Foodie Friday: 17 Naked Wedding Cakes

Boston Globe Magazine Wedding Cakes

Marni Elyse Katz/StyleCarrot

The Boston Globe Magazine    January 15, 2016

I put together a page of naked wedding cakes for the Boston Globe Magazine Weddings issue last month that I think turned out beautifully. So many local vendors sent me images of their gorgeous cakes, so I wanted to share the overflow here. I love the look of these restrained confections, though I admit, to me, the frosting is the best part when it comes to eating.

Naked Wedding Cake By Flour(ish) Bakery Boston

Amy Spirito Photography

Chocolate cake with vanilla buttercream and dusted with confectioner’s sugar by Flour(ish) Bake Shoppe, Beverly, Mass. Decorated with fresh apricots, blackberries, raspberries and greenery.

Naked Wedding Cake By Mayflour Confections Boston

Henry + Mac

Coconut cake with strawberries and rhubarb by Mayflour Confections, Rockport, Mass. Flowers from Marc Hall Design.

Naked Wedding Cake Delicious Desserts Cape Cod

KML Photography

Torted apple spice cake and caramel cream filling by Delicious Desserts, East Falmouth, Mass.  Decorated with fresh succulents by Courtney’s Floral Creations and placed on a custom made rustic wood box. Decor and planning by Pink Polka Dot Events; wedding at Bourne Farm.

Naked Wedding Cake By Mayflour Confections Boston

Dylan M. Howell Photography

Funfetti cake by Mayflour Confections, Rockport, Mass. Flowers by Boston Pollen; party design by Lauren S. Wells.

Naked Wedding Cake By Mayflour Confections Boston

Kelly Dillon Photography

Carrot cake with cream cheese frosting by Mayflour Confections, Rockport, Mass. Decorated with herbs and greens by Petal Floral. Wedding design by MStarr Design.

Naked Wedding Cake Boston

Katie Noble Photo

Cake by Greggory’s Pastry Shop, Hadley, Mass.

Naked Wedding Cake By Sweet Indulgences Boston

Cake by Sweet Indulgences, Cranston Rhode Island. 

Naked Wedding Cake Mayflour Confections Boston

Deborah Zoe Photography

Lemon yellow pound cake with blackberry puree and lavender buttercream filling and vanilla Swiss meringue buttercream frosting by Jenny’s Wedding Cakes. Decorated with fresh blueberries, spray roses, ivy, sweet pea, spirea, and ranunculus by Les Fleurs.

Naked Wedding Cake Peppers Catering Boston

Kelly Dillon Photography

Cake by Peppers Artful Events, Northborough, Mass. Decorated with flowers by Becca Olcott.

Naked Wedding Cake Katie Made Bakery Portland Maine

Melissa Robotti Photography

Chocolate cake with white buttercream frosting and caramel drizzle by Katie Made Bakery, Portland, Maine. Decorated with French macaroons and fresh flowers by Emily Carter Floral Designs. Event design and planning by L.Brook Events.

Naked Drizzle Cake By Oh Miss Kate

Kate Arabatzis/Oh Miss Kate

Vanilla cake with the cardamom whipped cream filling, cream cheese frosting, and chocolate ganache drizzle by Oh Miss Kate. 

Naked Wedding Cake By Cakes To Remember In Boston

Sour cream pound cake filled with fresh raspberries, tart lemon mousse with lemon buttercream frosting by Cakes to Remember. Decorated with fresh strawberries, raspberries, flowers, succulents, and sugar leaves.

Naked Wedding Cake With Figs By Mayflour Confections Boston

Hello Love Photography

Marble cake with mocha buttercream by Mayflour Confections, Rockport, Mass. Decorated with fresh flowers and figs.

Naked Wedding Cake Morin Catering Boston

Lens CAP Productions

Funfetti cake with buttercream frosting by Russell Morin Catering & Events, Attleboro, Mass.

Naked Wedding Cake Party Favors Boston

Sabrina Baloun Photography

Gold cake with chocolate mouse and fresh raspberry filling and vanilla buttercream icing by Party Favors, Brookline, Mass. Decorated with fresh flowers and topper by Alexis Mattox Design from Party Favors.

Naked Wedding Cake By Flour(ish) Bakery Boston

Amy Spirito Photography

Vanilla almond cake with raspberry filling and vanilla buttercream frosting and decorated with fresh wildflowers by Flour(ish) Bake Shoppe, Beverly, Mass. 

Naked Wedding Cake The French Sisters New Hampshire

Sarah Jayne Photography

Chocolate cake with vanilla buttercream frosting by The French Sisters Bakery, Littleton, New Hampshire. Decorated with a fresh garden roses and ranunculus by Apotheca Flower Shoppe. Planning by All the Fuss Events.

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Design Diary: Karen Swanson Masters Small House Living

New England Design Works kitchen and bath designer Karen Swanson is a master at small house living. She owns this perfect little house in Manchester, Massachusetts which I wrote about for Boston Globe Sunday Magazine “Small Spaces” home issue on June 7, 2015 in an article called “Party of Three,” photographed by James R. Salomon.

Swanson lives in this cedar shingled, 1,200-square-foot home (exactly 600-square feet on the top and 600-square feet on the bottom) with her daughter and son after downsizing from a 3,300-square foot place across town last spring. Swanson bought the house from an older gentleman, and it was kind of a disaster, with racoons under the floor, which was lumpy, but Jim O’Neill of O’Neill Fine Building squared her away.

As a kitchen and bath designer, she is adept at efficiently fitting everything one needs into the available space, which came in pretty handy. Small house living is a snap for Swanson. She says, “There were absolutely no compromises.”

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That’s not to say there weren’t challenges to laying out the small house. The front door wouldn’t have closed if the sofa was even an inch longer. She chose the Bantam sofa from DWR not just for its length, but because it isn’t too deep, but it’s still comfortable. The Martini side table in antique brass from West Elm can be moved easily where needed. One of the great things about a smaller home, she says, is that she sees her kids a lot more.

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The wall with the mural is the first thing one sees upon entering, so Swanson knew she wanted to make a statement on it. She originally imagined concocting a backlit forest scene based on the one in the restaurant at MoMA, but it proved too tricky. When she spotted this Kenneth James wallpaper mural at local design shop Watters & Brown, and realized the five strips that comprise the mural was the same size as her wall, she decided it was fate. Plus, at $350 she figured she could change it if and when she tired of it.

The oak table is Ethnicraft from Boston design store Lekker and the red chairs are the Sabrina chairs by Casprini purchased from Room & Board.”Red’s my favorite color,” Swanson says, “so they were perfect.” Plus, since they’re so light (they’re actually indoor/outdoor plastic chairs), they’re not difficult to wrangle when she has extra folks for dinner and it’s necessary to move furniture around to accommodate everyone.

The ceramic work artwork is by Next Step Studio, which Swanson discovered at the AD Home Show. Wall mirror from West Elm.

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The galley kitchen is only 75-square feet but Swanson has all the storage she needs, and it looks beautiful. Despite the kitchen’s small size, it was  wide enough to make the cabinets on one side 30-inches deep (vs. the standard 24-inches deep). This made all the difference, especially for bulky items such as pots and pans, which all fit in one drawer. (Scroll down for the kitchen layout.) The floor-to-ceiling pantry also houses the toaster and microwave. She opted for a full size Wolf oven knowing she’d regret it if she went with a smaller model.

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This is the kitchen wall one sees upon entering, and it’s visible from the living room, so it was important that it look good. The lift-up cabinets, which are 18-inches deep, store the food processor, stock pot, slow cooker, and such.The fridge is a 27-inch wide SubZero with two freezer drawers, which she adores. The cabinetry is painted maple and the pulls are from local hardware showroom Raybern.

karen-swanson-kitchen-backsplash-trough

The first design element Swanson chose for the house were the Walter Zanger glass tiles from Tile Showcase for the backsplash. The countertop is white Silestone. An inset stainless steel troughs holds wine, oil, cutting boards, and sometimes plants.

karen-swanson-kitchen-backsplash-2

In order to ensure she’d have ample counter space in her small kitchen, Swanson decided on a two-burner induction cooktop. The stainless steel shelf holds all the everyday dishes and mugs, plus some food storage containers. Both the shelf and trough were fabricated at Weiss Sheet Metal, the same place that fabricated Julia Child’s kitchen now installed at the Smithsonian.

karen-swanson-kitchen-oven-sink

Swanson used a sink with an integrated drain board so that it could be centered on the window ,even though the sink base is not. This allowed her to squeeze an 18-inch dishwasher to the right of the sink.

karen-swanson-kitchen-shelf

White pendant light from Rejuvenation. Shelf from West Elm. Artwork from the local Montserrat College sidewalk sale. Polka dot Roman shade made from Scion fabric purchased at The Martin Group in the Boston Design Center.

karen-swanson-orla-kiely-wallpaper

Orla Kiely wallpaper (also from The Martin Group)  covers the master bathroom, which also functions as the first floor powder room. She designed the vanity for optimum storage, taking into consideration the variety of sizes of bathroom items, like soap, deodorant, and Band-Aid boxes. She placed the sink off center in order to maximize counter space.

karen-swanson-bathroom-vanity

The right side houses three drawers, each a different depth and the left side is a cabinet made to look like drawers in order to match the other side for a neat, symmetrical appearance.

karen-swanson-master-bedroom

The master bedroom is on the first floor; sliders open to the deck and backyard.Playing off the citrus hue of recently reupholstered 1940s chairs from local consignment shop Stock Exchange, Swanson used inexpensive yellow polka dot fabric from Calico Corners for the draperies. The Tripod table from West Elm, was previously used in her daughter’s room as a desk. She sometimes works here if the kids are watching television in the living room.

karen-swanson-bathroom-with-laundry

The kids bath on the second floor doubles as the laundry room. A fiberglass shower unit was originally wedged under the sloped ceiling. Swanson swapped it for a washer and dryer cleverly concealed by sliding barn-style doors. The oil painting, from local consignment shop Stock Exchange, pictures a pink house on the road to Plum Island in Newburyport, Mass.

karen-swanson-exterior-red-door

The oil-rubbed bronze finish of the new Anderson windows works nicely with the exterior trim, painted Benjamin Moore Gropius Grey, without being an exact match. The landscaping and back deck were already in place, along with creeping hydrangea on the rock ledge. The gravel yard means no lawn to mow. The persimmon front door hints at what’s to come. Swanson says, “I love that the house is subtle on the outside but inside there’s an explosion of color.”

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Design Diary: Colorful Cambridge Home Makeover by Heidi Pribell

Cambridge-based interior designer Heidi Pribell breathed a new and colorful life into a dated, dilapidated, and absolutely dreary multi-family home, transforming it into a thoroughly fantastic single family residence for a family that re-located from out-of-state. I wrote about this colorful makeover in the Boston Globe Magazine “Makeovers” issue in February 2014, shot by one of my favorite local interior photographers (and the first one I worked with in Boston) Eric Roth.

Pribell got her hands on the 3,600 square foot interior once  Oldenburg Architecture and contractors Dattilo & Reidy completed the structural work, which included opening up the main living space and improving the flow. Since the family preferred to stick to a tighter budget when it came to furnishings, Pribell knew most of the wow factor would come from color. Pribell says, “I am so passionate about color, I can nearly taste and hear it.”

pribell-main-living-room

Pribell’s rich and rosy palette was inspired by a trip she had recently taken to Mexico, most specifically by wildly blooming bougainvillea in its yellow, orange, red, and magenta glory. The trim in the living room is painted in a color Pribell describes as “a hot, cardinal red,” then toned down with an uneven application of glaze. Pribell transformed a closet into a light-filled home office with built-in desk, accessed by French doors.

For furniture, Pribell paired a gray sectional sofa from Crate & Barrel (scattered with store bought pink and orange pillows) with yellow hexagonal side tables from West Elm. A stylized floral black rug grounds the space. All the furniture in the house was newly purchased, with the exception of the two armchairs, which the wife inherited from her great grandmother. Made from dark, polished wood with mustard upholstery, they hardly blended, so Pribell had them painted with several coats of that same hot red paint and glaze, and covered with a fun fabric by Romo.

pribell-view-to-living-room

The columns dividing the living and dining room were original to the house.

Colorful Cambridge Home Makeover By Heidi Pribell

For the dining room wall Pribell used sorbet shades of butterscotch and salmon, again inspired by bougainvillia. Pribell says, “As bougainvillia grows and ages, the petals transform from yellow orange to magenta.”

The indoor/outdoor striped rug is perfect for family living. The white dining extension table with curvy legs—the Regency by Calligaris—was purchased at local furniture store City Schemes. Pribell says, “I love the rococo nature of it.” Swirly orange chairs from Indonesia have ikat print cushions about which Pribell says, “I think they’re kind of soulful; and they relate to the Arts & Crafts nature of the home.”

Colorful Cambridge Home Makeover By Heidi Pribell

Pribell clustered six mirrors from Global Views above the Asian style sideboard to help bounce light around the room.

Colorful Cambridge Home Makeover By Heidi Pribell

Walls were removed for an open layout.  The orange Kartell barstools were a splurge, but they loved the color and flexibility they provided, since the kids were different sizes and growing.

Colorful Cambridge Home Makeover By Heidi Pribell

The white kitchen was already designed when Pribell came on board. She added funky red lacquer hardware.

Colorful Cambridge Home Makeover By Heidi Pribell

The master bedroom was originally two rooms, so they broke down the wall to enlarge it. The vintage light pendant, made from clear fishing line on Lucite, purchased at local modern design shop Abodeon, adds character. A persimmon door leads to a balcony.

Colorful Cambridge Home Makeover By Heidi Pribell

The master bathroom walls are covered in large format marble tiles from floor-to-ceiling, thanks to a major sale at Tile Showcase. They added a custom Silestone countertop to a store bought vanity. The floor is done in cotton candy-colored penny tile. Pribell says, “It’s extremely small for a master bathroom, but it has the graciousness of a 5-star hotel.”

Colorful Cambridge Home Makeover By Heidi Pribell

On, the first floor, which has essentially the same layout, the color scheme is repeated, providing a perfect atmosphere for the kids who use the space to watch television, do art projects, and practice piano.

Colorful Cambridge Home Makeover By Heidi Pribell

The downstairs living room provides the family with another, slightly more casual, hangout spot. The swirly vine rug is by Dash & Albert and the coffee table on casters is the Strind from Ikea. “The downstairs space really caters to the kids,” Pribell says.

Colorful Cambridge Home Makeover By Heidi Pribell

The exterior entry doors are persimmon and the porch ceiling is lilac.

Pribell says, “I wanted the home to seem fresh and crisp and have a modernism about it, but not be devoid of character. The homeowner is very theatrical and energetic; this house became an expression of her personality, and I think that’s what delights her most.”

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Design Diary: Girl’s Study by Erin Gates

Elements of Style blogger and interior designer Erin Gates designed this lovely work space for a nine-year-old girl  in Newton, Mass. Gates decorated most of the rooms in the family’s house, which are featured in her book, but recently went back to update this room. I wrote about it in a StyleWatch column for the Boston Globe Magazine, published this past Sunday. More decor details and sourcing links (some of which are StyleCarrot partners) included here. The beautiful photos are by Boston-based photographer Sarah Winchester.

erin-gates-girls-study-1

The goal was to create a space sweet enough for a young girl, but modern enough that guests would feel comfortable there (and so she wouldn’t quickly outgrow it). The starting point was the existing purple/grey wall color Benjamin Moore Coastline. The color was a perfect match for the large scale, Arts & Crafts influenced Farrow & Ball Lotus wallpaper, which the client had had her eye on for some time.

A tufted grey velvet daybed from Restoration Hardware Baby & Child anchors the room. She points out, “A daybed is comfortable for reading and doesn’t take up as much room as a bed with a headboard.” (I also like this more streamlined grey velvet daybed from World Market.)

Rather than opting for more obvious silver-toned accents, Gates used gold tones for contrast. Visual Comfort’s French Library wall lamps in antique brass from Circa Lighting provide plenty of reading light and cord covers eliminated the need to hire an electrician to hard wire them.

erin-gates-girls-study-6

They found inexpensive butterfly prints, which were under $20 each, on Etsy, which Gates custom framed in gold metal frames. Gates says, “We looked for art in purple tones that we could layer on top of the wallpaper, and these have a nice, girly feel.”

Gates mixed three different pillow patterns against the dramatic pattern of the wallpaper. The European squares are a painterly geometric ikat and the smaller geometric is by Pindler & Pindler. The pairing of these prints provide a nice combination of softness and structure. Kelly Wearstler “Sea Urchin” fabric by Groundworks from Lee Jofa adds an organic element to the mix, while providing some texture.”The secret to mixing,” Gates says, “is to use a monochromatic color palette and play with scale.”

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An inexpensive gold side table echoes the finish of the brass sconces. In choosing a table height to work with the swooped arm of the daybed, Gates advises it be somewhere in the middle of the high and low point for ease of use as a nightstand and side table.

erin-gates-girls-study-2

It was important that a desk provide enough room for more than one person, so Gates positioned the white lacquer Parsons table from West Elm perpendicular to the wall. The hammered brass table lamp and the gold frame around the linen-covered pinboard from Pavona Interiors on Etsy ties in with the gold accents on the other side of the room.

Gates opted for a grey velvet side chair instead of a rolling desk chair since it would function better on the carpet. The homeowner already owned the purple pagoda pillow from the Happy Chic by Jonathan Adler collection at JCPenney.

erin-gates-girls-study-3

The tall and narrow metal bookshelf on casters from CB2 is the perfect dimension for the space between the windows, leaving a bit of breathing room on each side so the curtains don’t bunch up behind it. The family already owned the Eames rocker.

Makkas Drapery Workroom in Framingham, Mass.made the custom ivory and gray linen curtains. (They made the pillow covers too.)  “Custom drapes look so much more finished, so I always advise going custom if it’s in the budget,” says Gates. She opted for a Parisian pleat, which is the only one she uses, preferring the clean lines that are less fussy look than a traditional pleat, which fans out at the top.

Gates hung the curtain rods as high as possible, right under the crown molding, to add height, which is important in rooms with eight- or nine-foot ceilings. As for the length, she says, “I like them to just kiss the floor. Puddled drapes just collect dust.”

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Design Diary: Contemporary Beach House on Plum Island

This contemporary beach house on Plum Island in Newburyport, Mass., designed by Boston-based CBT Architects, belongs to woodworker Mark Richey and his wife Teresa Richey. I wrote about it for Boston Globe Magazine in “Taking it to the Beach” back in July 2013. With the gorgeous weather we’ve had this week in Boston, I thought it was a good chance to finally post it, with photography by Trent Bell.

The Richeys purchased the cottage shortly after having relocated their business, Mark Richey Woodworking, enjoying it for short spurts while commuting from their home in Essex. A few years later, when they were ready to downsize, the couple hired Richard Bertman of CBT Architects to transform the cottage from a casual short term retreat to a full time residence.

plum-island-back

Following extensive research to address coastal conservation concerns, they built a new structure on driven steel pilings atop the existing basement, which allows water and sand to move freely under and around the structure. The result is a 1,962-square foot, three-story contemporary beach house with Alaskan yellow cedar shingle siding.

plum-island-aerie

The third floor lookout tower offers a 360-degree view of the water and island. The entire room is clad in fir to resemble a ship captain’s quarters, and is Mark’s own handiwork.

plum-island-mbr

The second floor master bedroom and bath both face the ocean—this was a must-have for them.

plum-island-window-seat

The main level has an open floor plan. They didn’t want it to feel like a big sterile glass and plaster box, so Bertman used a warm palette of earthy materials that echo the colors of sand and beach grass. The fireplace surround is done in a textural green stone from Iran, which is also used in the kitchen. The walls and cabinetry are a mix of quarter white oak and zebrawood veneer. The floors are porcelain tile with a wood-like texture.

plum-island-deck-aerial

The extensive deck, which follows the natural contour of the landscape, was built around an existing dune, and is constructed of a dense tropical hardwood similar to ipe,which will weather to grey. Check out the recessed cedar hot tub on the right. The couple often enjoy soaks on cold winter mornings. (Must get one of those.)

plum-island-deck-bench

Mark designed and fabricated the beautiful curved bench from South American mahogany. 

plum-island-water-view

Photography by Trent Bell