Category: How To Guides
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8 Ways to Turn Dining into Art like Thomas Keller
Thomas Keller. Among all the celebrity chefs, he is known as the ultimate perfectionist: The best ingredients. Flawless technique. Perfect finish. This is probably why he has won numerous James Beard awards and is the only American chef with two top-rated Michelin 3-star restaurants: The French Laundry in Napa Valley, which revolutionized fine dining, and Per…
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How to Keep Your Mattresses, Pillows, Duvets, and Featherbeds Clean
Considering that we use our beds and pillows every day, very few of us think about properly protecting them. But between the inevitable accidents, allergies, and concerns over dust mites and bed bugs, it’s a good idea to be proactive. Here are a few simple solutions to keeping your bedrooms clean. Keep your bedroom cool…
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What to Know About St. Gèneve Down Products
TRADITION There’s an old Scandinavian tradition that when a woman got married, her parents would give the couple a new down duvet and pillows made by her mother, with a coin sewn into the duvet for good luck. At St. Gèneve, this charming tradition continues. All St. Gèneve down duvets have a coin sewn in, with the…
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Where Can I Get the Dinnerware Used at The French Laundry and Per Se?
You’d be surprised how often we are asked this question. And we are happy to say that you can get Thomas Keller’s dinnerware here at Gracious Style. Eating at one of Thomas Keller’s fine restaurants – like The French Laundry in Napa or per se in New York – is truly a magnificent experience. People have…
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17 Tips for Picking the Perfect Pet-Friendly Rug
If you live with pets, we bet you’ve had to part with a rug or two after the why-didn’t-I-see-this-coming happens. But you’re not alone, and we promise you there’s a way to keep both your adorable pets happy and your home looking stylish. Here’s our primer on how to pick the perfect pet-friendly rug. Materials 1. Indoor/outdoor…
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Before + After: A Recipe for A Fashionable Den Makeover
My den had a problem. Even though it had gorgeous views and comfortable furniture, everybody just walked right past it. This seemed like a great place to spend an afternoon, but nobody — not even I — was tempted to do that: Fortunately, there’s an easy, step-by-step process to turning a den or family room into an…
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How to Choose the Right Rug for Every Room in Your New House
Walk into any room. Does it feel comfortable or unfinished? Does everything tie together, or does it feel jarring? Chances are, the difference is in the rug. As one of the biggest items in any room — larger than all the furniture and the art — the rug defines the room. The right rug can…
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16 World Famous Interior Designers’ Tips on Area Rugs
After working on hundreds of projects, designers are full of practical advice on choosing area rugs. As one of the largest pieces in any room, rugs will immediately make or break the space and everything you layer in afterward. That’s why many designers, like Martyn Lawrence Bullard, won’t start working on a space until they’ve selected the rug.…
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A Complete Guide to Downright’s Comforters and Pillows
As one of the country’s foremost manufacturers of down products, Downright offers many different types of fill, support, and warmth level to meet your needs. In fact, since they’re based in New York, they can even create custom comforters and pillows (if you’d like one, let us know). But we understand that sometimes too much choice…
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Returning to Laguiole … the Birthplace of the Classic French Pocket Knife
Thirty years ago, a group of knife-lovers in southern France were worried that the skills for making their traditional knives were going to be lost. After all, who still cared about bone-handled hunting knives once used by traveling shepherds in Spain? Apparently, Philippe Starck did. As did the French government, which recognized that these were irreplaceable…