Bella - que bella!

These past four months have been a whirlwind. I am selling my home of 18 years, so to stay sane through it all, let me tell you about an amazing distraction - Bella Vineyard and Wine Caves. Then again, maybe I should keep it a secret... I discovered this gem of a winery not long ago at the far end of the Dry Creek Valley just next door to Sonoma. I was bewitched by the warmth of the locale and in pure admiration of the creativity throughout. I was 'home'. I smiled at the basket filled with hula hoops laying under the shade of a very old olive tree. The displays on the shelves, the simplicity of the decor, the straight lines, the votives lit at 11am in the back of the cellar. A growler of rosé or white wine? Yes - original, most definitely, and so perfect. I know that I could move in if given the opportunity. Join me.

As you can see Bella is an exquisite find. Do go. Do linger. Do taste. Better yet, sign up for their Unleash the Beast Tour - you will tour the cave, you will walk and see these old vines up close; you will linger in their private tasting room. You will picnic on the lawn - and very quickly you will say... this is good for the soul.

Now onwards to finding my new home!

Enjoy as always, Adeline

Design Comes First • Innovative Design That Is.

Ernest Hemingway said "Cut out the ornamentation and design as straight as you can" - he was speaking of the written word. I see what he meant. I have this thing with clean lines. I have this thing with order. I definitely have a thing with innovative designers who see those lines, who seek risk, who champion ambition, who push beyond the ordinary - whose vision is to draw you in, to startle you into an emotional response that you don't expect. 

I step into a space, and before all else I anchor my feet solidly on the ground. I take it all in. I actually cannot take a seat until I have taken it all in. I take in the vision, the intent, the originality. I take in the beauty, the experimentation, the chance taken, the genius. I relish the moment.
Only after I have this this all in - once I am more than a little dizzy with awe - will I then sit down - or simply continue looking.

Each of the places below stopped me in my tracks. Each one has inspired me from the very moment I stepped on its threshold. Take a road trip, stay close to home - it does not matter. Look. See. Risk. Design. Create. Be the catalyst. Take a chance. And look again.

•  Presqu'île Winery • Orcutt •

ØL Beer Café & Bottle Shop • Walnut Creek •

•  Sans Liège Wine Bar • Pismo Beach •

•  Sir Francis Drake Hotel • San Francisco •

•  Museum of Modern Art • San Francisco •

•  Preserve • Winters •

•  Frank Lloyd Wright Civic Center • San Rafael •

•  Calicraft Brewing Company • Walnut Creek •

• Lincoln Park Wine Bar • San Anselmo •

I have added the links to each place. There are so many stunning spaces that speak to my sense of aesthetics - my curiosity for the unique. My list just wants to grow.

My older daughter has caught the bug. She has a unique way of capturing modern spaces, ageless spaces. I can see that she is moved by them.

Remember to stand still, to look up, to look around - don't just eat the food drink the drink view the art spend the night file the forms. Take it ALL in. You will see very quickly how good it is for the soul. 

Enjoy as always, Adeline