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I recently had the opportunity to visit India. Have you ever been? To say it was a life-changing experience would be an understatement. India, as its tourism slogan states, is incredible.

But my journey there first involved a stop in Belgium and after the unexpected and devastating terror attacks in Mumbai, I went on to Shanghai. Over the next few days, I’m going to share some of the experience with you, and in keeping with the theme of this blog, showcase some of the beautiful hotels I stayed at along the way. If you, like me, love beautifully designed hotels, check out our Hotel Style section for ideas and inspiration.

The entire trip, I flew business class on Jet Airways. Wow! I had never experienced anything like this before. Jet Airways’ business class service is so deluxe, it makes a 12-hour flight seem too short! Check out the seats, pictured left. Each seat is private and features a television screen and lots of room for you to get comfortable. The best part is that the seats turn into completely lie-flat beds. This was a first for me and was an unforgettable experience. The flight attendants were the friendliest and most attentive I’d ever encountered and I know I’ll be flying with Jet Airways again. They made the experience very, very special.

OK, so my first stop was Belgium. I stayed at The Dominican, a luxury hotel in the heart of Brussels, just steps away from the Grand Place and a short walk from the Brussels Central Railway Station. The rooms here, as you can see from the photos, are luxe and decadent, the perfect place to relax after a long flight. There are 150 guestrooms and suites here and the contemporary design is rich and luxurious. It’s a beautiful marriage of old-world Europe and modern design. Intimate and elegant, this hotel was a real treat!

The bathroom was possibly my favourite part! The weather was very cold while I was visiting (lots of rain,  sleet and snow!) and I looked forward to long hot showers to warm up! Marble and stone in muted shades of black, brown and grey, complement each other wonderfully in this space and create a calming, zen-like environment.

THE DOMINICAN
Rue Léopold / Leopoldstraat 9
1000, Brussels, Belgium

The craziness of the holidays is behind us now. I don’t know about you but my December was frenzied. So I’m happy to welcome the slower, more civilized pace that January brings. But I don’t need to come to a complete halt either. If you’re looking for easy, practical things to do around the house this month, you should check out our story, 10 things to do in January, written by styleathome.com contributor Carmen Taylor. I’ll give you a sneak preview, but to read the rest, click here.

1 Review presents and hostess gifts
Of course your friends and family love you and were grateful for your hospitality, but no doubt you don’t really need all the tokens of affection you received. Surely someone else could make better use of that collection of tea, those pot holders or that picture frame? Hold on to what you love, by all means, but get rid of the rest by dropping it off at Goodwill, Value Village or your favourite charity.

2 Tapers, tea lights, scented …
Candles make the season and since you’ve probably gone through a whack of them, replace your stock now. They don’t have a shelf life so it’ll be one less thing to shop for next year.

3 Move the furniture
You may be surprised what you find there. Take the cushions off sofas and chairs, vacuum along the wall behind the furniture and then turn your attention to the inside of the furniture itself. After the hosting you’ve done, no doubt it needs it.

Image courtesy of Crate and Barrel

Read more …

Happy New Year! I hope each and every one of you enjoyed a wonderful holiday. I know I did. But it never ceases to amaze me how quickly it goes by. It seems like Christmas Eve was just yesterday and now it’s January 5 and I’m back at work. Boy, I hope this winter goes by fast!

So, I don’t know how many of you made new year’s resolutions this year – you know, those dirty little promises we tend to make and break? While personal resolutions are private, we asked the Style at Home staff about their around-the-house resolutions for 2009. You can read about them here.

My around-the-house resolution is to finally get around to updating the backsplash in my kitchen. I hate the one that’s there and I dream of something more striking like glass, which can be illuminated beautifully with under cabinetry lighting. I was originally thinking of one-inch by one-inch glass tiles but then I saw this backsplash (pictured here), which is also quite lovely. This is from New York-based Grayglass. Grayglass will custom-make glass backsplashes with coloured and patterned glass, according to their clients’ specifications. Ooh! The options! Now I can’t decide what I want to do. But it’s only January; I have time, right?

If you’re thinking of doing a kitchen renovation this year, check out our kitchen section; it’s full of helpful ideas for creating your dream kitchen.

I spent this weekend enjoying holiday cheer with my family. We put on some Christmas music (some of my favourites are Elvis Christmas Duets, Sarah McLachlan’s Wintersong,  and Celine Dion’s These are Special Times) and set to the task of decorating the tree. It was a lovely festive afternoon of family and fun.

We also enjoyed a glass each of fresh and frothy homemade eggnog. I recently spent a weekend at Cavallo Point Lodge in Sausalito, just outside of San Francisco (you can read a bit more about it here) and I visited the cooking school, where Kelsie Kerr, Cooking School Director, was whipping up delicious, delectable holiday eggnog.

I was inspired. While I didn’t get my hands on Kelsie’s recipe, I did find a few online and I whipped up a batch of this sweet treat for my family. Mmm! Here are a few for you to try, courtesy of eggnogrecipe.net.

Easy Eggnog
Diamond Eggnog Recipe
Traditional Eggnog Recipe
Coconut Eggnog Recipe
Chocolate Eggnog Recipe
Low Fat Eggnog

Kate Spade sells gorgeous Christmas ornaments, too! Shocking! My sister is pining over a gorgeous Kate Spade bag (she likes the white; I like the black) and while I was checking out its specs online, I came across these pretty ornaments. The candy-coloured ceramic ornaments come packaged in a beautiful hatbox and will look stunning on your tree. Or, if you’re hosting a dinner party, put one on each guest’s plate with their name and let them keep it. (This means, of course, that you’ll have to buy extra for yourself!)

Price: $75 for a set of 5
For more information: visit katespade.com

I don’t know about you but it can be tough to be original year after year, holiday after holiday. I mean, I’m buying gifts for the same people every year (you know, minus maybe an ex-boyfriend or plus a new colleague I really like) … but for the most part, the list of family and friends remains the same. So each year I, like you I’m sure, am faced with the challenge of coming up with something new and special. Same goes for the Christmas cards I send out each year. Who wants to send out the same cards year after year after year? That’s why I was so excited when I came across the Canadian company Jonesy. Not only are their stationery designs super-cute, fresh and original, according to the website: “Jonesy is dedicated to supporting the highest social and environmental standards. All products are printed with soy based inks on Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified paper.”

Cards can be purchased individually or in boxed sets and you can also buy gift tags. Plus, I love that you can also purchase select boxed sets of cards from which 100% of the net proceeds are donated to the Sick Kids Foundation.

For more information:
Shop online at jonesy.ca. Customers won’t pay more than $5 for shipments within Canada, and for orders of $75 or more, orders will be shipped for free!

There are just 20 days left til Christmas! Have you started your decorating? Holiday decor doesn’t have to be just about crystal ornaments, window wreaths and tinsel-trimmed trees.  I love these linen pillows that express the simple message of the season in metallic embroidery. Clean and classic, they’ll suit most any decor.

Price: $34 each
Available at: Pottery Barn

Fresh, contemporary and fun, these colourful ceramic bowls are the perfect thing to put you in the holiday spirit. The multi-sized bowls will dress up any table with a burst of Christmas colour and are not only practical but left out on the table, make a lovely decoration for the season. The bowls are dishwasher safe and stack neatly when it’s time to put them away until next year.
Available at: patinastores.com
Price: 19.95 for the set

I’m staying at the most amazing resort in San Francisco right now and I just had to tell you about it! It’s called Cavallo Point Lodge and it’s a luxury resort hotel in the heart of Golden Gate National Parks. The setting is idyllic. Tucked away from the city proper, almost underneath the Golden Gate Bridge, this place gives ‘getaway’ a whole new meaning. The historic rooms are restored, turn-of-the-century Colonial Revival buildings and they’re a stunning union of old and new. Original features combine with modern decor elements to create a space that’s got both history and a contemporary design aesthetic. And, with an eye to environmentally-friendly living (fine organic linens and cotton towels, certified organic cotton robes and slippers, bamboo wood furnishings and recycling bins), this is the kind of place it’s good to support. Walking into the bright and spacious rooms feels like walking into your own home … everything from the perfectly chosen paint colours to the warm and welcoming accessories say ‘home’, not sterile hotel. I haven’t seen a fraction of what this place has to offer yet (there’s a spa, a cooking school) and already, I know I’m eager to return. I felt a real joie-de-vivre on arrival here and I’m excited to explore. I hope you have the opportunity to do so, too!

Cavallo Point Lodge
601 Murray Circle, Fort Baker
Sausalito, CA 94965
phone (415) 339-4700 / fax (415) 339-4792
cavallopoint.com

I’m sure I’ve bemoaned this fact before but it really distresses me. OK, maybe that’s a bit of an exaggeration – there are dozens of things that distress me more than this. But what I’m talking about right now is the lost art of handwritten letters. In this age of technology, how often do you sit down to write a thoughtful letter to a friend? If you’re like me, you tend to communicate via email and Facebook or send quick text messages from your cell phone when you’re on the go, go, go. These methods have certainly helped me to increase the quantity of my communications with friends and family but I can’t say they’ve increased the quality of that communication. There’s something about sitting down and carefully thinking about what it is you want to say (there’s no delete button when you’re handwriting a letter) and on the flipside, there’s something special about receiving a letter or card in the mail. I don’t know about you but my mailbox is chock full of flyers and bills, neither of which I have much interest in. But as soon as I see something personal sitting there, with my name written by the hand of a friend, I toss everything aside and tear the envelope open.

Need some motivation? Beautiful stationery always works for me. Pretty papers and patterned envelopes seem to do the trick! New stationery makes me want to sit down and tell a friend I’m thinking about them. These designs (pictured above) from Chronicle Books are fun and whimsical and someone you know will be thrilled to see a note from you sitting in their mailbox. I guarantee it. Oh, and they make a great gift for someone on your Christmas shopping list.

For more information, visit chroniclebooks.com.