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Para Paints adds Sarah Richardson

Thu, 15 Apr 2010 22:00:00 PDT

Check out the latest news for the launch of the Sarah Richardson Designer Palette with Para Paints:

National Post
Bizbash
Toronto Star
Arren Williams Blog
HGTV
HGTV Twitter
HGTV Twitter
Weddingbells
Urbanmoms
Razmataz Blog

Hello HGTV USA!

Tue, 13 Apr 2010 22:00:00 PDT

Americans can now watch Season 3 of Sarah's House (the same episodes that are currently on air in Canada) on HGTV Fridays at 4:30 pm and Saturdays at 3:30am and 8:30pm. No plans for Saturday night? Spend it with Sarah and Tommy!!
Read more on hgtv.com

AOL living blog: Sarah Richardson Throws a Party

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 22:00:00 PST

Nov 27 2009
By Mark Moyes

Sarah Richardson, host of HGTV's Sarah's House, loves Christmas. She loves it so much that every year she holds a party for two hundred of her friends. Sound daunting? Sarah's Holiday Party, premiering this weekend on HGTV, gives viewers a sneak-peek into the week-long preparations, as Sarah and design helper Tommy collaborate on everything from decorating to baking to setting up the trees. We spoke to Sarah about tradition, family, keeping things simple and how to host that many people without losing your mind.

In the show, there's a lot of white stuff on the ground that looks suspiciously like snow. Toronto hasn't had snow yet: Did you shoot this last year?
Yeah. When you work in the business, you sometimes get asked to do Christmas at crazy times of year. And there was one year where I'd done Christmas four times by Halloween. I spent a long weekend in the summer making Christmas decorations in the middle of a heat wave, while all my family and friends were on beaches and lathering up with sunscreen. And I vowed then I'd never again do Christmas unless it's [the season]. Because I actually love Christmas.

How do you hold on to that feeling?
What keeps me inspired is focusing on the things I love about Chirstmas: the entertaining, decorating and celebrating aspect of it. As the years have gone by, I worry less and less about the material side. I refuse to succumb to the pressure of shopping. Not to say that I don't do it, but I don't go crazy and I don't over-indulge. When you look back on Christmases past, I think you always remember the experiences. I honestly could barely tell you what I received as gifts last year. So that part is not on my radar.

But I love entertaining. It's a time of the year when everybody's in the mood to celebrate. And not embracing that is a huge missed opportunity for fun.

Your annual party has 200 guests. It's kind of amazing that anybody--
[Laughing] That anybody would want to do that?

Or that anybody could.
I've never been good at excluding anybody. I'm always like "Oh, of course, well then you'd want to have so-and-so, and what if they found out that they weren't invited..." I think the purpose of an open-house is to throw your doors open and make everybody feel wanted and welcome.

But it also doesn't have to be a huge amount of work. People can do whatever they feel up to. If the idea of having everything totally organized is daunting, then have a self-serve bar. Buy pre-made hors-d'oeuvres and just heat them up. The whole message I was trying to deliver with this show is that there's ways to make it work and ways to make it fun, and I believe that with the holidays, you should do everything you like doing, and nothing you don't.

Don't shy away from entertaining because you feel that you can't pull it off like Martha Stewart. Just do what you can. If you and your friends, none of you feel like you can do it on your own -- instead of nobody having one, why not join forces? Three couples can throw it together, and you all invite some people. Ask people to bring whatever you need.

That sounds like good good advice for keeping your stress level down.
My husband always says about everything in life, "If in doubt, do". If you're stressing about who to invite, just invite them! So what? You can't worry about if so-and-so is going to get along with so-and-so. That's not your problem. As a host, you need to do whatever you can to make sure that you're relaxed, and that you're having a good time. Because if you're not, everybody's going to notice. And your job is to make sure that everybody is engaged and enjoying themselves.

With something as traditional as Christmas, how important are annual trends?
I don't think they are important. I'm not getting new decorations. Instead of trends, I think you should focus on tradition.

My husband has this amazing one. Part of how I knew that he was absolutely one-hundred percent for me was that the first time we decorated a tree together he pulled out champagne in the afternoon. I was like, "This is the most fun I've ever had!" You don't have to pop a bottle of champagne, but find the joy in all of the traditions.

I guess I'm also lucky because I love spending time with my family. I love both my in-laws and my family. So for us, Christmas is a time of celebrating and everybody having a good time, as opposed to "We have to spend it with your family?" So my heart goes out to people who have family situations that make it challenging. Because it shouldn't be.

Was decorating a part of your childhood?
Yeah. My mom's a terrific cook, a great seamstress. I don't know, maybe if she had been born at a different time, she might have pursued a career in design. But she was very stylish, and did a lot of stuff at home.

I learned to sew when I was tiny. She worked when I was little, and there was a rule that if I came home from school and if I wanted to sew, I had to call her at work. So I learned how to use the sewing machine when I was in kindergarten. And by high school I was making my own formal dresses.

It was always my job to put the lights on the tree. That's the one tradition that I would love to pass on to someone else, but somehow, in my childhood home and in my matrimonial home, I'm still the light person. Probably because everybody knows that I'm so maniacal about it that if they did it, I'd just come and fix things anyway. That's my burden.

And what kind of holiday decorating do you do now?
I do simple things. Lots of candles. A tree where literally the branches have so many ornaments on them that they start to sag under the weight. But I don't go visiting those Christmas stores in the middle of July. My favourite ornaments are the simplest, the ones that come in boxes of twelve from Loblaws, Canadian Tire, Sears, you name it.

I don't do swags and garlands and things are impossible to put up and a nightmare to take down.

Real tree or fake?
Going to to get a pumpkin at a pumpkin patch, picking apples with your kids at an apple orchard, and buying your own Christmas tree are touchstones in a year that I think are important experiences for life in Canada. Even when I had an apartment with friends, when I was 23, I remember going to buy my first Christmas tree of my own at the little mom-and-pop Chinese grocer. I literally dragged the tree home in the snow. I remember thinking "Oh my gosh, I feel like I'm in a movie right now. This is so great!"

You'll be throwing the party again this year?
Always. That's the thing. If you start hosting, be prepared: You're going to create a tradition.

'Sarah's Holiday Party' aired Sunday, November 29th at 3pm and 8pm EST, on HGTV.

Read the AOL living blog article.

The infamous Pecan Puff Recipe!

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 22:00:00 PST

2 sticks butter
2 tsp. vanilla
4 Tbsp. brown sugar (I like Demerara)
2 Cups pecans
2 Cups cake flour, sifted
icing sugar for dusting

1. Add pecans to food processor. Puree until well ground and fine, almost to the consistency of pecan butter.

2. Add butter and brown sugar to food processor and mix until mixture appears frothy.

3. Add vanilla and mix again.

4. Add flour a little at a time, pulsing food processor between additions. Resulting mixture should appear as a thick paste.

5. Chill in the refrigerator for 30-60 minutes until firm, then scoop out small amounts of dough and roll into balls.

6. Place balls on a non-stick baking sheet (they can be close together as the dough does not expand much when cooking).

7. Bake at 300 degrees for about 35 - 45 minutes, depending on the size of balls. Remove from oven when slightly golden on the outside.

8. Transfer carefully to a cooling rack while still warm (best to use your fingers so you don't crush the cookies with a spatula), then use a flour sifter to dust icing sugar over the top of the cookies while warm. Allow to cool completely, and dust again.

9. Enjoy!...But be warned they are addictive and may stick to the roof of your mouth like peanut butter!

Note: I often double this recipe to be sure I have enough - it's no more work to make extras.

For this recipe, and more instructions on how to create some of Sarah's Holiday items, please visit the Sarah's House Fan Page on Facebook

Trend Watch 2010 with Tommy

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 22:00:00 PST

Be sure to pick up the latest issue of Canada's Style at Home, special double issue! On page 30, Tommy talks about 2010 trends like "crayon colours" and his favourite "it spot".

Decorating with Tommy in December 2009 issue of Canadian House and Home!

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 22:00:00 PST

Pick up the latest issue of Canadian House and Home, on stands now! "Confessions of a Serial Decorator" is a must read; Tommy shows us how to get a brand new look using the same old stuff in our home.

Sarah donates two stunning photographs to charity!

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 22:00:00 PST

Heart at work is a silent art auction designed to raise funds for the Casey House Foundation. Casey House is a specialty hospital that provides home care and outreach programs for people living with HIV/AIDS.

Sarah has generously donated 2 photographs of Stanley Park in British Columbia. The photographs are matted on acid free paper and framed with solid mahogany wood.

The photographs will be auctioned off on Sunday, December 6th, 2009 at the Gladstone Hotel Ballroom. Doors open at 7:30pm and tickets are $10 at the door. Come out to support a great cause and a chance to walk away with a one of a kind piece of art by Sarah Richardson!

Also, be sure to check out some of the artists who are also contributing to the fundraiser at www.heartatwork.ca

Sarah's Cottage in June 2009 Style at Home

Mon, 01 Jun 2009 22:00:00 PDT

Pick up June 2009 Style at Home and see Sarah's Cottage in full detail. Packed with lush photos and lots of great tips you'll be inspired to hit the open water and get in the spirit of summer asap!

The apple doesn't fall far from the tree!

Mon, 01 Jun 2009 22:00:00 PDT

The apple doesn't fall far from the tree! Grab Metropolitan Home's June 09 issue and turn to page 42 to meet another member of the Richardson clan. Sarah's little brother, Theo, is featured in the Design100 list of the coolest design stuff on the planet for his cutting edge NYC based design company called Rich, Brilliant, Willing. www.richbrilliantwilling.com

In the press - Style at Home June 2009

Wed, 29 Apr 2009 22:00:00 PDT

Pick up the June 2009 issue of Style at Home Magazine and get inspired by the in-law suite (pg. 36) Sarah and her team created for the 2008 VGH Lottery grand prize! A small space jam packed with ideas!

Stay in the Sarah Richardson style at the Park Hyatt Toronto for a Special Rate

Tue, 10 Mar 2009 22:00:00 PDT

Experience 2 guest suites created by Sarah Richardson and design inc. for worthy causes and get a special discount of 20% off in either the Pink Room or the Blue Suite at the Park Hyatt Toronto from May 1-June 20, 2009. Available for overnight stays in these two suites. To book, guests must contact the hotel reservations directly at 416.925.1234 or email

Watch our new series - Sarah's Cottage world premiere March 31st

Sun, 08 Mar 2009 22:00:00 PDT

Tune into HGTV Canada Tuesdays at 9pm starting March 31st for the premiere of Sarah's latest design adventure. In this 6 part mini-series, Sarah transforms her own off-the-grid island cottage into a summer paradise. Located 17 miles from the mainland, the island offers plenty of challenges, and lots of ideas to inspire your thoughts of a summer getaway.

Tuesdays 9pm and 12 midnight
Wednesday afternoon 2 pm
Saturday at 10 am, 8 pm and midnight

Read all about it

Fri, 06 Mar 2009 22:00:00 PST

Sarah will be penning 6 new articles for her weekly column in The Globe and Mail directly related to the cottage episodes. Watch the show on Tuesday and get insider tips and info on Friday in the Real Estate section.

Tommy appearances

Mon, 02 Mar 2009 22:00:00 PST

See Tommy Smythe live and in person at the London Home Show. He'll be offering design tips, insider info, and lots of humour! Saturday, April 18th, 2009 - two shows 4pm and 7pm visit www.londonshowproductions.com/home_garden.html for more info

In the press

Sun, 01 Mar 2009 22:00:00 PST

Pick up the May issue of Style at Home magazine to see a feature on the laundry room from Sarah's House season 2.