In Vino Veritas: Verace

photo courtesy Nadine Bouler
We were very excited to meet the stylish Nadine Bouler and her husband, leading Long Island "green" architect James of Bouler Architecture, at Verace in Islip New York, the latest addition to the Bohlsen Family restaurant group. We had read such great things about it and knew that the design - by Bouler Architecture - was going to be stellar but we had no idea how exceptional it was going to be on both fronts.


the Architect looking over the second-floor balcony
The restaurant has a mix of traditional architectural details - lots of reclaimed wood, brick exterior, mahogany window frames - with cutting-edge elements: oxidized steel wall surrounds, a concrete patio water feature and a swirling, abstract vaulted ceiling. Retro orange tiles in the open kitchen and mushroom pendant lamps in the bar give it a groovy vibe while the softer elements, an upholstered wall on the second floor dining room and long drapes in the main room reduce the noise level and add a warm, cozy ambience. It's a knock-out. We were lucky enough to get a guided tour of the place by the architect himself. For the project history and all the before-and-after photographs - a de-facto virtual tour - visit Nadine Bouler's site.


photo courtesy Nadine Bouler
As for the food, Italian chef Francesco Torre is in the kitchen and here, too, there is a mix of rustic and modern. My Crab Ravioli on a Green Chard puree not only matched my shirt but had the right balance between the sweetness of the crab and the tart tang of the chard. Both The Guy and I opted or the Roasted Pork with Sweet Italian Fruit and Mustard Sauce as our "Secondi", which was deliciously moist with a real pork flavor. Props too for the authentic bolognese sauce and the better than traditional crunchy tiramisu! The wine, from both Italian and New York vineyards is custom-blended and stored in eco-kegs, then pushed with nitrogen to deliver a pure, unspoilt glass or carafe per order; no danger of corked wine here. Verace is also committed to delivering the best tasting, most environmentally-sound table water. To this end they offer only their own state of the art filtered water - flat or carbonated - served form reusable bottles.


Artist & Author Nadine Bouler, Manager Joe, The Architect, The Guy
Verace is a fabulous restaurant and I'm planning a return visit for one of the regular Monday Wine Dinner Events. And if they ever start a Facebook Fan Page, I'll be the first to join!

Perfect Pillows

The fabulous fabrics I chose for the great room arrived and were quickly turned into stunning pillows by the Awesome Designer and her workshop. The square checkered pillows ground the more ostentatious rectangular cushions, making the sectional spectacular.


We both feel we should add a third element here - something blue? A touch of gold? We shall see... Feel free to way in with your thoughts!

Crewel Intentions

We officially missed deadline #3 on the master bathroom - in case you were keeping score, deadline #1 was Valentine's Day; #2 The Guy's birthday. The last, ultimate, had-to-be-done-by date was March 12 when a party of friends and family arrived from Europe and filled The Cool House to capacity. A fully, functioning bathroom was all I needed to keep me sane, but alas, the renovation gods had other ideas. Still, we pressed on positively and the design gods, or more specifically, the Awesome Designer, smiled. She waved her wand and worked a lot of magic on the guest bedroom.


Roman blinds and a bolster covered in Robert Allen crewel work cotton and wool fabric - Unity Rings in Confetti. The fabric has a little arts & crafts vibe mixed with a little retro and a great colorway for this house - another uniquely modern find.

Marble Madness

The bids for the laundry room countertop came in - Carrara marble beat Group D Corian by over $300 which amazed me. It's the same stone we used in the master bath and fits in the overall color scheme of the house. But still, it really isn't what I envisioned for the laundry room. So for all the times I have ridiculed the overuse of marble and granite in home renovations, I APOLOGISE!


Obviously, we were trying to keep things simple. I could have gone completely crazy and picked one of these grey-toned beauties.


Or changed the color scheme to incorporate the red Porphyry or yellow Giallo Antico marbles.


At least we are stopping before the house looks like this!


All images from last month's visit to the Room of Colored Marbles in the Getty Villa where you can also find this very handy guide to the different marbles used in the room. Click to embiggen!

No More Dirty Laundry

There is one other reason why things have taken a little longer than we planned on the primary bath front. We decided to take advantage of the fact that the trades were in the house and finish a few projects that had been neglected over the past few years months, like the laundry room. This is how we left it on May 12 2008 - new appliances, lighting and upper cabinets. We were waiting for a revelation regarding the kitchen/mudroom floor before we installed the base cabs. If we decided to go with tile it made sense to do it all the same, including the laundry, yes? Well, grand procrastinators that we are, we failed to make any choice over the succeeding months except we came to realise we didn't want tile - stone or porcelain - in the kitchen. But I do think it's the most practical choice for a laundry floor. So as I was ordering bathroom tiles over the holidys I made a spur-of-the-moment impulse purchase at Porcelanosa. The conversation went something like this: Emily at Porcelanosa: "Did you want anything else"? Me: "Do you have anything in a 12 x 12 or smaller on sale? In a gray tone or a neutral"? Emily: "I have this" (page 108) Me: "I need enough for an 6' x 11' laundry room floor" Emily: "Would you like to take a sample home" Me: (knowing how that was likely to turn into another six-month long indecision fest) "No, just add it to the order" I know! Totally out of character for me, right? But just like that another renovation was underway. The base cabinets are in and after deciding against wood or laminate countertops I'm just waiting on quotes from the Corian Guy and the Marble Guy - and the electrician to move and add an extra light fixture so we can get the door on the high cabinet. Then we can wrap up another room.

Stop and fondle the art

Today is phase one of frameless glass shower door fitting. (Try saying that that three times fast).


One panel is fixed to the wall and has to sit for three days before the door is attached. So it willl be a while before I can faire la toilette in the master mistress bathroom.


There's also no sign yet of the marble countertops that were promised early this week, so instead I offer for your delectation this copy of a Canova Venus in the garden of the Getty Villa. A notice nearby encourages you to "Please Touch!". Very much appreciated because I love to stroke the marble. Something I hope to be doing in my own bathroom very, very soon!

Sneak Peek: Straight On

Because Why S asked for it, the straight on shot of the Atlas Centinel pulls. You can see the Porcelanosa Eidos Grafito porcelain mosaic tiles reflected in the shiny, sleek chrome. The cabinets are Kraftmaid vanity units in cherry with a peppercorn finish. As Nadine remarked they are masculine enough to appeal to The Guy and shiny enough for the girly-girl in me... or is it the other way round?

Sneak Peek: Cabinet Hardware*

Atlas Centinel 3" pulls on the bathroom vanity. I had no idea the carpenter had put thses on Friday afternoon because when I went upstairs to check on him he was helping The Guy put the big-ass but slimline TV on its stand. The Guy is in love with his TV while I want to LICK these handles they are so damn good-looking. Looks like we both got what we wanted...

* Yes, I know these weren't on the list when I asked for your opinion interwebs, but when I wanted to look at those in real life one was too shiny, one was too dark and one was unavailable. This pull fitted in the budget and in my hand and looks even better on these vanities than on the board in the store.

Waxed Walnut

I didn't get my way over the walnut bed (yet) but we did agree on a walnut dresser. Sneak peek of the furniture that arrived yesterday evening - solid walnut, oil and wax finish, made in America; magnificently, impressively awesome.

The square on the hypotenuse...

Right angles, triangles and rectangles in the dressing room courtesy of Andrew Geller and Ron Rezek for Artemide. I love Pythagoras!

Miracles do happen...

The painter called at 8:00 AM to ask if he could come and touch up his not-so-handiwork. He surveyed, sighed and said "I didn't know you wanted the surface prepped, some people just want to paint over the drips and gashes - they don't care". My reply was of course to wonder if he only worked for patrons of the Helen Keller Institute and to suppose he had no pride in his work. He did sort of passive-aggressively suggest he might have to charge me extra but I guess he thought better of that... So we have smooth walls, fewer drips and the entrance to the bath is taped, spackled and painted to a smooth finish that looks a lot better than the gap he suggested we ask the tiler to FILL WITH GROUT!


The electrician came early and installed all the light trims, sconces, medicine cabinet and heated towel rack. Toasty towels on a timer will make a huge difference to our old morning shower and shiver routine. The new ventilation fan is whisper quiet - you can actually hear the sound of running water - or you will be able to once the plumber turns it on. But that's for another day.
Tomorrow the countertop guy will take measurements and we will be one stop closer to a final finish date.

We are experiencing operating scheduling problems*

So... Day 62 of the master bath renovation. Sixty-two days spanning 4 months and two decades. Seems like an awfully long time, doesn't it? What with sickness, snow days and Palm Springs, a 10 day renovation (Ha! When has a bathroom remodel ever taken such a short time period? Apart from in my dreams and the promises of many a contractor?) has turned into a marathon of delays, do-overs and despair. But this week we have a date that must be met: the master bedroom furniture arrives Thursday (unless they are held up by snow...). So, working backwards: paint touch-up Wednesday; plumber Tuesday; electrician Monday; the carpenter will be here everyday until it's done. It must be done; it will be done. It must be done; it will be done... slowly we are chugging our way to the finish.

*see: Notation for Theoretic Scheduling

Moody

The cabinets went in yesterday. They will come out again tomorrow and be slid down the wall so the filler can go on the right (left) side; this way the door can open, the sink will fit and we can hang the sliding door. It's always better to catch these things before the countertop goes on - better yet before the marble guy comes to measure. Of course, it would be best if common sense prevailed and we did things right the first time. I swear I am not leaving the room while anyone else works on the bathroom - it's gonna get cramped in there....

We interrupt your moment of optimism to bring you this message

Damn you again snow gods! We called a snow day - it's snowed at the rate of an inch an hour overnight and it's still going so there will be no work on the bathroom today. Next big push is Monday, unless there's another catastrophic weather event...

Long Shots

Tomorrow there will be a big push to get this project finished - cabinets, lights, mirrors, hardware, touch-ups and the hunt for the location of the HVAC vent (don't even ask, we have a guy with a stud-finder and if that fails I'm calling the local fire department to come practice using their heat imager on the bathroom ceiling!)


Till then here are a couple of views from the dressing room to the bath


and the closet - don't look too closely, those paint cans will be well employed for the final paint repairs. I'm finally beginning to envision my first soak since 2009!

Shelter for Haiti

It's 4:30 AM, pouring with rain and the dog (Polly) refuses to leave the shelter of the big conifer to come inside. I'm about to lose my patience when Laura reminds me that millions in Haiti are still homeless. I feel ashamed.
Go visit Laura who is actually doing something to help in the way of another fabulous bag-of-goodies auction while I try and entice the dog indoors with a snack...

Coming in Last

The painting is done except for some trim touch-ups, the painter wants to come in after everyone else has finished in case there are any nicks or dings made in the final fittings of the vanities. The plumber likes to be last so no-one drops or drips anything on the shiny shower fixtures (and those faucets can't go in until the counter top is installed). The carpenter likes to be last because of potential paint spots on his cabinetry. The electrician has to be last because his finish plates fit over everything else.
I'm thinking of scheduling them all on the same day, shutting the pocket door and letting them fight it out in the 8' x 8' x 8' box that is the bathroom.... Life was so much simpler with The Handyman!

Image of the Greek god Triton controlling the waves of contractors seas.

Quick reno update

Before I left for Palm Springs we had a few house issues - tree in pool, missing tile and snow up to my armpits but as of today we have resolved most of those. Steady rain is taking carre of the snow; a man with a chainsaw and a truck came, happily declared "Let's make a mess", chopped down the tree and hauled away the debris. Bonus: more light at the back of the pool so the hollies I'm planning should do well; potential problem - more weeds.


The tile came in, the floor is finished and grouting has begun. We used half a bag of anthracite grout on the shower and floor tiles and two bags of grey (gris) grout on the mosaic walls. Quick pic above of the grout drying before they washed it off the tiles. Got a big thumbs up design-wise from the plumber who came to check it out before he returns tomorrow to attach the faucets, shower fixtures and WC. He wanted to know how we made it bigger! Shower door ordered and should be here in less than "tweaks"*.


Painters already have one coat on master bedroom walls, ceiling and trim and the closet. Today the bath and dressing room get their turn. We also ordered the new bed/furniture and the Awesome Designer is waiting patiently to install the upholstered window valances.

Still to do: Fit vanities (scheduled for Thursday); measure and install counters and re-fit saddle (marble guy will be here asap after vanities go in - turnaround is one week); plumber to fit basins, faucets; electricians to finish lighting and carpenter to attach all the pretty hardware to the wall. I'm still hopeful we can make it so The Guy can take his first shower in there on his birthday but at this stage I'm just happy we're making progress.
*The official supplier/contractor delivery estimator - supposed to equate to two weeks, rarely meets that timeframe.

Little Phallicies

You know how it is when you are walking around an art gallery or a museum, something unexpected catches your eye;


you wonder if it's just you but it seems that everywhere you look


up


or down


inside


or out


there always a tiny piece of Classic art staring you right in the face


it's enough to make one swoon!

Racquet Club Estate Tour 2010

Palm Springs: Racquet club Estates Tour, part of Modernism Week 2010. Seven mid-century modern homes, five Palmer & Krisel designed Alexander homes - some with butterfly roofs, another with a flat roof; a Donald Wexler Steel House and a Meiselman post and beam. They have been restored, some keeping as faithful to the original as possible, others updated and expanded but all retaining the desert's mid-century tenets of clear lines, walls of glass, clerestory windows, airy rooflines and indoor/outdoor living.


The surrounding landscape is always part of the home - here mountains form a dramatic backdrop to the pool


Each of the homes is unique in its own fashion - here the breezeway wasn't part of the original Meiselman house but was added along with a master bath and guest suite during a year-long renovation. While other homeowners had updated with an eye to budget this home had it all- Bulthaup kitchen, LED color-changing lighting and infinite jacuzzi tub.


We signed up for the tour not only to get a closer look at Krisel's and Wexler's designs but to see if there were any renovations we could use in our own house. We brought back a couple. One was the ingenious hole cut through the frameless shower doors that enables you to turn the water on without hopping in and out of freezing spray. The other? To clear The Cool House of all clutter and tabletop "fluff"! We also confirmed how well-suited ikea is to mid-century kitchens and bathrooms - especially when paired with quartz counters. Catch the local news video of the tour here and spot The Guy chatting with designer Anne Breux about, what else, beds...