i was so thrilled to be included in a series for BOLD JOURNEY. here is a link to the full article. thank you bold journey for this wonderful opportunity to participate and share my story! x0x
family
my chautauqua project was featured in BOULDER MAGAZINE! x0x0x
one of my final projects in boulder was this super colorful, vibrant, whimsical family home in chautauqua. it is so exciting to have it included in this month’s boulder magazine. THANK YOU to heather shoning for the wonderful article, heather burns of HBK photography (as always) for the beautiful photos, sarah kinn, whose art is seen throughout the house and to my adventurous clients who were so much fun to collaborate with on this project. here is a link to the article! x00xx
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come to a POP-UP ART SHOW featuring ann rhode's quilts (and to celebrate jennifer rhode design launching in california!) x00xx
in family, quilts, photography, art
* i am reposting this story i wrote about my mother’s quilts a few years ago, in preparation for one of her shows to explain her design process. i am so excited for you all to see what she is sharing at our pop-up on october 17th x0x
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REPOST: yom kippur, the day of atonement, is coming!
(hank thinking about his transgressions during the year)
* i am reposting my story about yom kippur as it is approaching… it’s not always SO much fun to think about all the things i’ve done wrong, easier to think about what hank or my children have done wrong, but that’s not really the way it’s supposed to go…
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HAPPY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my wonderful father! x00xx
(me and my dad in front of the giant sedan he never had trouble parking)
despite being an economist and a statistician with a super solid understanding of probability and odds, my dad was also a DREAMER. he really believed in luck (especially his own, which he called, “rhode luck”) so he regularly bought lotto tickets. several nights a week, on his way home from the city he would pull over at max’s liquor and get lottos with our birthday numbers. he DID have luck, at least for parking, because he always seemed to get a spot right out front in his BIG sedan, even though san pablo is one of the busiest streets in berkeley (like the way the lead character in a movie always pulls up smack in front of the bar or restaurant in a crazy city without ever circling or even having to back in to the space.)
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the last week of summer 2025... x00xx
(hank and rosie getting used to each other and sitting on the same rug!)
this was a big week in our house… lucy started her second year of high school, theo left for his sophomore year of college AND rosie is staying with us (my mom is at quilt camp with her friends making pretty new quilts and gin and tonics!) there’s been lots of flurry, loads and loads of laundry, last minute target runs, tons of take out, MANY extra hugs and of course, some tears (NOT as many as last year, thank goodness!) as i write this, i am nestled between two sleeping dogs and it is quiet for the first time all summer (except for hank’s snoring, which sea saws between soft whistles and full on freight train.) even this new girl, alexa is quiet. i am not sure when she moved in, but she is kind of driving me crazy. she is very bossy and she needs so MUCH attention. she starts chatting around 6:30 am, even on the weekends. she doesn’t respond well to niceties… i have to be really direct and say, “alexa, STOP!” she pipes down for a minute or two and then she starts telling me the weather. i don’t really care about the weather because i have lots of windows. also, berkeley is pretty temperate and i don’t even like to go outside too much. again, i have to firmly say, “alexa, STOP!” and then (just to bother me i am sure) she starts playing music… and not even MY music, random stuff i don’t recognize and don’t want to hear. i typically start to get super irritated at this point and don’t articulate my directions as well so i might have to tell her to stop NUMEROUS times before she finally does (kind of like conversations with my two teens.) but at least i KNOW those teens (i gave BIRTH to them) and i LOVE them so i have more bandwidth for them. i have never even SEEN alexa… she just sort of slips around the house and i hear her voice or her advice or her music from all different areas. i would appreciate it if she could introduce herself properly and look me in the eye.
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REPOST: winter park mountain home x0xx
(incredible views out of the expansive, angled back windows)
* now that i have moved my business to california, i wanted to share some of my favorite projects with all of you bay areas who might be ready for design help. one of my all time favorite jobs is this winter park mountain house. i LOVED this project because everyone from the architects to the builders to the craftspeople and artists were TIP TOP and so good at their jobs. and of course, my clients were especially awesome! x00xx
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kids keep you humble! x0x0x
in family
the other week i went to boulder for a visit. i was MISSING my mahjies, my writing group, my neighbors and my friends (i mean, they are ALL my friends…) and especially my colorist, who is also like my yoda. i surprised her by requesting (in addition to sorting out my roots and toning and highlighting) a big chop. i had been thinking about it for weeks, but didn’t tell anyone - except my mom, of course - because i didn’t want to be talked out of it… sort of like not sharing a baby name before the baby comes out! i think she took off almost a foot… i haven’t had hair this short in over twenty years. i can’t tell you how liberating it feels. i spent the next few days bouncing around boulder eating at favorite restaurants with dear friends (ranches and tacos at bolleta, martinis and steak frites at ten ten), walking around my old neighborhood looking for the moose - YES - the week prior there was an actual bullwinkle in my 7th street backyard that isn’t my backyard anymore (i didn’t find him), playing mahjong and sitting around drinking tea at various coffee shops. all the while i was getting super fun comments about my hair like “sassy,” “fresh,” “brave” and feeling pretty pleased with myself. when i got home to berkeley my son was napping (he’s either running, running, running or crashed out.) he opened one eye and said, “oh mom, you look like velma.” as in velma from SCOOBY DOO! that stung a bit, but i DO see the resemblance, especially when i have my glasses on. i will just have to avoid orange turtlenecks, at least until halloween. my daughter was also resting in her bed but both of her eyes opened. she said, “mama, you look like beezus or ramona… i don’t know which one. maybe both.” i LOVE the beezus and ramona books - i read them over and over as kid - but they are CHILDREN! i was going more for a messy 90’s winona or drew bob. anyway, my kids are really good at keeping me grounded and humble, that’s why i don’t need to meditate. x0x0x
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REPOST: COLORFUL christmas tree drive
in art, dining room, family, garden, living room, office, pet, residential interior, sofa
we did an extensive remodel on this family home nestled under the flatirons in the chataqua neighborhood of boulder, colorado. originally built in the 80’s, we updated the exterior with earthy wood siding and local stone, in keeping with the home’s mountain setting.
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ANDERSEN'S PEA SOUP! x0x
(we DID stll get a photo with “HAP-PEA” and “PEA-WEE,” even though the restaurant was closed in 2021 because of corona)
i think with the world absolutely upside down, i am feeling nostalgic. today i was so HAP-PEA when i noticed canned andersen’s pea soup in my safeway. we always used to stop at andersen’s on the way to my grandparents’ house when i was little. i loved seeing the big windmill and all of the carved and painted danish furniture inside. and, of course, the soup was DELICIOUS! during the pandemic, on one of our many roadtrips i brought my kids to andersens and we were so bummed (or I was bummed) that it was closed down. over winter break, lucy, hank and i drove down to LA and on the way back we made a stop at the OPEN andersens. the soup was just as yummy as i remembered and now i don’t have to go all the way to santa nella, i can just pop over to my market! x0x
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gorgeous santa fe! x0x0x
(these sconces were hung down all the hallways of our hotel: inn on the alameda)
five years ago, when my daughter was turning ten, we were supposed to take a girls’ trip with my mother to santa fe. that plan got kabashed with the pandemic and this spring break we were finally able to make it happen. i have never before been to a place so concentrated with art museums and galleries and beautiful shops in a relatively small geographic footprint. it was absolutely exhilirating to be exposed (inundated?) to so many pretty, innovative, inspiring, engaging works of art literally EVERYWHERE we went. and the food was outrageous too… so YUMMY! here are some of my favorite discoveries…
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REPOST: easter brunch
* this is the first year we will be in california for easter since i was really young… i am not sure who is going to make the buns and the quiche - me or mom - but i am so happy to be able to celebrate with my family. unfortunately, TT will be back at school but i have a direct line to the easter bunny so i know that theo will still get his basket in the dorm. HAPPY, HAPPY EASTER everyone! x0x0xx
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HAPPIEST 15th BIRTHDAY my darling lu! x0x0x
HAPPY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my dearest babela bu! this will be the FIFTEENTH time we’ve celebrated you and that feels like a LOT but also like it happened in a blink. i LOVE you so my beautiful, hilarious, SPICY girl… you keep me (and most everyone else) on my toes delighting and surprising me with your fierceness, your out of the box thinking, your creativity and your absolutely GIANT heart! wishing you a year full of love and peace and good books and early bedtimes (just what every teenager wants!) i love you higher than the sky is high and deeper than the ocean is deep! x0x0xx
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REPOST: the order of a seder
* this is the first seder we will be celebrating in california. i am just beside myself that my darling boy will be home from college for a few days and will be able to celebrate with us. of course, we will also have my sweetie girl in attendance. i will not actually be hosting this year as we have been invited to the home of one of my dearest, oldest friends. i might have to stay late and vacuum HER house at the end of the night because vacuuming up the matzo crumbs is an essential part of the seder “order” for me! HAPPY, HAPPY PASSOVER all! x0x0xx
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my denver project is featured in this month's DENVER LIFE MAGAZINE! x0x0x
in family, residential interior, kitchen, art
i am so thrilled to share that my denver project is featured in this month’s denver life magazine! this remodel was such a joy because we assembled such a terrific team: architect anne marie kaufman of AMPk architecure, sanctuary kitchen and bath design, builders DT construct, artist sarah kinn, photographer heather burns of HBK photography and of course, my wonderful clients. THANK YOU to sahale greenwood of denver life for including this project in april’s edition. here is a link to the article and here is a link to view the full project! x0x0x
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my mother's quilts are now AVAILABLE (for purchase)! x0x0x
(this quilt has been hanging in my bedroom for over twenty years… i LOVE it! x0x0)
one of the BEST things about moving back to california is being near my parents. it is so easy to pop over to their house and see what they are up to. most of the time, my mother is in her studio working on a quilt or three. i love to watch her process and i also love having her work hanging throughout my house. her quilts are more like fabric paintings in her use of color and the way she upends traditional patterns and reconfigures them or creates original blocks. her quilts add warmth, texture, color and dimension to my house and now you could have one in your home as well! i will be featuring a different quilt each month. contact me if you are interested in more information: jennifer@jenniferrhode.com the full collection is on view here.
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my childhood plates! x0x
(i LOVE these fun dishes… even the box is adorable!)
i am just beside myself today because my rainbow heller plates and cups and bowls arrived. i grew up in the 70’s with these guys - we had large yellow plates, small orange plates and both yellow and orange cups and bowls. i was a pretty simple eater (i still have the palette of a five year old) so my mom would cut up veggies and fruit and cheese and meat and i would make “faces” out of everything on the orange plates before i ate it. i have big memories of cheerios or mint chip ice cream in the bowls. and i loved laying my fingers against the curved cup handles when drinking my milk. at some point after we got older, my mom replaced the plastic set with ceramic plates (still yellow!) but i always thought the heller ones were more fun. and now i have my own collection just in time for outdoor dinners on the deck. how many of you grew up with these too? x0x
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spring break of a lifetime... one YEAR later! x0x
(sunset on the beach with TT at iberostar last year)
last night we picked up my darling boy from the oakland airport. he survived (and reveled in) FIVE nights of mardi gras in new orleans, culminating in an all night “tequila sunrise” that rang in fat tuesday. now he is in his bed and i think he might remain there for the remainder of his spring break.
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happy, happy mother's day! x0x0x
(back in days when all of my loves would end up in the same bed by morning…)
i LOVE being a mama… especially when my kids are asleep! they look like little angels (even now that they are teenagers and hank is technically middle aged.) their rhythmic, peaceful breathing (hank’s sounds more like a train) is really soothing and makes me feel like everthing is right in the world. i do not have a consistent meditation practice, but when i do it, i always crawl back in bed with my sweeties and lay one hand on someone’s chest so i can feel it going up and down. these days that sweetie is usually hank because my other babies sometimes tell me they need “space” and sometimes they even lock their doors! luckily hank never needs space. when they wake up we never know what will happen. sometimes they are delightful and sometimes they are less so. even when they are less so, my love for them feels so BIG it’s almost painful. i am so GRATEFUL to be the mother of these lovey darlings. loads of LOVE to all of the mothers and those who mother. x0x0x0x
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REPOST: the order of a seder
* this is the last seder i will be hosting in our boulder house… i have so many wonderful memories of passover celebrations around this table and i am so grateful for all of the lovely friends who shared in them! HAPPY, HAPPY PASSOVER! x0x0x
seder means “order.” there is an order to every aspect of the passover celebration from the way the seder plate is prepared to which course is served first and second and third to what prayer is said, what song is sung, what question is asked and when. even though i am not jewish, i have been hosting passover dinners for nearly twenty years. inevitably i mix up at least one aspect of the order. sometimes i even schedule the seder for the wrong evening - the jewish calendar is confusing and i am not always sure if “begins at sundown” means the dinner should take place that night or the next. i give myself a pass on this as a shiksa mama raising jewish children. i have enough trouble with simple time telling (my mom thinks that’s because i had the chicken pox the week i was meant to learn it in first grade) and adjusting to different time zones and daylight savings.
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