Bliiiing

From the "you can never have too much bling in your bathroom" department, the Italian firm Teknobili brings you the Oz collection. In collaboration with goldsmith Alberto Cotogno, designer Nilo Gioacchini has produced a solid gold faucet with 282 diamonds, total carats: 10.24.
A gold diamond-encrusted bidet faucet. I want to know how you keep that thing clean. I guess if you're asking that question, bling in the bath is not for you. Oh, and if you have to ask the price................
via Trendir

Earthquake, what earthquake?

This is one way to make sure you wake right up. I opened my email this morning at 7 AM and received this from Steven who's in London, England on business:
"I suspect by the time you read this that the earthquake I felt last night will be old news".
Good thing I had a cup of coffee in my hand.
A quick surf to good old BBC news got me the information because I hadn't heard a thing. I'd been up at 4 with the cats and put on the BBC world service to send me back to sleep and they didn't mention it, (although I do know the value of the dollar against the euro and pound, so don't spend anything over there, darling) and I woke up to NPR and there was nothing other than the Democratic debate and sub-prime crisis on that station this morning.
It wasn't a particularly large earthquake and the Brits reacted with the typical stiff upper lip. One senior citizen was quoted by the BBC: "When we found out we both said well, that's another thing we've lived through."

Help my houseplants

Have you ever seen anything more pathetic? These brown and shriveled plants aren't dead yet. In fact they've been hanging on in this state for quite some time. The one in the middle I bought as a huge healthy mother-in-law's tongue from Wholefoods in 2002. I chose it because nothing was supposed to kill them. Well, maybe not but I've managed to do it some serious damage. It's about an eighth the size it used to be and decidedly unhappy. The other two plants I inherited with the house. The Anthurium used to have big white waxy flowers, now it barely has leaves. And the 8' tall plant? I have no idea what it is but the broom handle I tied it to to stop it toppling over only adds to the element of desperation. I feel really bad about these two because I promised the previous home owner I'd take care of them.
I moved them so they'd get more light and put them all together so they could lean on each other for emotional support. But what else should I do?


Just so you don't think I have the gardening thumb of death, take a look at the Devils' Ivy in the dining room. Just running away with itself.



And then there's this beautiful orchid. Maybe I haven't had this one long enough to do major damage? I don't have seem to have problems with outdoor plants, so what can it be? Advice please.

Drip, drip

It's almost Spring and we are thawing out here. I can hear the drip, drip, drip of melting ice. But wait. Isn't that dripping sound awfully clear? Much closer than I'd imagine. Drip, dRIP, DRIP. Getting warmer now. There it is, under the kitchen sink. The hot water hose to the spray faucet is dripping.
I think we've found the answer to what's been puzzling us for many, many months.
Of course, now I have to fix it.............

Things that go bump in the night

Last night we were fast asleep when Steven shook me and asked "Did you hear that?" "What?" Actually I was really asleep so it was probably more like "Whaa...zzz." "Those two thuds".
I hadn't heard anything and I wasn't about to wake up properly, thrown on clothes, go downstairs, find the source of the thuds, deal with potential burglars or any other catastrophe. So I let the man deal with it and went back to sleep.
A little while later (I have no idea how long, I was asleep), I was shaken awake again by the returning hero. "I found it" "Hmmm?" "The problem" "Hmmm" "Don't you want to know what it was?"
I knew I wasn't going to get back to sleep until he had told the whole story. And here, for your edification, is the tale of things that go bump in the night.
I made chicken and dumplings yesterday (new recipe that replaces the butter or suet with sour cream) but the dishwasher was full so we stacked the dirty plates on the countertop. The thuds were the two plates hitting the kitchen floor. Luckily the plates were 1970s Royal Doulton Marbella stoneware and the floor is vinyl, so they are intact. If we'd had ceramic tiles they would have shattered, and we've lost quite a few china plates on the vinyl over the years.
How had the plates ended up on the floor? Steven says they had been licked clean so I can only surmise that one or more of these felines was the culprit. They were found huddled under the kitchen table doing their best to look innocent.
The question is: How can we identify the guilty party(ies)?


This one is good at catching water. Would his paw skills be equal to the task?


This one had a definite guilty air about her.


And this one looks as if he's already in gaol. That's where all three are headed if they don't cut out the nocturnal shenanigans.


One thing we can be sure about is that this cat is innocent. That's because he thinks he's a dog and he was with his doggy buddies far from the scene of the crime.
The other thing is that once Steven had reported his tale of valiant endeavours to me he fell straight back to sleep while I tossed and turned for a couple of hours. Quelle surprise!

Cake or death?

Guess what we will be doing this evening?
We have tickets to see Eddie Izzard at the Union Square Theatre in NYC. One little "oops" moment. I booked the tickets and didn't check the time of the performance. It starts at 10:30 pm. Since the bout of bugness we've haven't made it past the 10 o'clock news, so this should be an interesting experience. Hopefully the raucous laughter will keep us awake. What? You didn't think that was funny? Then check out this one



You liked it? He'll be gigging until March 8th..
The question is, should we complete the unique Britishness of the experience by eating fish & chips at A Salt & Battery first?

Snow Day Baking

What can you do when the snow is thickly falling outside? You could spend a few hours reading your favorite blogs, catching up on the laundry or cleaning the house. Or you could invite the neighbors over for spaghetti supper and spend the afternoon making Buffalo Bolognese, Tuscan bread and Lemon and Almond biscotti.


Ingredients
1 stick butter
1 cup sugar + 1 tablespoon to finish
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 eggs + 1 egg white to glaze
3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup chopped almonds


Method
Cream the butter and cup of sugar. Add the salt, lemon zest, vanilla extract, and whole eggs, beating well after each addition. Gradually stir in flour and almonds. Finish the mixing by hand and shape into 2 12"x6" rectangles.
Place these on a baking sheet 4" apart. Whisk the egg white until foamy and brush over the tops. Sprinkle the tablespoon of sugar over the dough and bake in a pre-heated 375F oven for 20-25 minutes. Remove and let cool on the tray for 1 hour. Then slice on the diagonal into 1/2" slices. Lower the oven temperature to 325F and bake for a further 10 minutes or so until drip and crisp.


Serve with espresso, or fruit salad with whipped cream. Or if your guests can't wait for the Fettucine to cook, they make an acceptable hors d'oeuvre!

Snow Gray?

No, he didn't go white overnight. That's simply a couple of inches of snow he gained on his head while walking the puppies to the beach and back.


Even Polly has a salt and pepper look. We're at 6" of white stuff, and counting.

Snow Day

The first proper snow of 2008. It's the right kind of snow, too: persistent, soft, large flakes; it looks like a fluffy, white blanket.

Two White Tulips

Leap into modern Long Island

On Leap Day, February 29 2008, Design Within Reach, Roslyn, Long Island will be offering a taste of modernism with the screening of Robert Altamonte's film “History Along the Turnpike: Levittown”.
There will also be an opportunity to win a George Nelson clock and a copy of Nelson’s book, “How to See.” Oh, and wine and cheese, too. It sounds like a must-do for lovers of mid-century modernism.
Contact DWR for more details.

No eBay, but some Ikea

To ease the pain of the eBay boycott I made another purchase at Ikea instead. A pink Stockholm throw to cover the scratch marks on the Harvey Probber sofa in the Great Room.


It's mostly mohair and extremely soft, which unfortunately, makes it irresistble to the cats. At least it cost a reasonable $29.99 rather than the $100+ that these things can sell for, so if it gets ruined I won't be too upset with them.

It's tropical

Inside the Cool House, that is. I'm sitting here in my bikini, sipping on a cocktail, skin glowing from the heat of the sun's rays. The strange thing is that outside it's a very chilly 38 F.
We knew there was a problem at 4:00 AM when we awoke to Hermes coughing up a hairball and found the temperature difference between our bedroom and downstairs was at least 10 degrees. Turning down the thermostat was no help, so we switched off the heat to the first floor. Gradually the temperature fell but it's still jolly pleasant here.
I don't know how much extra fuel oil we have used but I guess it was cheaper than a Caribbean vacation? And I jest about the cocktails. 4:00 Am was a little early to start drinking, even for me.

Willow

Willow in blossom. It's almost Spring.

A little restoration

I have been meaning to try to restore this table for, oh, as long as I can remember. It used to be the telephone table in my parents' house and I inherited it on the promise that I would bring the lustre back to the wood and replace the leather insert.


Apart from an occasional wipe over with Pledge I didn't do anything to this table because I was worried I would do more harm than good. Then I heard about Restore-A-Finish. Instead of stripping the table I could blend out the scratches and water marks while bringing back the color, restoring it without damaging the existing finish.


I lightly sanded the worst blemishes and applied the Restore-A-Finish with a white stain pad. It took no time at all. Then I wiped off the excess. The legs look a lot better. They're not perfect but they've been splashed with floor cleaner many times in the past so I don't know if they would ever be perfect.


The top is amazing. All the rings disappeared along with the scratches. What is left are the ink marks. These were caused by me doing my homework at the desk and filling my fountain pen (yes we had to use fountain pens in European schools, still do, in fact) there, against the express instructions of my mother. I guess that will be a permanent reminder of childhood.
All in all I'm happy with my attempt at preserving the table. It cost less tha $20 and I probably have enough Restore-A-Finish to go over all the wood trim in the house. I have yet to do anything about replacing the leather top, though.

Going Modern

Shiro Kuramata, 49 Drawers (1970), Museum of Modert Art, NYC.
We renewed our subscription to MoMA and as no-one has to work today we popped in to the city to see the Lucian Freud exhibit. Just the two of us and twenty million other people who wanted to see modern art on a warm wet Monday morning. It's really not possible to enjoy looking at anything with these crowds so we cut our losses and joined friends for a long (4 hour) leisurely lunch at The Modern.
The $55 pre-fixe was possibly the best meal we have had in NYC since we ate there back in 2005. Light and velvety lentil broth with foie gras flan, garlicky carpaccio of sea bass, crispy trout and the tart apple and pear dessert were the stand-outs. The service was impeccable and the amuse bouche and complimentary petits fours were greatly appreciated. My only tiny quibble is that MoMA offers a 10% discount to members dining in their other restaurants but apparently not in The Modern. Still, I can't think of a better way to spend President's Day. It sure beats shopping my way to poverty.

Fruitbowls: for rich and poor

Stainless steel fruit bowls to be exact.
I've been hankering for one for a while now but I'm not sure it would look right in my kitchen.


The NY Times featured this beauty from Ligne Roset. The Eplaff, in lacquered stainless steel, measures 23"in diameter and sells for a whopping $265.


For a whole lot less money, $29.99 to be exact, Ikea has Stockholm, a stainless steel bowl with a less gimmicky flower pattern. It's slightly smaller at 16.5 ", but that may fit better on the average person's sideboard. Not to mention their wallet.

Guest Blogging

I'm being unfaithful to the Cool House today. I'll be over here at Create my Event and here at 2 Modern Design Talk. Come visit me and check out these wonderful sites. And find out what this photo has to do with it.

Insporn: It inspires shameless longing.

Inspiration for master bath remodel, The sleek white look.


Inspiration for master bathroom shower. The sophisticated version. Via mtiwhirlpool


Tokyo hotel inspiration: everything just where you need it.

Taking Out the Trash: Finally

The last brick from the old barbecue we dismantled back in the summer. We saved the good ones in case we need another patio or path somewhere on the property. But we still had three large trash bags full of bits of bricks to get rid of. We reckoned if we put three half bricks into every sack of garbage we should have them gone by Labor Day. Hmm, that would require us to actually remember the plan, and act upon it.
Today, only five months behind schedule, Steven ceremoniously put out the last piece of brick and I recorded the moment for posterity.