american dream builders

I just finished watching American Dream Builders on NBC and I have to say I like it. The premise of the show is that established designers and builders compete on teams to completely redo real life spaces. The premiere focused on creating more functional spaces for large, multi-generational families in tudor homes. So far I would say the show's main pluses are:
- It addresses the whole home - the inside as well as the outside.
- It is uses real spaces with real clients.
- The caliber of the contestants - all well known and respected professionals in the field.
- Nate Berkus :) Love him!
Conversely, I think its downfalls are:
- It seems like it is trying to do too much in one episode and all the details and how-to's get lost.
- The designer personalities, at least in this episode, overwhelmed the content of the show.
- There are A LOT of product placements.
- The designers only get to shop at their "designer marketplace" and Lowe's. Not very exciting....
My favorite room from episode one was either the little boy's bedroom from the blue team designed by contestant Darren Moore or the outdoor space on the red team by Dann Foley. 

via AOL Real Estate

via American Dream Builders

The first full episode is available for viewing at NBC.com with weekly episodes airing 8/7c. Happy viewing! 

the homies

The Homies by Apartment Therapy

Tomorrow the winners of the 2014 Homies will be announced. What are the Homies you ask? Well they are the awards for best home blogs given out by Apartment Therapy. There are two categories - Home Design and Home Cooking. In the Home Design section, three awards are given out while in the Home Cooking five are awarded. I am not that familiar with the awards but it is a great means to find new and inspirational blogs to follow. After scrolling through the nominees and the major contenders I have compiled a short list of old favorites and new finds that I thought I would share. 

Old Favorites
- Style by Emily Henderson - I love Emily Henderson. Her style is very boho, a little ironic and very California. Her blog features lots of inspirational rooms and ideas and I like her style of writing. She also is a great person to follow on Pinterest.

- Hooked on Houses - I sort of forgot about this blog for a while but its well worth a look/read. Written by Julia Sweeten, the blog features fun categories like bad MLS photos and celeb houses. I also really like the tv/movie house category. 

New Finds
- Bluebird - My first reaction to Bluebird is that it is beautifully designed. I didn't have a ton of time to explore but it looks like a great blog to visit to see a daily dose of lovely things and people.

- SF girl by the bay - A somewhat new find - I follow Victoria (the SF girl) on Pinterest and so know that she has a good eye. 

resource review: food blogs

One of the things that I haven't really blogged about yet is food and cooking. I am a little hesitant to dive into this category as it seems there are so many amazing blogs out there with dedicated content and beautiful pictures to match. However, food - shopping, growing, cooking and making it - is a huge part of our home life and to not incorporate it into the blog just doesn't seem right. So one of my new intentions for THE PLACE HOME is to start sharing how I approach the very important activity of eating. To start, I thought I would share some of my go to food blogs. As a general rule, I try to plan out our dinners at the beginning of the week and only go grocery shopping once. I turn to food blogs and cookbooks for inspiration and if we are being honest - I really go by the pictures. If it doesn't look delicious or doesn't have a beautiful photo I generally won't make it. 

The food blog that I have followed the longest is Smitten Kitchen. Written by Deb Perelman, the blog has beautiful pictures, easy to follow instructions and some really yummy recipes. In addition, it has a companion cookbook which I also really like. The short list of favorite recipes include: the perfect blueberry muffins, sweet potato and sausage soup, chard and white bean stew and pear bread.

Pinch of Yum is a relatively new find that since discovering I cook from almost every week. The blog is very approachable and I like how she organizes the recipes - by meal but then into smaller categories such as "Quick and Easy" or "Healthy". So far my favorites are: healthy jalapeno sweet potato chicken chili (making this tonight),  30 minute squash coconut curry and chopped apple quinoa salad. 

Not Without Salt is my newest find. It is extra beautiful which makes me a little intimated. However, the one recipe I have tried - chanterelle chowder with bacon and corn - was really delicious. My next recipes to try are: white bean burgers with rosemary and sun dried tomatoes, brussel sprout salad with red onion and pecorino and baked oatmeal with roasted pears. 

Happy eating!