04/29/2026
Where To Shop, What To Eat, and What’s New With Us 🌵🪟
In this line of work, I am so fortunate to share my(almost)entire life experience in Tucson/Southern Arizona. Moving here as a toddler, Tucson is the only home I know. Southern Arizona has justifiably become a top living destination, and so many of my clients are new to the area, or returning after decades away.
Once we wrap up window coverings, I have made it a standard before leaving any home I am welcomed in to ask if there is anything else I can help with.
The most popular question by far is about food. What are some good restaurants?
Second is about furniture, and where to shop.
So I thought since the heat is not far and we are heading into summer, I’d help you with some places to go to avoid heating up your own kitchen, and a cool place to stop in for some great shopping!
Meet Nest In The Desert, A Well Curated Gem For Your Home
I met the owner of Nest in The Desert, Robyn Halperin, over a year ago after furnishing window coverings for her lead designer, Leslie who I immediately clicked with, and still have a great relationship with. Leslie’s own home is such an amazing assembly of color, texture, natural materials, and most importantly, her jubilant personality. The next project I worked on was with Robyn at the helm on a large scale remodel. Seeing her vision and interpretation of what the client was looking for and needed to make their home feel true to them was an impressive process to be part of. It made selecting the perfect window coverings very easy. When the foundation is solid, building from there is simple.
If you’re looking for a great gift idea for a hostess, friend, or Mother(Mother’s day is right around the corner!) they have such unique and lovely options! If you want to level up areas of your home, re-imagine your space, replace furniture, or just make an area feel unique to you, Nest in The Desert is an unmatched place to start. I could stay in there all day.The shop is in Oro Valley on Oracle and Magee. Robyn and her staff offer design services to custom scale, so don’t be afraid to ask for whatever you may need!
nestinthedesert.com (http://Www.nestinthedesert.com)
A Divine Steak and Sides Await You!
Picking the first restaurant to recommend was a hard choice for me!
There are so many amazing local options to which I have personal connections. But a good, no-GREAT steak seems to top the list.
Charro Steak. That’s it. Go there tonight. They have two locations now, making it even more convenient. The original is downtown, and the newest one is great for anyone Northwest or in the Foothills, at Oracle and Ina in Casas Adobes. I go back to my early twenties with the head chef of Charro Steak, Gary, who is also a Tucson native. Yes, they are part of the greatly loved Charro Concepts restaurants, started by the Flores family which includes all the beloved El Charro restaurants.
The quality of beef they serve is so important to me- clean, sustainable, grass fed and no added hormones or antibiotics. Their ribeye is to die for, and I can’t order it without Esquitas con Crema(corn with cream and cheese, heavenly!) My husband Danny loves the Chile Verde Mac and cheese with his steak. I’ve been known to take home a jar of the green salsa they serve with the chips. They also offer seafood options, so if surf and turf is your thing, there’s none better! You can make reservations on their website, or just pop in and hang out at the bar and order from their extensive menu featuring fantastic wines,tequilas, mezcals, and whiskeys.
BUEN PROVECHO!
And Finally…..What’s New With Desert Window Wear?
As you might have heard me say, the window covering industry is not a quick evolving industry. New products do not come out seasonally or even annually, as window coverings are meant to last a long time! My reliability expectancy on most products is at least 10 years, if not 20+ for shutters. The latest changes are in motorization. Now more than ever, people want operation to be easy, as windows are getting bigger and glass technology and quality is increasing as well. So most of what we are seeing is how to make your shades easier to use. In some cases, this means a magnetic port for easy charging access, or granting home integration/automation access across more platforms. The motors are also getting quieter and stronger, so we can motorize more products on larger windows.
If motorization isn’t your thing, no problem! There are very strong cordless lift systems, reliable fabric cord loops that can have the length and/or color customized, and strong metal beaded chains. All of these options put child safety at the forefront of your home.
One of the tools we’ve started integrating is the use of AI. We are now able to generate pictures of specific window covering options on YOUR windows, making choosing the perfect product/color/material an easy process. We offer this as a free service because making it easy to get it right is so important! See the example below on some unique shaped arches of what we can do.
We are so grateful for all your referrals and your business. Word of mouth is our number one source of business, and it one of the many reasons we are always able to keep our pricing lower than big box stores, chains/franchises, and online retailers.
We don’t take being welcomed into your home for granted, and we are always here to help or answer any questions.
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