Autumn Entertaining

Autumn is a great time to enterain, especially in Connecticut, where the fall foliage offers up the most naturally stunning decor. As the nights get crisper, there is something enchanting about hosting a dinner party in the warmth of the home with the fire blazing and great food, drink and friends. 

Whether you want to host an intimate dinner, or are looking for inspiration for a big Thanksgiving feast, we think these photos from a recent soiree at Cindy Rinfret's house will inspire you. 

Flowers never go out of style but for fall we love to showcase the vibrant colors of the changing leaves. Bring this beauty inside with an arrangement of colorful branches.

A fall feast is as much about the table decor as the food (at least for us). Cindy pulls out all the stops for her autumn dinner parties - peacock feathered placemats, gourds and pumpkins and leaves, even stuffed birds!

For more fall party inspiration check out our post on Thanksgiving entertaining by clicking here.

Enjoy this gorgeous season with your friends and family!

Rinfret wins the A-List Award!

 

The A-List Awards has become the BIG event for the Connecticut interior design community. The awards were held on September 13th at the Stamford Palace (as last year's venue, The Wesport Playhouse, could not accommodate the 600 attendees this year) and it felt like the biggest party of the season. Our fabulous emcee, the esteemed interior designer Eric Cohler, said it was like the Oscars of interior design. We think that Billy Crystal better watch his back as Mr. Cohler knew how to keep this awards show super entertaining!

The awards were especially exciting for Team Rinfret as we were nominated for the Best Living Space category, which is kind of like the Best Picture category - it's a big one. So we were beyond belief THRILLED to hear celebrity designer, Thom Filicia announce our win and call Cindy Rinfret up to the stage. (By the way, Thom Filicia was absolutely hysterical! In fact, I want to be BFF's with Thom Filicia, Eric Cohler and Alexa Hampton, they just exuded fun up there.)

 Here is Cindy talking about her award-winning project. This living space is a show-stopper down to the smallest details, like hand-stiched felt paneling from Holland & Sherry along the window treatments. This project was also featured on the cover of the April 2012 issue of Luxe Interiors + Design Magazine and you can see more photos of that spread here. Below is one of our favorite images of the space:

We love what Alexa Hampton had to say about this room, she says the space "has a mix of functions and a calming color scheme that would appeal to any age or gender." Thank you Alexa, we can't help but agree!

Eric Cohler and Thom Filicia should seriously star in a comedy show together. The two were a riot and had the audience on their toes when they announced that they were the winners of the Living Spaces category. But once the joking was done, Thom revealed that Rinfret won - what a rush to see the company name up on the big screen!

In addition to our win, we were thrilled that Hilton-Vanderhorn Architects won the category for Traditional Architecture greater than 7,000 square feet. Rinfret, Ltd. worked with Hilton-Vanderhorn on this incredible Greenwich, CT home and it was wonderful to see the hard work paid off. To check out this project as featured in New England Home Magazine, click here.

The A-Lists definitely felt like a star-studded event (and with judges like Thom Filicia, Alexa Hampton and Victoria Hagan, they were). Above are Rinfret's own stars: Taylor Lagerloef, Jim Farthing and Beatriz Beatriz Santiz posing in front of the photo screen.

We exited the awards high off our win and got to keep that exhiliration going with a sugar high thanks to this tower of cupcakes. Here I am, Elizabeth Ethirdge McGann, enjoying the bounty of icing.

 Here's a closeup of the coveted A-List award that Cindy proudly held at the after-party. (Side note: How great does Cindy's hair look? Big shout out to the pro's at Christopher Noland Salon for her fab look.)

Our winning project will be featured (along with the winners of all sixteen categories) in the November issue of athome. We can't wait to see it! In the meantime though, you can pick up the current issue of athome for a fun interview with Cindy Rinfret on her favorite indulgences and first job. 

Thank you to athome, especially to Amy Vischio, editorial and creative director of athome and the brainchild of the A-List Awards, as well as everyone at Moffly Media for such a fabulous event. Last but not least, thank you to the incredibly talented panel of judges! We are honored!

Celebrating the 8th Anniversary of CTC&G at Cindy's home

Last night Cindy Rinfret was honored to host the CTC&G (that's Connecticut Cottages & Gardens magazine, for those of you who have been living in a cave the past eight years) anniversary party at her home. Cindy and CTC&G have a long history as she was profiled in their very first issue eight years ago. Since then Cindy has designed her dream  home, Laurel Hill, where this party (and many, many others) have taken place and published her first book, Classic Greenwich Style (Rizzoli) with a second book due in 2013. CTC&G has become one of the most well respected design magazines in the area.

The party was epic, just check out the photos to see for yourself...

 

Upon entering Cindy's house, guests were greeted by friendly faces and champagne. What's better than that?

 The clouds parted so that the party could enjoy the lush grounds at Laurel Hill.

The lovely ladies of Diane James (twin sisters with their mother, Diane James, and friend) are always a delight. If you haven't seen their amazing faux flower creations that look like the real thing you need to do that right now.

Speaking of flowers, this party had gorgeous (real) arrangements, thanks to the master designers at Winston Flowers.

 

The party was sponsored by Nicolas Feuillatte and a huge hit at the bar were these adorable mini champagne bottles. Our personal fave was the rose champagne. Perfect for extending that summer feeling.

 

In addition to the champagne selections, guests were treated to a gin & tonic station, and for the more adventurous, to blueberry vodka cocktails, which were enjoyed by Rinfret ladies, Chelsea Garber, Taylor Lagerloef and Margi Vorder Bruegge. It wasn't just the booze that had us smiling, the food was absolutely delicious, thanks to the pro's at Marcia Selden Catering.

 

 

Cindy along with Marianne Howatson (CEO of CTC&G, above left) and DJ Carey (Editor of CTC&G, above right) toasted to the success of CTC&G. And reflected that Cindy had told the magazine in their inaugural issue that her most creative time was cocktail hour. Cheers to that!

 

Notable guests at the party included Amy Macmillan-Tambini (top left) who has been with CTC&G since the very beginning eight years ago. The most loud-spoken guest was Cindy's pet parrott, who kept party-goers on their toes at the bar.

Here I am with two of my favorite Rinfret ladies, Taylor and Cindy. It was a great night and I can't wait to get together with the rest of the Rinfret team for the A-List Awards next week!

- Elizabeth Ethridge McGann

Our picks from the Gift Show

The New York International Gift Fair is always an exhilarating, yet overwhelming experience. For those of you that have never been, it takes place at Piers 92 and 94 at the Passenger Ship Terminal, in addition to The Javits Convention Center. There are countless vendors and items that can appeal to a vast array of tastes and styles. To say that there is a lot to see would be an understatement. We like to head over to the gift show to find new and exciting items for the Rinfret Home & Garden showroom, as well as unique items for our Rinfret design clients. Check out what we saw and loved below:

Intricate pillow accents were ubiquitous at this year’s show. From beading to applied velvets and silks, there certainly was no shortage of amazing detail. We were particularly drawn to steel blues and grays, mixed with cream colors. A stunning pair of throw pillows can give any piece of furniture a quick “facelift.”

 

We immediately stopped when we came across this vendor. They had truly unique pieces, with gorgeous wood detailing. The interesting thing about this vendor is that the wood detail (as seen above, with the Greek Key pattern) was not applied, but rather molded directly from the wood base. Not to mention, they offer a variety of 47 finishes that are all environmentally-friendly.

 

Shagreen was everywhere. We are constantly looking for interesting accessorizing pieces, and we really loved these trays as a finishing piece for a coffee table or ottoman. We also ordered tons of shagreen mirrors and boxes, as exotic skins are always a good way to add a unique touch to any room.

 

  This vendor really blew us away with their gorgeous ceramic and glass products. Their ceramic line is made in an “old-fashioned” tradition”, using a potter’s wheel. They also develop their colors in house, therefore the colors can be customized to suit any project or client’s needs. We were completely obsessed and ordered a variety of trays, vases, and planters, all of which are due to arrive just in time for the holidays!

The Gold List

Michael Phelps isn't the only one who has earned golds this summer -- we are excited to say that Rinfret, Ltd. is one of just two interior design firms (and a handful of architecture and building firms) to make the Gold List of this summer's Luxe Interiors + Design issue.

It feels good to earn gold!

We also have recently learned that we have won some prestigious design competitions. Stay tuned for the details on that in the fall. We're working hard to keep this winning streak going strong!

Go team Rinfret!

We're Hiring!

Do you love the Rinfret look? Then we have exciting news for you!

Rinfret Home & Garden is looking for a new retail sales person, after our beloved Hilary (whom so many of you know) retired. Being part of the Rinfret, Ltd. team is great fun (and not just because we love to celebrate birthdays with delicious cake). Join a creative group of people who share a love for design. Plus, the shop is smack dab in the midst of fashionable Greenwich Avenue.

This role is a very important one and we are looking for a retail salesperson with knowledge of upscale home furnishings and accessories. A minimum of four years retail experience is mandatory.

The ideal candidate will be customer oriented, computer literate, organized, flexible, personable, able to multi-task, and work independently and part of a team.

This position is immediately available. If interested, please submit resume and cover letter, including salary requirements to jmz@rinfretltd.com.

We're looking forward to hearing from you!

Who knows? You might be the newest member of the Rinfret team!

The secrets to a cover worthy living room

Cindy Rinfret's interior design for a Greenwich family's stunning Jacobean estate is the cover girl for this month's issue of the fabulous magazine, Luxe Interior + Design. Are you drooling over this luxe look? Read on and we'll show you how to get a living room that has cover girl cred.

There is so much to love in this living room. It's subtly luxurious and touches like glam mirrored end tables give a great transitional edge to an otherwise traditional design.

This side table from Rinfret Home & Garden offers the perfect touch of eye candy to frame a sofa. The transitional design can make a traditional room feel fresh and now.

Cindy Rinfret is a big believer in eclectic design. Using an antique style chinoiserie table with contemporary side tables brings an unexpected and "collected" feel to a room. Perfectly matched furniture can feel stale and uninspired so don't be afraid to mix different styles in a room.

It's just as important to have elements that pull a room together. Throw pillows are the most powerful accessories in a living room and can totally bring together a color scheme.

This throw pillow has a fabulous luxe look. If you can't splurge for the new sofa now, you can give your living room a face lift with a throw pillow that looks and feels expensive.

What's great about throw pillows is that they can lend a formal or more casual vibe to a room and are so easy to switch out. This same room could get a more relaxed summer look with linen throw pillows like the ones below.

To fill a room that is as grand as this one, you need a lot of accessories. Even the most beautifully designed room is not complete until is is filled with accessories.

The blue and white porcelain urn is a timeless choice. Not only does it lend a well-traveled and inherited flair to a living room, but in this room it beautifully continues the blue and cream color scheme.

Chances are, a cover room for a shelter magazine will have some flowers in the mix. There is a reason why stylists are always arranging flowers for photo shoots, they make a room welcoming and more beautiful. Even if you're not prepping your living room for a photo shoot, a well placed flower arrangement should always have a place in your home. If you're not a green thumb or hate how cut flowers die, then just grab a faux flower arrangement like this one. Trust us, no one will know the difference.

So now you know the secrets of a cover-worthy room. The best part? All of the above items are sold at Rinfret Home & Garden. So your luxe look is just a shopping spree away...