What a difference a year makes

April 29th 2010 - after a cold and snowy winter we've had a warm and rainy couple of months, which means the azaleas are blooming a couple of weeks eariler than last year, the hostas are up and Polly the dog is spending all day outside.


April 27th 2009 - although we had a warm weekend this time last year, the Spring was so cold only the cherry tree was in bloom. This is the same path but shot from the opposite direction, looks so sparse, doesn't it?


We did lose a couple of plants this year (although everything I planted last fall seems to have made it with the exception of the lavender - it still smells good, though!) so I bought a couple of big yellow double-flowered Kerria and this beautiful crimson rhododendron - Skookum.


The Kerria is reputed to be nigh on impossible to kill. I tried my darndest to test this theory by driving them home in the car with the top down in a brisk breeze. Despite the trail of yellow petals I left throughout the village and the confetti carpet in the car they seem to be thriving...

From vermilion to a dozen shades of grey

A touch of bright orangey-red to brighten your day


while outside the Sound pounds the beach and the rain clouds glower

Exhausted by Design

I'm ashamed to say I'd actually forgotten - it was a couple of years ago - blogging about this design duo who, unhampered by their family of six (now seven) young kids, manages to renovate dilapidated buildings and turn them into chic living spaces. I'm overawed by their limitless energy and ability to get things done without a) falling over a toddler or b) having a complete, rocking in the corner, hair-tearing nervous breakdown.


Add to the mix a new baby and a camera crew trailing around after them filming their reality show 9 By Design and lesser mortals (me) would be self-medicating by 10 am. The show on Bravo is my new guilty pleasure and I'll be watching tonight with a celebratory G&T. Why the celebration? After years months of planning the kitchen renovation is officially locked and loaded. Demolition begins middle May and I predict many, many relaxing cocktails over the next few months.

Wet & Wordless Spring Sunday

The Suns Shine Down On Me

There they are - the powder room suns - waiting, lurking in the dark shadows


peeping out behind the door


Gazing bemused while I wash my hands


And, while I pee, the suns shine down on me - a little judgmentally I feel.

Wallpaper: Il Sole by Cole & Son sold through Lee Jofa

Backed Up Beauty

Remember those storms that hit the north-east in March? They came a couple of weeks apart and each dumped 6-8" rain right on Long Island. Roads flooded, basements flooded, cesspool overflowed; people are still pumping water from the houses and parts of particularly swamped roads are still under water.
Here on the beach the erosion was substantial: steps washed away; bulkheads compromised and fields underwater. Yesterday we walked along the beach (carefully negotiating the damaged wooden stile) and waved to owners of beach front properties who were hard at work digging out their drainage pipes, trying to give the sodden lawns some relief. Some of the flooded areas, though, are beyond the scope of one man (or woman) and a shovel. Willow Pond backed up, flooding the yards of many residents; there's little sign that it will drain anytime soon.
The fence in the photo marks the boundary between two properties; it's the first time I've seen it under water for more than a day or two. Some residents blame construction in the area, others the loss of a large portion of the reeds that covered much of the pond. I'm sure the sand and beach stones that were forced up inside the drainage pipes have formed an effective stopper that needs to be uncorked. Whatever the underlying cause and however great the inconvenience it's quite beautiful to walk the strip of sand between the extended pond and Long Island Sound.

Sleeping soundly

The Hoffman bed arrived Saturday so we happily traded crashing on a mattress on the floor for a real grown-up king-size bed. Paradoxically, the huge bed makes the room seem larger. I have no idea why this should be but I'm happily embracing the bonus. Better still, switching the furniture around allows me a fabulous view of the white magnolia from my side of the bed - at least until all the leaves on the beech tree open. More importantly we've been sleeping better for the past four nights than we have in the previous four years.


Apart from the art piled up in a corner - and a place to put the BeoSound1 - this room is DONE. For those who need to know how it compares with the original inspiration and the The Guy's updated design, here's the rundown:

Bed: Room and Board Hoffman in Teton, Ink
Bed Linens: ikea Andrea Satin
Media console and Bedside Tables: Room and Board Grove
Rug: Kravet custom
Sofa: ikea (no longer available)
Drapes: Habitat Pixel (no longer available)
Cornices: Custom (Awesome Designer)
Blinds: Smith and Noble Dark Mahogany
Paint: Benjamin Moore. Walls: Titanium; Ceiling: Cloud White; Trim: Bittersweet Chocolate
Original Abstract Art: Jamie Geller Dutra

The entire before and after timeline from Muenster Cheese to Bittersweet Chocolate is available for your delectation here.

Spring 2010

Standing on the triangle of waste ground that marks the junction of Vineyard and Vineyard looking south; The Cool House is hidden behind the spontaneous eruption of green caused by lengthening days and 90F temperatures. Today is all about Spring: a carpet of yellow mallows, unfurling leaves on the beeches and maples and a budding Magnolia; blue skies and the occasional fluffy white cloud; bumble bees, chirping cardinals and swooping jays.

Into the lion's den...

Normally The Guy's office looks like a cross between a recycling centre and the inside of a vacuum cleaner bag; papers are "sorted" into plies and allowed to settle until they've accumulated at least 4 cms dust; found objects, such as cairns (the stones not the dogs) will be strategically placed on the piles to mark who knows what along with cables, chargers, business cards and throat lozenges. Woe betide anyone who attempts to clean up this mess, and so, balanced carefully on a pile of papers or books, will be a duster, or swiffer cloth - maybe both - that he promised to use a week month ago to alleviate the worst of the dirt.
Yesterday I declared it a health hazard and took advantage of his absence to clean up. I also gifted him an assortment of box files and desk folders and sorted his documents and resources into easy to find sections. Well, I'll be able to find them, he may not be used to my filing system...


Now he has a tidy desk it's time to prettify the room - this Larry Laslo fabric Signify in Carnelian from Robert Allen is the exact same shade of red as the pendant lamp and is masculine enough to appeal to The Guy. It will be turned into roman shades by the Awesome Designer as soon as she's finished working on another little project for me...

Our cup runneth over

It's been an exhausting couple of months weeks days. We just dropped our last houseguest off at JFK International and right about now I could use a long, cold Gin & Tonic in a deep, warm bath to start a relaxing evening. Unfortunately, while I am certain to get the former, the latter will have to wait another day as we awoke this morning to the sound of water splashing over the basement floor. Normally we have a dry basement; the plumber pulled out the leaky copper pipes down there and installed new pex and pvc as part of the bathroom/laundry renovation and we had the water heater replaced eighteen months ago. That left only one other possibility: the cesspool had filled with water after the torrential downpours of the last week or two (several neighbors are still pumping groundwater from their basements). Running down to the cellar we discovered grey water coming up from the plug hole in the sink, not the usual way you expect the plumbing to work. After we sent two other houseguests home to shower we called the guy with the pumping equipment and an hour later - and a few hundred dollars poorer - we were pronounced "good" and instructed to go easy on the water use for twenty-four hours... Oh, the joys of home ownership!

Cork or Wood Flooring?

Help! Now we've decided to go for it, the only thing holding up the kitchen renovation is the flooring choice. I've gone over it a bezillion times and I'm no nearer reaching a conclusion but the kitchen cabinets are about to be ordered so I need to make a decision right now.


Here are the issues: We have a sink, water dispenser in fridge. two dog bowls, cook top and wall ovens - that's a lot of potential spills. There are seven (7) doors/entryways to this room - it flows into the foyer, powder room, dining room, great room, mud room and basement and then there is the sliding kitchen door. The foyer and great room have waxed mahogany/walnut parquet floor, the dining room is presently carpeted and the mudroom, which is off at a 120 degree angle, should have the same floor as the kitchen. Oh, and did I mention the kitchen is a trapezoid?


I need the floor to be the same level as the parquet; I don't want anything as visually intrusive as a saddle nor do I want to trip over the transitions. So no slips no trips and as unified as possible. Also eco-friendly and able to stand up to two large dogs and four indoor/outdoor cats. Then there's the New York winter with its mud, snow, ice and ice melt trekking throughout the space and the Long Island summer - pool water and chlorine plus sand from the beach. Ceramic/Porcelain/Stone tiles are not an option here - too hard on the feet and too cold (we don't have room for radiant heating).


I had planned a cork floor for the kitchen - green, easy to install and soft underfoot. The tiles are square so will follow the same pattern as the existing vinyl that works for this space. They can either be waxed or polycoated to seal and are to a certain extent self-healing in the natural state. The flooring guy asked to quote for the job tells me it will be more expensive than wood floors and more easily damaged. I think he's balking because he's used to hardwood installation. His argument? Wood floors can be stained any color, sanded down if they get damaged and are better for resale (not that we're considering selling). Interestingly, Paul Anater of Kitchen and Residential Design had a post on cork floors last week that's worth reading.


So dear interwebs, weigh in with your thoughts. What would be the ideal flooring for The Cool House? Anyone who suggests indoor/outdoor carpeting will be growled at...

Keeping your friends

Interwebs regulars to this blog are aware that we lucked out when we signed up to take over The Cool House. Not only did we get a rock sold house in need of a little TLC and a piece of uniquely modern architectural history but we gained two of the best neighbors we could ever hope to have - the Awesome Designer and the Loyal Blog Reader. The former is the hands-on person in that partnership/ Furniture needs re-arranging? She'll move it fifty different ways until she gets the effect you're looking for (or the one she persuades you is best - trust her, it will be). Bulbs have to be planted? Give her a couple hundred and a dry weekend and the following Spring your garden will be carpeted with pretty flowers. Ask for a fabric swatch and she'll visit half a dozen showrooms and bring you swatches of undreamt deliciousness - and then spend hours pruning them until you have just the right palette to make your room perfect.

On the other hand, the Loyal Blog Reader is more cerebral and prefers to let the pros (like his wife) tackle things. Only rarely does he get roped into the renovation process, preferring to bask in the glory of the finished effect.


Which is why he is probably kicking himself this morning - or dreaming of kicking me maybe - when, after I plied him with wine and salumi, we persuaded him to take a hands-on role in the renovation and move a rug, or three, in and out of the car and up a flight of stairs - in the name of the beautification of The Cool House. To add to his nightmare I made him weigh in on the design discussion of some fifty pieces of fabric to determine the one that would epitomize our uniquely modern design aesthetic. So, I would like to heartily thank the Awesome Designer for all her help and hard work yesterday and to the Loyal Blog Reader I offer both my gratitude and profuse apologies. You can send the chiropractor's bill to me...

Kitchen Inspiration

The inspiration for the kitchen is simply the original kitchen here. If it weren't for the chewed up cabinet interiors I would have just replaced the couple of pieces of cracked laminate, installed new Corian/Caeserstone/Cambria/Silestone counters and replaced the floor with something more eco-friendly than stick down vinyl tiles. As it is the shelves are warped and the hinges have been re-screwed to the cabinet sides so many times it looks like a moonscape inside the high cabinets. So it's time to let go and start afresh.


We were also struck during our tour of the Racquet Estates in Palm Springs by the pairing of inexpensive laminate cabinets (mostly ikea, which I love) and high-end appliances and countertops. The laminate in our kitchen has stood up well to 40+ years of kids, dogs and cooking and today's finishes are even better so this is the way we'll go. I'm also very taken by this kitchen I found while trolling the interwebs - from TurningHouseIntoHome - that has similar window configuration to ours.


After the four month long master bathroom renovation, I want the kitchen to go much more smoothly. This is feasible because there will be no wall tiles or wall board to remove - it's simply a matter of unscrewing the countertops and cabinets, stripping a layer of marine board off the floor, re-flooring, installing the new cabinets and counters and wheeling in the wall ovens, cooktop and island hood. Wheeee! It'll be that easy! I've set a schedule that will be take no more than two months beginning as soon as the replacement window goes in - you know, the one that has the mock travertine formica interior sill that's higher than the outside window frame...

Laundry Reveal

Shussssh! Don't tell the master bathroom but I'm cheating on it with this room. I find myself in here more often than is necessary - and for reasons that have nothing to do with laundry...


If I find my hands are a little dirty I'll run here to wash them - even if I'm at the other end of the house and have to pass a bathroom (or two) on my way. There's something about this Grohe K4 faucet that keeps me going back and stroking it every single time I go in the room. Lest you think I'm a crazy sicko, Nancy at the marble fabricator's office also has a fetish for it. It reminds her of a baby's bottom...


Speaking of marble, this is the same marble we used in the master bath and I just want to LICK it, it's so gorgeous. This piece over the Bosch undercounter washer and dryer will be finished when the fabricator cuts me new backsplashes - the installer used the long piece to make a 2" backsplash for the vanity upstairs - oops!


As for the Ikea Applad cabinets, they hide everything neatly away - including the vacuum and the ironing board - behind the softclose drawers and doors. At the moment most of the cabinets are empty but the plan is to use this as a mini-kitchen while we are undergoing the kitchen remodel. Oh, yes, I did just casually throw that out there; no stopping us now - we're on a roll!

Primary Bathroom: The Reveal

From the first inspiration, through design challenges, back orders, missed deadlines and days of despair, the moment came at last - just before Spring, while others were outside frolicking in the unseasonably warm sun - when we were able to declare the master bathroom renovation finished and done. Well almost, there's still a saddle issue to be sorted but it's a fully-functioning bright, modern space with more room for towels and products; a wider, deeper tub and a super shower that feels twice as big as its grubby predecessor but is exactly the same size. We can primp and polish, shower and soak in our own bathroom for the first time in four long years. I can't comprehend why it took so long and required so much of our time and energy to get right but I'm going to let that go now and simply relax and enjoy the space. For posterity - and anyone out there in interwebs world who's interested - here's a list of the fixtures and fittings we used: Tiles: Floor Porcelanosa Ferroker; Wall: Eidos Grafito; Shower: Talis Antracita Tub: Kohler Archer; Tub Spout: Grohe Tenso; Tub Faucets: Grohe Atrio; Glass shelf: Atlas Lola Heated Towel Rail: Amba Jeeves model E WC: Toto Nexus with softclose seat in Maple; Toilet roll holder: Motiv Sine Shower: Base mti whirlpool; shower fixture: Grohe Freehander with Grohe Sena handheld; Steel shower basket: Smedbo Sideline; Frameless glass shower door manufactured locally. Vanities: Cabinetry: Kraftmaid Cherry, peppercorn fiinish; Handles: Atlas Centinel; Faucets: Grohe Tenso; Sinks: Duravit Vero Countertops, backsplashes, horizontal and vertical accents: Carrara Marble Medicine Cabinet and Sconces: Robern Candre in white glass Electrics: Broan ventilation light/nightlight/fan and 5 recessed ceiling lights. Paint: Benjamin Moore: Titanium (dressing room walls); Cloud White (closet and ceilings); Bittersweet Chocolate (doors and trim). Dressing Room: Hardware: Towel bar, robe hooks: Motiv Sine; Magnifying mirror: Smedbo Outline Lights: Ceiling: Artimede Illusa Square; Wall: Illusa Wedge sconces

After Winter comes

...the clean up!


The March storms moved the beach 50' closer to our house


tearing up the grass verge


wrecking the railings


and undermining this view-blocking very important notice.

Yet signs that Spring has arrived are all around


The crocus I planted out last year survived both squirrels and winter frost


These snowdrops in a neighbor's yard steadfastly pop up every March


The birds are singing, blue skies are back and I saw a pair of ospreys fly over Willow Pond.

Something is Missing

When we were choosing fabrics for the Great Room sectional, way back in fall 2009, I pounced on a pale teal or seafoam color chenille and pronounced it perfect for the master bedroom. I had this idea that the I would paint the woodwork dark brown and the other colors would come from the Jamie Geller Dutra painting that I'd bought The Guy for his birthday a few years back.


I wasn't sure whether it would be used as drapes or pillows but eventually I asked the Awesome Designer if she'd make some "valance boxes" for the bllnds and cover them with the seafoam chenille. Being a great designer she found a blue/black trim to subtly enhance the color and suggested we make a third for the Pixel drapes that The Guy refused to replace. Now the beautiful cornices (as I have learnt to call them) have been installed and we couldn't be more pleased with the way the room turned out.


The Room and Board Grove oil-and-wax walnut credenza and bedside tables have a mid-century vibe that fits our style and complements the other furnishings in the house. Everyone (including all the electricians, plumbers and carpenters who traipse through here on the way to the master bath) loves the black glass lamps (also from Room and Board but this time the clearance section - score!) and the skinny navy and white Italian floor lamp. Even the Samsung television has gotten a thumbs up; when it's on the bezel lights up with a red accent, matching a corresponding red stroke in the painting!


There's only one thing we need to complete the room, one very important last final piece to finish our dream space. Can you see what's missing? What would, in effect, elevate this room to new heights? That would give this room the comfort level it needs? Something I need to have positioned before the rest of the art can go back on the walls? The piece of furniture that defines this room won't now be arriving until mid to late April and it can't arrive to soon for me. I'm too old to be camping out on the floor...