Summer is almost here and this month's issue of Our State Magazine includes Stacey's image as the cover!
Read Moredomino magazine | kara cox
We’ve had the pleasure of knowing Kara Cox of Kara Cox Interiors for quite a few years now and we were so happy to shoot her house that was featured in the September issue of Domino! Kara is talented and we love her beautiful house full of art and gorgeous details.
Read Moreour state | december cover
The Holidays are almost here already and this month’s December issue of Our State Magazine includes Stacey’s image as the cover! Not only did Stacey get the chance to shoot these beautiful and unique vintage ornaments but she also had the opportunity to photograph some pretty delicious coconut cake as well!
For an interesting tale about the Ornament King of Gastonia and to get a wonderful recipe for Coconut Cake, grab the December Issue of Our State Magazine!
Cheers!
Natalie
garden & gun | asheville on tap
I am very lucky to live pretty close to Asheville, North Carolina – the rising beer capital of America . . . We loved getting this assignment from Garden & Gun magazine. I mean who doesn’t love touring breweries & restaurants and staying in nice hotels? I was really impressed with the young brewmasters and their enthusiasm for their craft. And even though I am gluten-intolerant, I admit I had a few sips of some beers they worked so hard on!
We’ve included photos from the Wicked Weed, the Wedge, and Highland Breweries but these are only a few of the 40 + craft breweries located in Asheville!
We stayed at the Grand Bohemian, a beautiful hotel with the rustic feeling of a European hunting lodge mixed with old world elegance. The have an excellent restaurant, a gallery & spa and have been named one of the best hotels by Travel + Leisure and Conde Nast Traveler!
our state | the table
There are some shoots that are harder than others – being gluten-free is especially difficult at such a lovely place like The Table in Asheboro, NC. Look how beautiful this bread is! I really just wanted to slather butter on it and maybe a bit of honey and cram some on my mouth. It took all my will power not to do it! So instead, I tried to just look at the beautiful textures of the bread and photograph it as still life. And besides, The Table, does offer a full menu with fabulous salads and other yummy dishes so us GF people have lots to pick from.
Dustie Gregson, the owner, is the sweetest person you’ll ever meet and has done a lovely job with all the details of the decor even down to the 1 of a kind chandelier made out of milk bottles. So if you are in Asheboro or visiting the potteries in Seagrove, I would make a little trip to this cute and delicious restaurant!
for the love of... beatrix potter
Author & philanthropist, Beatrix Potter, often visited her Uncle Fred and Aunt Harriet’s rambling Welsh estate at Gwaenynog Hall. I had the privilege of visiting this idyllic property a few years ago on a shoot for Canadian Gardeningmagazine. Gwaenynog Hall is a 2000 acre estate located near Denbigh whose beautiful walled gardens inspired Beatrix to write her charming Flopsy Bunny books.
Janie Smith, Beatrix’s great grand niece, showed around the gardens – she and her daughter Frances have worked tirelessly to restore the gardens back to what they might have looked like when Beatrix visited. The garden’s were was so lovely even though we visited in the fall – ivy was still crawling on the walls, ruby red apples ripe on the trees, purple thistles blowing in the wind, iron gates opening up to secret gardens and horses peacefully grazed in the fields – I really could imagine Flopsy & Mopsy, Cottontail & Peter hopping through the flower beds looking for a nibble, can’t you?
On a visit in May 1895, Beatrix Potter wrote in her diary . . .
“The garden is very large, two-thirds surrounded by a red brick wall with many apricots, and an inner circle of old grey apple trees on wooden espaliers. It is very productive but not tidy, the prettiest kind of garden, where bright old fashioned flowers grow amongst the currant bushes.”
our state | blessing of the hounds
garden & gun | asheville on tap
I am very lucky to live pretty close to Asheville, North Carolina – the rising beer capital of America . . . We loved getting this assignment from Garden & Gun magazine. I mean who doesn’t love touring breweries & restaurants and staying in nice hotels? I was really impressed with the young brewmasters and their enthusiasm for their craft. And even though I am gluten-intolerant, I admit I had a few sips of some beers they worked so hard on!
We’ve included photos from the Wicked Weed, the Wedge, and Highland Breweries but these are only a few of the 40 + craft breweries located in Asheville!
We stayed at the Grand Bohemian, a beautiful hotel with the rustic feeling of a European hunting lodge mixed with old world elegance. The have an excellent restaurant, a gallery & spa and have been named one of the best hotels by Travel + Leisure and Conde Nast Traveler!
garden & gun | katie button's cúrate
I love my job everyday but I especially love it when it allows me to meet inspiring people! I photographed Chef Katie Button at her fantastic restaurant Cúrate in Asheville for Garden & Gun magazine earlier this year (see more of the story here). I found Chef Button’s enthusiasm for food catchy and the food at Cúrate delicious! We always suggest people stop by Cúrate if they are going to Asheville. And yesterday we were excited to read that Button will now be doing a cookbook and we wanted to say a big congratulations from all of us at Stacey Van Berkel Photo!
style at home | magically muted christmas
Thrilled to have to the November cover of Style at Home magazine. Thank you to Christine Hanlon and your wonderful styling – we had such fun working with you as always. I really love the understated approach to the holidays – it is peaceful and calm and just so pretty.
lanalou style | charming cabin getaway
We are excited to have some photos of the cabin story I shot in Nova Scotia featured on the Lanalou Style blog today. . . . this was a very special story to me since it was one of the first stories I pitched and my whole family was involved in making this happen. And then to top it off, I won a National Magazine award for this story.
So go on over and take a look at Lana’s post today! Her blog is very pretty and you’ll find lots of things to inspire you there.
And come on back here to see some more photos from that shoot on Monday. . . have a great weekend!
~Stacey & Maria
our state | tiffany hill b&b
How lovely to arrive at Bed & Breakfast on Tiffany Hill after the hustle and bustle of a freelance photographer’s life! Maria and I thankfully drove along the treed country roads and then up the driveway to this peaceful haven near Asheville, NC. Of course, we were there to photograph for Our State magazine, but Selena Einwechter, the gracious innkeeper gives everyone the star treatment!
We were ushered to our beautiful rooms and shown all the wonderful amenities: Keurig coffee maker outside the rooms, lots of yummy snacks, homemade peach tea and anything you could need really. We unpacked our equipment and were able to spend some time planning for our shoot. It is a luxury to have some time before shooting!
Selena is so warm and friendly and her goal is for each guest to have a peaceful and wonderful stay. There are porch rockers, a quaint fenced herb garden and a wooded trail with little nooks to sit and read or just soak in the ambience. The pineapple has long been a symbol of hospitality and you’ll find that this bed and breakfast to be a fine example!
We were excited to have the cover of Our State this month! Hope you enjoy seeing a little more of Tiffany Hill . . .
garden & gun | far-out farmhouse
I am always thrilled to shoot for Garden & Gun magazine and when Art Director, Maggie Kennedy asked if I could shoot a lovely Carolina farmhouse I started packing my gear. Driving down the bucolic country roads, past farms and lakes, past cattle and horses, I couldn’t wait to arrive at my destination. The very talented Ken Pursley of Pursley Architecture designed this house that I secretly wish was mine.
Ken and his colleagues welcomed me and gave me the grand tour of the property. What a wonderful getaway from the busyness of live – a row adirondack chairs on the porch for sitting and reading, walls of windows to gaze at beautiful scenery, a tree swing and a lake, chickens, horses and mammoth donkeys. And all you can hear are the cicadas. . .
I think you’ll enjoy seeing a few more photos of amazing job Ken has done on this house!
style at home | debbie travis’ london
We were so excited to have the opportunity to travel to London with Style at Home editor Erin McLaughlin to shoot Debbie Travisfor the magazine! I remember Debbie from her original TV show The Painted House so it was pretty fun to show up at her London townhouse and her greet us with her sparkly smile. Of course since The Painted House, Debbie has gone on to do many amazing things from more television shows, producing, creating her own licensed products for various companies and winning lots of awards. She is now restoring a property in Tuscany and even holds a girl’s getaway.
We spent two wonderful days with Debbie, one photographing her delightful townhouse and one exploring the inspiring design stores about London. Debbie was kind enough to shuttle us around the windy London streets in her car. She knows the neighbourhoods like a pro – I was glad I wasn’t driving!
I was wowed by the Designer’s Guild – so many beautiful patterns and colours, gorgeous furniture and accessories everywhere you look! What a treat to be there with Debbie and Erin both. . . After a lovely lunch and a trip to Portobello Road it was a wrap. Just one more thing to do – get a photo with Debbie for my mum!
And off Erin and I went to get some Pimm’s (more about that tomorrow). Read more about Debbie’s London here.
toronto star | at home with anna olson
Last week I received a very fun phone call from Scotland! I was surprised to hear Justin Ryan (of the dynamic duo Colin & Justin) on the line looking for some photos of Anna Olson I shot for Canadian Home & Country magazine a couple of years ago. With some rushing around we were able to get the photos to the Toronto Star on time for their deadline & the article appeared on Friday. You can see it here.
Anna was so wonderful to work with and we really enjoyed spending a little time with her at her house in Welland, Ontario. There were so many pretty photos from that day, I thought it might be nice to share some of them!
style at home | color me pretty
We are so exited to have the April cover of Style at Home Magazine! Flying to Maine last year in the dead of winter was a wonderful adventure. Our team came from three corners, me from North Carolina, Margot Austin from Toronto and my assistant Leah Zimmerman from the big apple. We all met and stayed at the wonderful Kennebunk Inn, famous for it’s lobster pot pie!
Our job was to photograph a big beautiful house that belongs to the owners of Au Lit Fine linens in Toronto. Kennebunk, Maine is a wonderful historic vacation spot with old stately homes lining the streets, lots of delicious seafood, beaches and antique shops. In the middle of winter, it was a bit different – cold and a bit deserted but we all fell in love with it anyway.
I have included a few more favorite shots, a few behind the scenes and some terrible iphone photos of our delicious meals at the Inn. Can’t wait to go back and have some more lobster!
Maria and I were lucky enough to return in July to photograph for Au Lit – more on that later this week . . .
style at home | color for christmas
I just loved shooting holiday stories for Style at Home magazine last year in Toronto! Christine Hanlon produced and styled this shoot – isn’t she amazing? After seeing the pink ruffle pillow I went straight to Home Sense to buy one for my mother – they didn’t have pink but a lovely champagne colour instead and she loves it! We were so busy shooting this day I didn’t really take any out takes but I’ve included a fav shot of the chandelier and a wider one of the chair and presents.
style at home | cozy ottawa holiday
Style at Home editor Erin McLaughlin & I drove to Ottawa on a cold snowy day last December on our way to a shoot in Canada’s capitol. As we drew closer the snow got worse and worse & the next morning we woke up to sleet and ice. We were determined to make it to the shoot so we drove verrrrrrrry slowly through the streets of Ottawa. And what a lovely surprise it was to have Chip Hamann & Alain Doom welcome us into their cozy and stylish house. We also met the gracious Irene Langlois of Irene Langlois Interiors who helped make this home charming and ready for entertaining.
Alain & Chip prepared the food, lit the candles while Irene hung the last of the holiday decor. And despite the ice & snow, good friends arrived, champagne was opened and the lovely party went on into the evening. . .
style at home | taste of switzerland
A little Swiss twist on some holiday raclette... Alison Lovell of Lovell Designs grew up in Switzerland and shared her love of raclette with Style at Home for the November issue. It was so great to photograph Alison & family – aren’t they all so photogenic? The very talented Lara McGraw did the styling and my ever faithful assistant Mun helped me shoot this very fun story. I have posted a few behind the scenes of Lara overseeing the details, Mun making sure we have correct colour and a few other favorites that didn’t make it into the magazine story. Mmmmm now I wish I had a raclette machine!
style at home | cozy ottawa holiday
Style at Home editor Erin McLaughlin & I drove to Ottawa on a cold snowy day last December on our way to a shoot in Canada’s capitol. As we drew closer the snow got worse and worse & the next morning we woke up to sleet and ice. We were determined to make it to the shoot so we drove verrrrrrrry slowly through the streets of Ottawa. And what a lovely surprise it was to have Chip Hamann & Alain Doom welcome us into their cozy and stylish house. We also met the gracious Irene Langlois of Irene Langlois Interiors who helped make this home charming and ready for entertaining.
Alain & Chip prepared the food, lit the candles while Irene hung the last of the holiday decor. And despite the ice & snow, good friends arrived, champagne was opened and the lovely party went on into the evening. . .
