Holiday Entertaining & Decorating

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

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...!

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!

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!

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

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

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!