Infusing grandeur into otherwise drab Mondays with five things/ideas/events for the week:

I.  Ever since spending last weekend in Tomales Bay, I’ve been on a major shellfish kick. Reminded of my favorite Michael Mina lobster dish, I decided to make my Lobster Pot Pie recipe tonight for dinner with my mom. To simplify the process, I use store-bought bisque as a base and lobster tails from the fish counter. Clamshell mushrooms, peas, puff pastry, and dry sherry round out the ingredients. The entire dish is ready in under an hour, including prep and baking, which means you still have time to get to the store and back to your kitchen tonight to make this buttery lobster goodness.

II.  I’m excited to share that the T&T showroom is coming along more than perfectly. In fact, we are scheduled to finish construction a little early, which means that we get to move up the launch party date (and what’s more important than the part where we get to party, right?). Speaking of, we were able to get things rolling in that department on Friday afternoon after the arrival of this gorgeous vintage bar cart from the 1970′s. The Bone Black Ralph Lauren paint in the office area of the showroom set the tone for the cart, and reinforced my love affair with matte black. If you’re contemplating a design change, I can’t advise the color adamantly enough to express how amazing all of your existing decor will look against the fresh hue (particularly when coupled with green plants).

III.  I know that I already wrote about Art Market last week, but today I found out that my best friend is moderating a fantastic panel on the role of words in contemporary art (like my favorite Ruscha pictured above - on a related note, the de Young will be displaying an exhibit in his honor 7/16-10/9). Painting With Words: Images, Text, and Everything in Between will feature panelists including artist Carissa Potter, Evie Simon of Simon Breitbard Fine Arts, and Colleen Terry, assistant curator for the Achenbach Foundation for Graphic Arts at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. The panel is set to explore art containing text as not just “pictures of words,” but as sophisticated visual constructs built from formal pictorial elements including letters. The speakers will approach the dichotomy of pure aesthetic convention, deeper conceptual meaning, and how these worlds interact. Free with admission to the Market this Saturday at 2PM!

 IV.  I’m besotted with these cylindrical earrings, aptly called Les Bonbons by Rebecca de Ravenel. Rebecca has an aesthetic deeply rooted in the old sensibilities of her native Bahamas with a touch of Parisian flair, due to time spent in her parents’ antiques shop on La Rue de Jacob. The simplicity of her design paired with the lightweight functionality make them the ideal baubles for gala/wedding season. I just pre-ordered a pair in micropave and gold that will go perfectly with my simple knit LBD for the CASA gala I’m chairing next month benefiting our city’s foster youth.

V.  Last week, I had the pleasure of attending Dior’s opening on Post Street in Union Square. The evening was hosted by the adorable Jaime King, who I had no choice but to become BFF with after convincing her to become a supporter of the aforementioned CASA nonprofit. The space is a striking mix of glass facade with whimsical touches like the Dior Dollhouse, complete with miniature pianoforte. Check out coverage of the event and more luxe details from the evening here.

Have a wonderful week!  xx tt