Caffeinated

Seduction - I may have to invest. The SoftBrew coffee pot by George Sowden. More details here.

Cool town

You like bikes? And urban architecture? Check out the promotional video for the Tour de France kick-off in Rotterdam, The Netherlands July 3 2010... next stop Brussels!

Backed-up!

I was going to entitle the post "Plumbers Gone Awol" but as I still have a home, and a functioning bathroom I'm going look on the positive side and not whinge or whine. I have a garage full of fixtures and a closet full of fittings. The cabinets arrive tomorrow and once they go in I can order the countertop, once the tile goes on the walls I can order the glass shower doors. Then the bath will be done... of course none of this can happen without the tiler who is waiting on the carpenter who is waiting on the plumber who has been sick for the last 8 days. Or maybe "sick".
Anyway, as a tribute to my fortitude - and yours, dear interwebs viewer, for living this renovation with me - I give you Lego Workers à la Flanders and Swann

Tonight: A Taste of Summer to Beat the Winter Chill

Hey! Who's that man and what is he and his friend doing at The Cool House? That's Richie Saccente of Young Rebel Goombas, with fellow Goomba Cosmo Mallardi, drinking coffee at our old kitchen table and getting ready to go out in the pre-remodeled master bedroom. Also starring in this video: the huge pink sectional!
A few things have changed at The Cool House since this was filmed but the music stays the same - tropical rock, filmed in the heat of a Long Island summer, to cheer up this freezing December day.
Download the free mp3 here and pass it on to your friends. Enjoy!

Window Shopping (Weekend Edition)

Brussels: Rue Blaes, Roberto Barr Papier Mache sculptures


Brussels: Sablon, Anne-Claire Petit knitted toys

Bonus: The artist at work in his atelier - Roberto Barr, 41 rue Blaes, Brussels

There is a light

... that never comes on. The light on the refrigerator side of the alarmingly expensive Sub-Zero 690 that is - the freezer is lit so I can check the vodka is ok and I know the fridge is cold but I have no idea how cold because THE LIGHT SWITCH IS NOT WORKING. I had the condenser replaced in the summer, the water dispenser re-fitted, twice, when we first got it in 2004; I am not a happy bunny.
A gem from their website "Sub-Zero and Wolf appliances are built to exacting standards..." Yep, that's exactly the adjective I would have chosen! Oh, and have I mentioned that every summer when it gets hot (like EVERY summer in New York) the ice maker stops working and you have to reset the system? Every summer. It's become something of a joke, except that it's not funny.
A guy is coming today to fix it. He's been before, doubtless he will come again. As they say on their website: Your relationship with Sub-Zero and Wolf doesn’t end the second your appliances are installed. In fact, we hope that’s just the beginning of a long relationship.
To keep my sanity (and my temper) I'm singing this song with slightly altered lyrics. Enjoy!

Shall we dance?

The pink sectional has gone and we have gained a beautiful waxed parquet floor


Notice the difference from the left side (where the sectional was sitting) to the right - or high traffic area. The unused side has a beautiful rich polish on it which I will redo while the big beast goes from pink to blue.


And while we have this big empty space we can send out the rug for cleaning, move the tables aside and have a sliding competition across the length of the floor... or dance and swirl around to this tune from the master on the wall, M. Jacques Brel

Keeping it old school in a digital world

Young Rebel Goombas (l to r) Richie Saccente, Cosmo Mallardi, Uncle B Johnson and Richie Cannata keeping it real at a special event @ CW Post, Long Island University.


The live sound is being videotaped by Jake Gorst for their youtube channel. Awesome jamming - that's one way music is made in 2009.

Steelcase and Frank Lloyd Wright

I posted yesterday about seeing Steelcase office furniture everywhere after I received the two MCM chairs. Last week I came across the name while viewing one of the more interesting sections of the Frank Lloyd Wright: From Within Outward exhibition at The Guggenheim Museum: the SC Johnson Building in Racine, Wisconsin.

In 1936 Wright worked with Steelcase to produce modular steel and formica desks and chairs in his signature Cherokee Red for the SC Johnson Wax Administration Building that Life Magazine called the "most inspirational office building of the twentieth century".

If you fall in love with the sensuous curves of the furniture you can purchase your very own Frank Lloyd Wright Johnson Wax 1 Writing Desk and Johnson Wax 2 Chair, although today they are no longer produced by Steelcase but by Italian furniture maker Cassina.

In 2001 Frédéric Compain made a fascinating documentary about the Johnson Wax Building as part of the Architects series. Part 1/3 above, click the links for part 2/3 and part 3/3. It not only shows employees at their work stations but explores Wright's belief that efficiency is affected by the surrounding office environment. (Note: the documentary is in French and although there is an English voice-over they haven't translated the written quotes. It would appear they spoke French in Wisconsin in the 1930s!)

The Steelhouse company has furthered their association with the architect, away from the industrial to the residential, by supporting the restoration of the Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio in Oak Park Illinois

and, in the 1980s, purchasing and fully restoring the Meyer May House in Grand Rapids, Michigan, which celebrates its 100th anniversary this year. Take the online tour here.

Steelcase is also sponsoring a Symposium on September 10 2009 to explore the relevance of Frank Lloyd Wright to 21st century architecture and design.

The weekend: Highs and Lows

A quick round-up of the weekend:

Highlights: Dinner with Mme Faboolosity and Hubby in the old 'hood, followed by Jill Sobule concert at The Landmark on Main Street. Spent evening coveting Jill's red velvet wedges.

Sunset on the deck in Huntington Bay, appetizers for dinner. (Cell service at the beach!)

Taking photos of the yard followed by best BBQ spare ribs and black beans ever.

Lows: First ever failed fairy cakes. I took this as a personal insult! (N.B. Failure does not mean inedible. There are only four left and I don't eat cake...)
Not fun yard work: weeding, removing thorny suckers and sucky vines; pruning the dead twigs from azalea bushes
Thousands of tiny caterpillars discovered the day after weeding - all over clothes, bedroom floor, bathroom. (The Guy had said the previous evening he thought ants were crawling over him and the zyrtec he took hadn't helped...)

Hitting head on outside lamp while taking close ups of planter... two of the three bulbs are no longer working but I have lump the size of lightbulb where I smacked it...

Daydreaming on the LI Shore

It's a warm Saturday in Spring on Long Island. What could be better than the Young Rebel Goombas recording Daydream Smile in the studio and outside the gentle waves lapping the Long Island Sound? Maybe the Goombas live tonite at Off Key Tikki? Enjoy!

Hi-def slo-mo

Carousel.
Spectacular video ad by Adam Berg for Philips’s flat-screen Cinema 21:9. Be amazed. Enjoy!
via Very Short List

From Donuts to Solar Power

Empty calories? No, with the aid of a powdered sugar donut, Everclear,Tazo Passion Tea and a pencil you too can save the environment


... oh, a laboratory will come in handy, too. Enjoy!
via Very Short List

The 80s are back (in a good way)

This weekend Run-D.M.C. will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 25 years after the hip hop group from Hollis, Queens unleashed It's Like That and duelling rap went mainstream.


Twenty-six years ago Nike introduced Air Force Ones, basketball sneakers with a full-length airsole, and a new generation of footwear grew alongside hip-hop. Now Moss is selling a limited edition of the 80s classic, the absolutely fabulous Nike Sportwear 1 World AF1 designed by Maharam in collaboration with Hella Jongerius. The shoes may invoke nostalgia for the eighties but the design is cutting edge. The fabric comprises richly colored layers of wool felt, the pattern made by cut-outs embellished with topstiched embroidery. Available from moss online for $250


For those who would prefer Layers in fabric rather than footwear, the Jongerius design comes in three patterns: Layers Garden, Layers Park and Layers Vineyard. The craft-like workmanship is reflected in the price but a panel of this fabric is like a work of art, one that I'd happily hang on my wall any day.

This post is a response to Hooked on Houses Friday Blog Party. Peace out.

This One's for the Nerds

From spiffworld a new video of Jonathan Coulton's Tom Cruise Crazy. Stick around until the very end of the video when, over the credits, Coulton sings about Belgium. True, so true.
In anticipation of the concert tonight at Symphony Space.

Saturday morning:The laughter continues

I have a meeting and a few errands to run but I can't leave you without something to mull over.
It occurred to me while watching my guilty pleasure The Real Housewives of New York that The Countess, who has written a book on manners to help the proles conduct themselves in polite society, reminded me of someone but I couldn't think whom it was. In the middle of the night I sat up and yelled Fanny Cradock, which frightened everyone and me most of all. Fanny was British and liked to pretend she was a lady. In her early days she cooked in a ballgown, with her husband Johnny, who I believe wore a monocle (though I could have imagined this bit). Think Julia Childs crossed with Margaret Thatcher. Terrified yet?
See for yourself...


Oh, you wanted to see her cook too? See what she does to this poor bird. Enjoy!

Friday afternoon playtime: The Sesame Street version*

We all need a good laugh on Friday afternoon so, internets, I'm sharing Ricky Gervais on Sesame Street. What could possibly go wrong?



* Caution: You may need Depends and a handkerchief.

Vintage and Modern's Video Inspiration

Bill Indursky from Vintage and Modern shares his design inspiration, some new items from V & M and a story about Achille Castiglioni's favorite design - a pair of sunglasses made from 35mm film.
My favorite piece on V&M, if you asking, or better yet, buying, is a 1970s carpet by Edward Fields that will go perfectly in the great room. Thanks.

Unnatural Disasters

The Guardian has a feature on Edgar Müller, Master of 3d Pavement Art, today and I was fascinated by the Lava Burst in a German street and this crevasse in Ireland. I couldn't get my head around how it was done. Luckily Mr Müller posted this video on youtube... just to satisfy my curiosity, and yours. Enjoy!

Jefke's Water Fixation

or why the sink is never clean...