Unter den linden

While the eyes of the world are on Barack Obama in Berlin, home of the famous boulevard of linden or lime trees, I am surveying the scene of daily devastation that is our patio. Our own personal linden sheds its leaves (and the occasional branch) from end June to November.


See these little pods? They make their way through the house on the animals' fur and paws, leaving the interior of The Cool House looking almost as bad as the exterior. If we want to eat outside we have to sweep the patio exactly 10 minutes before, otherwise we are ankle deep in detritus. They are likewise not friendly to bare feet.


This the upside of the tree - its bark. Beautiful, and one of the reasons I don't take a large axe to it. Another being there are lights in it and I'd probably electrocute myself. The third is that the dryads would be very unhappy and who knows what revenge they could exact.


I don't know what possessed the original landscaper to plant the tree here, it would have been no trouble at all on the lawn. Could have shed to its heart's content and I wouldn't even have noticed. But here it is over the patio and I have to deal with it. Desperate for a solution, this year, in addition to sweeping, I've had the dogs shaved, so the linden-tree fallout should stay outside. At least that's what I'm hoping.


It was either that or train them to sweep with their tails!

Hollywood's Calling

I think the only way to give this bathroom the proper attention it deserves is to dress like this when you are preparing to draw a bath. Or better still, have someone draw it for you. And bring you a Martini while you are soaking. And a cigarette in a long platinum holder.
The extremely glamorous Di Liddo & Perego Moda Wellness bathroom in silver gilt. Fur stole optional.
via Trendir.

Real Estate Round-Up: The Summer Edition

Time for a quick update on the Incorporated Village real estate market: what's sold; what's new and what is still for sale.
First up both of these houses are Under Contract, as is this lovely Dutch Farm Ranch opposite the Police Station. It's billed as another handyman special, and the price reflected that but I think it's an attractive style and it's on a lovely piece of property.
Still for sale are the gatehouse to the original estate, the two houses that actually increased their prices, the Craftsman on the hill and everything between here and the shoreline. Either that reflects the higher price points of these homes and consequent limited buyer pool or the difficulty getting insurance for a house within 1000' of the water.


Newly on the market is this Hampton style shingle house. Built on the footprint of a ranch on a corner lot, $2.5 million seems a lot of money for a one-car garage but the landscaping is pretty and I like the kitchen, which is done in cream rather than ubiquitous white. Hampton Style seems to be gaining popularity here on the North Shore, this is the second one to be built this year. Of course if you google Hampton Shingle Style you get its greatest proponent: this guy.

An insight into our relationship

Some people have tons of patience and some like to poke and push to get results. Guess which one I am?
Modernemama: Honey, notice anything different?
The Guy: You cut your hair?
M: No


Thirty minutes later:
M: I bought another ball to go in the red bowl
TG: So that's what's new?
M: No. Can't you see it?
TG: I'll walk round the house.......

A few minutes later:
TG: Which room is it in?
M: This one.

Thirty minutes later:
TG: You vacuumed?
M: No
TG: Tell me...Please.

Thirty minutes later:
TG: I give in. Tell me
M: No
TG: I'm going to my computer.

The Guy thinks I will have blogged about the new addition to the den decor. The Guy underestimates my powers.

Next morning:
M: Worked it out yet?
TG: Back in a sec. .............

An hour later Polly needs to go outside and as he crosses the great room something catches his eye. I hear "Oh, wow". Apparently if he is staring straight at something it doesn't register but if he walks diagonally past it, it will jump out wrap itself round his consciousness. Whatever, he got it. Finally.


I got new silk drapes I like for the big window in the den, on sale at Pottery Barn. The color is "clay" and they are less bright than they look in the photo. I like them much better than the oatmeal ones from Crate and Barrel. They contrast with the onyx roman shades but not too much. It's amazing what a difference a couple of tones can make. The Guy, once he noticed, approved of the choice too.
So, which kind of person am I? If you guessed both with a side of torture, you win.

Hibiscus by the Garage

They are having a 50% off annuals at the local nursery so I scored three of these lovely pink hibiscus and three bone colored pots to put them in so I could beautify the garage


I started by buying just two yesterday and decided that looked odd so I went back this morning and got one more. Very luckily they had one pink plant left. Yesterday they had tons but at $25 for a 3' plant they were selling like hot pink hibiscus should.


This is something I'd been meaning to do since we moved here - to draw the eye away from the acres of asphalt and focus on something pretty. Something pretty and pink.

Cottage Renovation: Flair and Authenticity

Once, a long, long time ago I posted a piece about my neighbors' stable conversion and Jeanne of House in Progress and houseblogs.net asked if there were any possibility of interior shots. Well, the best things come to those who have limitless patience (or who nag a lot in a REALLY LOUD VOICE) so for Jeanne and all the other voyeurs out there - enjoy!

the original cottage and garage
This charming cottage and stables were once part of the Ferguson Castle estate on Long Island's North Shore.

the new kitchen addition with cupola
The property was purchased by the designer with the vision of renovating the separate structures into one cohesive living space; keeping the original buildings and many of the unique features as possible, while custom building others to be truly faithful to the original.

the stable conversion with double height window
It's the unique architectural elements that make this shingle-style cottage such a gem: the barred windows in the former stables, the fishtail shingles, the brackets under the deep eaves and the cross gables.

the kitchen
The kitchen links the old cottage, seen here in the background, with the stable conversion. Installing the cupola means lots of light and matching the original beams makes it cohesive with the rest of the cottage. The kitchen is reminiscent of a 1920's butlers pantry with its furniture style cabinets and thick marble counters but there's lots of room for family and friends to mingle there too.

the dining room
The dining room in the old stables with the new staircase and double-height window in the background. When the owner was first designing the stable conversion she was concerned about the lack of natural light; while horses find darkness calming. humans prefer daylight. She overcame this problem by installing double height windows on the south and west elevations and had them exactly matched to the existing barred stable windows so they would be as unobtrusive as possible.

the sitting room
Using the original sliding barn doors to separate the sitting and dining room areas gives the cottage a sense of timelessness. Putting a red leopard print wing chair in front of them - that's design genius.

the powder room
The onyx countertop in the powder room is a real show stopper and the colors match the old stained glass that provides both soft flattering light and privacy.

the side path
As much attention to detail was given to the landscaping as to the renovation. Fieldstone paths interplanted with flowering thyme, drystacked walls, pillars topped with bluestone and lots of flowering perennials give the garden a country cottage charm that perfectly compliments the house.

staircase leading to the master suite, formerly the hayloft
I had a really hard time choosing which photos to post, there are so many great features in this renovation. In the end I limited myself to the exterior and the first floor of the stable conversion, but there is an entire book's worth of images throughout the cottage. And a whole story to be told of how one person had the vision to preserve an old cottage and turn it into a beautiful home that enhances the entire neighborhood.

We need more friends like these

We came home from the Jersey Shore to find our neighbor, the loyal blog reader, leaving three enormous Ligularia "Little Lanterns" on our doorstep. He'd been sent by the awesome designer, who knows of our trials to turn the sunken bed from dump to shady dell, one free (or extremely cheap) plant at a time.


In a 100' by 20' area I had plenty of spaces where they could have been planted but I chose the area under the black pine where the can be seen from the dining room and den and from the tiny window in the dressing room. This spot gets a couple of hours of sunshine a day and has the loamiest soil so they should do well. The awesome designer chose the ligularia because of my ongoing frustrations with Heucheras. Every one I've planted has failed to thrive, even though they should be an obvious choice for these conditions. My long term plan is to find a Heuchera that will contrast with the Ligularia. I'm hoping the silver ones will do better than the copper-leaved varieties that I've tried before and if I can find any on sale at the nursery I'll experiment.

Avanti

What did The Guy do while I was enthusing over the gardens on our mini-vacation? He did what guys are supposed to and admired this 1964 Avanti that is mid-way through its restoration. This is the same model that Alice Cooper once owned that was recently for sale on ebay.


The Studebaker Avanti was designed by Raymond Loewy in 1961 and despite the demise of Studebaker it remains in production today. But it's those early futuristic sports cars that capture the imagination and have enthusiasts forming owners' clubs and spending thousands to bring them back to their original state. And, of course, have grown men drooling over them in the streets.

Beach Zen

There are lots of reasons I like to go and stay with our friends at the Jersey Shore but one I know Beach House readers will appreciate is Betty's garden. It's actually a series of vistas executed in a beachy zen way that is and, once she has planted it up each summer, very low maintenance.


There is no lawn to take care of, instead stepping stones embedded in swathes of pea gravel lead you from sitting area to pond, from shady tree to pergola and to the wide hammock beyond.


Each area has some sort of water feature: a pond, a waterfall, or fountains in stone and copper; and there's art to look at too: sculptures, driftwood, even a painting and a mirror almost hidden within the climbing plants.


On the upstairs deck outdoor curtains filter the light and keep the house cool.


It's an oasis of calm and beauty, the perfect getaway for stressed city types.

Bastille Day

La Marseillaise.

Where there's life there's....

... a Belgian takeover of one of the icons of American popular culture. Allez les belges!

A beach, a bay and a river

In addition to the beach and the bay nature kicked up some huge waves and pretty soon we had us a river 2' deep and 10' across at Bay Head, NJ. Nowhere to sit and sunbathe on Saturday afternoon so we headed out to Brielle to have some Bloody Marys and watch the boats come in and unload their catch.


Sunset at Bay Head. Just perfect.

Beach time

We're swapping the calm Long Island Sound for the rolling Atlantic waves for a few days.


The town is apparently so cute it has two ad lines: A Country Village by the Sea and The Crown Jewel of the Jersey Shore. Hyperbole? We'll see. As long as it has a beach and a bar it'll be swell.

Not really staunch

Jean over at Renovation Therapy has an enormous Grey Gardens obsession and is feeding it with a competition to find the best Big or Little Edie Bouvier Beale letting their inner staunch rip. The contest is inspired by Little Edie's quote: But you see in dealing with me, the relatives didn't know that they were dealing with a staunch character and I tell you if there's anything worse than dealing with a staunch woman... S-T-A-U-N-C-H. There's nothing worse, I'm telling you. They don't weaken, no matter what.
I can't do dress-up crazy (it's not different enough from my normal crazy) so I'm giving you Rufus Wainwright (with Isaac Mizrahi making his second appearance on this blog) singing Grey Gardens. Not staunch but there are elements of craziness nevertheless.

Tequila, citrus and spice, or maybe not...

Tequila, citrus and spice in the form of Spicy Grapefruit Margaritas, that's what food critic, Top Chef judge and soon to be host of his own show on Food Network TV, Ted Allen, is proposing for a refreshing summer cocktail. Sounds just my kind of thing except Tequila and I don't get along together so I'm replacing the Mexican alcohol with Finnish Vodka. And because I don't have a sweet tooth I'm also junking the sweetened grapefruit in favor of freshly-squeezed grapefruit juice. This should give me the perfect combination of fresh fruit and heat with enough of the hard stuff to get a little buzz. (Not everyone has a palate like mine so you may want to use the sweetened juice or an ounce of simple syrup with the freshly-squeezed juice to take the edge off the tartness). Then of course it was announced today that peppers can cause a deadly bout of salmonella so I've decided to do without them as well. Ha!
Never mind, I'm calling my cocktail Citrus Vodka and the recipe follows. I'm still going to stick with a slightly Spanish theme in the form of some of my favorite tapas: Spanish Cocktail nuts (Marcona almonds, corn, pistachio nuts, roast chickpeas), fava beans; grilled queso, chopped chorizo and Tortilla chips and home-made guacamole. That's my perfect summer supper anyway.
If you want to try Ted Allen's Spicy Grapefruit Margarita the recipe is over here

Citrus Vodka Cocktail:
1 cup vodka
2 cups fresh squeezed ruby red grapefruit juice
1 cup of fresh orange juice
1 lime cut into wedges
Ruby red grapefruit, cut into small wedges, then into half-wedges

Pour infused vodka, orange and grapefruit juices over ice cubes in a shaker; shake and strain into a chilled martini glass, or just pour over rocks in a highball. Garnish with a grapefruit and a lime wedge.
Ole.

Before and after houseplants

I finally did it. I took the banana tree outside and let nature takes its course. Then I planted the container with white and purple impatiens and variegated ivy. Not very originla, I know, but a whole lot prettier than the sad house plant.



Now I have a huge bare space in the great room where the half-dead plant used to reside. Whatever am I going to put there?

Fourth of July Weekend

Eight humans, seven canines of assorted breeds step out


No flags but plenty of poop bags


They pose for photos


Not so much a parade, more of a rabble

Crystals on the floor, and more

One of my recent posts, on Svarowski crystal flooring at the Domotex 2008 show provoked a whole "how do they do that?" storm so I thought I'd look more closely at the flooring.


The floors tiles are produced by Diametral Concepts in Glass, an Austrian company that uses a layer of Swarovski crystal mesh between two layers of glass, sealed with a patented glue so it always stays sparkly. It's superbly suited to hotels, nightclubs and casinos where the night lights show off the crystals to their best advantage. Diametral are pretty stingy with their images. For the moment you would have to visit the Gulf Countries or their website to see a stunning Barbie pink example, but a casino floor in Vegas may be swarovskied in the near future.


Of course you may want that touch of bling elsewhere in your house and Swarovski crystals can be used in many other architectural applications. Want an entire cystalized bathroom? Walls, lighting, faucets can all sparkle as in this bath by Kludi.


Maybe your kitchen appliances are looking ordinary? You could step up for the Swarovski crystalized fridge-freezer by Gorenje. Really, no room needs to be left bare - and I'm sure your milk and eggs will taste much better if they are stored in a crystal-studded refrigerator.

Weeding, again

Because the 4th was cool and rainy we decided to tackle the rockery and sunken bed under the dining room window in between bites of hotdog and swigs of beer. By tackle I mean get rid of ALL the weeds that were obscuring the hostas and day lilies we (trans)planted last year. It went quicker than I thought it would, largely because the weeds were clover, milk weed and other shallow rooted varieties, although we do have a great sycamore (maple? what is the difference between European and American maples and sycamores?) patch that I'm trying not to Roundup* but I may yet have to resort to a chemical killer. I do make my own cheapo weedkiller: white vinegar, salt and washing-up liquid. It won't kill me or the land and it's effective on grass-like plants, but on miniature trees? Not so much.
Anyhow, these are a few beauties we uncovered


small hydrangea that I bought in lieu of a houseplant two years ago


Day lily that used to be hidden behind the azalea hedge. Come into the light, baby


Blue hosta, unnamed from plant sale


Grey tabby kitten, taking a breather from rodent patrol

*kills the roots, guaranteed