It's seems odd to me that some people blame natural disasters on other people's lifestyle - or even their dress - and point to this as God showing his displeasure (anger of the gods always struck me as an pagan concept, ironic that it's much touted by "people of faith") while man-made disasters don't seem to incite the same rhetoric from the fundamentalists.
But enough with the negativity, there's a crisis going on in the Gulf of Mexico and other people are doing what they can to mitigate the environmental impact of the oil spill including one 11 year-old Long Island schoolgirl, who with the support of her family, is raising money to save wildlife by drawing birds for donors to various environmental charities. That's my Greater Crested Tern up top. Thanks Olivia!
Support Olivia's project to make a difference here.
A while ago I asked the Awesome Designer to design some roman shades for the so-called bamboo room (the present curtains have green bamboo stalks on a pale yellow background, hence the name) and the fabric - Celtic Knot from Robert Allen - has arrived at her workroom.And bonus, it turns out there is enough extra fabric to cover a small chair or bench. So here is my dilemma: Do I take out the chest of drawers (there's plenty more built-in drawer space in that room) and throw a bench in there? Should I maybe recover another piece of furniture? A pouffe? An ottoman? Help me, interwebs because my mind is stuck in kitchen mode...
Six weeks or so ago the big blue sectional got a major dose of pretty when these gorgeous pillows arrived. They have been much admired but the Awesome Designer thought we could go the extra step and add some more gold tones for that unique touch. 
So with one medium-sized remnant and some real magic (plus exact measurements and a great eye) she produced these four fabulous cushions. Absolutely inspired!
So there I was, admiring the recent hosta growth spurt while waiting for the carpenter to give me an update on the mud room door delivery, when I spied something slinking down the road.
I followed it around the property as it dodged in and out of the shadows, finally snapping this less-than-stellar iphone shot of our village fox out and about at 9:30 AM.
This can mean only one thing...
The kitchen renovation is actually going to start ahead of schedule. 
Cupboards have been emptied, non-essentials packed into boxes to be stored in the basement
while stuff we will use on a daily basis is evenly distributed between the bar in the den and the laundry room
I knew all that extra space would come in handy
One other thing we've learnt... we probably keep too much coffee in the house!
Just to confirm the wondrous conundrum of coincidence, The Guy and I were speculating whether top hats would make a comeback - especially after Johnny Depp wore one in Alice in Wonderland - when from another direction completely, design not fashion, our musings found their answer. Wooster Black/Silver Pendant Lights from Heals. Also available in Jeeves - the ultimate bowler hat at your service.
Like a big white puffy Hulk, or a cotton candy Michelin Man, the clouds were hard to ignore... protective or menacing - it's your call.
Design Onscreen, the architecture and design programme makers will be premiering their latest documentary on British design duo Robin and Lucienne Day at the National Geographic Museum’s Grosvenor Auditorium in Washington, DC on May 15th. Director Murray Grigor and Cinematographer Hamid Shams will take part in a Q&A session after the screening. 
Lucienne, who died earlier this year, designed textiles, wall papers and ceramics that embody the optimism and vitality of the mid-century era. Calyx, the fabric that launched Lucienne Day's career, was exhibited at the Festival of Britain in 1951 where it won the International Design Award of the American Institute of Decorators. 
While Lucienne designed fabrics, Robin's mass-market furniture can be found in homes and offices across Britain. Millions of examples of the Eames-influenced stackable Polyprop Chair have been sold since its inception in the early sixties. I sat on bright orange ones at school, magenta in Village Halls and grey in waiting rooms all over the UK.
The showing is scheduled to coincide with the opening of Art by the Yard: Women Design Mid-century Britain, featuring Lucienne Day’s work, at Washington DC’s Textile Museum.
Tickets to the movie premiere on May 15th must be purchased in advance from Design Onscreen.
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...
A touch of bright orangey-red to brighten your day
while outside the Sound pounds the beach and the rain clouds glower
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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...
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!
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...
