Earth Day 2009: The Beach Edition

I'd defy anyone to walk along the beach this morning and not be inspired


by the remnants of last night's mist swirling off the Sound


by the random pink shells amongst the wave-smoothed pebbles


or the assembly of worms washed up on the shore

Sustainable Remodeling

When I found out I was the lucky winner of Not So Big Remodeling: Tailoring Your Home for the Way You Really Live I was just thrilled to win a book on one of my favourite topics, home renovation; I didn't know what a wonderful resource this book is going to be. Taking her mantra of "build better, not bigger" Sarah Susanka and co-author Marc Vassallo have presented a go-to resource book on sustainable design for homeowners and architects alike.
Using her own classic Cape style house as an example Susanka offers three options for efficient remodeling: work within the existing footprint; consider a small bump-out and lastly build an appropriate addition. Often minor changes are all that are needed to fix an awkward layout or improve flow within the house and the authors always emphasize integrating the old with the new so the house is cohesive and aesthetically pleasing.
Although we are living in a larger house, somehow it never feels imposing. Sarah Susanka explains why: it's all about proportion. "It is possible to design a house where everything looks in proportion, but when you approach the house on foot you realize it is out of proportion to our human bodies". I'd go further and say a lot of houses built or remodeled in the recent past don't fit the scale of the surrounding landscape either. The authors challenge the reader to really consider the way we live in these big spaces and offer smart solutions to make them feel more comfortable.
Not So Big Remodeling is glossy enough to keep on the coffee table yet packed full of plans and blueprints and I would be happy to own it for the photography alone. Many of the houses featured have beautiful natural wood trim and doors with a Craftsman ethos that is immediately appealing. But there's so much more to this book than obvious visual appeal, it contains tips and ideas on every page that can be incorporated into any remodeling project - large or small - including the updating of Beach House.
Thanks Susan at Homedigz.com for adding this book to my remodeling resources.

Artistic License

The Pierre Bonnard painting, Table in Front of the Window, in the previous post must have left more of an impression than I thought.


It influenced something I'm calling Forsythia Through The Office Window.... on a rainy day.
Enjoy!

I got sunshine

Actually I'm about to get buckets of rain but yesterday I took this photo in the middle of cleaning the house, doing the laundry and locating and re-attaching screens - it was a summery 78F on Saturday and we wanted all the windows open and I couldn't remember where we had stored them (yes, we do have that many closets and no, I am not complaining) - all the things we do as spring finally gets a grip on Long Island.

Pierre Bonnard: Table in Front of the Window

The day before we had managed to catch the Pierre Bonnard: The Late Interiors exhibition at The Met Museum before it closed and I was stuck by the summery mimosa in his paintings that reminded me of glorious warm days in the south of France - sunshine and azure blue skies.
When I saw the yellow forsythia in full bloom I knew I had to run and get a shot before the incipient rainstorm ruined it for another year, it might be the last sunny thing we see for the rest of the week. It ain't mimosa but it will do.

Tiny Wooden Objects

MoMA Design Store catalog is out and full of more uniquely modern objets. Several are on my covet list including these four wooden pieces:


Sang-bum Kim's mini cube I.dear speakers (also in faux marble) are sold exclusively by MoMA. They include a USB connector for charging and a standard jack to connect to your iphone or other portable audio player. $36.00.


Bamboo Desk Clock by Japanese designer Yusuke Tsujita that is just 3" square. Perfect simplicity for a minimalist bedside table. $88.00


via Japanese design emporium MUJI comes New York City in a Bag , wooden representations of NYC landmarks (and six cars), that would look great on a bookcase and cost an budget friendly $15.00


From the NYC borough of Brooklyn come these gorgeous Spice Blocks made from repurposed mahogany from a window factory. Food safe, they'd be welcome in my kitchen. Designed by Nick Foley and Diane Ruengsorn $50.00.

No Treegasm

I asked the landscaper's advice about the leaning juniper in the neglected garden. He confirmed it couldn't be saved; it would cost hundreds to brace it properly with wires and it probably wouldn't survive the trauma, and "it wasn't a very good specimen anyway". He recommended cutting it off a foot from the ground and taking the stump out with the rest of the trash when we tackle this part of the yard.
One person had commented that when a tree is cut down the energy continues to flow and jumping on the stump has an electrifying, almost orgasmic effect. Unfortunately I had no chance to test this theory as jumping around trees while a chainsaw is operation, even to conduct a very important scientific experiment, voids the landscapers' insurance. I did go and stand on it after they left but all that remained was another inert stump in a barren tract of land.

Vote for the Top Puppy

No, not that puppy, I think we've pretty much exhausted the topic of America's First Dog. Over at Mod Livin' the 3rd Annual Best in Show Puppy Show is taking place.


Participants were asked to decorate large and small MAGIS Puppies (designed by Eero Aarnio) to be auctioned off on April 24th and proceeds are donated to the local Denver Downtown Animal Care Foundation that assists loving pet owners on low/fixed incomes. The online vote winner gets bragging rights and a Mod Livin' gift certificate for $250.


I love the simple "The Puppy" signed by Eero Aarnio but there are many appealing designs to vote for. Do you have a favourite?
Competition ends Thursday April 23rd. Vote early, vote often.

Ceci n'est pas un musée

Well not quite yet anyway but in six short weeks the long awaited Magritte Museum will open in Brussels. In somewhat surreal fashion the website is still under construction but there is a link to this fantastic video that shows the stately Beaux-Arts Museum as well as the virtual Magritte Museum.
Visitors to The Cool House may get a clue how much I love Magritte's art, and I've been to many retrospectives that brought together paintings from all over the world but this museum will house the largest single collection of his work - more than 170 paintings - as well as letters, photographs and films.

The Musée Magritte Museum opens June 2 2009 in the former Hotel Altenloh, a neo-classical building on Place Royale, Brussels. Tickets can be reserved now: by email or phone: +32 (0)2/508 33 33.

I'll be there as soon as possible.

Happy Peepster!

Steve Jobs Presents iPeep Nano. My favourite diorama from The Washington Post's Peeps Contest 2009. Enjoy!

Another STD*

via Team Jill**

*STD = Styled to Death (Acronym made popular by The Moggit Girls)

And yes a real designer is responsible for this. The renovation of Real Housewife of NYC Jill Zarin's apartment was undertaken by her "gay husband" Brad Boles, last seen on this blog in this video***. I don't know if he personally styled the table but let's examine it in detail, shall we?
There are what look to me like crumbs all over the table, raw Brussels sprouts in the soup bowls and don't get my started on the napkins playing ring-a-roses in the center.
Apart from that WORDS FAIL ME!
But I'm sure they don't fail you... Comments please

**if you can stand it, there's more here
***it might not be apparent but I'm totally on Team Jill, just not 100% behind the decor.

Real Estate Round Up: Easter 2009

Time for another real estate go round in the Incorporated Village, or at least a walk around the block.


First off some evidence of the housing price downturn. This completely renovated Tuscan style house was sold last summer for $1,675,000. It went back on the market for a similar price in the Fall but recently has been substantially reduced.


This red Dutch-style house also for sale last summer was sold in short order. We were afraid it would be bulldozed but hurrah, it got a sympathetic remodel, including a front huge extension and voila - a bigger, brighter Dutch farmhouse. We have to wait for another couple of weeks to see the inside but apart form an odd window placement (picky, picky, I know) it's looking good.


For sale, coincidentally enough, for the same price as the first house.


Lastly, this house was also sold September 2008 but within a few months had been re-listed for a trendbucking extra $249,000.
So there you have it, three houses in one block radius of the Village Hall, all sold late July to early September 2008, now on the market again with similar asking prices. The difference between them is their markedly different styles. Do you have a favorite?

Green Kitchens

Maybe it's Spring, maybe it's the Zeitgeist that reflects an era of environmental awareness, but green kitchens are all over the style magazines. Some are green in colour, others manufactured to "green" principles, but all appeal to me. Once I'd have worried that picking such a strong color could quickly feel dated but these kitchens are so fresh and modern I think they'll go the distance.


Andy and Karen Lacey, the UK based designers behind retro children's furnishings collection Olli & Lime, shared their appropriately lime green kitchen with Design Public's Hatch blog. The kitchen pairs bright green cabinets with soothing grey concrete counters. It may be tiny but it's very efficient - when everything is within reach you edit your kitchenware down to the indispensable, and you limit your movements, too. Small is gorgeous!


UK design magazine wallpaper* features another compact kitchen, this time in Hunter Green, in their May issue, styling it with abundant herbs and vegetables. Hunter Green has long been a standard in British kitchens, with AGA stoves to cook on (and warm your house) that have been available for decades but this takes the deep colour to the rest of the kitchen.


Bon Appetit magazine showed an award-winning eco-friendly kitchen from Arclinea San Diego that pairs chartreuse green (they call it Papaya Yellow) cabinets with stainless steel counters and all the bells and whistles you could possibly want from a kitchen.

Think green cabinets are too modern for your traditional house? Check out this pantry that's part of a "green" article over at The Kitchen Designer blog. It's sure to change your mind.

What do you think of the green kitchen trend? Strikingly beautiful and sure to stand the test of time or too reminiscent of the seventies avocado nightmare?
This post is part of Friday's Hooked on Houses blogfest

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

Counting Chairs (and tables)

Mid-Century Modern Furniture Poster

This competition from The Mid-Century Modernist has occupied all my spare time since Friday. I thought, at first glance, that it would be easy, after all I am mid-century modern girl, right? All I had to do was correctly identify every piece of furniture in this James Provost illustration. Well, it's proved a lot harder than I had imagined and I'm at the frustrated stage. I'm not doing this for the prize, by the way. I could fork over the $10 for one of the posters without any problem, it's the satisfaction of knowing I can look at any design classic and know the designer, the name, date and who manufactured it. I've poured over all my design books, re-read all my museum catalogues and spent so many hours online that I may need a new prescription from my optician but I'm still a table and three chairs short of a full poster. If someone doesn't win the competition soon and put me out of my misery I may well give up being uniquely modern and opt for a life of chintz and toile.

More work than fun

Well, the whole save-a-tree rescue mission did not go according to plan. It turns out trees are heavier than one would think, well this one anyway, and our combined super strength was only enough to move it an inch or so. We abandoned the effort and if the landscaper can't move it we'll have to resort to the final solution - the chainsaw.
We moved on to the next chore on the list: repairing the mortar that had cracked during the frost. Here's a tip for anyone laying a patio with pavers or stone: Place the stones as close as possible to each other and fill the cracks with sand or stone dust. That way you avoid frost-pop, loose pavers and re-grouting every other Spring.


These bluestones were laid in a random pattern with mortar that varies from a 1/2" to a miniscule 1/8". It's fiddly work to get the loose mortar out and fill in the cracks, then you have to wipe the excess off before it dries and leaves ugly marks on the stones. I left half way through to walk the dogs and when I came back The Guy was on the phone. I hope he was getting DIY advice because that mortar is separating as he speaks. I also hope he didn't track stone dust through the house on his way to answer the call...

If a tree falls...

Made a HUGE mistake in walking up the neighbor's drive to chat. Sorry, that came out wrong, the chat was very nice, as is the neighbor. No, the mistake I made was to look at my yard from the north side, the side of neglect, an area that we cleared of debris and dead shrubs wrapped in burlap a couple of years ago but that we have done nothing to since then. Because we don't rake the leaves here, allowing them to smother the weeds and enrich the soil, the ground is about 4" higher on our side of the fence; there are a few branches that fell during the winter and many twigs. Generally the area looks unkempt but the source of my dismay was a huge conifer that has fallen sideways and is being propped up by the fence. If it were to fall completely it would probably take out the fence too...
As the tree is still green we guess it's still alive but half its roots are out of the ground. We've no idea how long it's been like that, whether the roots have frozen in this season of frigid temperatures, but we have to try to save it. So the mission for tomorrow is to dig around the side of the rootball and see if we can prop it up, then brace it with stakes. That's the plan anyway. Of course the whole venture could go horribly wrong, the tree could fall on the person supporting it...
So many scenarios, none of them good.

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.

Lean bacon as design muse

"My work is fat-free, it's like lean bacon, and it's efficient. That is how people and life should be, too"*.

Discuss

*Designer Ross Lovegrove lets loose on ego, obesity and nudity at trade shows. Read the whole interview here.

The Weekend

A mixture of tapas and fun in the city, pet food shopping (with bonus cute kitty admiring), mint thins, a little yard maintenance, Duplicity, Thai dinner, dodging the showers, Choucroute garnie à l’alsacienne, work, cleaning up the beach. Just your average first weekend in Spring.

Solid Walnut Beds

I'm pretty clear now about how my master bath will look, at least in my head - I'm still sourcing all the products for a mood board. In the meantime I've moved on to researching a new bed for our room. The one we have at present, Leggero from DWR, was bought in 2003, a time when I craved a sexy low platform bed. Five years of house renovations have taken their toll on the back and the knees and getting up from the minimalist bed is accompanied by much groaning and creaking. I still want a model that has great modern design but I need it to be a few inches higher. I also think a solid walnut bed will compliment the windows better and provide a contrast with the bamboo floors. Here are my favorites so far:


0011 Bed in Black Walnut by Atlantico. From Velocity. Available in four sizes: Twin $2245.00 to King $3295.00.


Matera Bed from DWR. Available in Queen and King, with or without storage. Prices start at $2500.


Anders Bed from Room and Board. Solid walnut Queen $1,399.00, King and Cal King $1,599.00.


Again from Room and Board, the Hudson Bed in Solid Walnut has roomy storage drawers. $2699 for the Queen, $2899 the King and California King.


My final choice from Room and Board and perhaps my favourite, the Grove bed. Queen $1599, King and Cal King $1899.
Unfortunately the online stores aren't great at telling you how high from the floor the bed will be so picking one isn't as easy as I would like, but the Matera has a platform height of 15", which with a 10" mattress on top, should make standing up in the mornings a whole lot easier.

This post is part of the Hooked on Houses blog fest

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.

I hear Spring

It must be Spring because hark, what is that sound? Birds? No. Leaves opening on the trees? No. Buds breaking? Definitely not. No, that is the sound of the landscapers. With a harmony of dogs barking, a cacophony that will persist until late November. Wow, it has been quiet around here for the past four months.
On the list for today: clean up the ravages of winter including the lawn deposited on the drive by the snow plow; replant the rhododendron the snowplow nudged; plant the blue spruce and two conifers I bought in a plant sale last fall that have already doubled in size; take out the dead hemlock behind the Magnolia at the front of the property.

Meanwhile I can't find a single Spring flower in the yard - no crocus, no daffodils, no tulips. You'll just have to be content with this orchid that was part of a bouquet of flowers given to me last Sunday. I finally had time to arrange them and I took this guy out and gave him his own vase. Pretty, no?

Busted!

Those are not your toys, Hermes.

A Special Offer

This is a promotion I can get behind. Lord and Taylor will pay me to go see a movie and, bonus, it's a movie I was going to catch anyway.


Of course, they won't give me the ticket price in cold hard cash, I'll have to buy something and have the $10 (or however much it's gone up to this week) deducted from my purchase, but I can live with that.

I'm sure there's something I need. Ah yes! A couple of weeks ago, I lost a glove I use when dog-walking. The weekend it disappeared the weather turned warm in NY and I thought I wouldn't need to replace it until next winter. Of course since then it's been bitterly cold and I've walked the dogs with one hand in my pocket. (Not easy to pick up poop and hold two dogs that way). I could buy myself a new pair of gloves, hopefully on sale for $10, which would make them free. Win-win*.
Now what do you think is the likelihood that Lord & Taylor will have gloves for sale at the end of March?

* Actually win-win-win as it gives me another opportunity to show the Lord and Taylor logo that Andrew Geller designed. You know Andy Geller, right? Designer and architect of The Cool House. That's him standing in the house, in the Cool House Photostream (left).

I might as well be in the frozen north...

While the rest of the country is enjoying the first week of Spring, the north-east is stuck in some sort of permanently frosty winter: icy blasts, temps in the 20s and 30s, occasional snow showers - I could be in northern Canada.


Speaking of which, I layered up yesterday and walked to the beach where a line of Canada geese were surveying the waves on the Sound.


If I had been on my own they'd have stood on the sand patiently but I had the dogs. So up they flew.


And landed maybe 6' nearer to Canada in the safety of the surf.


Nice job Sadie!

Champagne Supernova

When I met Jon Spector, President and CEO of Dornbracht Americas, at a Blogger's Bash last month, I learnt Dornbracht would be launching a new faucet at ISH 2009. I was promised a geometric faucet that would become as iconic as their sleek and beautiful Tara faucet. Mr Spector thought its origami shape of the new product might be just what I was looking for to be the jewel in the master bath rehab. Believe me, I was already excited but when he told me it was to be called Supernova and would be available in a champagne finish I was beside myself.


The champagne finish has a top layer of 22 carat gold, which will probably put it beyond our reach but there is a chrome version that may be a tad less glamorous but is just as stylish. The crisp sculptural quality does echo the rooflines of The Cool House, so from a design perspective this faucet is a winner.
Of course I couldn't write this post without a reference to this song. I don't know if it was a deliberate homage on the part of Dornbracht's marketing and design teams but I can't imagine that it didn't cross their minds that everyone would be singing it while they shower. I haven't been able to stop since I first heard about it, can you imagine what I'll be like when the Supernova finally makes it to the showroom?
via Stylepark

Chess

Very belatedly The Guy received his birthday present. I've been wanting to put a chess set on the game table ever since I got it but our old ones were tiny and pretty beaten up. This vintage ceramic chess set came up on ebay just before The Guy's big day. Of course ceramic isn't as durable as wood or metal so we're hoping the cats don't jump up and start playing with the pieces-at least not before he's managed to have a game!

Pot fillers

I'll be upfront here and say that I don't understand the pot filler's place on the list of most desirable kitchen gadgets. I know they save you from having to lug a heavy pot full of water across the kitchen but you still have to lug that same pot over to the sink when you're done cooking, and then it's hot and steamy as well as heavy. Much like a laundry chute where it's super to be able throw all the dirty laundry through a hole in the ceiling and have it fall next to the washing machine, but you still have to fold the clothes and carry them back upstairs when they are clean, it's efficientish.
Having said all that here are a few modern-looking pot fillers that from a design perspective I'd give a little wall space to.


Grohe Ladylux Pot Filler. If this is as robust as the Ladylux faucet we had in our last kitchen it will be worth the money. And who can resist that come-hither lever? Available in wall or deck-mounted versions, in stainless steel. $1029.00 retail, around $625 from online faucet sellers.


The very simple Whitehaus Decohaus available in brushed nickel or chrome, for half the price of the Grohe. It also comes in a cross-handle model.


Hansgrohe Allegro. This faucet has cute stubby little levers that I just want to pinch. It's available only in chrome, list price $662. But once again there are bargains out there. Hansgrohe also make a similar model Talis, but the lever is so tiny I'm not sure how I'd operate it.