June 30, 2010

Chilled Cucumber Soup Recipe

I saw this cucumber soup recipe in Elle Decor this month and have been thinking about it the past two days. If anyone tries it, please comment and let me know how it is!
Chilled Cucumber Soup with Smoked Salmon and Dill
*As seen in Elle Decor July/ August 2010*
serves 10
Soup Ingredients: 4 large English cucumbers (about 3 lb.); 2 cups spinach leaves, packed; 2 T olive oil; 1/2 large red onion, chopped; 1 lb. Idaho potatoes, peeled and chopped; 1 cup plain Greek yogurt; 1/4 cup heavy cream; Juice of 1 lemon; Salt, pepper, and Tabasco sauce to taste

Soup Directions: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil; set a bowl of ice water on the side. Peel the cucumbers, reserve the skins, and roughly chop the flesh. Boil the cucumber peels with the spinach leaves until tender, about 4 minutes, then chill in the ice water. Squeeze dry and set aside. In a large sauce pot, warm the olive oil over medium heat. Add onion, celery, potatoes, and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until onions are tender but not browned, about 5 minutes. Add half of the cucumber flesh and just enough water to cover. Simmer for 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Remove from heat and chill. In a blender, combine chilled mixture with the cooked cucumber peels and spinach, remaining cucumber flesh, yogurt, and cream (you may need to do this in batches). Puree until very smooth, then pass through a fine-mesh sieve. Chill the soup. When ready to serve, adjust the seasoning with lemon juice, Tabasco sauce, and salt and pepper to taste.

Garnish Ingredients: 1 bunch dill, leaves picked; 1 cup plain Greek yogurt; zest and juice of 1 lemon; 1/2 lb. smoked salmon, sliced; (1) 3.5 oz package grissini (thin Italian breadsticks); 1/2 large red onion, minced; salt and pepper to taste

Garnish Directions: Chop half of the dill and combine with yogurt, lemon zest, juice, and salt and pepper to taste. Wrap small slices of smoked salmon around one end o each grissini stick, then garnish with minced onion and remaining dill leaves. Top each serving with a spoonful of dill yogurt. Serve the remaining yogurt on the side.

June 29, 2010

View from Birmingham

Circa Birmingham just had a little "redo" this weekend. They received a truckload of new-to-their-shop antiques. They have the shop looking great! Take a look:

June 28, 2010

Check Yourself

Elle Decor's Trend Alert: Gingham
Circa has been a long time fan of checks, especially for bedrooms.
*Elle Decor July/ August 2010*

Patrick used a cream check in this kitchen breakfast area. It works great on these chairs and pillows and doesn't interfere with the fabrics in the living room adjacent to this open kitchen:
Cindy chose a sheer check for draperies in this New York bedroom:
Circa Charlotte keeps check benches for the foot of the bed in stock.
acorn bench $1625
44"W x 19"D x 22"H

36" x 17" x 12"
56" x 17" x 12"
68" x 17" x 12"
--
Chairs upholstered in a check are perfect for a bedroom dressing table or a corner seat.
French green upholstered chair $750
19"W x 17"D x 35"H
antique French bergere $2200
bamboo chair $585
17.5"W x 17.5"D x 34"H

June 25, 2010

Hickory Chair Sofa

The Hickory Chair Eaton short sofa is so great it deserves its own blog post. We just got this in our Charlotte shop this week. The design is fabulous. This 73" wide sofa would be beautiful in any living room, study, or bedroom. It has such style and grace with 2 cushions, a curved frame and studly nail heads. Cindy ordered it in this beautiful velvet for our shop, but you can choose whatever Hickory Chair fabric or COM you prefer!
 
73" wide x 36.5"D x 37.5"H
$4165(retail: $5550)

 
Take a look at it from the front courtesy of HC's website:
It also comes in an adorable chair:

The nice thing about Hickory Chair is that they offer quite a few of their pieces in a Made To Measure version. This allows you to customize the size of your chair or sofa. For instance, the Eton can be ordered anywhere from a 33" to 120" width. For more information or pricing, please don't hesitate to email us or stop by the shop.

June 24, 2010

Oh Captain, My Captain

I am in LOVE with this leather trunk! This would be so great in front of a sofa as a coffee table, at the foot of a man's bed, or in a study as a bench. The details make it so unique -- tufted top, nailhead trim, Greek key embossed leather sides, and CAPTAIN embossed at the base. This is one of those pieces that will make all of your houseguests envious!


Leather trunk
39"W x 26"D x 26"H
$4200

June 22, 2010

Round is the New Square

Well, I'm exaggerating a bit about round being the new square, but I have noticed a "round iron theme" in our shop recently!

Round Iron Coffee Table $800
36" D x 18" H

pair of standing hurricanes $325 each
7"D x 48"H
pair of medium hurricanes $305 each
7"D x 25.5"H
pair of small hurricanes $285 each
5"D x 20.5"H

pair of Aspen wall sconces with natural shade $225 each
7.5"W x 9.5" extension x 15.5"H

June 21, 2010

Our favorite new Hickory Chair piece!

 
The Marielle upholstered bookcase was one of our favorite Hickory Chair new introductions at market designed by Thomas O'Brien! This upholstered bookcase with fabulous nail head design will make a custom statement in any living room, bedroom, or study. You can also order it with or without doors; we just so happen have the one without doors in our Charlotte shop.
Retail for this particular fabric & paint: $9000
Circa price: $6750
47"w x 19.5"d x 94"h
exterior sides
This piece has a great mix of upholstery and painted or stained wood. The shelves are wooden with upholstered fronts. The top, base, shelves and interior walls of the unit are all painted or stained wood  - They did a great job with attention to detail!

without doors
with doors

June 16, 2010

Mrs. Patricia Flachs

We had a wedding in the Circa family last weekend. Patricia was wed to Bruch Flachs at the Duke Mansion. It was a beautiful evening and Patricia was a beautiful bride!! We are so happy for them both.
She is stunning!
Who's arm is that!?!? What a lovely bunch!
(left to right) Karla, Julie, Cindy, Patricia, Jane, Emily, Lindsay, & Kathy
No party would be complete without Jay @ In Bloom dazzling us in his floral glory!

June 15, 2010

Wooden Elements

Wooden elements look great in any room!

baguette boards $25 each
round bread board $35 each
 
small ginger pot $85
 
stool $200

June 14, 2010

We love Bunny!

Bunny Williams is one of our favorite designers. We all enjoyed meeting her earlier this year for the Mint Museum Symposium and book signing at Circa. Featured in this month's Lonny Magazine, Bunny Williams designed a great Sea Island condo that looks great! I thought this could get everyone in the summer mood and ready for the beach. We'd also like to thank Bunny as mentioning Circa Interiors & Antiques as one of her "Tried & True" shops! We are truly flattered!
---
(Click all photos to enlarge but be sure to click back!)
*Photos from Lonny Magazine; www.lonnymag.com*