Between the Layers | Design Guide Series
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Lifestyle

Easy Autumnal Appetizer

Clams in White Wine and Garlic Broth

For Derrick and I, it’s all about easy entertaining. We love to invite family and friends over for some delicious food and cocktails, and turn on the tunes and just have fun and catch up!

Derrick has mastered one of our favorite fall appetizers (you could easily turn it into a meal) to serve guests. These clams, in a white wine broth with lots of herbs and yummy garlicky, grilled bread for dipping, is the perfect meal that can be served at the table. Or, our favorite way: around the coffee table with a fire and small plates for dishing and dipping!



Clams in White Wine Broth

 

2 POUNDS MANILA CLAMS

1 1/2 CUPS DRY WHITE WINE

1 1/2 CUPS CHICKEN BROTH

2 SHALLOTS, CHOPPED

3 CLOVES MINCED GARLIC

3 TABLESPOONS CILANTRO, CHOPPED

2 TABLESPOONS OLIVE OIL

1 SOURDOUGH CANNONBALL, SLICED 1″ THICK

 

  1. COOK OLIVE OIL AND SHALLOTS OVER MEDIUM HEAT FOR 3 MINUTES.
  2. ADD MINCED GARLIC AND COOK A FEW MORE MINUTES.
  3. ADD WINE AND BROTH AND BRING TO A BOIL.
  4. ADD CLAMS, AND COOK COVERED UNTIL THEY ARE OPEN. TURN OFF HEAT AND SPRINKLE CILANTRO.
  5. BRUSH BOTH SIDES OF BREAD WITH OLIVE OIL AND GRILL ON BBQ UNTIL SLIGHTLY CRISPY. YOU WANT GRILL MARKS ON BOTH SIDES.
  6. SERVE CLAMS IN A LARGE BOWL AND DIP GRILLED BREAD IN BROTH!

Turn it into a meal with this salad and this cocktail, and you have yourself an instant fall menu for a friends or family gathering! Don’t forget to light candles and crank up the music. Cheers!

 

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When we first started designing our primary suite at the Sixth Street Bungalow, these were the images I kept coming back to. A bathroom that feels collected over time. A bedroom that feels quiet and restorative. Spaces with character, warmth, and a sense of permanence.

I’ve always believed that the best design starts there-not with a specific tile or paint color, but with how you want a space to feel when you walk into it.

The funny thing about renovation is that the vision is usually the easy part. The middle is where the work happens. The demolition. The decisions. The samples spread across every surface. The moments when you’re trying to imagine beautiful spaces while standing in a construction zone. We’re still very much in that season.
Choosing flooring. Finalizing cabinetry details. Adjusting lighting plans. Working through tile layouts.

Making hundreds of small decisions that most people will never notice individually, but together create the feeling we’ve been chasing from the beginning.

I’ve learned through the years that beautiful homes are rarely the result of one dramatic design decision.
They’re built through thoughtful choices, made over and over again.

We’re sharing much more of this renovation journey over on Substack-the sourcing, the design decisions. the changes, the lessons learned, and all the behind-the-scenes moments that don’t always make it to Instagram.

I’d love for you to follow along.
Comment “PIN” and I’ll send over tonight’s Design Board when it goes live. Or find it later in Between the Layers through the link in our bio.

I think people assume designers spend all day choosing furniture. The truth is, we spend a lot more time studying why certain rooms stay with us.

Why one staircase feels timeless.
Why a stripe can completely change the feeling of a room.
Why adding one modern piece to a traditional home suddenly makes everything else fee more interesting.

That’s what this month’s Design Board explores. It’s a peek inside the ideas shaping our work long before they become finished rooms. Some may be having a moment. But I have a feeling they’ll be just as beautiful ten years from now. That’s always the goal.

Fair warning: you may leave wanting to tent a room. I can’t be held responsible.
This is your sign to finally create a plan for the room you’ve been avoiding.

I think a lot of people assume they need to wait.
Until they have more time.
More money.
A bigger budget.
The entire house figured out.

But I’ve found the opposite is often true... Sometimes all it takes is creating a vision for one space.

One room that feels calmer.
More functional.
More beautiful.
More like you.

Because a home isn’t transformed all at once. It’s shaped through a series of thoughtful decisions over time.

If you’ve been circling the same room for months and aren’t sure what to do next, comment ‘PLAN” (or visit our website to get started) and I’ll send you the link to schedule a one-hour consultation.
If you’ve been circling the same room for months and aren’t sure what to do next, comment ‘PLAN” (or visit our website) and I’ll send you the link to schedule a one-hour consultation.

This is your sign to finally create a plan for the room you’ve been avoiding.

I think a lot of people assume they need to wait.
Until they have more time.
More money.
A bigger budget.
The entire house figured out.

But I’ve found the opposite is often true... Sometimes all it takes is creating a vision for one space.

One room that feels calmer.
More functional.
More beautiful.
More like you.

Because a home isn’t transformed all at once. It’s shaped through a series of thoughtful decisions over time.
If you’ve been circling the same room for months and aren’t sure what to do next, comment ‘PLAN” (or visit our website) and I’ll send you the link to schedule a one-hour consultation.

This is your sign to finally create a plan for the room you’ve been avoiding.

I think a lot of people assume they need to wait.
Until they have more time.
More money.
A bigger budget.
The entire house figured out.

But I’ve found the opposite is often true... Sometimes all it takes is creating a vision for one space.

One room that feels calmer.
More functional.
More beautiful.
More like you.

Because a home isn’t transformed all at once. It’s shaped through a series of thoughtful decisions over time.