Hue-Phoria Triumphs Over Neutrality

Too many people shun glorious technicolor in their homes in favor of neutrals. Neutrals have their place, of course, but the world is filled with color so why wouldn’t you embrace it in your living space? World traveller William Beyer took the latter approach for his Encinitas home and brought in interior designer Carmen Coutts of Tracy Lynn Studio. She created a marvel of color, pattern and texture for the first floor of Beyer’s Spanish-Mediterranean style home, incorporating his many art pieces with their shared vision of eye-popping decor. It’s fun; it’s whimsical. It’s also a tribute to the art and countries he’s visited around the world. If you are keen on breaking free of neutrals, read my new story in The San Diego Union-Tribune’s Home and Garden section about the design features of Beyer’s home and Coutts’ tips for doing it yourself.

Featuring 2 Renovations from the 2025 ASID Kitchen and Bath Tour

It’s that time of the year again when we get to openly ogle other people’s kitchens and bathrooms — and take inspiration for reinventing our own. The San Diego chapter of the American Society of Interior Designers is holding its self-guided ASID Kitchen and Bath Tour 2025 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on May 3.

The tour will feature eight homes in San Diego. Two of them are 100-year-old Spanish-style homes in Kensington — and both feature the creative work of interior designer Sheryl Wohl Chaffee, who is also a Kensington resident. I featured her projects in my new story for The San Diego Union-Tribune’s Home and Garden section. Take a look and get your tickets for the Tour. Info is at the bottom of my story.

It's Asparagus Season and Have I Got Some Special Recipes for You!

Well, two stories in the UT in one week and I’ve been waiting with anticipation for this piece to come out. It’s spring, and asparagus is at peak season. There are few people I know who don’t love it, but I did recently mention to someone that I was going to be writing about it, and I got that classic crinkled nose. How do you prepare it, I asked? When she said she boiled it, it was clear that her lack of enthusiasm was justified. Boiling is fine, but, oh, there are so many better ways to prepare it that will make you lust for spring just so you can eat those slender green spears.

I have my favorite go-to techniques but went to chef Kelli Crosson, executive chef at The Lodge at Torrey Pines in La Jolla for inspiration for new ways to think about asparagus—and she delivered. Not only did she prepare three very distinctive dishes for me, but also offered some tips for selecting and preparing them. You’ll want all of this, including the recipes, in my new story for The San Diego Union-Tribune.

How to Create a Moody Bathroom

Chances are you’re reading this on a bright, sunny spring day — a typical SoCal experience. It’s a vibe we tend to bring into our homes, with an emphasis on light-filled rooms and breezy decor. So, why would we want to add moodiness to our delightful sun-drenched world?

But moodiness is a decor choice, and while it might not translate well in home kitchens or living spaces in our part of the world, it can be a great choice for, say, a guest bathroom or powder room. Think of it as an enticing ornament you can share with guests — a space small enough that you can have fun playing around with the concept. I learned the do’s and don’ts of creating a moody bathroom from three local interior designers and am sharing their ideas with readers in my new story for The San Diego Union-Tribune’s Home and Garden section. Hope you find inspiration!

New Rancho Gordo Cookbook Celebrates Beans

Beans! So delicious! So healthy! So misunderstood. So, Steve Sando’s new cookbook, The Bean Book: 100 Recipes for Cooking with All Kinds of Beans, from the Rancho Gordo Kitchen, is a welcome bean bible. No canned beans here! Sando is the founder of Rancho Gordo, a renowned purveyor of heirloom beans. I spoke with him about all things beans and the recipes from the book I’ve included in my new story for The San Diego Union-Tribune.

Three Dishes to Get You Beyond the Seder This Passover

One of the more challenging issues for Jews who try to observe the dietary limitations of Passover — primarily no bread or other leavened grains known as “chametz” — is less about what to prepare or eat for the customary Seder meals on the first and second nights, and more about what to eat during the rest of the week. So in March — well before the arrival of Passover on the evening of April 12 — I sought advice from chef Jeff Rossman of Terra Catering and Shalom Kosher Catering.

Rossman offered me a slew of cool recipes to choose from, but a few caught my eye for various reasons. Salmon croquettes were something my mom loved to make for us during hot summer months. Hers were made with canned salmon — and Rossman admitted his mom did the same — and breadcrumbs. Rossman’s are elevated enough for adults to enjoy, using fresh salmon that you’ll sear, then bake and then mix with fresh herbs and enjoy with a luscious horseradish cream. Then I saw on his list a recipe for Honey Roasted Garlic Tzimmes. Now tzimmes, which is cooked root vegetables and usually mixed with dried fruit, is certainly a Seder dish. But I was sold on the inclusion of roasted honeyed garlic, which I’d happily eat throughout the week. The last dish I wanted to share is Rossman’s matzoh toffee, because it’s the easy treat we can make to snack on through the week. Never heard of it? Oh, you’re welcome. It’s matzo, with a glaze of homemade caramel (easy-peasy to make), topped with chocolate chips and then any other add-ins that make you happy — say, toasted pecans, toasted coconut, dried fruit. You can even combine different types of chocolate chips.

Check out the recipes for these dishes in my new story for The San Diego Union-Tribune.