Wow - I cannot believe we are just 45 days from the end of 2013! We all know how fast the next 6 weeks will speed by.
We have been so busy at Candelaria Design! We are completing some wonderful projects, we have many on the boards in design and several new ones just starting. We are involved in a number of community charity projects. We have been traveling. We have been filming and shooting. We have been cooking - literally!
In terms of projects - all I can say is AMAZING! We just completed a fabulous Santa Barbara Style home in Paradise Valley with a well executed contemporary twist to it. Built by Schultz Development
http://www.schultzdevelopment.org this home is definitely one of our best. With the combined talents of David Michael Miller Interiors
http://davidmichaelmiller.com, Berghoff Design
http://www.berghoffdesign.com and Creative Designs in Lighting
http://cdltg.com this project is a jewel. The home features a fabulous Bulthaup Kitchen
http://www.bulthaup.com with finely crafted steel windows from Riviera Bronze
http://rivierabronze.com. The home is sited to take advantage of the corner lot and the views to Mummy Mountain. It is beautifully furnished by David Michael Miller in a well executed and sophisticated, serenity. Inspired from our team trips to research the style in Santa Barbara, and material and product research trips to London, NY, and San Luis Obispo, CA this project really is dialed in. The landscape design by Berghoff and the trimless plaster recessed light fixtures perfectly choreographed by Walter Spitz of CDL is exquisite. Great job by my Project Architect, Jeff Kramer, AIA who led the team from start to finish. He is the best!
We also just completed this beautiful Rural Mediterranean Estate in Silverleaf. Built by Salcito Custom Homes
http://salcito.com this home captures the essence of all of my inspiring trips to Italy. Again, we combined the talents of the same design team, David Michael Miller Interiors, Berghoff Design and Creative Designs in Lighting. We were blessed by having the client host an Open House a couple weeks ago which many attended!!! Some unique features include a flying bridge across part of the back yard with a cantilevered fire pit, indoor pizza oven in the Kitchen, 6 car garage on main level with a 13 car underground garage below, then add the extreme exercise room. This home is gorgeous and what a great team effort this was headed by Project Manager, Braden Santarcangelo, who took this home from the empty lot to the final product. Special thanks to MMPR Marketing
http://mmprmarketing.com for orchestrating the Open House - it is so nice to have the opportunity to show one of these homes off!
Both of these homes are being featured in separate episodes on my series Architainment
https://www.facebook.com/ArchitainmentCandelariaDesign
which will be on The Design Network
http://www.thedesignnetwork.com right around the Holidays. We have been busy filming and will be featuring 5 projects in our initial season. Meanwhile, we had a fun time discovering the hot trends at the Market in Highpoint, NC and it was fun to be a part of and featured in The Hot List
http://www.thedesignnetwork.com/viewSeries.php?series_id=48 on The Design Network. This episode has already had over 100,000 views so check it out! Please
subscribe to the network and I will keep you posted when our first show premieres.
Then, in true Candelaria Design style we are always involved in the community. My Project Manager, Tim Mathewson is busy working the Charles and Megan Keller in the design of a new Bat Cave for their charity that gives a special child and their family and friends an evening at Wayne Industries and the Bat Cave complete with a spin in the Bat Mobile. One of their events was featured this week on the Today Show
http://www.today.com/video/today/53552801/#53552801! More details to follow but as this comes together there will be some wonderful opportunities for the design and building community to help out.
This week we just embarked on the design of a Dream Room for the Phoenix Dream Center
http://www.phxdreamcenter.org/about_us. This is the second year the Design and Construction Community has contributed time, effort, and materials to taking six rooms in an old Embassy Suites Hotel that is now the home for the Phoenix Dream Center and converting them into six beautiful Dream Rooms for girls and women looking for a fresh start in a place that is safe, has a feeling of home, and all filled with love! At the invitation of Mark and Chrissy Donnelly who are heading this up we are teamed up with Lynda Martin, ASID and Rebecca Arteaga of Camelback Interior Design
http://lyndamartinasid.com, and John Gurley of RJ Gurley Custom Homes
http://www.rjgurley.com and community leader and our Team Sponsor, Jerry Colangelo. We basically have 4 months to pull this all together and make a dream come true! Again more details to follow!
Also this month, many of my staff were proud to participate in the TGen Run/Walk/Dash to raise money for the Lee T/. Hanley Fund
https://www.tgen.org/tgen-foundation/special-funds/lee-t-hanley-fund.aspx#.Uof5uaUeby9 for the fight against Pancreatic Cancer. Team Candelaria Design was a part of Team Lee in honor of our departed client, Lee Hanley, and in support of his lovely wife Nancy. Team Lee surpassed their fund raising goal and raised over $44,000.
We also just completed Phase One of the renovation to serval rooms at the Franciscan Renewal Center
http://www.thecasa.org. Candelaria Design combined efforts with my wife, Isabel Candelaria, of Earth and Images
http://www.earthandimages.com, and Chasse Building Team
http://www.chassebuildingteam.com and my Project Manager, Braden Santarcangelo, who worked together to bring new life to 32 existing rooms. We also helped on the redesign of the pool area and plaza. This was capped off with a wonderful mass and evening with the Perricone Family who have contributed enormously to the CASA with the goal of making the Franciscan Renewal Center a world class spiritual retreat center.
Great trips to Italy, NC, SC and trips forthcoming to San Francisco to start work on a new home there and Michigan to start a new Lake House on the shores of Lake Michigan! We had our fabulous post Italy Trip party this week at Marcellino's! What fun that was. We have trips planned next year for May and September 2014. Anyone is welcome and I am sure my past travelers will attest it is a trip of a lifetime and a unique way to experience Italy. The May trip will feature the coast of Positano and the September trip will feature a return trip to Lake Como. You never know who might get married their next year!
We have also started design work for our new line of cabinets for Bentwood Luxury Kitchens
http://www.bentwoodkitchens.com out of Dallas, TX! We are designing 5 lines that will feature the Candelaria Collection along side noted designer and architect, Jack Arnold. The Candelaria Collection will be marketed nationally in 2014. More details to follow.
Finally, a recipe. Everyone always asks for them and so here is one from our host in Italy, Elizabeth Wholey, from our trip in September. My girls and I enjoy making this and it's not as hard as it seems. Enjoy!
Tiramisu
1 8-cup coffee pot full of
fresh espresso
Approximately 1 pound ladyfingers (1/2 chilo Savoyard biscotti)
8 egg yolks
8 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 chilo (500 grams) fresh mascarpone
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Powdered bitter cocoa
In a dry, deep bowl, whip
the egg yolks together with the sugar until “you can write your name in it”, around 10 minutes. Add mascarpone and mix in. Smear
a light layer of this cream mixture onto the bottom of a medium-size
(approximately 7 by 11 inches) flat, rectangular baking dish.
Pour espresso coffee into a
large, oval platter. Taking a ladyfinger (or Savoyard), dip the flat side of
the biscuit in and out of the espresso, quickly so that it doesn’t become soaked through with coffee. Place coffee-side
down onto the cream at one end of the baking dish and repeat the process,
filling the bottom of the dish with ladyfingers. Pack them tightly.
Add another layer of cream
on top of the ladyfingers, and then follow with another layer of coffee-dipped
ladyfingers, and finishing with a layer of cream.
Finally, apply a light
sifting of powdered bitter chocolate to cover the entire surface. Refrigerate
for at least two hours before serving.
Now for a twist, I like to add a little Marsala wine-1/2 cup to it or Vin Santo. I also like to temper the eggs in a double boiler to make sure they are cooked - not scrambled! When it looks like a custard its done! Make this the night before and let it set up over night. Your guests will love it.
