our behind the scene stories of auditioning for reality TV. Unknown to me that was the topic Frank wanted to dish on, it was great to get to reveal those secrets…. click here to watch the interview
Dear Stacey,
We do not know what to do with this “nook” (that they call a”den”) in our condo! We thought we would use it as an office area, but we tend to either use our dining room table or sit with our laptops on our couch. Could you please give us some fun suggestions? Thanks!
Ben and Rob
Well, guys, I can see your dilemma. Since that little space is neither here nor there for a room or a closet, I would create a modern day butler’s pantry. READ MORE
My Starter Flower
Blossoming… I wanted to create a space in the studio apartment for growth and inspiration. I took a personal connection to my “starter” flower. The alcove studio we were designing was exactly like mine when I went to Parsons in New York. I knew the space and knew what was needed. READ MORE
Trumpet Please!
Setting the Tone –
Trumpet Please! What a sassy sound from such a little pistol. And with only three keys – I knew I could make it work. And last pick – even better. Bring the challenge on! READ MORE
Not all day was spent painting
“The Chair”
Lilly – I can’t remember when I first fell in love with the casual elegance of Lilly Pulitzer, I do know it was somewhere in the time frame of my first Seven jeans, my first Havaianas and my first summer share in the Hamptons. READ MORE
Before: White-box Challenge
10 MINUTES to get to know Dan, cute, sweet Dan from Alabama who has transplanted himself to the lower east side. I couldn’t have gotten luckier with this pair up. I learned Dan was an outdoorsy guy who liked to tinker with found objects. The term I kept in my mind was “Outdoor-Industrial” READ MORE
