Italian Style Farmhouse Designed To Look Old

This house and its beautiful landscape was constructed from scratch.  Not one tree stood on the site.

With its old, plush-looking landscape however,  it has a naturally-established look, as if seeds have scattered with the winds across the grounds.

What now has the appearance of an Italian Style farmhouse or old Tuscany estate was carefully constructed by a team of professionals led by Saint Dizier Design with attention to detail: 

• creation of elegant rusticity, “a balance between dress-up and relaxed, a hodgepodge very carefully orchestrated,” according to Jacques Saint Dizier, of Saint Dizier Design
• use of fieldstone that might have been dug from local earth 
• capture vineyard panoramas, he raised the residence three feet to allow for stone terracing. "I’ve always felt that terracing merges architecture with the landscape,” he remarks, “so that you’re not sure where the stone walls become house.”
• anchor the house with an array of gnarled trees with languorous branches as thought they've survived a hundred summers, reports landscape architect Frederika Moller
• surround the property with masses of Teucrium and other herbs, confirming the house’s wine-country setting 
• construct a bocce court (a long-time Italian pastime activity)
• reinforce viewing areas of the 200 acres of grapes

Click here  to continue 'Italian Style Farmhouse Designed To Look Old' Article and see Bruschetta With Swiss Chard Pecorino Cheese Bonus Recipe

Equestrian Style Decorating

Whether you are a lifelong equestrian, an admirer of the
horse sport, or someone who just loves the equestrian look, having equestrian style in your home adds character and tradition. Home interiors done in an equestrian style have a special allure, even to those not into horses.


No doubt the equestrian style was popularized when Ralph Lauren hit the fashion world by storm. He made the two most expensive sports in the world - nautical and equestrian styles - livable for mainstream people. It became possible and affordable to have the sporting lifestyle look. And while many people suddenly took up stirrup pants and hunting jackets, decorating with equestrian style has been around for hundreds of years.

I'm familiar with the sport because my daughter Sarahjoy Crain, shown at top, has long competed in hunter jumpers and she is fortunate to be able to work at what is also her passion, as a horse trainer in Dallas, Texas at Elmstead Farm.

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Two Divine Equestrian Ranch Estates:


Belgian Thoroughbred Home In Flanders -
From Architectural Digest: Interior Designer Jean-Jacques Hervy who studied at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts and apprenticed with Parisian antiques dealer Didier Aaron before opening his own business in 1970 was brought on board for this special project, developing a house out of a barn - that wasn’t designed to be lived in.

The owners, a leading Belgian industrialist and his wife, a member of the French and Belgian Olympic dressage teams, developed a 30,000 square foot barn structure. They used the infamous Calumet Farm in Kentucky as their design scheme, including cedar boards painted white and trimming of red lacquer.



Click here to continue reading this article and for Broccoli Grape Pasta Salad.

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Italian Style Farmhouse Designed To Look Old (Cont'd)

This house and its beautiful landscape was constructed from scratch.  Not one tree stood on the site. 

With its old, plush-looking landscape however,  it has a naturally-established look, as if seeds have scattered with the winds across the grounds.

What now has the appearance of an Italian Style farmhouse or old Tuscany estate was carefully constructed by a team of professionals led by Saint Dizier Design with attention to detail: 

• creation of elegant rusticity, “a balance between dress-up and relaxed, a hodgepodge very carefully orchestrated,” according to Jacques Saint Dizier, of Saint Dizier Design
• use of fieldstone that might have been dug from local earth 
• capture vineyard panoramas, he raised the residence three feet to allow for stone terracing. "I’ve always felt that terracing merges architecture with the landscape,” he remarks, “so that you’re not sure where the stone walls become house.”
• anchor the house with an array of gnarled trees with languorous branches as thought they've survived a hundred summers, reports landscape architect Frederika Moller
• surround the property with masses of Teucrium and other herbs, confirming the house’s wine-country setting 
• construct a bocce court (a long-time Italian pastime activity)
• reinforce viewing areas of the 200 acres of grapes
• The landscape has many moods, the result of the grand skills of landscape architect Frederika Moller.
• To the rear, a series of outdoor rooms are formally defined by the rectilinear pool, pergola and bocce court.
• Mediterranean plantings spill, climb and drape, blurring distinctions between the natural and the cultivated. A rose garden and a vegetable garden are enclosed by laurel hedges, bisected à la France by rose-lined pathways.

The High back woven chairs shown left are from Ralph Lauren Home, and it so happens that Saint Dizier Home Shop carries one of the largest collections of Ralph Lauren in the San Francisco area.

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The pergola, pool and bocce court make for a perfect outdoor entertaining retreat.

And of course, this is a fine example of a Bocce court, an Italian ball sport, but played around Europe and also in overseas areas that have received Italian migrants.



Bonus Recipe:  For Outdoor Entertaining With An Italian Flair, "Brunschetta With Swiss Chard Pecorino
Cheese"

Outdoor entertaining Bruschetta, delicious grilled slices of crusty Italian bread topped with a myriad of toppings that can be prepared quickly and is often served as an antipasto.  This version is one of my favorites, you can use any green leafy vegetable such as Tuscan black cabbage, kale or spinach in place of the swiss chard as shown in the photo. The addition of buttery, toasted pine nuts or crispy pancetta bits to the topping would offer options to vary this dish nicely.

Bruschetta With Swiss Chard & Pecorino Cheese

Yield: Serves 4

Prep Time: 15 mins

Cook Time: 20 mins

Total Time: 35 mins

Bruschetta, delicious grilled slices of crusty Italian bread topped with a myriad of toppings that can be prepared quickly and is often served as an antipasto.

Ingredients:

4 Slices Crusty Italian Bread (Ciabatta Works Well)
1 Garlic Clove Peeled
Topping:
1 Large Bunch Of Swiss Chard
2 Cloves Garlic, Peeled And Minced
3 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3 Tablespoons Minced Sun-Dried Tomatoes (I Prefer Oil Packed)
Salt & Pepper To Taste
Dash Of Red Pepper Flakes
1/4 Cup Shaved Pecorino Cheese

Directions:

Wash the swiss chard and dry it well, chop the leaves coarsely, and finely chop the stems.
Heat the olive oil in a heavy pan over medium heat, and then add the minced garlic and cook just until fragrant.
Add the swiss chard and cook until it is wilted and soft.
Add the sun-dried tomatoes, and then season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes.
Mix well, and then set aside.
Either grill the bread slices, or place under the broiler, lightly browning each side.
Place the peeled garlic clove on the tines of a fork and scrape it across each slice of toasted bread.
Divide the swiss chard mixture between the four slices of bread, and then top each with some of the shaved pecorino cheese.

From "Italian Food Forever," Buon Appetito! Deborah Mele

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(Architectural Digest Photos, Architecture by c, AIA, and Karen Jensen Roberts, AIA/Interior Design by Jacques Saint Dizier, ASID and Richard Westbrook of Saint Dizier Design/Landscape Architecture by Frederika Moller Text by Patricia Leigh Brown/Photography by Mary E. Nichols Published June 2009 )