January Spotlight with Angela

Hey there! This months blog post was written in collaboration with Angela, here at Darby Road.

Angela is sharing a few of her “favorites” with us including a recipe and playlist for entertaining.

Favorite Entertainment Playlist? Pandora station ‘Hipster Cocktail Party’

Favorite Entertainment Recipe? Tuna and Avocado Tartare! Find the recipe below.

INGREDIENTS:

Crisps:

• 12 wonton wrappers, each cut diagonally in half to form 2 triangles

• olive oil (for brushing)

• sesame seeds

Tartare:

• 2 tablespoons soy sauce

• 1 tablespoon unseasoned rice vinegar

• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

• 1.5 teaspoons wasabi paste

• 3/4 teaspoons Asian sesame oil

• 8 ounces sushi quality ahi tuna steak, cut into 1/3” cubes

• 1 medium avocado, halved, pitted, peeled, cut into 1/3” cubes

• 1 cup of cubed seeded English hothouse cucumber

• 1 green onion, finely chopped

• toasted sesame seeds

• chopped fresh chives

• California caviar

INSTRUCTIONS:

For Crisps:
Preheat oven to 350F. Line large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Arrange wonton triangles on sheet; brush each with olive oil and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake until triangles are golden brown, about 9 minutes. Cool on sheet. Can be made up to 8 hours ahead.

For Tartare:
Whisk first 5 ingredients in medium bowl to blend. Add tuna, avocado, cucumber, and green onion; stir gently to coat. Spoon tartare into bowl; sprinkle with sesame seeds and chives and place on platter. Spoon caviar into small bowl and place alongside. Surround with crisps.

Credit: Epicurious

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year everyone! We recently received the Best Of Boston Home reward for 2019 and we are crazy excited for the upcoming year, as we have lots of exciting things coming up, including our 5 year anniversary in May!

We also just opened our warehouse, which is located across the street from our main store, where you can find deep discounts on amazing pieces.

We currently are running a sale through the month of January which we call our countdown sale. This means that each day, the sale goes down! We started at 31% off and will work our way down to 1% through January, so if you see something you like, act fast.

We hope you all have a fabulous year and can’t wait to work with you!

How to Seat All Your Holiday Guests

            Many homeowners are forgoing the formal dining room in favor of an open-floor concept, opting to have a less formal dining area that can accommodate large gatherings, particularly around the holidays. Seating tends to become something that is overlooked- you find a great table that can seat 12 and have your heart set on it, only to find out that the cost of chairs is nearly triple the price of the table.

SOURCE: Black and Blooms

Now I bet you’re asking yourself “Why are chairs so expensive?” and there’s a relatively easy answer to this. Craftsmanship- a well-made chair requires serious craftsmanship and talent. Today, many chairs are stapled or glued together, resulting in a flimsy chair. By taking the time (and time is money!) to create more intricate joinery, the result is an expertly crafted, sturdy chair. Nothing would be worse than having a chair collapse on a guest!

How do we solve this dilemma? At Darby Road HOME, we often suggest a combination of seating options. This is a budget friendly option that creates a pleasing aesthetic when done correctly. As we mentioned earlier, homeowners tend to go for a less-formal dining area and bench-seating is a great option for this. A bench on one side of the table can accommodate several seats. Another fun method to break up the seating is by utilizing a mix of solid wood and upholstered seating. This creates depth and dimension in the space, allowing homeowners to add an eclectic touch through the upholstery, while also allowing for wiggle room in the budget.

SOURCE: SCHNEIDERMAN’S

Another fun way to add seating is by using ottomans, stools and sturdy side tables from your space. These pieces are versatile as they can work as tables or storage, while doubling as seating options for those big game nights and holiday gatherings when more people showed up than you expected! This type of seating can also be easily tucked away when it is not in use.

Let us know in the comments below what your favorite, creative solution is to accommodate your guests. We’d love to hear!

Our Favorites: Holiday Cocktail Recipes

We’d like to introduce our new series of blog posts, our favorites!

The holidays are in full swing and that can only mean one thing- time for holiday parties! Nothing is better than getting together with friends, old and new, and family you haven’t talked to all year. We decided to gather a list of our favorite holiday cocktail recipes and share them with you as our inaugural post.

First up is a Cranberry Orange Margarita, which is a delicious and refreshing cocktail, featuring one of my favorite Selzter brands- Spindrift.

• 2 ounces silver tequila

• 1/2 ounce freshly squeezed orange juice

• 1/2 ounce orange liquor or Cointreau

• 1 ounce fresh lime juice

• 1 tablespoon of sugar (to taste-the seltzer has no added sugar, hence why it’s a favorite!)

• Cranberry Raspberry Spindrift (any brand will suffice though)

• Ice

• Coarse salt for rims

• Fresh or frozen cranberries & orange peel for garnish

Add ice, tequila, orange juice, lime juice, Cointreau and sugar to shaker. Shake until cold. Pour into glasses over fresh ice, top with seltzer and garnish with berries and orange peel. Enjoy!

Credit: Spindrift Fresh

Next is a super yummy Christmas Sherbet Punch (which can easily be made as a mocktail for all the kiddos!)

• 2 liter Hawaiian Punch

• 2 liter Sprite

• 46fl oz pineapple juice

• 1 carton raspberry sherbet

Pour Hawaiian punch into 2 ice cube trays the night before. Save the remaining punch (this is optional but recommended). In a large bowl, pour punch, sprite, pineapple juice. Add punch ice cubes and raspberry sherbet. Let ice cubes and sherbet melt slightly to add more flavor

Credit: Purely Katie

Let us know if you try these recipes and how they come out! Stay tuned for our next favorites post!

Artist Feature: Caryl Hull Leavitt - All Things Aesthetic

At Darby Road HOME we pride ourselves on always having interesting and unique art, and that is just what Caryl Hull’s art embodies. Currently in the store we are featuring her work “Citrus” which is sure to brighten and refresh your day!

View fullsize

View fullsize

CITRUS - 24x18 inches framed, acrylic on paper, vintage paper, $1800 as a pair

Here are a few words from the artist herself:

“Working from observation, memory and intuition, with a nod to Josef and Anni Albers, I bring shape, color, and texture together along with the familiar materials such as paint, tape, stamps and post-it notes, to create complex images that evoke the joy of every day—real or imagined.

I move shapes around to nd relationships between color, scale and size, shifting them as I please, sometimes with great intention, other times not—always responding to the materials at hand to reveal their intrinsic beauty.

In this way, images emerge.

“Citrus” incorporates elements of a 1965 musical score cover I found in my travels that inspired this series.”

For more information, additional shows and artwork by Caryl, contact her via email or phone; chull@hullcreative.com, 617 869 8772 as well as her Instagram #caryl_hull_leavitt_art

Self Portrait by Caryl Hull

To see more of Caryl’s work see below for current and upcoming exhibits:

18th Roddy: Juried Exhibit

ConcordArts
Now - October 14, 2017

Two-person Show

ConcordArts
April 15-May 15, 2019