Barefoot Contessa’s Barn in East Hampton

New episodes of The Barefoot Contessa on the Food Network are always something I have to admit I plan my Saturday around. While these images of her newly built barn were published in House Beautiful in 2008 and correlated with the release of her 2008 cookbook Back to Basics, I thought I’d post them as way of reminding us not only of her creativity, but of her ability and desire to entertain outside.  In June of 2010, Ina hosted East Hamptons’s Historical Society at her home for a garden party. Click here to see images taken at the event.  And in other good news, Ina’s new cookbook How Great Is That? will be released October 26, 2010.

One of my favorite things to do on a Saturday if my schedule allows is to hit the local yard sales early in the morning and then come home with a cup of hot tea, a blanket and snuggle up to watch her show which airs on the west coast at ten thirty in the morning.  A perfect way to ease into the weekend and potentially plan my next meal. 

Okay, back to the barn.  This is a misnomer in more ways than one because in all actuality it is a second home.  A home for Ina Garten’s fan favorite Food Network cooking show – Barefoot Contessa.  If you are a follower of Ina’s, you watched her transition a few years ago from taping her beloved show in her home in East Hampton to taping in her newly built barn that very much resembles her home kitchen but was necessary to build, she comments, because she needed a home to go to after work.  A Belgian country style structure, designed by architect Frank Greenwald, the barn provides her the space and ability to entertain and eat outdoors as so many of her guests love to do when invited over, as well as the separation from work and home when taping is taking place.

When asked what makes her most comfortable, she shared (she ‘s a lover of tea as well!):

1. Cashmere blankets and Loro Piana slippers everywhere.

2. Great dance music when I'm cooking.

3. Flower arrangements from the garden.

4. Mariage Frères tea with homemade cookies.

5. Surrounding myself with people who make me happy.

Having the garden directly outside of your master bedroom – serenity found. 

A 17th century oak table is a nice touch in a neutral bedroom.  Bed linens from Frette.

Just outside the bedroom is Ina’s office where a photo of Luxembourg Gardens by Jean-Michel Berts hangs above her antique desk from Bloom located in Sag Harbor.

A soaking tub from Waterworks fills the space perfectly.  While one lets their cares melt away, they are able to gaze out onto a walled garden, or close the Nanik wood blinds for some privacy.

A beautiful 17th century Venetian mirror hangs above a 19th century muslin-covered settee from Bloom.

Viking range and hood; Sub-Zero refrigerator; Bosch dishwasher; KitchenAid mixer.

Looking out from the barn, you can see the main residence in the distance.

Preparing for guests, Ina stand on the bluestone terrace.

And for more information on exactly what you will find in her new cookbook How Great Is That? click here.

Be Inspired!

As the clock ticks off the last few minutes of 2009, many of us, including myself, are probably trying to make sure 2010 is even better than its predecessor. 2009 was a great year in many ways, but very frustrating in others. In retrospect, maybe every year is like that, it all just depends on where you are perched at the end of it.

I have decided to ring in the New Year with a few simple comforts while I put in pen my resolutions. One comfort I wanted to wake up to in the morning was knowing my Christmas tree was already taken down, the ornaments stored away for another eleven months. This is the first year I have taken it down so early, but I decided to be a little superstitious, since it is said that by having one's tree up when the New Year arrives, you are bringing the past year into the new year which is said to bring bad luck. So here it goes! Keeping my fingers crossed that I'm ushering in all the good luck the universe can handle to throw my direction.

As I was taking the tree down, a Golden Girls marathon was playing in the background, and I caught a quote that I thought went very well with a resolution I had been pondering. As Miles is dancing with Rose, he whispers in her ear, "Life's like a ballroom. If you hear something you like, don't analyze it, just dance to it." A perfect metaphor (even though Rose didn't know what a metaphor was, of course) for someone (me) who gets in my own way too many times.

Resolution #1 - Get out of my own way!

#2 - Eat more vegetables (and since this is one of my resolutions for 2010, I'm going to make Ina Garten's Brownie Pudding - after all, it will still be 2009 when I eat it, right?)

I think the one thing I need to make sure I do every year, as I'm wishing away - hoping I achieve more, more, more, is to reflect on all the blessings in my life - those moments, memories, and times where I felt loved, cozy and comfortable, and to make sure I am joyful in the reflection.

Happy New Year! May yours be full of many, many wonderful memories!