Home Design with Kevin Sharkey

1 A glittery pumpkin, an arrangement of fall leaves, and light from a New York sunset.

2 I tucked these little critters into plants and arrangements.

3 Don't be afraid to use more than one type of decoration, especially for a party. My guests loved that every corner of the apartment held a new surprise.

4 Buttery yellow roses lit up the bathroom. Flowers are an easy and refreshing way to add color in all the unexpected places.

5 This gorgeous orange arrangement was littered spooky surprises. The black glitter caught the light in such a hauntingly perfect way.

6 More creepy crawlers lurking in the Chinese Lantern arrangement.

7 Some of the spiders visited the original skull and bones arrangement.

8 Voila! This table arrangement was as stunner; my friends loved all the butterflies especially, and glass pillars gave the table-scape a polished look.

9 Here are all six skulls. I wanted you to see how uniquely all of their butterflies perched.

10 This table arrangement glistened all night long. I'm thrilled with how it turned out! Worth the hours I spent glue-glittering in the Craft Department.

11 Be careful when glittering candles–little metal pieces don't get burned. They'll catch on fire! Not that I would know...

12 Already thinking about how I can top this next year. It will be tough!

13 Some of my favorite butterflies. How incredible is the blue one that almost glows?

14 Whimsical decorations are just as important as fancier ones!

15 Tending to the details. I wanted to make sure there was room for coats after Saturday's mini-snowstorm.

16 I kept the table settings clean and simple so the decorations and food could shine.

17 Some monogrammed napkins that I use for special gatherings.

18 Pierre outdid himself with his birthday dinner. I'm so glad he and Jenny were able to use my kitchen!

19 Having incredibly talented help in the kitchen and around the dining room meant that I could focus on playing host. Tremendous service from Gregory and Paul's stellar cooking assistance made the whole night possible.

20 Cote de Boeuf is quintessentially French and elegant, and it was the star of the show at dinner. Pierre has started his own catering business, and I'm thrilled that more people will be able to try his incredible dishes!

21 Pierre knows how to use every inch of my kitchen!

22 Cheesy hors-d'oeuvres get a blast in the oven.

23 Drinks, anyone?

24 Champagne is one of my favorite things, especially Veuve Cliquot. The only thing just as elegant was the service by Gregory and Jenny!

25 Tiny mozzarella bocconcini added depth to a gorgeous fall salad.

26 These tar-tar roll-ups were sealed in the most thinly-sliced cucumber shavings. It's so amazing to see something like this come together!

27 Tiny, delicious, and chic rollups by Paul.

28 Light and bite-sized appetizers are important for any party, so that your guests don't get too impatient for dinner.

29 A tray of crostini head for the oven.

30 Plating the greens–anything Pierre touches turns to pure elegance.

31 Teamwork is important in the kitchen when so much is being prepared.

32 Profiteroles and chocolate sauce. These were just decadent.

33 A chocolate salt cake from Baked was the perfect ending to the perfect birthday meal (http://bakednyc.com/).

34 Great friends, delicious food, and beautiful decorations made for a perfect Halloween Eve.

35 This is the Birthday Chef and Sirio Maccioni, owner of Le Cirque where Pierre took his first job in New York.

36 One of my favorite little people! How sweet is Kingston?

37 Sometimes you just need a nap!

38 Not a bad seat for me!

39 My friends are incredible people. These are the birthday Scorpios! From L to R: Mike, Marco, Biamante, John, Egi and Chef Pierre.

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41 This incredible headdress made it from Hulaween to my apartment for the party. Isn't it wonderful?

1 Martha Stewart Living's Stylist Tom Borgese has an order of gorgeous autumn branches and leaves soaking in water on my balcony.

2 A cloudy, but comfortable day in the city to be doing a project on a balcony.

3 The bunch of leaves and branches before being prepped for an arrangement.

4 Here, Tom is taking a look at which branches he wants to use for one of the arrangements for my dinner parties.

5 Tom needs to use loppers to easily cut through the branches.

6 Tom cuts multiple pieces so he can work little by little for the arrangement.

7 Here he is deciding the length of the branch he needs to cut off.

8 A rule of thumb (or finger) is if what you are cutting, like a branch, is thicker than your index finger -- then you need to use a lopper tool.

9 The branches are cut and ready to be used for the arrangement.

10 The colors of the leaves will be the perfect touch to my home to create an ambience of the season.

11 Tom will cut the branch so the leaves will begin at the top of the jar he will be using to place the arrangement in.

12 Because the branches are so heavy, an antique Ginger Jar is used for this project to keep the arrangement from falling over.

13 Tom prepares the bottom of the branches to help the plant receive plenty of drinking water.

14 This cutting of the bottom of the branch is called scoring.

15 Now the arrangement is large enough to make its way to the location it will be at for the the parties.

16 The arrangement is just at the start of being put together.

17 It is relocated to another room in my apartment.

18 Tom begins to trim a few branches.

19 Tom carries a few branches to the room where the arrangement is being set up.

20 When deciding where to place such a large arrangement, be sure to think of where your guests are most going to be. This piece may not be the best to put on a dining room table because people will not be able to see over it (unless you did a smaller version of this arrangement).

21 The small extra pieces from this project were simply thrown-out.

22 New arrangements have arrived from Folage Garden!

23 This Odontocidium "Solar Flare" orchids last about a month.

24 These arrangements are tall and will be perfectly displayed later in the evening on one of my longer tables in my living room.

25 These orchids touch my dining room chandeliers.

26 On to the next flower arrangement project, in my kitchen there are 200 roses sitting in different vases in water.

27 There are multiple types and colors of roses that I will be using in my rose arrangement that will grace my dining room table for my dinner parties.

28 Here is a close-up of two different types of roses: Capriccio and Metallina.

29 More roses wait to be used for table arrangements.

30 Here are two tools that will be used to create the rose arrangements: to the left is a pruner and to the right is a stem stripper. Tom placed red tape on the stem stripper because he said he has lost is several times in a pile of leaves -- so it is easier for him to spot with the red tape.

31 Julep cups will be used to place the flowers in once they are cut.

32 Here, Tom uses the stem stripper to take off several extra leaves. This rose is a Sahara.Using the stem stripper makes the job quick and easy and you won't have to come in contact with any nasty thorns.

33 Here you can see how the stem stripper easily wraps around the stem of the rose.

34 Leaving a few of the rose leaves is okay. It is best to keep them up top by the rose so the leaves do not go below the water level.

35 Here is a Capriccio rose.

36 I wanted to highlight the different style of roses so we cut them longer. I didn't want them tucked in together -- it keeps guests from seeing the different forms of the roses.

37 Here is a Metallina rose.

38 Using clean vases is very important for the flowers, also the warmer the water the faster the roses will open.

39 Use as much water as possible for most flowers (like roses) in a vase -- for soft-stem flowers use less water. A tip for tulips: the more water used the more the tulips will droop.

40 I picked different roses because they all have a unique look to them.

41 Tom picks off of a few petals to freshen up the look of the Silverstone rose.

42 Here is a Juliet rose -- it has a form of a garden rose and has very dense layers inside.

43 A close up of a few of the gorgeous roses.

44 See how each rose is able to slope outwardly? This is what you want in order for your flowers to be seen -- the Julep cups are perfect to let the flowers be seen.

45 If you put your roses in a cylender vase, they would stand up straight and it wouldn't show off the roses' faces.

46 A few tips to help your roses live longer: keep roses out of the sun as much as possible, change the water as often as you can and give fresh cuts to the bottom of the stems when you change the water.

47 Here is one of the arrangements, there will be many on the table for the dinner parties.

48 A gorgeous view from the top.

49 When you first cut roses, be sure to cut them under running water, that way they won't suck in air. If they suck in air it will block the water from reaching the actual bloom.

50 Be sure to cut the stems on an angle, the more surface there is the rose will be able to absorb more water. When the rose sits in the vase with a stem cut on an angle then it will be exposed to more water and not sitting flat on the bottom of the vase.

51 Roses have such a classic look, you really can't go wrong using them as a centerpiece arrangement for any event.

52 The colors look beautiful under the light.

53 here I am making sure the flowers are arranged in the best way on my dining room table.

54 In my living room is where I placed the orchids, their relection in the mirrors are gorgeous!

55 How stunning does this dining room look?!

56 I moved my Bromeliads from my living room to the dining room where I will be placing extra cocktail and champagne glasses.

57 Different size plates have also been set out and are ready to be placed on the dining room table.

58 I had to decide with which color linen I would use for napkins. I decided to go to with a more neutral tone.

59 Chef Pierre takes a look at what I will be using to set the table.

60 I love having a beautifully set table for a dinner party. Here I am about to begin setting the table.

61 Laying out the silverware needs to be done the correct way.

62 Look how gorgeous the table looks!

63 Making sure everything that needs to be on the table has been set in place.

64 Setting up a tray of extra cocktail glasses and champagne glasses in the back of the dining room.

65 Extra glasses are placed behind the dining room table -- in a location that is easy to get to if someone needs something during dinner.

66 Making the vases into a straight line.

67 The table is set and ready for dinner!

68 Chef Pierre making sure everything is where it needs to be.

69 Food is prepared and ready to be cooked!

70 Chef Pierre goes in to my pull-out-pantry to find a few items he needs to cook dinner.

71 The champagne is chilling in the kitchen.

72 So I tucked away the candles in their proper place before my guests arrived.

1 For my dinner party, I bought my orchids at Foliage Garden on 28th Street.

2 There is a wide selection of greenery set up outside of the store.

3 I love the tall spiral bushes -- perfect for balconies.

4 Before you even enter the store there is a large selection to pick from.

5 The white flowers are beautiful hydrangeas.

6 Here is a current window display.

7 The reindeers will be the perfect touch for the upcoming Christmas holiday.

8 Making my way to the orchid selection.

9 The orchids are gorgeous and perfectly displayed.

10 I love the details of the two colors on this orchid.

11 Here is a close-up of the beautiful phalaenopsis!

12 Look familiar? This plant is an ornamental cabbage.

13 These are paper whites -- when they bloom they are little white flowers.

14 Bamboo can be found in the back of the store.

15 Hard at work in the back of the store working on different arrangements.

16 There are also small potted plants that can be found throughout the store.

17 The pattern on these hawthornias is very alluring.

18 You will be amazed at the size of many plants around the store!

19 You may not be able to tell from this photo, but these red poinsettia plants are massive!

20 A variety of pots are stacked throughout the store.

21 Here is a view from the back of the shop.

22 White poinsettias are so elegant looking.

23 There are many exotic plants!

24 A line of different plants and flowers.

25 I love the pattern and texture of the the large leaves in the center of this photograph.

26 Another photograph of several orchids.

27 Another beautiful photo in the front of the the Foliage Garden store.

28 Beautiful dendrobium orchids... I love the bright green color!

29 Jeff helped me with my order of orchids for my dinner party.

30 Another stop was made at A Rose By Harvest -- they just recently opened their store this month!

31 The entire store is a walk-in refridgerator and there are hundreds of varieties of roses.

32 The company has been open since 1997 and originally had 5 different refridgerated trucks that went to several locations including Connecticut, New Jersey, and The Hamptons.

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34 98 percent of the roses in the shop are from Ecuador, other roses are brought in from Japan.

35 Here is Natan Alpert, managing director of Wholesale Floral, Inc. He is a flower expert and was full of interesting facts about roses.

36 Dozens of colors of roses are in the store, but look closely at other details -- like the way the petals lay and the way the flower opens.

37 Here is the rarest rose in the shop (the yellow roses in the center). Brought from Ecuador, this is a rare mutation of a Judy rose. Natan said the color and the way the flower opens are the rare characteristics of this specific rose.

38 The different colors are so bright and breathtaking.

39 You can find many bicolor roses throughout the store -- a rose that has more than one color.

40 The price of the roses range from 65 cents to $3 a stem.

41 Pictured here are freeze-dried roses.

42 You can wire freeze-dried roses into your arrangements and they last a few weeks!

43 The roses in the store are organized by height and color.

44 You can see how dense the inside of these roses are by the way the petals lay.

45 The color of these roses is so captivating.

46 This store really is the place to go if you are in search for the perfect rose.

47 A bright and beautiful selection!

48 You can buy the roses and arrange them yourself or they will make arrangements for you.

49 There are colors to go with every decorating palette.

50 You can see a difference in the different styles of roses in this photograph.

51 My final stop was for the maple branches -- 28th Street Wholesale shop is located right next to A Rose By Harvest. Pictured here are not maple branches but you can see pear branches and magnolia branches.

52 More plants are aligned outside of the store.

53 Here are some bright colored Ilex.

54 A closer look at the Ilex -- the red will be beautiful to mix in to make a Christmas arrangement next month!

55 The orange round-shaped plant at the top right is called Rose-Hips.

56 A look inside the shop from the front door.

57 A selection of flowers can be found inside of the store.

58 Throughout the store you can find different greenery.

59 The tulip selection was gorgeous for this time of year.

60 Boxes of tulips lay displayed.

61 I love the colors of these branches.

62 A lovely way to display these would be to lay them flat in a bowl for a simple centerpiece.

63 A view from the back of the store.

64 In the back of the store you can find busy work spaces.

65 A selection of cacti are available for simple house plants.

66 Other small plants to pot for around your home.

67 Bamboo is a cut flower that lasts forever.

1 Walking in to Economy Candy.

2 This is what I first saw when I walked inside of the store.

3 And I started selecting candy right away.

4 I remember Pez dispensers being very small... not any more.

5 On of my favorites -- and a signature Halloween candy too.

6 The scale at the front of the store.

7 Shelves and shelves of candy.

8 Some sweets came in Halloween containers/pots.

9 There were both the bubble gum and candy cigarettes.

10 There were so many options to pick from!

11 Turkish Delight came in many different flavors.

12 Candy that looks like fruit... is it healthy?

13 Jumbo lollypops!

14 I loved how colorful the store was.

15 Unicorn lollypops were right next to the massive lollypop display.

16 There was also a great selection of nuts.

17 Approaching the back of the store.

18 Rock Candy!

19 Notice the chocolate band-aids.

20 Two baskets...

21 I circled the store multiple times.

22 I will have to return for some Candy Canes later this season.

23 Of course I bought several bags of Tootsie Rolls.

24 I also purchased several bags of these candies for my guests.

25 Three baskets...

26 The Butterfingers made their way to my party.

27 Looking around, making sure I didn't forget any important candies.

28 Even though I didn't get these Satellite Wafers for the party, they are a great candy!

29 The back of Economy Candy's store.

30 There were lots of different types of gummy worms and gummy bears.

31 What's more classic than the wax vampire teeth?

32 Four baskets...

33 Another photo of several shelves in the store.

34 Here I am selecting candy with the owner of Economy Candy, Jerry Cohen.

35 Now there are the original Pez dispensers.

36 A classic taffy that you must try some time.

37 Charleston Chews made it to my party ... A great way to eat them in the summer time is to put them in the freezer for a couple of hours.

38 Four full baskets...

39 The classic wax lips.

40 Selecting more candy...

41 Bubble gum machines that you don't need to drop in coins every time you want a piece of gum.

42 There was a huge selection of different types of gum in the front of the store.

43 There was also a large selection of chocolate too.

44 Four over-flowing baskets...

45 Lots of different types of gum balls.

46 Six very full baskets of candy ... I think that's enough for the party.

47 I kind of went a little crazy at the store... just maybe.

48 Here is the selection of candy in front of the cash registers... There's plenty of sweets to pick from last minute before paying.

49 Glee Gum was located in front of the cash register.

50 More items of gum.

51 Talking with Jerry while waiting for the bill...

52 I loved all of the vintage signs that were hung around the store.

53 Owner Jerry Cohen and his wife Ilene in front of the store.

54 Jerry and Ilene outside of the store.

55 Some chocolate turkeys will be great for Thanksgiving treats.

56 Economy Candy is located in the Lower East Side of Manhattan.

57 Chuckles... one of my favorite candies that I had to buy for the party.

58 Outside of the store.

59 I was already looking at what candy to get when walking in from the display of labels in the front window.

60 All of the bags of candy in the back of the car.

61 My dining room table before the candy and glittering pumpkin arrived.

62 I placed all of the candy in silver bowls or on plates.

63 The Sugar Daddys were beautiful in the silver bowl.

64 One of my favorite candies -- Necco Wafers.

65 And my other favorite... Chuckles.

66 If you do not have enough candy to make the bowl look filled, you can place some bubble wrap in the bottom to take up some space.

67 There were a lot of Tootsie Rolls.

68 The preparation for the candy buffet was pretty easy.

69 Here is the dining room as the bowls of candy began to fill up.

70 Lots of candy!

71 I noticed quickly that I may have bought too much candy for the party.

72 Arranging the candy so the display looked gorgeous.

73 There were dozens of boxes of Junior Mints.

74 I later mixed different candies in the big bowls.

75 Everything is coming together.

76 The candy buffet is just about finished.

77 I placed candy corn in small silver bowls around the living room for guests to enjoy.

78 I love how the candy reflects in mirror.

79 In my living room there were lots of treats spread across the room on different tables.

80 There were several pumpkins around my apartment.

81 Here is the start to a centerpiece in my living room. More details were added right before the party started.

82 I love the white pumpkins!

1 The glittered pumpkin turned out amazing!

2 Having candy available for guests on a silver platter and in bowls adds a stunning touch.

3 The table is ready for guests to pick out treats.

4 You have to have a variety of the classic candies.

5 Here is the finished product of my bowl of white pumpkins. Look at the all of the glittered spiders!

6 This was placed in my living room.

7 There is a pretty way to display different types of nuts -- on a platter all lined up.

8 Here is the entire dining room -- set up and ready to go.

9 Michelle O'Connor, Robert Diamond and Martha Stewart

10 Chef Pierre Schaedelin preparing appetizers.

11 Paul is preparing the mac and cheese -- which was a big hit!

12 A close-up view of the Mac and Cheese that was served at the party.

13 Fritz Karch, Tod Morehead, Denise Clappe and David Mann

14 Kate Berry with her friend.

15 Laura Solimene, Rebecca Robertson, Yvette Gonzales and Cayla Rasi

16 Scott Horne and Elizabeth Graves

17 Chavo Killingsworth and Anthony Santelli enjoying cocktails in my living room.

18 One more photo of the candy buffet.

19 Marcie McGoldride, Hosanna Houser and Meghen Lee

20 Laura Solimene, Rebecca Robertson and Yvette Gonzales

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22 There was such a great turn-out of people at the party.

23 Daniel Biasatti, Christy Sheppard and Eric Pike

24 A view of the pumpkins and spiders and some snacks.

25 Sarah Carey and Lisa Wagner

26 Everyone really enjoyed themselves at the party.

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28 Tom Borgese, Rebecca Robertson, Fritz Karch and Yvette Gonzales

29 Emily Chard enjoys the surprisingly warm October night on my balcony.