Rinfret LTD

Crazy for Chinoiserie

2012-02-05T20:36:00.010-05:00

Chinoiserie may not be trendy but we bet it's here to last (after all, it's been around since the 17th century). This delicate and beautiful hand-painted style has its roots in China and portrays an idyllic, "imagined" Chinese landscape. It quickly became popular in England and the continent, as well as here in America.

Fast forward a handful of centuries. Cindy Rinfret is a hug fan of chinoiserie and she's an expert at using it in so many different ways. Here are a few of our favorites...

Cindy designed this sexy powder room for a stylish client. We love how the gold accents in the chinoiserie cabinet and chair rail play up the gold sink.

Check out the craftsmanship of this piece.

Here we have another bathroom with chinoiserie as the main focal point but the look and feel are totally different. This is Cindy's own bath and she wanted a more relaxing environment than the showy look of a gilded powder room. The beautiful hand-painted scene of trees and birds on the wall covering that surround the bath create a perfectly peaceful place for a calming soak.

Cindy also knows how to use a great chinoiserie piece to pack a visual punch. This stunning desk is a knockout and earned itself the cover image on Cindy's book Classic Greenwich Style (Rizzoli). Stay tuned to see her updated take on Greenwich Style in her next book with Rizzoli...but that's for a whole other blog post.

Classic chinoiserie often comes in red, black and gold. It's a bold look that just adds to the opulence of this luxurious room.

For a grand entrance, chinoiserie can't be beat. It's timeless elegance and hand-painted artistry make for a wonderful first impression. We love this wall-covering especially for its silver background that adds glamour (not glitz) to this breath taking entry.

You'll have to agree that chinoiserie is definitely not going anywhere, at least for a few more centuries.

Holiday Decorating, Part II: Creative Christmas Trees

2011-12-04T13:07:00.019-05:00

Last week we talked about "mantel mania" and this week it's time to go inside the holiday home and take a look at the Christmas tree. After all, it's the most important decorative element this time of year. If you know Cindy Rinfret, you know that she decorates with a "more is more" philosophy, so it's no surprise that she doesn't limit herself to one tree. Each of her children have their own trees, her dogs have their own doggie tree, and sparkling trees brighten up her halls and entry.

The mother of all trees in Cindy's home is without a doubt the monumental tree in her Great Room, below:

A tree like this one demands a lot of ornaments. Luckily for Cindy she has a great selection of ornaments at her own shop, Rinfret Home & Garden, that she can choose from. (If you're close to Greenwich Avenue then lucky you too!)

Here are some of our favorite ornaments right now (all available at Rinfret Home & Garden):

Doesn't this charming ornament remind you of those fantastic, super preppy Tommy Hilfiger ads?

We also love these lifelike red cardinals that you can affix to your tree, wreath, or anything else you can imagine for a festive pop of red that feels fresher than just a glitzy red ball.

If you're more into bling than birds, you'll want these luxe crystal ornaments that will make your chandelier jealous of your Christmas tree.

Cindy's Marketing Director, Elizabeth, loves this doggie ornamanet because it looks just like her Korean Jindo dog. If she could get a Korean Jindo ornament at Rinfret Home & Garden, then we're willing to bet they can get you whatever breed you can think of!

Speaking of dogs, how cute do Cindy's goldens look in her hallway, framed by these simply elegant trees?

Cindy not only has special dog ornaments for her goldens but a whole Christmas tree dedicated to the four legged family members. Check it out:

If you like the idea of a special little tree but aren't a dog person, you should check out the famous Rinfret Teddy Bear Tree:

This is sure to please family members young in age and young at heart.

We could go on and on about all the great ornaments and decorative accessories for Christmas trees but you'll have a lot more fun if you simply come down to Rinfret Home & Garden and check out what we have first hand! While you're at it, you can count how many trees we have (there are a lot).

We hope to see you soon!

Holiday Decorating, Part One: Mantel Mania!

2011-11-27T13:29:00.014-05:00

The Christmas season is a decorator's delight. There is no limit to holiday decor - from Christmas trees and tartan tabletops, to bows of garlands along the stairs. This holiday season we are going to look at one element of Christmas decor each week and break it down for you so that it's fun and easy. Decorating should be enjoyable, not overwhelming, especially during this time of year, when we all have enough to stress about.

We're starting off with the mantel. It's the perfect place to begin, as it's the dominating feature in most living rooms and dining rooms and it offers a wonderful place to start off your holiday decorating. (Plus, it gives you time to work up to the Christmas tree, which we'll talk about next week.)

In the spirit of starting out small, this first image shows Cindy Rinfret's library mantel decorated with just two simple urns with sprigs of evergreen. This is a great way to ease into the holiday spirit if you're not quite ready to go all out.

But when it comes to the holidays (and decorating in general) Cindy Rinfret is a firm believer in the "more is more" philosophy. Above, we see her same library but with the added touches of pinecones, red berries and magnolia leaves. It takes the room to a whole new level of festive.

Here's a closeup of this magnificent mantel that's got cover girl status. (It was on the cover of the Holiday 2009 issue of Traditional Home, and additionally is the online cover of this year's Traditional Home holiday feature.)

The mantel mania continues from Cindy's library to her family room, which has a gorgeous mantel that soars to cathedral ceilings and is framed by two French doors.

Bows of pine mixed with gold and silver ribbon and gilded pinecones work together to create a sophisticated look that adds to the beauty of the room.

Part of the fun of the holidays is that it's a great excuse to experiment with your decor and change up your normal look. Cindy might re-design what's on her mantel depending on her mood or to fit the vibe of a party that she's hosting.

Below is the same mantel as seen above, but instead of the red flowers that were centered above the mirror, she's chosen two mirrored vases filled with greenery and anchored them with a collection of fabulous glittery reindeer. The effect is more transitional and understated but no less festive.

Here's yet another mantel in Cindy's home (yes, she has a lot of mantels!) - this one is in her Great Room.

When you are working with a large space, it's important that your mantel decorations be substantial enough that they not get lost in the room. This gorgeous arrangement certainly does the trick. The warm tones of the magnolia leaves (a nice alternative to pine) highlight the gold ribbon and gilded pinecones. It is a holiday look that doesn't rely on the traditional red and green combo but still feels totally Christmas.

Now go look into your box of Christmas decorations and see what you can do to liven up your mantel for the holidays. And if you feel like you need more inspiration, just pop into Rinfret Home & Garden - where we are totally decked for the holidays.

Happy Holidays! Happy Decorating!

How to get your home ready for the holidays

2011-11-01T14:54:00.011-04:00

The holiday season is upon us, Halloween has come and gone, and in our part of New England, we've even already had our first blizzard. It's time to start thinking about holiday entertaining and decorating. Cindy has some great tips for taking the stress out of making your home festive and inviting to guests (and you!)...

Think outside the box

Don't rely on Pottery Barn for all of your holiday decorating inspiration - do something personal that you have never seen before. Cindy is a dog lover and has the golden retrievers to prove it, so each year she dedicates a special Christmas tree to her dogs. It's decorated in adorable dog-themed ornaments and setup in the mud room, which is the stomping ground for the pooches. The tree is a great conversation starter at parties and more importantly, brings a smile to Cindy's face every time she sees it.

Make your home cozy and inviting

This is something that you should want for your home year round, but it is especially important around the holidays when you want to make your family and friends feel immediately comfortable at your house.

Faux fur throws are the perfect accessory to cozy up a room. They feel absolutely luxurious but are most of all comfortable. It's just the trick to add both style and comfort to a room. Another tip for fab parties is to make sure that there's plenty of comfy seating for your guests and that the furniture is arranged to make it easy to chat while simultaneously drinking and eating.

Entertain in style!

Take a tip from Mad Men, and whip up an old school cocktail with a fancy shaker (and yes, that means make cocktails - it's much more interesting than the standard white wine that everyone is sick of by their 5th holiday party).

Your guests will notice your extra effort and creativity and you'll find yourself energized by the excitement of using and trying new things.

The best part? You can get all this great stuff (from fur throws and ornaments, to the serving trays and cocktail shakers) at Rinfret Home & Garden. So go ahead and make your home cozy and your parties fabulous! It's easy and fun!

From the Runway to the Living Room: Fall Fashion Comes Home

2011-09-07T18:28:00.022-04:00

Like a lot of interior designers, we are also fashionistas at heart, and are watching what's coming down the runway this week at New York Fashion Week.

The line between the fashion and shelter worlds is blurred and what you see on the runway often shows up in the home. There are some Fall trends that really translate to interiors. Here are some of our favorites.

Faux Fur is huge for Fall and is also a major trend for interior design. Above, a Chanel model rocks the fur look from head to toe, and for home, a faux fur throw is the perfect accessory, as seen in the family room of a Rinfret client:

Statement necklaces are so hot now. How does a necklace work in a house you ask? Well, it doesn't - but Cindy Rinfret loves to compare fabulous light fixtures to jewelry. Check out this master bedroom that she designed:

Still not convinced...?

Vera Wang's necklace does share an aesthetic with this gorgeous light fixture, right?

Houndstooth is always a go-to pattern for Fall.

This classic print looks just as good wrapped around your neck as it does on your walls.

In this case, the look is cover girl worthy, as this image of Cindy's own library mantel was the cover image of the Holiday 2009 issue of Traditional Home.

Like houndstooth, leather is another Fall Fashion staple that also works great for interiors.

Anyone can do a leather sofa or ottoman but Cindy Rinfret amped up the wow factor for her client, Tommy Hilfiger by upholstering his dining room walls in brown leather.

Now you can shop for your body and your home. What could be more fun than that?

What I did this summer - by Taylor, the Rinfret summer intern

2011-08-16T17:25:00.013-04:00

My summer as an intern at Rinfret is coming to a close and to say that this internship was enriching would be an understatement on all accounts. My summer working at Rinfret has allowed me to learn, experience and witness far more than I could have ever anticipated. From my very first day when Cindy Rinfret walked me through the installation of a spectacular home in Greenwich, I knew that this was going to be an irreplaceable opportunity.

As a soon-to-be senior in college, I have been mulling over what exactly I am going to do for a career for quite some. Interning at Rinfret allowed me to experience firsthand the realities of a successful business in the Interior Design industry. During my first week, I had the privilege of attending a luncheon hosted by Connecticut Cottages & Gardens, where Cindy and Dinyar Wadia discussed the realities of this industry, in terms of design and decorating trends.

Above, the Indian Harbor Yacht Club where the lecture was held.

As the lecture progressed, I found myself mesmerized by the discourse between Cindy and Mr. Wadia. At one point in the lecture, they discussed security for the homes that they create, as many of these homes are located in wealthy areas and belong to high-profile clients. Cindy began describing certain "safety rooms" that she had developed for several clients. The purpose of these rooms that she created was to provide shelter, clean air, and necessary resources in the event that another September 11^th were to occur. I found this to be compelling because it went far beyond the scope of anything one might imagine for a normal, everyday home, but it exemplifies how function is so highly considered in design.

At another point in the lecture, an audience member asked Cindy how she begins her design process with a new client and if she is able to instinctively pinpoint their tastes right off the bat. Cindy said that there are certain crucial factors that she considers right away, such as their careers, if they have children, and if they have pets. Cindy also noted that she tries to get a strong sense of a client's lifestyle beyond considering how much space they may need inside the home. For example, it might be a family that weekends in the Hamptons, or sits down to a formal dinner every night, or they might have a strong passion for sailing or skiing. She also recognizes how people carry themselves and whether their lifestyle is formal or casual. All of these components together ultimately translate into the vision for the home design.

Listening to Cindy recount this process really resonated with me because design is all about collaborating and learning to work with different personalities and tastes. Furthermore, some of the comments that Cindy made tapped into a psychological side of design, previously unbeknownst to me, and it is something that I ruminated over even after the lecture had completed. I shared these points with friends and family when they asked about my internship because it shows that there is an incredibly critical aspect to design, being that a designer can identify someone's style immediately, and the process is far more than simply choosing paint colors.

Above, an example of a yachting style mood board.

About midway through June, I was helping keep track of updates for an installation in Greenwich when Cindy approached me and asked if I wanted to help her design a room. At this point in summer, I had become so familiar with the products we had in the studio and I had been eager to work on a project that involved some creativity. Cindy told me to grab some Designer's Worksheets and we began by selecting a drapery fabric and moving forth from there. This particular client wanted to keep their existing rug, so we kept choosing fabrics, accessories, and furnishings that coordinated well with the rug until the room was turned into a complete thought.

Being able to shadow Cindy with this design project was such a phenomenal experience because I hope to have my own design company eventually and Rinfret, Ltd. serves as such an inspiration for me. One of the greatest things about my internship is that Cindy and all of the Rinfret designers have all wanted to help me learn. I have had so much more responsibility than a “standard” internship, for instance, where designated tasks might only include filing, copying, and faxing. Being treated as more than an intern has allowed me to learn and expand my abilities, and has given me a strong idea of what a career in this industry will be like. It has been an amazing summer – from meetings with vendors where I viewed new collections, to photo shoots, to assisting with home installations, to picking out furnishings and accessories. I even went with the Rinfret team to the Connecticut Cottages & Gardens Innovation In Design Awards Party. Here I am below with the team, from left to right: Chelsea Garber, Jo Ann Zawalski, Kristen Farrington Dawson, Elizabeth Ethridge McGann, me (Taylor Lagerloef) and Cindy Rinfret:

As my internship is about to culminate, I am wrapping up last-minute projects and assignments. I have been helping one of the designers pick out certain trims and wall-coverings for a client. We wanted to look at some new options, so just last week I was finally able to make it into the city to go to the Decoration & Design Building. In addition to our need for new products, I figured it would be an important place to visit, especially because I had never been before. I must admit, it was a bit overwhelming as there are many showrooms in the building, but I knew exactly what I needed and where I needed to go in the building to find it.

Back in the studio, I would call the showrooms in the D & D Building on a daily basis to check availability of products, place orders, and follow up to ensure the orders arrived on time (which I quickly realized requires a lot of follow-up). It was a bit surreal to finally visit the home base for pretty much everything I had been working on this summer, but I found exactly what I needed and was able to pick up samples right on the spot – definitely a relief as opposed to waiting for them to arrive to the studio!

Check out this stationary monogrammed with Cindy's name from Schumacher (always a required destination at the D&D):

I am now in my second to last week at Rinfret. I am able to look back and realize how fortunate I have been to gain so much knowledge of this industry, inside and out. It is difficult to simply recapitulate what I have learned from this internship as a whole, but on a daily basis I was able to approach work from more than just an intern’s perspective and begin to get a sense of all aspects of a design concept. Although I return to school in two weeks, I couldn’t be more eager and thrilled to graduate and continue a career in interior design.

Yours Truly,

Taylor Lagerloef

Cindy's Favorite Spots in Greenwich

2011-08-01T20:03:00.014-04:00

Cindy Rinfret is not your average Greenwich local, she knows this town inside and out, after all, she did write a book called Classic Greenwich Style. Everyone is always asking Cindy what her fave spots in town are, so rather than keep these insider sources to the Rinfret design clients and Cindy's pals, we decided to share the love with you.

Favorite Restaurant: Polpo
Polpo is a classic. Great people-watching and dancing on Friday nights!

Hair Salon: Warren Tricomi
I love Lea for color – blondes do have more fun! Michael and Margot are great for a cut and blow-dry.

Sushi: Kokoro
Best sushi and waiters in town! Kokoro is great for lunch.

Yummy Photography Cakes: Black Forest Bakery
Email your favorite picture and they will put it on a cake for you.

Event Planning/Catering: Jon Cutler
Always there for effortless dinner parties and events. He also has a cute wait staff!

Wine: Liquor Pantry in Port Chester
Has everything, especially “skinny girl” margaritas.

Pharmacy: Grannicks
Support your established local business -- and they deliver!

Best place for people-watching: Whole Foods
They should have happy hour from 5-7.

Gifts: Michelangelo’s
Make any gift special with their custom engraving. I love their St. Christopher enamel necklaces, “The Patron Saint of Travel” – you have to get these for all your loved ones.

Jewelry: Alma Workshops
Alvaro is a master of gems and jewelry. Hill will make anything for you! What a talent!

Outdoor Furniture & Home Accessories: Restoration Hardware
Margaret is the best! She will always help you find what you need to accessorize and furnish your home. If not…got to Rinfret Home & Garden and see Hilary and Jim!!

There, now you know all the secrets!

Blue Bedrooms

2011-06-25T11:46:00.021-04:00

Cindy has some favorite colors...green, neutrals, browns...but when it comes to bedrooms, blue is generally a favorite. And why not, blue is a naturally calming color, which is exactly what you want in a bedroom, and best of all, it is so pretty without being too feminine or fussy (because the bedroom generally has a guy sleeping in it too). Here are some of our favorite blue bedrooms that Cindy has designed...

This bedroom for a teenage daughter is way more sophisticated than anything you could find in the pages of PB Teen.

As any mother of a tween will tell you, girls like to talk. And this window seat offers the perfect place for long chats.

This bedroom is in the same home as the one above and you can see that Cindy kept the continuity of calming blues here. But for the master suite, she kicks up the glam factor with a mirrored headboard and side tables. These shiny accents, paired with the modern light fixture, make what might otherwise be a traditional bedroom feel very current.

The sitting area of the master suite is perfectly chic, serene and elegant. A quintessential Cindy Rinfret space.

It's all in the details! Custom headboards and valences with gold bamboo detailing bring this room to the next level.

Blue may be a calming color but that doesn't mean it can't be bold or peppy. For her nautical-inspired design of the Tower Suite at the Ocean House, Cindy kept a blue and cream color scheme throughout the space. The bedroom is the most dramatically blue room, with deep blue walls, floral cream and blue canopy, and blue and cream accessories.

Still dreaming of more blue bedrooms...check out this sublime blue bedroom in the new issue of New England Home's Connecticut. Cindy's client loved it so much that she re-installed the canopy bed when she moved into her new home.

Outdoor Entertaining

2011-06-03T10:22:00.012-04:00

It’s time to throw a party outside!

June is the perfect month for an outdoor party – everyone is still giddy about sunshine and summer, and the oppressive heat of July and August have not yet set in. Cindy adores both the outdoors and parties so she is the ultimate hostess when it comes to outdoor entertaining – here are some of her best tips for throwing a fete en plein air.

Set the table in style

Just because your outdoors doesn’t mean that you need to use a plastic gingham tablecloth and plastic sporks. Bring some glamour to outdoor dining and set a beautiful table, complete with flowers and candles – and real silverware!

Be more creative than hotdogs and franks

Sure, everyone loves a good old fashioned BBQ but just as delicious and more unexpected is a grilled pizza. Cindy is lucky enough to have a state of the art pizza oven but even if you don’t, you can still grill a delicious pizza on your grill.

For our fellow tri-state hostesses, if you have not already, you must check out Mario Batali’s latest gourmet experience, Tarry Market in Port Chester. Here you can find the most delicious cheeses, proscuitto, olive oils, breads and more.

If you’re not in the mood for pizza (which is almost incomprehensible, but anyway) you could go the more refined route and do tea sandwiches for a proper English Garden Party ambience. Cucumber and creamcheese is so easy and yummy to make (just cut off the crusts and cut the bread diagonally and voila) but if even that sounds too daunting you can always just call up the kind folks at the Drawing Room in Cos Cob, who can whip up some pre-made tea sandwiches for you

PIMMS!

No garden party is complete without Pimms No. 1 Cup, which is a British Liquer that makes for the best fruity garden cocktail. A staple at an English Garden Party or Polo Match, Pimms is the perfect summer drink as it’s light, cool, fruity and delicious. Plus, it's not too heavy on the alcohol so you can drink away all day and still be standing by sunset.

Now that we’ve given you the tools for a perfect garden party, step away from the computer and go outside and make this happen!

Cheers!!

BLOGFEST 2011

2011-05-18T19:52:00.036-04:00

For three jam-packed days earlier this week I was in New York with the creme de la creme of interior design and lifestyle bloggers on a whirlwind adventure called Blogfest 2011.

So much was packed into the itinerary that it is a challenge to condense everything into a blog post (one of the things I learned at Blogfest was to edit) but I'll try...

DAY # 1 - HEARST

The festivities kicked off at Hearst where we had an energizing luncheon on the 44th floor of the impressive Hearst Building.

From there we got an intimate look at the editors that create the pages in House Beautiful, Veranda, and Town & Country.

These industry heavy weights put on a little show of "The View" for us, from left to right: Mark Rozzo of Town & Country (Whoopi) Newell Turner of House Beautiful (Joy) Dara Copinigro of Veranda (Elisabeth) and Beth Greene of Kravet (Barbara).

A highlight at Hearst was getting to see early covers of House Beautiful, which was founded in 1896 and is the #1 shelter magazine today.

After some fabulous champagne toasting on the 44th floor of Hearst, hosted by dapper Mark Rozzo of Town & Country, we were off to the ELLE DECOR Concept House. A favorite space was by Sarah Story (and yes, that is her real name). Hand-painted walls and ceilings reference Klimt and Sarah envisioned the room as a ladies salon. What could be a more fabulous place to have thrilling conversation on art and culture?

Blogfest was similar to a reality show in that everyone was offered cocktails at every turn. The above concoction stood out from the sea of champagne and white wine. Not sure what was in it besides booze, Seattle's best coffee, and a lot of sugar, but it was good.

What? Another cocktail party? The festivities continued Monday night with a chic party thrown by Design TV Joss & Main. Possibly the most fantastic floral arrangements of Blogfest were to be seen here, and trust me, there was some tough competition.

See what I mean? Love that peonies were in season for Blogfest. An informal poll shows that all bloggers say that the peony is their favorite flower.

DAY # 2 - ALL ABOUT DESIGN

If Monday was magazine day then Tuesday was designer day - so no surprise that Tuesday was the fave day for this group of design junkies. We had the morning free so I headed over to the Kips Bay Show House...

As is typical of show houses, Kips Bay was larger than life and not for ordinary living. The bedroom designed by Amanda Nisbit, above, was a standout and made me want to curl up in the bed with a copy of Valley of the Dolls. It was the perfect rich girl gone wrong bedroom, with the shocking Marilyn Minter piece over the bed, along with the feminine yet almost violent hand-painted pink wall covering.

The color rush continued at the D&D Building where I joined my fellow bloggers at a Lilly Pulitzer picnic in this fabulous showroom. That's the cute Kravet team of Jennifer Powell and Ann Feldstein in their best Lilly attire. (Missing from this photo is Beth Greene, who conceived the whole affair, and who also wore the chicest dresses every day, complete with wardrobe changes for evening.)

This room was just too fabulous for words and made me want to light up a pink Virgina Slims and play some high-stakes backgammon.

And from there it was an inspiring talk from design icon, Barbara Barry (with Scott Kravet below)...

The audience of bloggers was a tweet with proclamations of love for Ms. Barry and her inspiring words..."Food cooked with love tastes better"..."Life can be hard but it can be balanced by beauty and gentleness"..."Beauty causes me to slow down"...and on and on. I think we all fell a little bit in love.

Why else would over one hundred accomplished design professionals literally line up to have the chance to meet Barbara Barry?

From the D&D we jetted off to Mayo Studios in Long Island City for a Traditional Home party to celebrate more fabulous designers, included the humble and funny Suzanne Kasler.

Here she is trying to get out of being photographed...sorry, couldn't resist!

This charming desk makes me want to create something beautiful.

Love this pretty inspiration board and the understated pink color scheme.

I couldn't manage more photos of some of the other incredible designers there, including Eric Cohler, Thomas O'Brien and David Easton, as my hands were full with my gorgeous "Inspired Styles" book from Kravet, my enormous goodie bag (worthy of their own blog post), cocktails and finger food.

As we were leaving Mayo Studios, I stumbled upon this inspiring prop/flower room for the stylists working photo shoots here.

DAY # 3 - ARCHITECTURAL DIGEST

The last day of Blogfest ended with a bang with arguably the most powerful woman in interior design. Margaret Russell is the new editor-in-chief of Architectural Digest and former editor-in-chief of ELLE DECOR.

After seeing Margaret on reality TV, I was bracing myself for a bit of a diva, but could not have been more wrong. She may be a Prada wearing Conde Nast editor, but there was no devil in her. It was exciting to hear that she loves blogs and comments herself. And hearing her insider stories was a treat. (She was at Liz Taylor's home on the day she died.)

Blogfest was an inspiration and such a wonderful opportunity to meet other bloggers in this wonderful design community. Thank you to Kravet for making this happen!

May Madness

2011-05-08T18:05:00.020-04:00

Sports fans have March Madness, when the TV always has a good basketball or golf game going on, but for us interior design fans, there is May, when it seems like there is always an event geared towards home design.

Last week Rinfret Home & Garden kicked off the month of festivities with a Networking Event that we co-hosted with the magazine, New England Home's Connecticut.

The weather was perfect (finally!) and we had a huge turnout. It was a major networking night that probably had guests calling their printers the next morning to place business card orders.

New England Home set a great tone to the evening with their Editor-in-Chief, Kyle Hoepner encouraging everyone to get to know each other. We love how this new magazine to Fairfield County focuses on networking and building the interior design community. Through networking events like this we have made business connections that have helped Rinfret to grow and that is the experience with most guests at NE Home events. But enough gushing, on to the raffle...

We raffled off a pair of hurricanes (which were filled with business cards from the attendees). Cindy chose the winner, Joy from Joy of Light, who wowed us with her gorgeous matchbook collection (which she gave us samples of). Thanks Joy!

I met a lot of new and interesting people last Tuesday, but to be honest, my favorite part about Rinfret Home & Garden parties is having the chance to have fun with my fabulous co-workers. With Cindy as our leader, we all know how to have a good time, and that we did. Here is, from left to right, Chelsea Garber (Cindy's assistant), Hilary Merrill (the Shop Manager), Kristen Farrington Dawson (Senior Designer), Chelsea again, and me, Elizabeth Ethridge McGann.

The NE Home CT party was definitely the highlight of last week for me but it was certainly not the only thing going on. One might think that Cinco de Mayo was a celebration of shopping rather than to commemorate Mexico's freedom. On May 5th New Canaan held its annual Design Destrict event, which I attended for the first time this year and loved. Hilary Hotchkiss from Moffly Media had told me about it and it sounded like fun but I was really blown away by what an event it was, with all the great design shops in New Canaan staying open late, serving fun cocktails and giving out freebies. It didn't hurt that it was another lovely evening. I'll definitely be back next year. Also on Cinco de Mayo was Art on the Ave on our own Greenwich Avenue. This is such a fun night and it's always great to have an excuse to shop late and check out the work of local artists.

We've barely finished the first week in May and there is so much more to look forward to, with two hotly anticipated events coming up in the next week. This week (May 12 - 14) Rinfret Home & Garden is holding its Fifth Annual Warehouse at Morgan Manhattan (16 Bruce Park Avenue, at the bottom of Greenwich Ave). This is an epic sale and you never know what kind of treasures you might find.

Check out the above photo from last year's Warehouse Sale. Yes, that is a stuffed bear in the background, and yes that sold to a lovely couple with a gorgeous home. (I know because I had the dubious distinction of transporting the bear to its new home.)

But there's a lot more than just taxidermy bears. The Warehouse Sale is famous for its fantastic collection of light fixtures, mirrors and furniture pieces that are marked down to their lowest prices of the year. Come early for the best selection. The sale is this Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 10:00 am - 4:00 pm. Hope to see you there!

The biggest event for me this month is without a doubt Blogfest 2011, which I have been anticipating for months and can't believe that it's just a week away.

Kravet and Lee Jofa have organized a whirlwind three days for interior design bloggers where we will meet such industry heavyweights as Margaret Russell, Editor-in-Chief of Architectural Digest, Newell Turner of House Beautiful, the designer Barbara Barry and many others. I am so honored to be included among the outstanding group of bloggers that will be there and am so excited to meet the faces behind the blogs. Stay tuned for a blog post about this event very soon!!

As part of Blogfest, I'll also get to check some other "May Madness" events off my checklist, including the Kips Bay Designer Showhouse and I'll get a sneak peak of the ELLE Decor Modern Life Concept House. I'm literally counting down the days!

Stay tuned for the behind the scenes of the first ever Blogfest 2011...!

British Invasion (in honor of William & Kate)

2011-04-16T17:42:00.034-04:00

The countdown to the Royal Wedding is on and I am swept up into the wedding frenzy, so decided to make this blog post about all things British in the world of design. It wasn't difficult, as the British may have the best taste when it comes to interior design (no offense to the French or Italians). Their unique sense of play and wit, paired with an entire empire of collectibles, makes for fantastically imagined spaces.

This hand-painted headboard that Cindy had commissioned for a little boy's room appeals to the anglophile in me. I'm a sucker for a "Sir" and it doesn't hurt that this boy shares the same name as the prince of the hour.

You know you're doing something right in the library when it has a British vibe to it. This library has a secret bookshelf door (a favorite element in a Cindy Rinfret library) which will make even the most uptight professor smile.

It's impossible to talk about the British without mentioning their dedication to the ritual of tea. This breakfast room (or should I say tea room?) that Cindy designed is in back country Greenwich but it could just as easily be in the English countryside.

Another reason to love British design is that they gave us British Colonial. Cindy designed the above window treatment for a boy's room. The whole bedroom had a British Colonial design scheme, which is perfect for the aspiring explorer in every young man. Along with this fabric, Cindy paired this great British Colonial desk:

Cindy likes to say that one of the main reasons she wanted to have her own design firm is so she could travel around the world shopping for her projects (this was before the less glamorous age of online shopping). London is one of her favorite cities, as this map in her library makes clear.

Aside from just the London map, the eclectic nature of this room also references the British design aesthetic -- a zebra rug from Africa, textiles from India, and shells from Bermuda. The magic of British interiors is that they have an empire's worth of treasures to incorporate into their rooms.

Another reason to love the UK is that they have the royals, while we're stuck with the Clintons and Bush Family. Part of what makes the monarchy so great is that they really know how to make a good insignia. Just because you haven't been knighted by the Queen doesn't mean you can't bring some royalty into your home with this striking needlepoint pillow from Rinfret Home & Garden.

We obviously love all things British but there are a few fave companies from across the pond that we have to highlight here.

Osborne & Little is one of the best fabric houses from England and we love this new collection of velvet fabrics. Maybe the royal wedding is subconsciously making me obsess over all things relating to the monarchy. That could be why I was immediately drawn to these gorgeous purple velvets (both velvet and purple being associated with the monarchy) or maybe it's just because they're so beautiful.

Andrew Martin is another British company that deserves a shout-out.

How much fun is this nail head chest? Perfect for the little princess who's also a little rock and roll.

Christopher Peacock is a master at bringing the English Scullery kitchen to the States. He may have lived in New England for a while, but he's still got the accent and design aesthetic of a Brit. Cindy and Chistopher go way back, as they used to share a space in Greenwich years back. They continue to work together on many projects, as his kitchens are definitely in vogue. Judging by the photo below (from Cindy's project that was published in New England Home's Connecticut) it's not hard to see why:

Last but certainly not least, is Theodore Alexander, which is the gold standard when it comes to British furniture (especially if you want your home to look like it belongs to a Duchess). Their Althorp line includes gorgeous reproductions of the pieces from Princess Diana's childhood home, Althorp (pictured below):

Theodore Alexander is Cindy's go-to choice for dining room furniture.

These chairs are some of Cindy's favorite and have a great preppy spirit with their star detailing. They (and the console in the background) are favorite Theodore Alexander pieces. (You can purchase both these items at Rinfret Home & Garden.)

On a final note, we have to pay tribute to the most iconic element in British design: The Union Jack, as seen above in this fantastic throw pillow, that although small in scale, pulls together this cozy bar in the home of a dapper British client of Cindy's.

Hope you enjoyed your Royal British fix as much as we did!

Cheers to William and Kate for inspiring this blog post!

Tricks of the trade

2011-03-26T16:59:00.021-04:00

To say that Cindy Rinfret has a few tricks up her sleeve when it comes to creating gorgeous interiors would be the ultimate understatement. A design education at RISD and the University of Copenhagen School of Architecture will give you that, not to mention over twenty years working in the trade with the best architects, upholsterers and stylists.

Here are six of Cindy's best tricks for creating an inviting space.

1. THROW PILLOWS
Got a limited budget? Instead of going broke on an expensive new sofa splurge instead on fabulous throw pillows. Luxurious pillows will bring new life to your sofa and make it look expensive.

We have the most amazing selection of throw pillows in Rinfret Home & Garden right now (as seen above in cheery, spring colors) plus more to be found in our online shop.

2. PAINT THE CEILING
If you have low ceilings there is something you can do to give the appearance of height. Never leave your ceiling white. This is a huge pet peeve of Cindy's. Too often people will put time and energy into decorating a room and then stop short with the ceiling. You can choose a complimentary color to your walls but that may be better left to a professional, so to play it safe you can also simply use the same color as your walls but 50% lighter for the ceiling.

In the above dining room the blue ceiling perfectly compliments the hand-painted wall covering.

3. BE BRAVE

Be brave in design and think outside the box. Try something new and find inspiration in the unexpected. Cindy often incorporates unusual finds from her travels into her interior design.

In Cindy's master bedroom at Laurel Hill, above, she used an unusual piece that she found in Thailand for her headboard.

4. THINK BIG
Think BIG when it comes to lighting. A common mistake is going too small with light fixtures. It can be hard to visualize how a lantern in a crowded showroom will look in your open entryway. So many times our clients will see the enormous box containing their new light fixture and worry that the scale will be too way big - but once they see it installed they immediately recognize why Cindy chose that size. You want people to notice your beautiful light fixtures (especially since these pieces are often pricey) so don't be afraid to make an impact.

See what we mean?

5. IT'S IN THE DETAILS
The beauty is in the details. The fun part of design is in adding the personal touch that says something about you and your family. Whether that be a gorgeous coffee table book that shows off your love of fashion, a map from a favorite city, or a monogrammed pillow, details add personality. Plus, people will notice (and even if they don't, we guarantee that you will, and that's what it's all about).

Even for a decorator show house, Cindy made the extra effort to bring in pieces that referenced the environment of the show house (in this case, the Ocean House in Watch Hill, RI).

6. ACCESSORIZE!!!
Last but not least: accessorize, accessorize, accessorize! Much like the ceiling that is left white, too many projects are left unaccessorized. It's not uncommon to lose steam after spending so much time (and money) finding the perfect rug, furniture and fabrics for your room -- but don't! Accessories are the jewelry of a room. The power of a well placed throw, vase, book or chic tray is not to be underestimated.

The above vignette would be far less interesting without the urn, lantern, frames, art and mirror.

Still feeling greedy for more insider tips? Check out this fantastic interview on the Asmara website (where you will also find the most gorgeous rugs) and hear Cindy describe her process in creating the beautiful design of the Tower Suite at the Ocean House in Watch Hill, RI. (We encourage you to also check out our blog post on this project as well.)

Spring Cleaning

2011-03-20T15:36:00.011-04:00

It is officially Spring and in the spirit of "Spring Cleaning" we thought we would share with you some of our favorite baths. Perhaps these may inspire you to update a bath in your own home, after all, Spring is a time for new beginnings.

The gorgeous bath above is from Tommy Hilfiger's former home in Greenwich and it epitomizes the luxurious yet light and open bath that pretty much everyone loves.

This bath is from Cindy Rinfret's home, Laurel Hill. Cindy ends each day with a peaceful bubble bath so when she designed her home she made sure that this space was beautiful and calming. To achieve this look she used hand-painted paper from Gracie. The shelves next to the bath feature photos of loved ones and coral collected on travels. It's no wonder that this is one of Cindy's favorite places in her home.

This powder room is also from Cindy's home. Powder Rooms are such fun because these jewel box spaces offer the perfect opportunity to take risks.

We love the Greek Key detail on the sink that is again mirrored in the tape along the chair rail.

This bath is simple and preppy, and fittingly so as it's in the Ocean House in the exclusive blue blood vacation spot, Watch Hill, RI. Monogrammed towels don't just have to be initials, if you have a summer cottage with a cute name, put it on the towels. Design is truly in the details.

As we noted before, powder rooms offer a space to have fun and take risks. Cindy did just that with this Western Ranch's powder room.

Believe it or not, but the bath below belongs to the same owner. The house is different (located in Greenwich instead of Wyoming):

This is one of our ultimate favorite baths. It is feminine without being froufrou, and stylish without being trendy. Check out more photos of this bath in a gorgeous spread from the latest issue of Beautiful Kitchens & Baths.

What's Hot & What's Not: Cindy's Design Philosophy

2011-03-09T19:14:00.022-05:00

This past weekend Cindy gave a presentation to the Junior League of Greenwich on "What's Hot & What's Not" in interior design. Her talk was so well received that we thought we should share it with all of you here.

The main takeaway from the lecture was that homes are meant to be lived in and should be luxurious yet comfortable and reflect your personality and your family's lifestyle. The days of living and dining rooms that are only used for guests are over. As Cindy loves to say, "life is too short to put your jewelry in the vault -- wear it!" Here are some photos that Cindy showed in her presentation as examples of how her own home reflects her philosophy of comfortable luxury and the importance of making your home work for your lifestyle.

Cindy's dining room is intimate in scale and that's how she likes it. The space is perfect for dinners at home with her family.

Cindy loves to throw big dinner parties, and when she does (like the time she had over forty guests at her house for Thanksgiving) she clears out the furniture and makes a grand statement with a long table.

In addition to entertaining, Cindy loves the outdoors. Her "outdoor dining room," complete with a pizza oven, is picture-perfect for a baby shower.

A favorite place in Cindy's home is her outdoor living room. Some might think that Connecticut is not an ideal place for outdoor living but Cindy and her family have been known to linger by the fire in this "room" as they cuddle under blankets while holding hot drinks.

Many of you have seen Cindy's designs in gorgeous magazine spreads, or in her book, but have you ever wondered what these rooms looked like before Cindy blessed them with her magic touch? Cindy brought the JL ladies behind the scenes into some of her most fabulous projects and let's just say that there were lots of oohs and ahhs in the room. See for yourself:

Tommy Hilfiger and his wife Dee look fabulous in their ultra-luxe penthouse duplex in the iconic Plaza Hotel. But what this spread doesn't reveal is that this super chic apartment had to be totally gut-renovated before it could achieve the aura of timeless elegance. This photo of the same staircase shows just how much work went into creating it:

Here's another gorgeous spread:

Take a look at the same master bedroom during construction and before the addition of the glamorous headboard and chic bedding from Leotine Linens.

As you can see, the Plaza project for Tommy was a total renovation. Interior design doesn't always have be about gut renovation to achieve dramatic results. Accessories can result in a dramatic transformation, without the headache of painting or construction. The difference that some accessories can make is evident in a project that Cindy did for a Greenwich family that won Connecticut Cottages & Gardens' Innovation in Design Awards in 2010. The magazine had to shoot the home for their IDA issue but the client had not yet accessorized so we had to bring over items from Rinfret Home & Garden to get the client's dining room, below, photo shoot ready.

Here's the magazine-worthy result:

Well, we hope you enjoyed this little teaser on Cindy's presentation for the Junior League. It goes to show that you don't have to do a total gut renovation to achieve dramatic results. And when decorating, always remember that your home should make you feel comfortable so stay away from anything that doesn't suit your lifestyle because this is YOUR home. Now go decorate!

Palm Beach Fantasy

2011-02-18T16:32:00.033-05:00

Spring may be a ways off here in Greenwich but in Palm Beach it is all sunny skies and warm breezes. We could use some of that about now so this post takes its inspiration from the style of this society resort destination. Here are some goodies that are just the thing to brighten up your home and your body. Perfect for a Palm Beach abode but also a welcome splash of sun for us New England girls.

Of course we have to start off with Lily Pulitzer, as what could be more iconic of Palm Beach than a Lily tunic in electric lime and blue:

Obviously, any Palm Beach wardrobe would not be complete without a pair of Jack Rodgers:
And lest we forget, a Palm Beach ensemble must always include a chic straw bag. Kate Spade may be a New Yorker, but she definitely gets resort style with this coral and straw confection of a purse.

Now that we have you outfitted let's focus on the main task at hand, shopping for the perfect Palm Beach home decor. Of course seashells are in order. We LOVE this seashell mirror. What could make you feel more Palm Beach chic than gorgeous shells framing your sun-kissed face?

But why stop there with the shell decor? This console is befitting of the most marvelous mermaid.

For those who love shells but want a more minimalist take on this ocean treasure, this simple piece transforms the shell into a work of art:

Color is also in order. Throw pillows are the best for adding a fun punch of color to a room without the commitment of say, a tangerine sectional. At Rinfret Home & Garden we have an amazing batch of brand-new throw pillows. Here are some of our favorites for creating that chic but care-free Palm Beach ambiance.

Another fun way to add a pop of color without blowing your budget is with a candy-colored garden stool. We love this lemon bright stool that is sure to put a smile on your face.

Speaking of color, this unique lime green chair would be the perfect place to perch yourself with a fresh margarita. Yum.

Green's not your thing? Keep the mood light and fun and of course ultra-chic with this chair, inspired by another of the ocean's natural beauties, coral.

These stylish chairs just beg for fabulous cocktail party guests. At our fantasy Palm Beach soiree the guest list would include C.Z. Guest, Babe Paley and Truman Capote. Don't they just look like fun (Bill and Babe Paley with Truman Capote, below):

A Gift Guide for your Valentine

2011-02-02T15:14:00.013-05:00

This Winter has been a tough here in Connecticut so all the more reason to curl up inside with your Valentine and get cozy on the most romantic of holidays. What better way to show your love than with a gift for your beloved. We take the stress out of finding the perfect present....

Here are some great ideas so you don't have to show up empty handed on Monday, February 14th.

A picture tells a thousand words so frame you and the one you love than in a stylish red frame. This is just one of many options we have to display your beloved. Click here for more ideas.

There's no better way to ignite some romance than with some cocktail action by a chic bar. If you come home with this complete vignette you can expect a very happy Valentine.

Not up to making such a grand gesture? Check out this set below. Pair it with your amour's favorite libation and you've got yourself the perfect gift.

Red Croc Shaker paired with matching ice bucket? It's a perfect pair....

just like you and your Valentine.

We hope that we have inspired you with some gifts worthy of your true love. If you need more encouragement browse our online shop. We have a special section where you can shop for your gal or guy. Or, come into Rinfret Home & Garden at 354 Greenwich Avenue and let Jim or Hilary help you pick the perfect present. Happy Valentine's!

Eat, Drink and Be Merry!

2010-12-12T18:17:00.023-05:00

Earlier this month Rinfret Home & Garden hosted its first Private Holiday Shopping Event, which was a huge hit. The shop was packed the entire evening with shoppers enjoying cocktails and yummy hors d'oeuvres (our personal favorite were the crab cakes). There was also plenty of shopping to be had, with gorgeous Christmas decorations ranging from ornaments to Santas to Christmas trees embraced by furry teddy bears. As if that were not enough, everyone left with a goodie bag, featuring a very cool candle shaped like a pinecone.

Here are some photos from the evening...

The front window of the shop offers some serious eye candy. It's no wonder that Greenwich Green & Clean recognizes Rinfret Home & Garden for their incredible holiday decorations year after year and the Greenwich Chamber of Commerce awarded us FIRST PLACE in their Winterwonderland Contest this year (see the end of this post for details on that).

Rinfret staff help to spread the cheer with festive accessories. Monika Walker, intern at Rinfret Home & Garden, is the resident Elf, while Ricky Spears, Senior Designer at Rinfret, Ltd. plays Rudolph.

Red was the color of the evening, as Cindy Rinfret and her friend, Jackie Ekholm show.

Gift wrapping is a Rinfret Home & Garden specialty. Chelsea Garber, assistant to Cindy Rinfret, puts the finishing touches on a Christmas gift. We love the idea of using Christmas ornaments as part of your wrapping. There's nothing like getting a present that already has a gift on view before you even un-tie the ribbon!

Our signature Christmas trees with teddy bears were a big hit at the party. Another popular item were our Hermes accessories. Who wouldn't love a hand-painted tray with the iconic Hermes logo? Throw in an Hermes bucket and you are sure to be considered a Christmas angel. For more Christmas ideas go to www.rinfrethomeandgarden.com and shop online or head to the shop at 354 Greenwich Avenue.

This was our first holiday party at the shop (and we will definitely make this an annual event from now on) but Rinfret, Ltd. is no stranger to holiday parties. Our staff love to have a good time and we do just that at our Christmas parties. We are looking forward to our upcoming soiree at Cindy Rinfret's house (if ever there was an amazing spot for entertaining, this is it).

In the meantime, here's a look back at last year's Rinfret Christmas fete:

Cindy Rinfret and Ricky Spears are all laughs. Notice the tartan blanket on Cindy's lap. Cindy loves to use tartan for Christmas parties -- from tablecloths, to napkins to clothing, nothing says Christmas like a red tartan fabric.

All the guests at the party got a gag gift. Here's Kristen Farrington Dawson, Senior Designer, holding her engagement ring mug, in honor of her recent engagement. (She is now married.) Fred Flare and Urban Outfitters have lots of fun gag gifts that are sure to put a smile on anyone's face. Notice the deluxe fur throw to Kristen's right? You can get one too at Rinfret Home & Garden. These are so luxurious and cozy that everyone who works at Rinfret, Ltd. has one of their very own. Click here to get yours!

Desserts are key component of any party. These taste just as fantastic as they look. And note the tartan again, isn't it festive?

We hope that this post puts you in a festive mood.

Merry Christmas to you all!

***NEWS FLASH***

As we were posting this we received word that Rinfret Home & Garden had won first place in the Greenwich Chamber of Commerce's Winter Wonderland contest for most festive shop.

Check it out:

Nothing like a blue ribbon to make hanging hundreds of ornaments worth the effort!

Decorate for Thanksgiving!

2010-11-21T13:06:00.008-05:00

The shops on Greenwich Avenue, including Rinfret Home & Garden, may be decked out for Christmas but let's not forget about our more humble holiday, Thanksgiving, which is in just a few days. We love Thanksgiving and not just because it gives us a free pass to indulge in food for hours but it's also a great excuse to decorate. Check out Cindy Rinfret's decorations for her Thanksgiving dinner party last year. We'll show you how to achieve the same look at home.

Don't be afraid to move your furniture out of the way if you are having a large number of guests for the holiday. Having dinner in the living room really makes the occasion feel festive and special. Cindy brought long tables into her Great Room for a really dramatic effect:

Use urns and flowers to create gorgeous centerpieces. Branches and leaves add the perfect seasonal touch.

Candles are a must at any party. It's best not to have scented candles at the table, so as not to disrupt the aroma of the food, but use your entry to set out scented candles to immediately create an inviting atmosphere. Cindy's signature Greenwich Candle has a delicate scent that we love. Click here to buy it online or get it at Rinfret Home & Garden.

Scatter Fall leaves along the table to bring the outdoors in. You can find these at Michael's Arts & Crafts. Bring the leaf motive to the dinnerware with plates shaped as leaves.

Birds and animals make great decorations (and not just turkeys). Below Cindy used a pheasant for the table.

This Stag Punch Bowl is perfect for a Thanksgiving fete. Click here to get it at Rinfret Home & Garden.
Even with this gorgeous decor, food should still be the main attraction at any Thanksgiving dinner. Use the food to compliment the decor. These cookies are adorable and are just as pretty as they are delicious. Cindy's go-to caterer, Jon Cutler custom-made these cookies for her. You can also use "food" as pure decoration and bring in cranberries and acorns to fill vases. After all, the whole point of Thanksgiving is to give thanks for the harvest.

Make the most of your mantel for Thanksgiving with flowers and candles.

Cindy loves these glass hurricanes for the mantel or dining table and she uses them in all of her clients' homes. Click here to see a selection of glass cut hurricanes.
We hope that we have inspired you to decorate for Thanksgiving and not to wait until Christmas to accessorize. Best wishes to all our readers for a happy and healthy holiday (filled with lots of turkey, of course) and we'll see you out shopping this weekend!

2010 Home Of The Year!

2010-11-04T12:25:00.020-04:00

Mountaing Living Magazine's November/December issue honors Rinfret Ltd. with the '2010 Home Of The Year Award'. Cindy whom is best known for her Classic Greenwich style proves once again her eye for design has no limits. This masterpiece tucked in the mountains of Vail, Colorado is the perfect blend of rustic luxury and modern style. Together, Cindy and Vail based architect Kyle Webb of K.H. Webb Architects transformed an original 1962 house into your not so typical mountain home. The 10,000sqft, seven-bedroom, nine-bathroom slopeside retreat is a new stepping stone in history. Discover the secrets behind the design, challenges faced and tricks of the trade.

As Published in Mountain Living

2010-09-13T12:34:00.007-04:00

Rinfret is recognized as one of the Top Mountain Interior Designers of 2010. The editors of Mountain Living selected the most talented Architects & Interior Designers at work in the West today. Even when she steps outside of her Classic Greenwich Style, Cindy proves she can do it all!

Rinfret is "On Point"

2010-09-10T12:03:00.010-04:00

Featured in the September 2010 issue of Connecticut Cottages & Gardens is a Norwalk waterfront jewel designed by Rinfret and her team. Cindy transformed a post modern space into a timeless traditional home inspired by the natural surroundings. Take a peek inside (and out) of another Rinfret masterpiece!

Click to enlarge each page, or stop by Rinfret Home & Garden to pick up your own copy!

Autumn Is Here At Rinfret Home & Garden

2010-08-26T13:25:00.014-04:00

As summer comes to an end, everything is falling into place. Come stop by and see what is in store for autumn!

Summer Sale Ends Soon!

2010-08-03T10:46:00.005-04:00

The Rinfret Home & Garden Summer Sale will be ending August 14th, stop by now for your last chance to save 20% store wide (books & candles not included) and up to 50% on select items!

Innovation In Design Awards 2010

2010-07-27T11:53:00.008-04:00

The results are in! Connecticut Cottages & Garden Annual Innovation in Design Awards for 2010 are featured in the July/August issue. The areas most talented designers competed for a spot in Landscape, Kitchen, Interior Design, Bath and Architecture. See for yourself why Cindy placed second within her category.

Click to enlarge each image, and/or pick up a copy to see all the winners!

As Seen in 'Harpers Bazaar'

2010-07-22T11:48:00.004-04:00

Don't miss Cindy's work as featured in the August 2010 issue of Harpers Bazaar, a lifestyle piece on Tommy and Dee Hilfiger at their new apartment in Manhattan's historic Plaza Hotel.

Check it out here: A Fashionable Life: The Hilfigers

2010 Greenwich Sidewalk Sale

2010-07-13T11:31:00.003-04:00

Its that time of the year again! Come join us on the Avenue for Greenwich's annual sidewalk sale July 15th to 17th from 9am to 5pm. Score great summer savings that will keep you smiling all year long.

Summer Sale Heating Up!

2010-07-07T11:18:00.005-04:00

Stop by for Rinfret's Annual Summer Sale.

20% off most items in the store.

New Summer hours:
Monday-Friday 10am to 6pm
Saturday 10am to 5pm
Closed Sundays

The Tower Suite at the Ocean House

2010-06-08T15:09:00.047-04:00

If you have not already heard about the Ocean House in Watch Hill, RI then you need to pay attention, as you definitely want to know about this place (trust us).

The Ocean House opened in 1868 and was THE place to spend the summer, especially during the Gilded Age. In 2004 the resort closed in neglect and need of repair. This June the Ocean House opened after a $140 million rebuild and restoration. The 152,660-square-foot property features 49 guestrooms and 23 private residences, farm-to-table cuisine, the 12,000-square-foot OH! Spa and more than 10,000 square feet of event space -- not to mention incredible panoramic views of Long Island, a pristine beach and all the luxuries that any modern resort could claim.

This past Fall Cindy Rinfret was asked to design the Tower Suite of the Ocean House for the resort's Decorator Show House Benefit, "Show Your Cause" which has 100% of proceeds donated to 27 different charities. The Tower Suite is the defining architectural element of the Ocean House and offers the most extraordinary views of Montauk, Block Island, Fisher's Island and Stonington, CT.

The Designer Show House Benefit runs through June 22nd and more information on it and the Ocean House can be found at http://www.oceanhouseri.com/

Here are photos to show you Cindy's journey designing this very special space:This model was our first introduction to the Ocean House (the Tower Suite is the tallest point, right above the sign for the Ocean House). Jeff Riley of Centerbrook Architects did an amazing job of restoring this landmark building with thoughtful touches that add luxury and interest.
The Tower Suite layout is true to its name, with a very vertical orientation, consisting of three floors plus a Widow's Walk.Cindy was immediately inspired by the views of the Tower Suite and chose a scheme of blues and creams, which she carried through all three floors so as to bring continuity to the suite and to better compliment, rather than fight, the impressive architecture of this space.

Before this scheme could come to be the construction had to be completed -- here are some behind the scenes looks at the construction from months in advance to hours before the Show House opening...but everything was finished beautifully (and in time) thanks to hard work from everyone involved in the project.
The Tower Suite living room this past Winter.

Here is the living room again, in April.

And now for the photo we've all been waiting for....the Living Room installed for the opening of the Designer Show House on June 7th:Don't worry, we'll show you more photos of the Tower Suite....here are some more, and if you can get to Watch Hill this month you can see the suite for yourself at the Show House....and if you really love it, the Tower Suite could be yours to own, complete with these interiors designed by Cindy.

The window seat offers a prime spot for a bird's eye view of croquet.

If you prefer surfing to croquet, just sit on the window seat on the other side of the mantel.

The Master Suite on the first level is a calming retreat.

An inviting bath awaits in the master bath....just be warned that the bubbles are glass (a trick of the trade for show houses or photo shoots).

A table set for a seafood feast, complete with a faux ivory lobster, sea shells and oyster platters to create the perfect mood.

This Asmara rug's rope-inspired design literally ties this dining area together.
On the upper level one is greeted by a charming day bed, perfect for enjoying with a cocktail.

A couple cocktails might be necessary to get the courage up to brave the steps to the Widow's Walk, where the most remarkable views await.

The views from the Widow's Walk:

The interior views are also pretty fantastic from this vantage point:

And finally, a look at the exterior of the Ocean House as we waved goodbye (for now)...

A look back at the creation of the Premiere Issue of New England Home's Connecticut

2010-04-06T16:58:00.015-04:00

We have an advance copy of the Premiere Issue of New England Home's Connecticut, with a fabulous cover story on a project that Cindy Rinfret did for a Greenwich family. This cover and the gorgeous spread in the magazine made us nostalgic for the photo shoot that made this feature story possible. Come back in time with us to Summer 2009 for the behind the scenes look at how we styled these rooms for this incredible result (which I originally wrote about in June 2009).

For this photo shoot, we brought in the incredible photographer, Michael Partenio and his assistant David, along with stylist extraordinaire, Stacy Kunstel, to photograph this gorgeous home, which Cindy Rinfret had recently completed but which had yet to be finished off with accessories.

Check out these behind the scenes pics to see how we transformed these rooms into sumptuous spaces brimming with interest and color.

Every photo shoot needs lots and lots of flowers. (Think about it, how many photos of beautiful rooms in magazines have you seen that do not have flowers?)

It took five fully packed SUVs to bring over accessories from Rinfret Home & Garden. We took over the kitchen and used it as our staging ground. Whole Foods also turned out to be a great resource for food to brighten up the breakfast room (and also fuel us through the day). We just may have nibbled on some of those muffins that are on the cover of the magazine...

Here is the picture perfect result, as seen in the pages of New England Home's Connecticut.

As you can see from the scouting shot below, the entry needed some serious accessories to focus the space.

Voila -- below is the perfect entry photo, as seen in the pages of New England Home's Connecticut.

The dining room was another space that desperately needed some TLC!

We decorate the table with flowers and place settings. The lights are turned off to avoid any bright spots. What you see with your eye is always different than what the camera sees so we position the "center" arrangement off-center so that it looks better in the shot. Everyone checks out the various shots in Michael's laptop.

After a lot of fussing we get the perfect shot, which looks beautiful in the magazine spread.

Thank you to everyone at New England Home's Connecticut for making this project come to life in the magazine!

Who designed the head table at the New York Botanical Garden's Orchid Dinner?

2010-02-23T10:46:00.000-05:00

Cindy Rinfret and her good friend, Priscilla Schaefer of Glorimundi Floral, designed the head table for the New York Botanical Garden's Orchid Dinner at The Mandarin Oriental on February 9th.

The theme of this elegant dinner was Cuba in Flowers, but the table designers were encouraged to do whatever their creative hearts desired to make their tables sing. Cindy and Priscilla were in the good company of other notable designers, including David Easton, Tiffany & Co., and Stephen Elrod for Lee Jofa.

The head table, which Cindy and Priscilla had the honor of decorating, was the talk of the event.

You can see why, with place settings like this!

Yes, those placemats are made from PEACOCK feathers!

For more photos of the tables and all the glamorous people (including Cindy, who was wearing a deep blue shimmery dress, which all us Rinfret ladies are lining up to borrow) check out these links:

http://www.keithlew.com/gallery/11200015_Z435U/1/785971126_E9HEG?c=1#785971126_E9HEG-A-LB

http://manhattan.smugmug.com/2010-Most-Recent-Event/The-New-York-Botanical-Gardens/11206602_xhZh8/3#786060328_YysLq

http://www.newyorksocialdiary.com/node/1781723

Local Love

2010-01-26T11:05:00.000-05:00

Cindy Rinfret is definitely a Greenwich girl at heart (in case you couldn't tell by the title of her book, Classic Greenwich Style) and this past week has made all of us at Rinfret, Ltd. love Greenwich even more.

Cindy and her Rinfret Home & Garden team went to the Byram Library last week for the 17th Annual Greenwich Green & Clean Beautification Awards. Deborah Higgins, their vivacious treasurer, is a loyal customer at Rinfret Home & Garden and she has always complimented us on our holiday decorations and our festive flowerbed on Greenwich Avenue (we have McArdle's to thank for making that green patch so beautiful). Even so, we were happily surprised to learn that Rinfret Home & Garden had won the Albert E. Betteridge Beautification Award for Sterling Service.
The Betteridge Award is so meaningful to us, as it is in memory of Albert E. Betteridge, who, as his grandson told us, was dedicated to keeping Greenwich clean and beautiful -- to the point of embarrassing his grandchildren by walking down Greenwich Avenue picking up trash in his hands as he went! Greenwich Avenue is one of the most beautiful shopping destinations in this country and the well-tended flower patches and hanging flower baskets help to make it so. Greenwich Green & Clean works to make all of this possible.

Rinfret Home & Garden was awarded with a stunning silver bowl from Betteridge (currently being inscribed with our name). Wish I had thought to take a photo of it at the time because it really is quite chic -- although we do admit to being just a tad bit jealous of the champagne bucket. We also received a gorgeous book called Gates of Greenwich, which showcases all of the remarkable gates, fences, and ancient stone walls that make Greenwich so uniquely beautiful and enchanting. Soon the shop will sell this delightful book, with all proceeds going to Greenwich Green & Clean.

Here's a sneak peek of the book:
If you recognize the stone wall on the left, you are a true Greenwich local!

In addition to the Greenwich Green & Clean Beautification Award, Cindy Rinfret also got some pretty great praise from Greenwich Time last week. Here is a copy of the article, which was on the front page of the Business Section:

Thanks for all the support, Greenwich -- we love you too!

Happy New Year! Happy Sale Shopping!

2010-01-05T15:06:00.001-05:00

Here at Rinfret, Ltd. we all have high hopes for 2010 -- lots of exciting projects that we can't wait to share with you as they unfold. More immediately though, we have some retail therapy to send your way. Rinfret Home & Garden is having a massive sale with almost everything discounted 25% percent!

After months of shopping for others it's time to spoil yourself (and without guilt since the prices are as low as they get). Check out the goods:

We LOVE this chic bar with game table. Doesn't this piece just conjure up images of cozy nights at home with friends tucked away from the bitter cold?

There are so many goodies on this bar that I just had to peek in to show you. What could be a more perfect Valentine's Day gift than this red croc barware set? Pair it with The Bubbly Cocktails book and Greek Key tumblers and we'll bet you'll be luckier in love than Cupid himself.

Gorgeous lamps, stunning art, splashes of red and Cindy's absolute favorite hand-painted urns (they are in her own living room) create an elegant yet warm vignette. Have I mentioned yet that all this stuff is on sale?
There is so much to love here. Ultra chic mirrored and gilt tray, stylish throw pillows, and grand pillar holders that look as if they could have been found in a European market.

It's just the beginning of Winter and it looks to be a cold one, so why not liven up the landscape with some popping green urns and a little Hollywood glam, care of Joan Crawford.

As with most good things, this sale won't last forever. So come in and visit us, get your design fix, and find the perfect excuse to treat yourself.

Holiday Entertaining & Decorating

2009-12-01T11:50:00.000-05:00

Cindy Rinfret is a master at throwing together a holiday party. When she mentioned in passing last week that she was hosting over forty people for Thanksgiving at her home we thought she had lost her mind. But then we remembered who we were talking to and that Cindy can pull off the most magnificent affair without so much as breaking a sweat. After all, last year she hosted a midnight "open house" for Christmas Eve.

So when we saw the party photos we were not surprised to see that she had pulled it off again. Check it out:Cindy in her element.

Cindy put together a gorgeous autumnal flower arrangement in her front entry -- a beautiful welcome to guests.

A turkey, fall leaves, candles and flowers in warm colors create a gorgeous Thanksgiving ambiance.

Believe it or not, but this green leaf plate was purchased from Walmart for $2.00!! It's all about the mix of high and low!

More Thanksgiving birds for the table!

Whimsical custom cookies are great for any holiday party. For really special cookies check out Sweet Lisa's in Cos Cob, Galaxy Cookies in Norwalk and Aux Delices in Greenwich/Riverside.

The large living room at Cindy's house, Laurel Hill, was cleared of all furniture to make room for the long tables.

Even though this event was for Thanksgiving, many of the same concepts can be translated to a Christmas holiday party. Here are some great items we currently have in stock at Rinfret Home & Garden that should inspire you to decorate for your next holiday fete...

Silver ornaments are the chicest look for a Christmas tree. Pair them with our silver pine cones and you'll have yourself a Winter Wonderland.

An adorable bear butler is sure to start conversations at your party and mini Santa's and Christmas-scented candles create the perfect holiday mood.

Elegant reindeer and cheery wreathes are festive additions to any home...and we can't resist these red velvet throw pillows and faux fur throw to cozy up the party.

Here's a closeup of the wreath. We love the red cardinals, which clip off so you can put them in unexpected places. Sure to amuse guests.

Now get off your computer and go decorate for your next party!

Inspiration in India

2009-11-23T11:52:00.001-05:00

The Rinfret blog has been on hiatus as we have been so busy here with lots of fabulous project installations (we promise to show you photos in an upcoming blog) and work, work, work -- but our real excuse is that we have been holding out for Cindy Rinfret to return from her trip to India, as we knew no other blog post could compare to whatever adventures Cindy had in India.

The colors, sights and sounds of India are stimulating, exhausting, but most of all inspiring. As they say, a picture tells 1,000 words, so we'll leave it to the images to tell the story...

Cindy and her group from Private Journeys in front of the iconic Taj Mahal.

Striking poses at the Taj Mahal is a requisite for any trip to India!

Cindy speaking with the Dalai Lama (well, maybe not THE Dalai Lama, but his right hand man).

Adorable and curious schoolchildren.Amazing architecture.

Some of the gorgeous rooms that Cindy and her travel companions from Private Journeys enjoyed:

This is a TENT! India definitely knows how to "rough it" in style.

Incredible design inspiration abounds in India...

More breathtaking interiors in the Taj Mahal.

Even the animals in India are decorated!

Cindy brought a piece of India back with her with beautiful pashminas, boxes, accessories -- some of which we have for sale at Rinfret Home & Garden.

Cindy Rinfret is on to her next project...!

2009-10-02T12:21:00.000-04:00

Cindy Rinfret has her eyes on her next project -- and it's a big one -- a new home for her herself and her family!

Laurel Hill, the beautiful home that Cindy had built with the architect Jack Arnold (see his blog on her house at http://www.jackarnoldblog.com/) is now officially on the market. The house has been featured in numerous publications and will soon have a spread in Traditional Home.

Here is a shot of the exterior of Laurel Hill:

As much as Cindy loves Laurel Hill, she has been there four years and has a new project in mind. And with the children on their way to college soon it is the right time to move.

So where will Cindy go next? As we all know, Cindy is a total Greenwich Girl and has her eye on a few special houses in town. Maybe something on the water as she has always dreamed of having a waterfront home (who hasn't!?).

We can't wait to see where she goes next and more importantly, how she will transform it!

Andrew Martin Interior Design Review and our New Website!

2009-09-25T10:37:00.000-04:00

This has been a very exciting week at Rinfret, Ltd.

To start, Cindy Rinfret made the elite list of the World's Leading Interior Designers in Andrew Martin's Interior Design Review, Volume 13. The New York Times heralds the Interior Design Review as the "Oscars of the interior design world."

One of only a handful of American designers to make the cut, Cindy is featured in the book with a gorgeous spread and fun, insider info on her favorite things in life. See photos of this impressive, coffee table worthy book:

Here is the "bible" to the interior design world.

Gorgeous Spread!

Come to the shop and check out the book to see the fab photos AND to learn things you never knew about Cindy -- like what is the worst and best advice she has ever been given, what is the secret to life, her favorite scent and most memorable meal...

Soon Rinfret Home & Garden will have copies to sell, but only in limited supply!

Last but not least, the other exciting news of the week is our newly re-designed website. Check it out at www.rinfretltd.com and be sure to let us know what you think.

We hope everyone enjoys the first Fall Weekend!

New Fall Shipment - Come Visit Us!

2009-09-08T11:42:00.000-04:00

Rinfret Home & Garden is ready for Fall! The shop is stocked with the most luxurious, comfortably cozy furniture pieces and beautiful accessories. Even though we are still in the mourning stage for summer, a step into the shop cheers us as Fall is without a doubt the best season for fashion, and that extends to home interiors. What could be more fabulous than a fur throw, burgundy velvet pillow, faux autumn leaves and the sweet scent of warm candles? Definitely beats the summer slipcover! Here is a sneak peak, but we highly recommend that you come and see for yourself before all these goodies are taken...

Navy blue and white is a perennial favorite (just ask Carolyn Roehm) but is extra sharp and stylish for Fall.

We love these pieces and just can't decide what is better -- the print or the mirrored frame.

Deep reds evoke the autumn season and the changing of the leaves. These urns look especially striking against this botanical.

Playing chess by the fire is so quintessentially Fall and this ottoman with built in game board is the most stylish way to play. Add a few of these aubergine throw pillows and we bet that you will really step up your game.

This black and white scheme is so chic, it rivals the classic LBD.

We love this lamp shade with the kelly green lining. It's such an unexpected and delightful surprise. Another Fall must-have are the tortoise shell vases -- they are so distinguished and versatile.

Candles are wonderful in any season but they are especially appropriate in the chillier months. Try the Greenwich by Cindy Rinfret candle for a classic, clean scent.

It is easy to "Fall" in Love with Decorating with so many wonderful pieces. Come visit us and shop your heart out!

Cowtan & Tout's Fall Collection

2009-09-02T11:58:00.000-04:00

One of the perks of interior design is that every week or so we are graced by sales reps from various fabric houses who show us their new collections and often times spoil us with sweets and pastries. It's like a mini fashion week but with textiles and no paparazzi.

Marianne from Cowtan & Tout is one of our ultimate favorite reps -- her job is relatively easy as Cowtan's fabrics are always gorgeous, but we especially like her because she has a fabulous collection of vintage purses and she spoils us with chocolate goodies, plus she is just really sweet herself.

Today Marianne showed us the new collection for Cowtan & Tout and Cindy and the whole office loved it so that it was deemed worthy of a blog.

Here is a sneak peek of the beautiful new collection:
We love this linen with the embroidered flower on it. It would look beautiful against a soft green wall with some of these complimentary fabrics.

These blues are so peaceful and serene. The shells are our favorite.

Here is the shell fabric in a different colorway. Cindy saw it and grabbed a recent photo of a beachy vignette at the shop filled with beautiful corals. The fabric works perfectly with this scheme!

Marianne's adorable bag just happens to look so lovely with this absolutely stunning embroidered fabric. The fun part of seeing these new collections is that they inspire us to design and find other pieces that could work together...even if it is a hand bag!

Cindy picked out some wonderful J.D. Staron rugs and paired them with some of the fabrics. See the results:

We hope that these fabrics inspire you too!

Inspiration in the South of France

2009-07-27T11:07:00.000-04:00

The South of France inspired the Impressionist pleine air paintings of Cezanne, Monet and Van Gogh and its beautiful landscape and colors made an equally strong impression on Cindy Rinfret. After a vacation in the South of France, Cindy has come back re-energized and inspired. After looking at her photos we can see why!

Here are photos from Cindy's trip.
The blue sky, old world stone work, bright umbrellas and lush greenery -- what an introduction the market!We love how these flowers are displayed in sweet little compartments with handwritten names. Much prettier than the corner store deli display here in the States!

This view speaks for itself. No caption necessary here!This is the view from the private home where Cindy and her friends stayed. The big decisions here were, what to eat, where to layout, and when to take a walk to the market.

Even on vacation Cindy is always thinking about designing and collecting favorite pieces along the way. On her return back from France, Cindy arrived in the office with an armload of clippings from European magazines (the British House & Garden is especially fantastic) and snapshots of items that she loved. Here are some of our favorites:

This charming four poster bed has lovely details...
This desk is absolutely precious:
Cindy fell in love with this fantastic upholstered bench:

That's our little sneak peak of Cindy's wonderful vacation. You can't ask for anything better than relaxation and inspiration, and lucky for Cindy, both are easily found in the South of France!

Accessorizing with Flowers!

2009-07-17T10:32:00.000-04:00

One of the best tricks of interior design is how to use flowers in a room, and Cindy Rinfret has a lot of tricks up her sleeve! Here are some of Cindy's best flower tips:

Cut flowers immediately make a room look more inviting and expensive. Of course, stocking cut flowers continuously can quickly become expensive so in the spirit of economic responsibility, here are some tips to make this luxury more affordable. In these summer months, cut some flowers from your own garden. Hydrangea are especially lovely, and at last month's photo shoot Cindy cut some gorgeous dog woods from the yard to create a dramatic scene on the living room mantel.

One of the most architecturally beautiful flowers is the orchid, and although this flower is by no means cheap it can lost a long time. Cindy often gives orchids as gifts for this very reason -- they are easy to care for and can last for months.

Arrangements need not be enormous to have a great impact. Nothing is more classically elegant than a handful of roses in a mint julep glass, especially when paired with a larger arrangement, as seen above.

Cindy loves flowers but finds it so sad when they inevitably die. To keep the look without having to constantly throw out dead flowers, Cindy stocks her house with beautiful faux flower arrangements, which she gets through Rinfret Home & Garden. All of the flowers in the following photos are faux and are available through Rinfret Home & Garden:

In addition to the above faux flowers which are available at the shop, we also have these fabulous faux arrangements, which are ON SALE now!

These are just a small selection of the arrangements that we have in the shop now.

As a lasting thought, let us remind you that flower arrangements can benefit from some unexpected ideas. Take these flowers, which Cindy accented with peacock feathers:

We hope we have inspired you to add some flowers to your favorite space!

The good thing about rain is gardens...

2009-06-30T15:09:00.001-04:00

Here in Greenwich we are definitely fed up with our endless rain. However, with the bad rep that rain has been receiving, I thought we should take this opportunity to appreciate the lush greenery that it helps to flourish.

Cindy Rinfret is an avid gardener and florist and her own gardens are absolutely gorgeous this time of year. Here are some of our favorite photos that show this wonderful outdoor space.

Visitors to Cindy's home, Laurel Hill, are greeted by a wonderfully long driveway surrounded by trees that circles up a hill to reach the house.

Garden ornaments add to the interest of this lush garden.

Laurel Hill has many interesting views in which to see the garden. This shot is taken from the hallway connecting the main house to the intimate indoor dining room. From this hall, one can view the beautiful garden and outdoor room on one side with the outdoor dining room and pizza oven on the other.

As you can see from these photos, a lot of these outdoor spaces are integrated into areas of the house. Obviously, interiors are important to Cindy but the exterior of the house is also critical to the overall design.

In this outdoor room Cindy blurs the line between indoor and outdoor.

After this beautiful fourth of July weekend hopefully the rain is behind us and we can enjoy the greenery without umbrellas and galoshes!

New Summer Accessories at Rinfret Home & Garden -- and a sale!!

2009-06-23T13:27:00.000-04:00

Summer is finally here (we are just waiting for the weather to catch up with the calendar). At Rinfret Home & Garden we have some new, fabulous summer accessories. To make these items even sweeter they are now on sale! Isn't summer great?

Here are some of Cindy's favorites:Cindy fell in love with this pillow as soon as she saw it. You really have to feel it to get the full effect -- the lovely bamboo design is raised and just feels magnificent. So plush and luxurious! Of course we all have expensive taste here so it's no surprise that this is one of the shop's pricier pillows but with the sale, the price drops from $525 to $420 -- more than $100 off aint bad!

This pillow looks great with another summer fave, a pillow with tiny shells along the edge. I think I smell an ocean breeze...
You would be hard pressed to find anyone at Rinfret, Ltd. who is not a fan of seashells or cocktails, especially in summer, and together!

If you bring this cocktail set to a friend's weekend beach house we can pretty much guarantee that you will be invited back again!

After seeing these pillows, we can't imagine that any beach house would be complete without them:

We love garden stools anytime of year but they are especially fitting in the summer. It's always fun to have these traditional pieces in unusual colors for a bit of added interest. Gold and blue are our current favorites.

The price can't be beat at $200 (down from $295).
As if all this great stuff were not enough, we also got a wonderful selection of candles in. The Voluspa candles are especially popular with the Rinfret designers. The white candle is very possibly the most delicious scent we have ever smelled. Another perfect gift...or indulgence!

This is just a taste of all the good stuff we have now. Come visit us and shop -- after all, this sale, like summer, will be gone before you know it!

Behind the Scenes of a Photo Shoot

2009-06-16T11:09:00.002-04:00

Last week we brought in the incredible photographer, Michael Partenio and his assistant David, along with stylist extraordinaire, Stacy Kunstel of Traditional Home, to photograph a gorgeous house in Greenwich. Cindy Rinfret recently completed this project so it had yet to be finished off with accessories.

Check out these behind the scenes pics to see how we transformed these rooms into sumptuous spaces brimming with interest and color.

Every photo shoot needs lots and lots of flowers. (Think about it, how many photos of beautiful rooms in magazines have you seen that do not have flowers?)
It took five fully packed SUVs to bring over accessories from Rinfret Home & Garden. We took over the kitchen and used it as our staging ground. Whole Foods also turned out to be a great resource for food to brighten up the breakfast room (and also fuel us through the day).
As you can see from the above scouting shot, the entry needed some serious accessories to focus the space.Look at the difference that some accessories and flowers will make!When we saw the living room we knew it would pose a challenge for us as it was especially in need of accessories. The high ceiling left a huge bare space over the mantel.
Cindy uses her green thumb to arrange blooming dogwoods that we found in the yard. They are arranged so that they gracefully frame a mirror that Cindy hand-picked from Rinfret Home & Garden.
The mirror from Rinfret Home & Garden above the mantel looks so fantastic that we left it at the client's house for her to keep!
The dining room was another space that desperately needed some TLC!We decorate the table with flowers and place settings. The lights are turned off to avoid any bright spots. What you see with your eye is always different than what the camera sees so we position the "center" arrangement off-center so that it looks better in the shot. Everyone checks out the various shots in Michael's laptop.After a lot of fussing we get the perfect shot!

Party Pics!

2009-06-09T12:59:00.000-04:00

Here at Rinfret, Ltd. we love to have fun so when the weather warms up we think of excuses to throw parties. Cindy Rinfret has the perfect spot for outdoor events. Here are photos of some past summer parties at Cindy's home that were especially gorgeous:

This photo was taken at a dinner party with a "Tuscan" theme. The pizza oven definitely helped to create the European ambiance.
Cindy loves to mix the "high" and "low" -- a muslin table cloth adds some character to high end linen napkins and stemware.
Here's another great closeup. When the weather is warm, there is nothing better than having a great feast outdoors with friends!

Last year one of our designers had an adorable baby girl so of course we had to throw her a pretty pink shower. Again, the summer weather lent itself to an outdoor celebration at Cindy's house. Here are some of our favorite photos from that beautiful day:
This pink and green color scheme evokes thoughts of baby girls without being overly cutesy.

We all ooohed at the beautiful place settings that Cindy put together.These cupcakes from Sweet Lisa in Cos Cob are not only delicious to eat but delicious to look at as well. They are decorated with cute little baby bottles and baby booties. Adorable!

Another perfect day which made for a perfect party!

Welcome to Rinfret Ltd.'s blog

2009-06-03T11:38:00.000-04:00

Welcome to the new blog for Rinfret, Ltd!

Here you will find Cindy Rinfret's best finds from her antique shopping, as well as fun pics from parties and beautiful photos of our latest projects, and of course, decorating tips from Cindy herself.

We'll also keep you up to date on upcoming sales and events at our shop, Rinfret Home & Garden (our recent Annual Warehouse Sale was a huge success) and much more!

To get the blog started we thought it would be fitting to start with Cindy's own home, Laurel Hill, which really expresses her design sense. Enjoy!

The above photo is from Cindy's living room which was decked out for the Greenwich Historical Society's 2007 Antiquarius Holiday House Tour. Cindy's house was the highlight of the show, which brought a record number of visitors to the tour. Freshly baked cookies helped to keep the crowds happy!For her master bedroom, Cindy found a stunning piece while shopping in the markets in Thailand that she had shipped back to Greenwich to make into the headboard for her bed. The piece fit perfectly and adds a unique flair to this calming space.

Here is the library at Laurel Hill. The map is of London, which is one of Cindy's favorite cities and a favorite place for shopping. This map is also available to purchase at Rinfret Home & Garden.

Above is Cindy's bath which is her favorite retreat in the house. It offers her a quiet place to end the day and unwind. The hand-painted paper surrounding the bath is from Gracie and adds to the serenity of the space.

Well that's it for now. We hope you enjoyed this little "tour" of Cindy's house. Stay tuned for more to come!