Saturday Arrival in New York

I've been to New York many times over the last 30 years and each trip is always so unique as the explorations and discoveries are truly endless. I remember reading guidebooks to this city when I was a kid and studied maps of the city for hours imagining the spaces and places....of course this was all years and years before the computer and Google Maps and Earth....I can't imagine what I would have done with that as a kid! I have always been fascinated with this City!

My first trip here came about with me and my parents spending a week in Virginia for my brother's wedding and then had a free weekend following and I convinced my parents to hop in the car and let's drive to New York and check it out. We did it - drove up the Atlantic Coast from Newport News, Virginia and in one day ended up eating pizza on top of the World trade Tower that evening! It was a Sunday night, so the City was not crazy b busy. After our pizza on the tower, we drove across the Brooklyn Bridge, flipped a U, and made our way back across, up Fifth Avenue to Central Park and then across Midtown to the Lincoln tunnel and then all the way to Philadelphia where we found a hotel and ended our day! Ok, that was one day! Well, anyone who has traveled with me, including the Italy trips, know I ALWAYS pack as much as I can into a day! Obviously this behavior has been going on for some time now!

Well I still love coming here. I come with Isabel every August to keep her company while she shops for her store, Earth and images. From the Market to little artisans and boutiques she discovers, we do a ton of walking and exploring, of course with some fabulous restaurant stops and discoveries along the way. We LOVE all the wonderful restaurant tips we receive from you. As you know the food and restaurant scene here is endless!!!!! You could never ever hit them all but keep them coming as we love everything and never met a food we didn't like.

After landing at JFK, Isabel's driver, Ludwig, is always there waiting for us! He has been our limo driver for years. It's funny, but just the familiarity of having the same driver every year makes the trip and the arrival so special. Why start the trip in a stinky cab or super shuttle..... It's NY do it in style.  We catch up on all the goings on with Ludwig as we make our way across the East River and into Manhattan and our hotel the Warwick in Midtown. We check in and head right out for a stroll through the city and our first dining spot!

Of course one of Isabel and my favorites is a spot Isabel has been coming to for years and that 's the Trattoria Dell'Arte on 57th Street and 7th Avenue just a few blocks south of Central Park and right across from Carnegie Hall. Fabulous food and service and very New York/Italian in atmosphere and culture. Chef Anthony Acinapura has a wonderful and flavorful menu. The lobster risotto is fantastic but this trip we started with a roasted vegetable antipasti, followed by capresse salad made with fresh heirloom tomatoes the chef had just purchased at the Farmer's Market that afternoon on 6th Avenue. Fabulous. Then I had the free soft-shell crabs and Isabel had the Branzino. All fresh and fabulous. It was then nice to sit and chat with chef Acinapura about the restaurant and of course our travels to Italy and some great tips and connections he gave me for our stay in Positano next month. Wrap up the day and our travels from Phoenix to NYC with a nice stroll home, a cigar, and a little porto nightcap at the hotel bar, and our day was done. 

New York New York

Ok it was 117º yesterday so its time to get out of here! So where to go??? We just came back from Idaho, we spent the 4th in Park City, did a little business in LaJolla., Italy is next month. so where to escape and get some inspiration and some Mark and Is time???? We LOVE NYC. 

So I am typing away at 35,000 feet as we are flying somewhere over the panhandle of Texas on our way to one of my favorite places and cities on earth! Isabel and I make it here at least once if not twice a year for shopping, dining, exploring and discovering. We have come alone and with clients and friends. I love the all the dining tips I receive from clients each year and so we do our best to visit new spots and experience new venues on each trip. We have a couple new ones on our itinerary this trip so stay tuned. 

I love the perspective being in New York gives me. It's so easy to think you are where its at while working away day after day in Scottsdale and then you come to New York and you truly see at least one of the true centers of everything in the world! Just the energy I feel when crossing the Queensboro bridge into Manhattan is electrifying. I truly feel it and love that sense of wonderment each time I come. And it's true - every trip has brought a new and unexpected experience. Again one of the reasons I love travel so much. I guess some guys like to golf or go boating or what have you - mine is travel! 

I will likely snap 300 photos a day from everything as macro as panoramic views of the city, to the micro detail of a cornice or wrought iron rail on a fence or building. It all gets absorbed into the subconscious upon which I can draw upon later. Its the refill of the creative fuel tank. So clients - I'm sorry I do travel so much but it truly does wonders for my creativity I bring to you. With the technology available today its very easy to work on the road. I have my laptop, sketchpad, iPhone, iPad, stylus, and buff paper, and of course my giant wad of pens and scales wrapped with a rubber band always with me. Those of you who know me well, I'm always working and don't sleep much so NYC is perfect for me and provides the visual stimulation I need. 

So Isabel and I have some fun adventures in store for this trip and I have a few surprises for her! Stay tuned this weekend and week ahead and we'll share our explorations. Remember the Candelaria Design Tour Italy departs in just a little over a month from now on September 16th. Follow that journey right here on our blog. Stay cool in AZ guys!

Candelaria Design Tour Italy 2015 - Departure set for September 16th!

We are just a little over a month away from our departure on our 12th Candelaria Design Tour Italy! Yes - this is a REAL tour and we really do go with clients, friends, and people who have discovered our trip and just want to go explore Italy in a special way. I have a wonderful group traveling with us this year with travelers as far as Delaware and Oklahoma joining us. I also have some first time to Europe travelers which I love! 

Before I get into it - I do have an opening for two travelers as two of my repeat travelers from last year had a little family situation come up so I have room for two more travelers!!! Now I know we are just 39 days away from our departure but I always find some spontaneous adventurers who have their passports and love the idea of going on the spur of a moment!!! Our September 2016 trip is SOLD OUT but we are adding a trip in June of 2016 due to the strong demand! Thank you!

This year's trip will be fantastic. We will fly to Florence where we will spend two days and two nights and explore this beautiful city of the Renaissance. On our first night we will dine on the street right in front of the Duomo and the second night I will take our group to the spectacular Villa ste Michele on the hills above Florence. This hotel, designed by none other than Michelangelo, is so elegant and the perfect contrast to dining on the street the night before. 

From Florence we rent cars and convoy to our farmhouse compound in Umbria hosted by Elizabeth Wholey. She will have a traditional Umbrian dinner waiting for us. I love the contrast of being in a luxury hotel in Florence and then to the quiet tranquility and rustic nature of the farmhouses. We will spend a week there and explore the Umbrian and Tuscan countryside including a wine tour through the hill towns of Tuscany and our cooking classes. We will explore and experience such picturesque towns as Assisi, Cortona, Montalcino, Montepulciano, San Gimignano, and Siena. 

Then after a week "roughing it" we will drive 5 hours southward towards the Amalfi Coast and our final destination in Positano! Isabel and I have never been here so we will join our travelers in this new adventure! I love that part of the trip when we all explore something new for the first time together. Three nights there and we will return to Phoenix. 

I love this trip and the experiences we share and the friendships that transpire! From clients, to friends, to people I have never met and have found us through social media or our website, the best part of the trip is the friendships that grow during the trip. It is truly the intangible that no one expects but becomes so lasting. This will be Isabel's fourth trip with me - of course on trip two we surprised our travelers by inviting them all to our wedding on the last day of the trip at the Villa d' Este on Lake Como. That was quite the grand finale'.......who knows what we have planned this year! Follow this blog and our Candelaria Design Tour Italy Page on Facebook where we will post blogs, pictures and videos from each day's travels! You can also check out our Tour d'Italia page right here on our website for more details on next year's trips! If you have never been to Europe or Italy this is the way to learn to travel and see a part of Italy few tourists ever experience. 

Until then Ciao!

Wonderful Trip to Idaho

On the road through Eastern Idaho.

Last week we packed the car and hit the road to Idaho to film three of our homes for our show SKETCH premiering this fall on The Design Network. 1300 miles across three states including deserts, mountains and farmland - all beautiful country! We have made this ride many times and yes it takes two days and I'm sure you are thinking why would you not fly? I LOVE road trips and the time to just be quiet, uninterrupted and think! Isabel is the same. So we hit the road and virtually meditate. 

Now this year we did stretch the two day trip to four days as we had a wedding to attend in Sedona right on Oak Creek at Red Rock Crossing.....this time it wasn't ours! What a beautiful setting and then one of our vendors from Scottsdale offered us his home along Oak Creek to stay a couple nights. What a treat and what a beautiful place complete with orchards, pool, and an amazing view of the red rocks of Sedona. 

It was difficult to leave and continue on the road trip but we had a rendezvous date with our film crew so we loaded the car and headed north! Now usually we head north from Flagstaff, through Page, and through southern Utah to an overnighter in Salt Lake - which we did. Then the next day we venture north on I-15 to Butte, MT and head west on I-90 to Coeur d'Alene, ID. This year though we thought let's see some new country and so we chose a route through Sun Valley,. ID! Wow- beautiful!!!! Love coming into town and passing the small airport full of private jets. 

Our google route then showed a path north of Sun Valley up central Idaho to Salmon and then Missoula. Looked good on the map however little did we know that the road would gradually narrow, then turn to a dirt road, and then turn to a one lane jeep road with turnouts for on-coming traffic! But we continued on as we were to far into the route to turn around. Turned out to be absolutely stunning! So remote and so beautiful. We traveled the Sawtooth Range and dropped down into the Salmon River basin which flowed for miles without a single fisherman for miles. Talk about tempting! I love to fish and this is definitely a place I am going to have to come back to. Of course no cell signal for miles....so definitely a slice of heaven. 

We continued northward and had lunch in Hamilton, MT and then made our way to Missoula, MT where we reconnected with our normal route on I-90. A couple hours more and we were back to my favorite slice of heaven, Coeur d' Alene, ID! I love this place and have been coming here every year since 1999 when I started my first Candelaria Design project. Some 16 years later we just finished our fourth project here! We checked into a home we rented on the Spokane River where we met up with our film crew from Wedgie Creative - Kenny Moskowitz and Phil Click. We unloaded the troops, luggage and gear and headed into town to one of our favorite spots, Moon Time for dinner. Lamb burgers, curried cashews and crafted beers! Great start to our trip.

Day 1 of filming would be filming our second home we designed - a beautiful Mountain Villa in Black Rock for two lovely people who hired us in the midst of the 2008 economic debacle! What a memorable moment that was to get their call for a new project and of all places - in Coeur d' Alene. Not only did this turn out to be a great project but again, we made two wonderful friends along the way!  Just to give you and idea - they named one of the duties in the home the Candelaria Suite! So fun to film this home and spend time with our two friends.

From there we headed to the Wednesday Coeur d' Alene Farmer's Market which is one of my favorite parts of coming here. Fresh produce and flowers from local farmers. hand crafted pizzas, and of course my favorite, the bread vendor! I love this experience and seeing the same vendors for the last 16 years! It's lime a time capsule! 

Then it was off to Angelo's for dinner with all three clients from Coeur d' Alene. How nice to share dinner with all three client couples and spend some time with chef and good friend Angelo Brunson and his crew. This is my little slice of Italy when I'm in Coeur d' Alene, Idaho! Angelo uses fresh produce from his garden, fresh meats from the local ranchers and now makes his own wine - which was fantastic. Always a treat and one of my must stops when I come to town. 

The next day we filmed my first Candelaria Design project - not just here in Coeur d'Alene but anywhere! The Murphy Lodge is an amazing log home set virtually on a cliff on the west shore of Lake Coeur d' Alene. 17 semi trailers of logs make up this home with spectral views of the lake. Of course we had to film this home in style from a beautiful Stancraft boat approaching the home from the lake - all captured by a drone from 3DR out of Austin, TX. The footage this drone can capture is fabulous and I can't wait to share it with you with these episodes.

After filming at the Murphy Lodge we made our way to the Stancraft Boat Shop where owner Robb Bloem is busy crafting some works of art on the water. He gave us a tour of the facility and some of the boats they have under construction or receiving maintenance including John Elway's boat. We also came across a boat he mentioned would be used in someone's ceiling as an accent piece. Turns out that boat is going in our client's game room ceiling! 

Our final day of filming culminated at beautiful home on Hayden Lake which is just north of Coeur d' Alene. This home was completed in 2012 and is truly magnificent. The 10,000 sf two-story home is rustic and in mountain style but yet is very sophisticated and elegant. The client is a world renowned orthodontist and holds numerous patents for state of the art products he has developed. He and his wife are wonderful people who inspire me not only professionally but personally. 

We finished our Coeur d' Alene adventure with a trip to the Kootenai County Farmer's Market on Saturday morning! Can you tell I love farmer's markets!!!! Nothing like a lamb burger with a fried egg on it at 9am in the morning!!! 

Great trip and so nice to catch up with my friends from Idaho. I am so excited to share these three homes in a three part series on our TV series SKETCH this Fall on The Design Network! Stay tuned!!!

New Candelaria Design Website

Well they say that every two to three years its time to get a new computer.....and I'm definitely due! They also say you want to update your website every so often and we were overdue! So although we are still fine tuning it, we welcome you all to our new Candelaria Design Website!

Through the amazing work of Ken "Spanky" Moskowitz and his company Wedgie Creative they have totally revamped our website, look, and branding. Now it is still being fine tuned but please check it out and give us your feedback.

We want this to be a fun and beautiful experience for you and we are so proud to share our Candelaria Design creations and the work of so many talented and skilled designers, landscape architects and designers, builders, and craftsmen and artisans who all contribute their passion and skill to our work!

Now not every detail is fine tuned yet so give us some flack and definitely give us some feedback. We are also featuring our Candelaria Design Lifestyle Blog on the website and you can like and comment right on the website.

We will also feature short videos of our projects on the page and currently featuring a short video of our Scottsdale French Chateau on our Traditional Page. This is just a short peek at what we will be featuring in Episode 2 of SKETCH on The Design Network this Fall.

There is a lot more to come and we are excited about the new website and the new projects, drawings,  videos and blogs we will be sharing! Thanks for following and supporting Candelaria Design!

Earth and Images - Welcome to our New Home In Downtown Scottsdale

Congratulations to my Isabel on the relocation and opening of her new boutique and interior design studio, Earth and Images , in Downtown Scottsdale! I am so proud of her and I invite everyone to stop in and check it out.


Last month she packed up the old store and studio that had been in the Scottsdale Design Center located in North Scottsdale for 23 years, downsized, and rebranded her look for her new location on the southwest corner of 5th Avenue and Marshall Way in Downtown Scottsdale. What is most exciting is that instead of being in the dark and dreary Scottsdale Design Center, she now has a beautiful display window facing 5th Avenue and all the retail and tourism traffic that the Art and Cultural center of Old Town Scottsdale brings.

She has downsized the retail area to now where it is an absolute jewel box of treasures and finds from our travels around the country and Europe. All of the items are arranged in beautiful compositions and feature items as small as candles and toiletries to specialty patio furniture and home accessories, to even works of art by artists and architects. Stay tuned - I plan on having some of my new paintings currently underway in her studio!
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Isabel is also working with Candelaria Design and other builders and architects in providing interior design and decorating services throughout the Valley. From projects in Arcadia, PV, Verrado, Silverleaf and Desert Mountain, Isabel and her team are busy! It's fun for me to work with her on some of our projects. Now - interior designers out there don't worry, I'm fortunate to have some great projects and we are so happy to be working with many of our favorites from Vallone Design, David Michael Miller, Wiseman Gale, Clair Ownby Design, April Lozevski, Matthew Boland, Anita Lang, Tony Sutton, Paula Den Boer, and Nelson Barnum just to name a few. What is so nice is how these same designers all support each other and Earth and Images! I know Isabel thanks everyone for their continued friendship, support, and patronage.

Stop on by and say hello and do a little shopping - you will love it. Her boutique is open Monday - Saturday from 10-6pm and stay tuned for some fun Thursday evening art walk events and get togethers this fall including her grand opening celebration. 

Escape to Kingston - One final trip.

I love the West. I don’t mean the West we experience every day living in Phoenix and Scottsdale. I mean what is left of the real West we still see in Westerns. It’s still out there but you do have to get way out to still see a part of it. Luckily, living here in Arizona it is not that far away and if you really venture on a road trip to New Mexico or Wyoming or Montana you can really find some places that time has just passed by.

I know some of you shudder at the thought of a road trip and many of you never will even dare to do this. But I personally love road trips and getting off the beaten path. Today's blog comes from the passenger seat while Isabel drives down New Mexico highway 90 southwest of Silver City, NM. Its exactly what we do on the Candelaria Design Tour Italy – get off the beaten path. I have been trying to figure out why and I think I know – it’s real. It is what it is, there is no pretense. People do what they do, they farm, they ranch, they mine, they timber, they railroad. That’s about all there is to do. They work hard and are one with the land. There is a connection. They gather at the local diner for super – not dinner. They talk about their day, their families, their horses, and their crops……not quite what we talk about when we meet for cocktails at Houston’s.

This weekend, Isabel and I are on the road to Kingston. Not Kingston, Jamaica! Kingston, New Mexico. It’s by Silver City…..ok that didn’t help you any did it. Ok about 2 hours northeast of Lordsburg…..still didn’t help you. Ok try about an hour Southwest of Truth of Consequences, New Mexico! Ok you get the point. Google Map it and it may show up. It’s a long drive out here, about 6 hours from Phoenix. Kingston, New Mexico is an old silver and gold mining town established in the late 1800’s and grew to over 7000 inhabitants before the silver crash of the late 1880’s. It’s at the foot of the Mimbres Mountains and is beautiful and reminds me of the country and terrain around Prescott. Now there are probably more wild turkeys and buzzards than there are people here. – but this is a place that time has forgotten.

Isabel’s family bought a summer home that was built in 1885 built by Mr. Dawson who was the town pharmacist. Isabel’s family used the home as an escape and summer retreat from the heat of central New Mexico. Well the home was passed down to Isabel’s mom, Alette, who has been tending to it and using it as her Arizona escape since 1996 but this week she received a cash offer for the property and with her getting older she felt it was time to sell. So we are here sorting through the old items, furniture, nick knacks, and sharing the memories.

I remember coming here for the first time in July 2012 with my girls and loved this aspect of Isabel, her mom, and her family. Simple, honest, hard working people who have no pretense. Here family were loggers and lumber mill people and my family were railroaders. Few people know that my great grandfather, grandfather, father and even I all worked on the Durango~Silverton Narrow Gauge train in Durango. The old West is in my psyche. It is a big part of what makes me tick. I think it is why I love being a part of the Scottsdale Charros – getting on a horse and riding and camping in remote parts of the Old West. At the same time I design amazing homes from Rural Mediterranean estates, to contemporary hillside homes, to mountain ranches but no matter the style, I always try to infuse that spirit of the West.

In the next 60 days I will be everywhere from LaJolla, CA next week to start on a new home on the beach, to Sedona and Flagstaff to check out some lots for a new project, then a 22 hour road trip with Isabel to Coeur d’Alene, Idaho to film three of our homes for the fall premier of SKETCH. From there Isabel and I will head to Manhattan NYC in August for the fall Market – probably run out to the Hamptons to check on our project there – so coast to coast. Then of course we will fly off to Italy for our 2015 Candelaria Tour Italy. Quite a journey from the homestead here in Kingston…….

Candelaria Chicken Cacciatore

Thanks for all the likes and comments on my cooking adventures we post on Facebook! I love to cook and I love how it relaxes me and takes my mind off my real work for a while. But what I really love is the immediate satisfaction it gives me feeding and nourishing my family and friends. After all, architecture takes some time!

Let's add the fact I am a Food Network groupie. I love the Food Network - no one ever gets hurt or cries, or gets killed. Every show ends on a happy note and everyone is eating great food in a beautiful setting. I love having the Food Network on while I catch up on work on Saturday and Sunday mornings. A recipe or idea always catches my eye and by noon I'm thinking of some fun and savory thing to make and who Isabel and I can have over. Sometimes it's a romantic dinner for just Isabel and I, and on the other hand sometimes I'm cooking for two or three dozen. I did both this week! My favorite though is cooking for Isabel and my girls  One of my girls' favorite is my chicken cacciatore.

It's a simple recipe and really based on my paella recipe which I also made this week for a party of 12 who won my dinner for 12 as a silent auction item benefitting my client's organization, Asian Pacific Community in Action. Yes it was a busy week ;-)!

So here it is - I urge you to make it for the family. It's delicious and easy. Let me know if you give it a try!

Candelaria Cacciatore

3 Chicken Legs

3 Chicken Thighs

1 teaspoon dried oregano

2 tablespoons of paprika

Kosher Salt and freshly ground pepper

1/4 cup of extra-virgin olive oil

1 large sausage of your choice - I like a spicy andouille sausage.

4 garlic cloves, diced

1 Spanish onion - diced

4 stalks of celery - sliced into 1/2" pieces

4 carrots - sliced into 1/2" pieces

8 ounce box of white or cremini mushrooms sliced.

1-1/2 cups of wine - dry white wine like a Pinot Gregio or you can go red like a Baraolo

1 - 16 ounce can of diced tomatoes

1 -1/2 cups of Arborio Rice

2-3 cans of chicken broth

1 teaspoon of Herbs de Provence

2 Bay Leaves

Fresh chopped basil or Italian Parsley for garnish along with wedges of lemon.

Start with a nice width pan with a lid. Season your chicken with the oregano, paprika, salt and pepper. Heat up the olive oil with medium to medium high heat and brown the chicken and sausage. Once browned remove and set on a platter with paper towels.

Pour off the excess fat, reduce the heat to medium, and then add the onions, garlic, celery and carrots and let them cook down and soften. You can add the wine now and deglaze the pan. Let this all cook down and soften but don't over cook - you want the veggies to stay crunchy and firm. Then add the mushrooms and let them cook down. Then add the tomatoes and let them heat up and blend in with the veggies.

Create a well in the center and add the rice. Let the rice fry and then gradually stir it into the veggies. Start adding the chicken broth - you can also add more wine if you like! As the rice absorbs the broth keep adding the broth. You can also heat the broth in a separate pan before you add so its at the same temperature as your main dish. Keep this process going for 10 minutes until the rice and then add back the chicken and sausage and tuck it into the mixture. Keep adding broth as needed so the rice doesn't get dry but not to much to make it soupy. Add some salt and pepper to taste and some herbs de Provence and toss in a couple Bay Leaves. Now reduce the heat to simmer and let simmer 30 minutes or so.

Serve in a nice bowl and garnish with chopped fresh basil or chopped Italian parsley and a wedge of lemon. You can always zest some lemon peel over the top and of course some freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Enjoy!

Rural Mediterranean Estate Featured in Luxe Magazine

We are so proud to have one of my favorite projects featured in the summer issue of LUXE Magazine. This home is very special to me for many reasons. Enjoy the pictures and story in the LUXE feature - but I would like to share the creation and some of the real story behind this house and how special these clients are.

Flash back to October of 2008....  I'm sure everyone remembers how tough things were then. Actually, at that juncture we had just all been kicked in the gut but no one knew how long the healing and recovery would be. Everything had come to a halt, our industry was getting hammered, and there were really few projects out there.  The stock market had just fallen 6000 points and we were gearing up for the election - no one knew what to expect! A $27 million dollar project I was attempting to develop with a number of partners had the funding dry up as the Feds shut down the bank we were working with on the day we were supposed to sign the loan.....as that turned out I know now that was a fortunate turn of events! Add to that my marriage at the time was falling apart. Those of you who know me well, know what I was going through - these were pretty dark days.

Well this client called me in the midst of all this and I went and met them on a Saturday I remember well. We walked the lot and I went through my presentation. Then after the meeting I remember going to the McCormick Ranch Railroad Park and just sitting there praying this project would come our way. I was sure he was interviewing everyone he could given the economic situation so I knew this would be a real blessing if we got this way. I remember him calling while I was still at the park saying we got the job. It was one of several rays of sunshine I received during those dark days that kept me engaged in my work and kept me going.

The client wanted an authentic Rural Mediterranean  home and the lot was good but not great...that is until we got on a ladder and stepped up about 5' - wow - the view exploded. Now it was up to us to capture as many of these views as we could. We worked collaboratively in the design as I do with all my clients and as I look back at the first sketches - the essence of the original layout and orientation did not change much. Courtyards, gardens, a pool and spa - even a bridge across a garden below all were incorporated.  By raising the house the 5 feet we had room below for a basement so we added a 20 x 40 gym, pilates room, guest bedroom, game room ... oh and a 12 car garage under the 6 car garage above! I love our clients and projects!!!

To give you  an idea of how special this client is back in the Christmas of 2008 I was attempting to fly  my girls and I up to Coeur d'Alene. Idaho for Christmas - I was pretty sure this might be our last Christmas in our home up there given the economic situation and everything that was happening with marriage. A huge storm was hitting the northwest and every flight we attempted got cancelled starting on the 21st of December all the way up to the 23rd of  December....Christmas was fast approaching and every attempt was being thwarted by flight cancellations. We even made it as far as Salt Lake City but had to come back as the flight to Spokane had been cancelled. Well, as written in my December 27, 2008 Blog this client came to our rescue flying us up in his private jet. What a way to go and what a journey that was - you can check our our landing right here -Miracle Landing

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To top that off when the project was completed he hired the PR firm of MMPR Marketing to represent Candelaria Design, the Interior Designer David Michael Miller and builder Anthony Salcito of Salcito Custom Homes and then through an open house whereat we could invite anyone we wanted. Many clients, friends, and followers made it that day which was a wonderful opportunity to show of our work.

Such an amazing client and now friend! Enjoy the Luxe feature and some wonderful footage of the home in our Season 1 of Sketch - Jet Setters on The Design Network and we will be featuring the whole story of the creation of this home in Season 2 of Sketch premiering this Fall!  So it's 7 years later and the times have sure changed.....this project has a special place in my heart and history and will always remind me of the lesson to carry on no matter how dark the clouds might be. I hope you enjoy!

4th of July - Park City, Utah

Ok - that was a nice 4th of July! And what's best - today is Sunday and another day to relax and enjoy some down time.

I love this Holiday in that it seems everyone checks out for a while. My emails have trickled down to maybe a dozen, mostly just ad-mails! I've had some wonderful time with my girls, lovely wife, Isabel and her mom and family. Now we have a couple days just to our selves to enjoy Park City, Utah. I have been coming here for years usually through the invite of clients and friends who have had or have places up here. What a fun place. If you haven't been - I highly encourage you to come and check it out.

What I love about Park City is how easy it is to get here. As opposed to Telluride or Aspen, Park City is a snap.... hop on a flight from Phoenix and in two hours you are in Salt Lake City. Then either rent a car, or take one of the many shuttles up here and you are here in another hour. Beautiful scenery, great restaurants and bars - yes you can get a drink in a bar here without joining a club like the old days, and lots of fun things to do with the kids from the Alpine slide in the summer to of course, skiing in the winter. The Sundance Film festival in the winter, and add snowmobiling, fishing, hiking, mountain biking......well you get the picture.

We started yesterday with the 4th of July parade. Definitely one of my favorite events of the year. I love the simplicity of it and the purpose - the birth if our nation! I mean where else do you see someone jamming out from the back of a pickup with their porcupine-elk! For someone who has sang the national anthem at a Giants Spring Training game - not once but twice - I love anything that pays honor to our nation and the people who have served to preserve our rights and freedoms. We are all so blessed to live in this country. I loved all the posts from my friends around the country and how they all celebrated the 4th! And let's add tonight's Woman's World Cup Championship Game! Looks like this country is having a fantastic 4th of July!

Happy Fourth of July 2015 from Candelaria Design

I wish everyone a Happy 4th of July! My favorite Holiday of the year.

My Candelaria Clan has headed north to Park City, Utah for the long weekend! Wow is it nice and cool up here - nice drive up, a little rain, good tunes, all good!

I love this Holiday, as I have written in past blogs, in that it seems everyone winds it down and just gets into the Holiday and some family time. The emails have come to a halt, the phone is quiet and its just some good time to chill.

I'm fortunate this year to have my two daughters, Bella and Sophia, with us, Isabel and her Mom, as we are all up here for Isabel's Conley Family Reunion. To top it off, my oldest daughter, Tiffany, and her boyfriend, Josh Stephens, flew in last night, so we are all together. What struck me was how my girls are growing up. Tiffany is 27, Bella 13 and Sophia just turned 10. No more babies or little kids. It is so cool to watch them grow up and change and develop their personalities. The conversations have evolved and its neat to all chit chat, laugh and converse on more adult topics. I LOVE traveling with my girls - and we have some good trips coming on the calendar!!!!

You realize how fast the time is going by and having a 27 year old daughter, I know how fast the time is going to go with my girls before they are off exploring the world and shaping their own lives and families. I'm sure you all are experiencing the same. That's what I love about family trips during a Holiday. You get away and with things slowed down you get a snapshot of where you are in life's journey.

Meanwhile, my Mom and Dad, Mom 75 and Dad 80, drove to Durango from Phoenix, for the long weekend. They are there visiting my brother, James and wife, Beth and their three children - also growing up quickly. The two oldest, Rianne and Deryn are already off to college and their son - our only male Candelaria to carry on the name - Trevor, is in high school. My brother, who works with the US Department of Justice, is transferring to Jamaica in August. My father was born in Durango, and my brother and I went to high school there, and with my brother moving, I have to wonder if Dad and Mom wonder when the next time they will return. This is their first time back since moving to AZ last summer. It must be an emotional trip for all of them.

All of this just emphasizes how fast time marches on and how every moment with our loved ones is so precious. People grow old, they move, they follow their own paths, they die, they get married, they get divorced - its always in motion. Where will we all be tomorrow, next week, next year........who knows.....Hence, make the most of this day, this weekend. I wish all of my Candelaria Design crew, clients, and friends a wonderful weekend! Be proud to be an American and celebrate the good fortune we all have to experience our freedom with our families and loved ones in this great country. Happy 4th Everyone!!!

First Half of Year is Done!

Ok - that was a fast first half of the year! We all know the second half will go even faster! 4th of July is right around the corner and hopefully you are all escaping the heat and finding someplace cooler. We will load up the family and hit the road this week.....stay tuned for our adventure.

So a lot has happened in the first six months and we have a lot ready to happen in the second half of the year. The Candelaria Design crew is busy! THANK YOU!!!! Our clients and projects are amazing and it is so true that when you hire our family that is exactly what you are engaging. We approach each project as the creating of not only your home but the creation of a lasting friendship that is so unique simply because we have designed your home and crafted the stage for your life. We understand this and we evaluate every design decision along the way with this in mind. It naturally results in a special bond with our clients that has become the basis and core of my life. It is why I love residential design.

So what's on the boards.....??? Homes on the sides of cliffs requiring dynamite to build the tunnel to get to the home featured as the lead story on the evening news - yes the project is moving forward....the builder just can't use dynamite :-) FOX 10 Story. 

A new home on the beach in LaJolla, CA. A remodel to a home on the far end of Long Island in Montauk, NY with the view of the beach. A quarter horse breeding ranch with arena, barn, home and guest house on 5 acres. Of course our units at the Village at Mountain Shadows by Cullum Homes is in full gear and now going vertical and we are in design on the units on the west side of 56th Street. We are in design for the new Colten Cowell Memorial Crime Fighting Cave #buildthecave - more to come on this amazing project and how everyone can get involved this September. One of homes will be featured in the upcoming summer issue of LUXE Magazine and the home will be featured this fall in our show Sketch.

Several homes under construction including three on the Paradise Valley Country Club, homes in Desert Mountain, Silverleaf, and throughout Arcadia, Verrado, Scottsdale and Peoria.

My wife Isabel who owns a Home furnishing and Accessory Store and Interior Design Studio,

Earth and Images, has completed her move from the Scottsdale Design Center in north Scottsdale to her new location at the SW corner of Marshall Way and 5th Avenue right in the heart of Old Town Scottsdale. We have several projects both completing and in design with her design studio!

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Our 2015 Candelaria Design Tour Italy is sold out along with our September 2016 trip and we are looking at possibly adding a second May 2016 trip. So don't wait to sign up for 2016 or 17. We had our Pre-Trip dinner at Marcellino's and what fun that was. I love kicking the trip off with this dinner. What a fun group we have this year including artists, CEO's, photographers, designers, fashion retailers from NY and folks as far away as Delaware and Oklahoma. Our trip truly has a national draw now. This is our 12th Tour and despite others who claim they do a trip - we really do!

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Our second season of Sketch is in production and we are so happy to have our new producer and production company. Kenny "Spanky" Moskowitz and his firm Wedgie Creative is doing a fabulous job. From French Chateaus in Scottsdale, to Rural Mediterranean estates inspired from our Italy trips to mountain and lake lodges and wood boats in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho we will dazzle our viewers with these new episodes! Our second season premieres this September and you can catch all five of our episodes from Season One on The Design Network

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Of course we are traveling and cooking, so stay tuned to more of that in the second half. We have a Paella dinner I will be preparing for silent auction winners of the Taste of Asia event we donated to in May. Yes - I know Paella is not Asian, but it was a successful item on the silent auction and I am glad we were able to donate to one of our client's charities.

Ok - I've blogged enough. Sorry I didn't do more in June but we are really busy working day and night. My team is cranking and they have ALL been working extremely hard. They are the BEST!!! Here is to a great second half of 2015 - go for it! So what do you have planned for the second half of 2015? Share your adventures here on our blog!

Our Visit with Louisiana Architect - Ken Tate

I love how life brings you full circle some times and how on any given day something you never could imagine just falls into place and happens. 

Back in 2003/04 we were working on a home in Arcadia with Nance Construction and looking for inspiration on what could be the next new look for Exeter and Arcadia. In the midst of our research, Nancy Brunkhorst brought this book the New Classicists - Ken Tate Architect​! I loved it! The book - if you can still find it...is a true coffee table book and features a dozen or so of his homes in beautiful detail including detailed drawings all printed on a black background! 

We poured through the book and was struck by a home he had done with lime washed reclaimed brick walls. Nance wanted to do it - the client and I loved it, and off we went! Our house turned out amazing and the limed washed brick became a hit in Arcadia and a real look and feel that still goes today.

That's what great artists and architects do.... Their work gets copied - it becomes part of the fabric and culture of a place. 

So his book, and a second book that followed it, has been used in my office for years. I had just been in Denver a couple weeks ago and one of the builders we were interviewing took me through a Ken Tate house I mentioned that I was going to New Orleans in a few days. The builder said, "Why don't you look Ken Tate up and see what he thinks of us." So that's what we did!

What a Southern gentlemen and the epitome of Southern hospitality! He not only welcomed us he set up lunch for us in New Orleans and then toured us through one of his homes currently under construction in New Orleans. 

We enjoyed our two martini lunch at Lilette's on Magazine Street. We compared notes and shared experiences and we both had to laugh at the similarities of our careers, work, staff, etc. we even discussed collaborating on some projects together! He took us to the Guthrie Contemporary Gallery to see some of his recent paintings and then off to see his project.

Spending the time with Ken was wonderful and brought a whole added richness to our first trip to New Orleans. It's how I love to travel - not just see the tourist sites and eat at the marquis restaurants, but also get out and dine at someone's home, meet the people who truly create and move the culture of a place. Ken Tate is one of those people here in the South!

Our Visit to Louisiana Cajun Country

I wasn't quite sure what to expect once venturing away from New Orleans and heading to the back country of Cajun Country! Would I be venturing into a vignette from Deliverance? Quite the contrary! 

So how did we end up going to Lafayette? We have to chalk it all up to Facebook and the connection I made some four years ago with Interior Designer, Dawn Dupuis Clark, who spotted my work on our Candelaria Design Page and then friended me whereupon we truly became friends. 

She came out to Scottsdale a couple years ago and toured some of my work and so I had to return the favor and make it out to Lafayette. We were not disappointed!

After a beautiful drive north and west from New Orleans via Baton Rouge we made the 2-1/2 hour drive to Lafayette! What I came to find out is Lafayette is the heart of Cajun Country! 

So what is a Cajun? Cajuns mainly came from Acadia - not Arcadia - in Nova Scotia and migrated down to the  Lafayette / Acadiana region of Louisiana. The music is French Based, and more folkish. The food is more spicy!  Creoles on the other hand are a mix of people's. Whites and Blacks some from the Caribbean and some from the north. Given that New Orleans is a port city it became he melting pot of the Creole culture and people. The food is more African and Caribbean based.

Dawn said anyone south of 1-10 is a Cajun.... Hey mom and Dad you live in Maricopa which is technically south of Maricopa - you must be Cajuns! 

So what could possibly be the first stop when you come to Cajun Country? Of course food! Dawn and her wonderful friend Lynne Thibodeaux - how's that for a Cajun name - took us to David Bertrand's Shucks Restaurant! And who should greet us at the door but David himself! He sat us and said just relax and let me start bringing the flavor of Cajun cuisine your way. And boy did he! 

You have to start with a Cajun Bloody Mary and then fresh oysters on the half shell, followed by a little fried alligator and crab claws, followed by oyster stew, and then char broiled oysters - these were the best of the entire trip! Then a little ettouffe' and then some sautéed pan fried oysters and then sautéed redfish! Top it off with a tour of the kitchen and of course David's amazing bread pudding topped with white chocolate buttered rum sauce! Wow!! Great job David and what a wonderful host. If in the Lafayette area - please make this a stop!

Then Dawn and Lynne took us sight seeing to see some of the beautiful neighborhoods and homes in Lafayette! Fabulous - you definitely see a wide range of styles all well done! One development that definitely caught my eye was River Ranch! Fabulous mixture of styles from French Provencial, to Creole Southern / Caribbean to Spanish! Fabulous way to allow a wide range of styles yet it all comes together!

Then to top of our visit we were all invited back to Dawn's personal residence to relax and have a little back patio barbecue. The boys hung out on the back porch and spun stories of Louisiana local and state politics, to sports, to the oil business, and the women were inside and God knows what they were chatting about. The way discussions are done around food and beverage is quite different from how this goes down in Arizona - there is definitely a Southern way - a Cajun Way! 

Thank Dawn and Lynne for the amazing visit and thanks Facebook for yet another amazing connection. Wow - i would never imagined any of this but I love where life takes you if you just venture out!

New Orleans - City of Resiliency

We have been in New Orleans three days now and I have to say I am definitely coming back and adding this town to my "Have to" list! 

I know New Orleans is known as a party town and sure that aspect is definitely here but there is a lot more depth to this place than just the Mardi Gras vibe! New Orleans is a foodie Mecca! Quite frankly the restaurants are endless so it's going to take a few trips to get this place dialed in. Thanks for all the great tips we have been receiving on Facebook!

What strikes me about New Orleans is the resiliency of the people and this place. I remember watching the whole Hurricane Katrina debacle and thinking I wish I had been to NOLA before this disaster hit and that this town was done....! Well then add the BP oil spill a few years ago and you would think that that would be the nail in the coffin. Well let me tell you, this place is far from dead. New Orleans is alive and well and the people here are flat out amazing, friendly and frankly all have that can do attitude about them. 











The other thing I notice is despite the problems in Ferguson and Baltimore I don't feel that racial divide here in New Orleans. Quite the contrary! At least from my perspective while here everyone is cool, getting along and just enjoying and contributing to the energy and culture. 




Bourbon Street is definitely a sight to see and you will see just about everything and that's even during the tame hours! I can only imagine during Mardi Gras or SuperBowl week! 

There is a lot to see here beyond the French Quarter and Bourbon Street. Yesterday we went to the Garden District to do a little shopping, dining and neighborhood touring! Beautiful! Of course you have to check out a cemetery here....not sure I would do that at night though! All fabulous - all New Orleans. 
















So what do you think of New Orleans? Who has been here both before and after Katrina??? Tell us what you notice....

Ok off to Lafayette, LA to visit one of our wonderful Facebook friend, Dawn Dupuis Clark who has graciously invited Isabel and I over for a little taste of Cajun Country! Stay tuned!!!