Rule #1

Rule #1 when keeping a houseblog should be BLOG EVERYTHING, every little detail, no matter how insignificant, irrelevant or just plain boring it may seem at the time. By doing that you will be able to avoid the "Well how did you fix it last time?" conversation that is an integral part of home repair and renovation. Because you could just LOOK IT UP ON YOUR BLOG.

House Porn*

*Alert: the links in this post may provoke feelings of desire and discontent, you have been warned.


I'm jealous, envious, totally green and WOWED by this Nolita reconstruction, It as as stylehive suggests quite possibly the coolest house you will ever see. Make sure you take in the slideshow - the master bedroom, the kid's room, the roof-top see-saw - how did they ever envisage these things?
The owners, both designers, have a website where you can read all about them and their SIX children, learn about their signature "Vintage Nouveauxx" style and see other spaces they have designed for clients. All while listening to their impeccable taste in music. Try not to lick the screen.
Oh yes, I feel very inadequate right now.

The right light

Ever since I put the Mibo pendant light in Verity's room I've felt it was too small for the space. You can't really tell from the photo but her room is 15' x 11' while the lampshade is only 12" diameter.


I actually used the same dimensions as the original chandelier but that was a fancy piece so it seemed bigger.


The interim light, that came out of Steven's office was also small, but longer so again we had the illusion it was bigger.


I was really happy with the pendant lights we had in the other bedrooms so I searched for something 20" wide with a diffuser underneath (so the light won't shine in her eyes) and eventually found the Double-Dip Pendant Light, at CB2. I've been really happy with the quality of their shades, and the price is unbeatable.


I'm hoping that the Mibo shade will sit on the new (old) teak lamp I bought on ebay last week.
The shade arrived this morning and I think it's going to work but I won't know until Saturday when Steven will be doing his lampshade adjustment dance again, but this time in reverse.

Touch Ups

Or things I've been meaning to get around to for the past few weeks months...
1)Remove paint from cabinets in the kitchen. Pretty good going here. It took me less than two months to fix this. The embarrassing thing is that they are laminate cabinets so the paint washed off with a sponge.
2)Paint one three inch corner the girl's bath where the vanity top was installed and the glue got on the wall. Time it took to do this minor repair: 8 months
3)Paint 1.5" circle on den wall where the original owners realtor stuck an air-freshner to disguise smell of kitten "accident" on carpet. I pulled it off the wall and a chunk of paint came with it. Time to effect this repair: I'm not sure when I did this but I'm pretty sure it was around the time the shades went up, so maybe two years ago?
I managed to do all of these in less time than it took to blog about them. I am truly ashamed.

Mr Forbes and I agree

On shower heads, that is. On pretty much everything else we are polar opposites. But on shower heads we have common ground. The Grohe Freehander shower was one of the products we chose for the boys' bath renovation last year. It also made the Forbes Luxe-for-Less home improvement list.
I have loved this product since I first stepped into the shower after the renovation. We kept the same plumbing in this bath, changing only the valve, trim and shower head, which kept costs down and the Freehander was, much to the plumber's surprise, really easy to install. The actual price on the street (or the internets) is much cheaper than the one quoted on forbes.com.
Because you can adjust the arm it really works for my 6' 2" husband (no more twisting and bending to get the shampoo out), and I can pull the arm down to get an arc of water over my head. It looks good, it's powerful and if you set it to "massage" it kneads all the knots out of your achey shoulders. What more can a gal ask of a shower head?


The only change I'd make if I had to do the remodel again would be to spring for the Thermostatic Temperature Control Valve, just to ensure the water is at a constant temperature no matter who might decide to clean their teeth while I'm taking an invigorating but warm shower. That would really be luxe!

Looking East

Thunderstorms and downpours meant we were inside for much of yesterday, but when the rain finally cleared out around 4PM there was a phenomenal sunset, so I took the dogs to the beach. The setting sun reflected pink and grey on the calm waters, and the lights were just coming on over at Eaton's Neck and Asharoken. So pretty.


Not quite as cute as Polly, though.


Or Sadie, for that matter.

Mid-century teak and ceramic lamp

Super quick shipping from the seller, my ebay lamps arrived today. I was so excited.


I love the teak top that reminds me of deer antlers without being an overdone design trend. The ceramic base drapes gracefully down to the base. And those little brass ball feet? Too cute. I think it looks fabulous. I just need to go get a hanger and shade.


Unfortunately, despite being wrapped in bubble plastic and being nestled in a ton of polystyrene chips, its partner didn't make the journey unscathed. Poor cracked baby. Apart from filing a claim with FedEx I'm not sure there's anything I can do to fix this. Ceramic isn't self-repairing, is it?

Another Modernist Masterpiece

I started reading The 70s House last night and was excited to discover that it featured another Huntington Bay Modernist house, the work of architect Richard Henderson of Gwathmey-Henderson. Built in 1969 the Loring Mandel House is a long, low-slung concrete structure tucked into the hillside on Bay Ave. This house, which was later owned by the author Alyson Richman, changed hands again last year.


View Larger Map

A simple design, the house was exceptionally well-cared for by its owners. When the house was on the market the realtor put photos on the website and it was remarkable to see how it remained virtually unchanged for almost 40 years. Photographer Sue Barr has captured the essence of the house but I can't find any shots on the internets so you'll just have to buy or borrow a copy of the book or take my word for it. It's a treat for lovers of modern architecture.
Unfortunately, though, there is one paragraph in the article that I can't get out of my head. The author, David Heathcote must be an Brit because he describes Huntington Bay as a "Home Counties type suburb", which makes me want to vomit, put the house on the market and move to the city.

Facing South

Well, it didn't reach 65F, in fact the temperature was much the same as yesterday, but it was still warm enough to walk on the beach.

On the Fourteenth Day of Christmas

Look what Santa Amazon bought me.
Three books on Architecture and Interior Design with a 70s vibe:
Furniture and Interiors of the 1970s
The 70s House
Weekend Utopia
and one for the appetite
Roast Chicken and Other Stories. So far I'm mesmorised by the chapter on brains - cooking and eating them that is.
I'm going to have some happy times with these books. Thanks for the gift, Dad.

Oil Crisis

Shock, disbelief, wailing and gnashing of teeth. That pretty much describes yesterday when the oil company filled my tank. Oh, I knew it was coming. When we moved here in 2004 home heating oil cost $1:35 a gallon and it was predicted it would be over $3 way back last summer. So I had plenty of time to do the math, scream and enter the comfort of denial land. It hasn't helped that our bills have been pretty consistent over the years. Fuel prices went up but we became more economical and installed programmable thermostats, turned the temperature down and shut doors. We also replaced all those single pane windows, so we used less oil. Obviously this trade off had to stop sometime and that would be 01/07/08 when the price per gallon was $3:11. The bill was humongous. A whacking, walloping whole heap of cash is required to pay it.
Faced with the fact that there isn't much room for more energy efficiency, absent a new boiler or a change to gas, what to do? We could just do without heat or hot water, though that's not the way I'd choose to go. It might be 65 F here later today but I'm pretty sure we will need to put the heating on again this winter.
I'm thinking we might have to sell something. A cat, or a kidney or maybe that fabulous credenza.

Winners and losers

I won the lamps but I lost out on a couple of other things I thought might work on the credenza. I was outbid at the last second for a tall metal Paul Evans style mid-century abstract sculpture and a modernist wood sculpture didn't meet its reserve. Bah humbug.

The credenza is home

We had a busy Saturday chez Cool House. Even though Steven had only got back from Europe at 11:30 PM Friday we were up early to fetch the hire van and drive to NJ to pickup the credenza that I won on ebay. We knew we had to be back by lunchtime to let the guys in for the photo shoot so we were really rushing. Which probably accounts for the reason I slid down the back stairs. From top to bottom. On my butt. Bouncing on each step. I have one cheek that is twice the size of the other and completely dark blue and purple. It hurt like hell but it wasn't a life-threatening injury and we had to move so I walked it off. From that morning's experience there are a couple of things I think could do with improvement: the padding on the seats of panel vans and the pavement of the Cross Bronx Expressway.

We had a little trouble finding the pick-up location but the sellers were kind enough to meet us in the carpark of a Burger King with the credenza. I call that truly excellent service, even if it did feel a little like we were doing some shady deal! We drove back very gingerly as the credenza has three original sliding glass doors and got it home intact.


Here it is in its new home in the kitchen and it's even better than I imagined. The long low profile emphasizes the angle of the wall.



My only dilemma is what to put in/on it. Although it seems to be accumulating a fair amount of stuff on top already.


I thought this lamp might work so I bid on that on ebay too.

Doo-wop: a Sopranos connection

Photo courtesy of Jake Gorst

Yesterday the Cool House provided the location for photograph shoot of the doo-wop band Randy and the Rainbows who had a big hit with Denise in 1963. That's the video I posted yesterday. The were rehearsing while photographer Jake Gorst took photos of them in different places around the house. How awesome is that?
Because I'm probably the only person in America that has never watched The Sopranos, I didn't realise that Denise had been on the soundtrack of the final episode. See how much popular culture I've missed out on. Now I must rent the DVDs and watch all seven series so I can see how that bit fits into the whole saga.
But at least I can say I've heard them live. If you get a chance to catch one of their shows, take it - they still sound sweet in 2008.

Doo-wop

What's going on at the The Cool House today? Here's a clue

The best toast in the world.

While measuring for a new ventilation hood (a girl can dream away the ugly) I thought I might check out the built-in toaster in the island. I mean we've been in the house three and a half years and it would be a shame to redo the kitchen before we'd seen if it still works.


I pulled out the integrated chopping board, too.


Popped the bread in the toaster. It's a Toastmaster.


And a couple of minutes later, perfect toast. Much better than I've been making in the Dualit.
Then I discovered why. This is a commercial toaster. I don't know if this is the $500 model but I wouldn't be at all surprised. Everything in this house was top of the range (pun intended) when it was built. I know one thing, though, once you've had real toast you can't go back to the ordinary kind. Spoilt again.

Keeping things in perspective

I'm always interested to see where people have been before they visit the blog. Often they've come via an image - usually a Flickr photo and I always check the link to see which one it was. Today someone in Florida happened upon this photo.
Did it take your breath away too?
It was taken the first day we moved in. That's our Leggero bed with Area duvet and shams (bought at Area's semi-annual sale in NYC) and a $4 Ikea lamp. Everything else is left by the original owner: the green carpet, the walls, and the holes where the baseboard should be.
I was complaining remarking to Steven on New Year's Day that master bedroom looks like a college dorm but good grief I take it back. It looks a zillion times better than this. Those walls, hand-painted, faux-finished orange veined walls, gave me nightmares for the month before I painted over them. The artistic design continued onto the window frames for that "cohesive" look. Unique.
Last year we changed the placement of the bed and this is how that side of the room looks today. It's still unfinished but at least I don't gasp in horror when I see it.

Post Holiday Clean Up

This is the only thing that didn't get vacuumed, dusted or polished today... that's because it's totally perfect as is.

Hoppin' John

We didn't manage to do without food today although we were frugal, and there was no alcohol imbibed. I made the customary New Year's Day dish of rice and beans known as Hoppin' John, although my recipe is anything but traditional.
Disclaimer: This is spicy. We like our food very spicy. You may prefer it without a couple of the *HOT* ingredients.

Hoppin' John
1 can black-eyed peas
Olive oil
1 small red onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
Red pepper flakes
Oregano
Salt and pepper
Dash of Tabasco
Half a spicy chorizo
1-2 cup(s) chicken stock
Rice

In a casserole fry the onion and garlic in oil until soft. Add can of beans. Add herb and spices to taste. Cook five minutes. Add 1 cup chicken stock and Tabasco. You may need more chicken stock depending on taste and how long you let the beans cook.
In a pan gently brown slices of chorizo. Add to beans. Fifteen minutes before you are ready to eat cook rice in a separate pan. Serve beans over rice.
Makes enough for 2-3.
Brilliant for hangovers.

Happy New Year

Tapas
Originally uploaded by modernemama

Tapas 2007

We are giving up food and alcohol for the New Year so here's a photo from the holiday celebrations to remind us what tapas looked like.
Enjoy!