Guaranteed washout

Severe thunderstorms, scattered thunderstorms and isolated thunderstorms until Sunday. After that it'll probably just rain until Labor Day.


Bonus: it's pouring so hard I can't even see the pool!

Of course...

Photos from first day of summer 2011, the longest day, the solstice. We never know what kind of weather we'll have here on June 21. This year it's warm, humid and buggy. And what's that I hear this morning? Thunder? More than likely because the pool is finally open.


Which means it will storm for at least the next four days. Guaranteed.

Valuing our Heritage

The Andrew Geller Architectural Archive Preservation and Film project gives us a unique opportunity to document and preserve the catalog of a significant contributor to America's architectural heritage. The value of this undertaking as a future resource for research into architecture, social history and design should not be underestimated. Although it reached its kickstarter goal a few days ago the cost of cataloging the archive and making a documentary about Andrew Geller's work will be much higher than the $3000 raised so far. There is still time to pledge a donation and receive a corresponding award, so click on over to Kickstarter to see how you can be part of this exciting initiative.

The Andrew Geller Architectural Archive Preservation and Film

A new video from Jake Gorst for The Andrew Geller Architectural Archive Preservation and Film that will document the legacy of the mid-century architect. This Kickstarter project has just two weeks left to run. That means it's time for an extra push to get those pledges rolling in and meet the target by June 2nd.

Andrew Geller, The Cool House, 2007

Geller is becoming increasingly well known and new finds come to light all the time. Cataloging them all is a huge undertaking - Andrew Geller has kept every blueprint, sketch and photo he worked on. To fund what will become an invaluable resource for students of architecture and design your help is needed.

What YOU can do:

WATCH the video (keep an eye out for this house)!

VISIT Andrew Geller.net for more information on the life and works of the architect and artist.

SPREAD THE WORD, tell everyone you know about this Kickstart project.

PLEDGE, remember all pledges are TAX DEDUCTIBLE!

In the yard: Saturday Morning in Spring

Dark green Hinoki cypress against a summer blue sky


Blood red buds on a Norwaay Spruce laden with new cones


White Dogwood flowers behind the dark spruce

Shirley Geller & The Rockstar Framer

Last month we hung most of the art that had been casually leaning on various credenzas and consoles throughout The Cool House. One piece, however, was deemed by Rockstar Framer, Cherie Via, to have a frame unworthy of its composition, line and color.


This was the Shirley Geller '92 painting I successfully bid on at the Andrew Geller Archive Preservation Fundraiser at DWR last year. I was drawn to it because the bold orange and blue colors and the composition echoed the black beams and new color scheme of the great room. Cherie took it back to Ripe Art Gallery and picked out this fabulously simple mid-brown wood and metal frame for it. We agreed the painting needed to sit in a heavy linear mat to emphasis the dark vertical lines, especially as I envisaged it hanging on this previously blank strip of wall in the kitchen. Three weeks later the piece was ready for collection and yesterday we hung it in place. It is absolutely the finishing touch to the kitchen.


Sadly Shirley Geller passed away last year but memories of her are strong in this house. Here she is, photographed by her grandson Jake with her husband, architect Andrew Geller centre, and The Guy in the yard September 2007. Now we have a great piece of art to look at every day and remember her by. Shirley Geller painted different styles throughout her lifetime and her Whimseys, reproductions of her pen and ink designs, are available here. You can see by her decorated cane what a unique and artistic individual she was and I'm sure she the one and only Rockstar Framer would have got along famously. Thanks to both for making great art fit in our house from The Guy and modernemama.

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!

Test drive: Modern kitchen reveal

The new kitchen has been up and running for a few months now and it occurred to me that I never posted a product list nor talked about how it functions as a working kitchen. The design challenge for the renovation was to create a space that would fit seamlessly into the mid-century house while utilizing 21st century technology, that would give us as much storage as the original but not feel as cramped. I spent six years researching and compiling wishlists. Remember the inspiration kitchens? The process was fluid, the layout changing right up to the moment the cabinets went in.


Moving the island has enabled me to both cook and wash dishes while spying on the neighbors looking out on the front yard; this is great entertainment, much better than a TV in the kitchen. Having three long and separate counters means a lot of people can be in the kitchen at one time without getting under each other's feet, but I find myself second guessing the Caesarstone, it's easy to maintain but in a battle with a Le Creuset casserole it's a brittle pussy. The previous Corian put up more of a fight. The Guy enthuses about the deep Blanco Super Precision sink, mainly because he can fit so much in it at one go. I like that I can pile dirty stuff in there and it almost disappears. I made a conscious decision not to have multiple dishwashers and I haven't regretted it. The thought of sacrificing a cabinet for something I'd only use once or twice a year strikes me as wasteful, plus the huge sink holds a the equivalent of one full load out of sight until the dishwasher is emptied again.


We both love the induction cooktop-it's a geek's dream come true-and the Cree LED downlights that have made a huge difference to the lighting in the room. These eco-friendly products were something I insisted on and they've more than lived up to expectations. The double convection wall ovens heat evenly but they take longer to reach temperature, even with the rapid preheat, than the old GE model and when I use the timer I can't read the oven clock. The cabinets are fabulous, the soft-close full-extension drawers mean less bending and stretching and yes, there are still a couple of empty drawers. Maybe though, the best part of the kitchen was something I didn't appreciate until I visited a friend who has beautiful Saulsalito tiles on her floor. After standing on them for only an hour I came home with an aching back. That's something that hasn't happened to me since we layed the hardwood floors!


Quick reminder of how it used to look. It was a great kitchen, although the design was not as specified on the original blueprints-in fact it had twice as many cabinets as Andrew Geller had planned. That made for four really tight corners, one of which, 2' between the island and the desk (just seen behind the island in the photo), we had to remove to install the new fridge the week we moved in!


The renovation layout has meant that more people can fit in there without pinch points, the smallest passage is a roomy 39" and my hips are thankful for fewer bruises. We had twenty-five friends in the kitchen one evening, the sink full of beer and white wine in a bath of ice, the table groaning with desserts and I could still get round to refill drinks and pass hors d'oeuvres. That's when I knew we had a fully functioning space.

Products
Ikea Nexus Brown cabinets, Atlas Homewares Linea Skinny rail pulls, Caesarstone Misty Carrera countertops, Cree LED lighting, Electrolux ICON wall ovens + induction hob, SubZero refrigerator/freezer, Marvel wine fridge, Bosch dishwasher, Blanco SuperPrecision sink, Grohe Ladylux3 faucet, Benjamin Moore Silver Satin paint, Miniwax American Chestnut stain.

Kickstart the Andrew Geller Architectural Archive Preservation and Film

An important message to all fans of mid-century modern architecture, lovers of iconic design and readers of this blog: there's an exciting new fundraising venture to support the project - Andrew Geller Architectural Archive Preservation and Film. Andrew Geller designed our house in 1968 but his work spanned the entire mid-20th century and he has amassed a library's worth of blueprints, models, sketches and notes that represent an invaluable resource for designers and enthusiasts alike.
Kickstarter creatively boosts projects by asking for pledges and rewarding donors with gifts for their support, in this case all proceeds raised go to fund The Andrew Geller Architectural Archive Preservation and Film. Please consider pledging and remember it's win-win as all donations are tax free.

For Sale: Iconic Beach House

Featured in July 29, 1963 issue of Sports Illustrated, this iconic cottage designed by Andrew Geller for Betty Reese has just come on the market. Listed at $995,00 the three bedroom, 1.5 bath beach house sits on 5+ acres in the Hamptons and is almost untouched. Hopefully someone will jump in and enjoy it as a summer retreat, preserving it for another fifty years.
Contact Cee Scott Brown or Jack Pearson at Corcoran for more details

A Taste of Spring

Or, Let Sleeping Dogs Lie. Polly, Huntington, March 13 2011

Squirrel Proof

As in proof of squirrel not squirrel deterrent. I have been waiting patiently since fall for the return of the vanishing squirrel, this breakfast time I got lucky and I see he/she did too.

New House on the Bay

Today was the first time in exactly two months I've walked the beach and I was amazed that despite the appalling weather lots of progress has been made on the huge (and hugely contentious) new house.


From the beach side it looks rather like a hotel, from this angle more like two houses in one one. What's intriguing me is that little hut. It reminds me of a security booth, perhaps guests will be checking on - or maybe it's just somewhere to store the garden tools or patio furniture?


What I couldn't see is anywhere they could use the old weathervane and turret from the original cottage... I'll keep an eye on it for you.

Looking Forward

This one I'm going to save to remind me, in July (when it's 100F with 90% humidity), that this too shall pass.