Village Walk

Just a morning stroll-turn right at the purple magnolia


spot the bluejay in the conifer


snap the honking goose on the pond


straight on to the beach


and spy this guy in the yard back home

Spring: the western elevation

Normally by this time in the season the house is hidden behind foliage, this season it's been so cold we are way behind. That, and I think the star landscaper trimmed every shrub hard last year. He assures me they will grow back stronger. I hope so, meantime we get to enjoy the architecture.

The den: A study in black and brown

I've posted nothing about this room since the sneak peek of the rug last year. I'm still on the fence about that, it's warm and soft which makes it a kind of kitty heaven but that leads to clawing and fur balls so we may end up putting it in Verity's room but for now it stays.


It isn't a completely finished room yet, we'll replace the last huge single glazed window at some point, add some bookshelves or corner cabinets. maybe a game table under the chandelier and give the walls a coat of paint but for now it's a liveable, cosy space.


This is how it used to look before I suffered a renovation breakdown and got rid of the raised dais and built in cabinets.


The northwest side: I ended up placing the Probber cube in the corner behind the Eames Lounge chair, mainly so we had enough light to read in the evenings without waiting for the time-delay spots to come on. I have fantasies about a cowhide rug under the chair...


Before: The same angle with original stained carpet.

Hanging the Art: Laundry Room edition

House Art in the laundry. I took Nadine's advice and hung her Purple House in the laundry where it makes me smile while I'm washing clothes and feeding cats. I can also wave cheerfully to it as I make my way to the back door to let the dog out ...again...

Olivia's Birds Event

A big crowd turned out at The Book Revue for the presentation of Olivia's Birds Saving the Gulf.


After her talk Olivia took questions and drew a Chickadee


Then she signed every copy in the store. SOLD OUT! That's my copy (I pre-ordered!)


We left with instructions to build a bird feeder and plant more trees to Save the Birds in our own backyard. Thanks Olivia!

Hanging the Art: Olivia's Birds edition

Just in time for her Huntington, Long Island book signing at The Book Revue on Sunday April 10th, young artist Olivia Bouler's the Great Tern has found his permanent home in the foyer at The Cool House. This drawing was part of Olivia's first venture to help Save the Gulf wildlife from the BP oil spill a year ago.


Olivia's Birds Saving the Gulf is a beautifully drawn, passionate and informative book-part guide book, part environmental resource-detailing her story and illustrated with her paintings of the birds that inspired her to start a campaign to save them. If you can't get to the Book Revue on Sunday at 3 PM you can and should seek out the book at your local store or online, I'm certain you'll be delighted too.

Hanging the Art: The Great Room edition

Almost seven years ago we moved in to our new home and threw Jacques Brel on the wall where he landed on an existing picture hook. For all the intervening time he's been sardonically silent; mocking me for his off-kilter placement and the dirt lines that marked where the previous owner's art hung. During that time we've collected a lot more art; some made it on to the walls but a lot has been piled up waiting for someone with a decent eye to tell me where it should go.


Last night I invited Nadine Bouler the artist responsible for some of the recent acquisitions, the framer and gallery owner Cherie Via, the Awesome Designer and a couple of modern art lovers to set the art to rights. A glass of wine, a few nibbles and a hammer or two later the great room placement was finished and I had a cohesive look. Where once Monsieur Brel was hanging high and lonely, now Arthur Luiz Piza joins Andrew Geller, Nadine Bouler and Sharyn Bradford to successfully fill the wall.


And Jacques Brel? He's bien à l'aise above the credenza, keeping his eye on the glass vase that holds all the recent invitations to art gallery openings...

::UPDATE:: There are some super candid shots of the process on Nadine's blog. Go check them out!