E is for Excellence

I was very touched to be awarded an E for Excellent award from Ethan and Fred at One Project Closer. They kindly wrote I had challenged their artistic sides. It's funny that what started as a pure diary of the renovations on The Cool House has morphed into something much broader: a desire to share all that I find weird and wonderful, beautiful and unique, whether it's in my house or the neighborhood, across the globe or in cyberspace. I'm just pleased others find some of it interesting too.

This award requires that we show our appreciation by giving it to other EXCELLENT blogs, which is a challenge for me. I don't like to play favorites; it's like saying which of the kitties do you like best, it can't be done, coughCassiscough. All the blogs I read are excellent, I wouldn't bother otherwise, would I? Certainly all those to the left of this post are excellent and there are many more I read that are genius too, but in the interests of plying along here's a sample that you might like:

Simmer Till Done - the food, the recipes, the photos - culinary Nirvana.
House and Hound - dogs and decor, it's design with a canine twist
Charlie's Design Diary -the best Finland has to offer, art, design, textiles and architecture - not forgetting the landscape
Austin ModHouse - how to build a really cool mid-century modern inspired house. Just be awed right now. And did I mention it's near Austin? The music, the food, the margaritas, oh and reasonable weather; I want to relocate....
Renovation Therapy an obsession with Grey Gardens, chandeliers, chesterfields and cats
Scented Glossy Magazines - feeding my Bravo reality show obsession
Stupid and Contagious - music, stupidity, culture, sarcasm - this is the blog I'd write if The Cool House didn't take up all my free time

Modern History

This French Restoration bedroom circa 1823 looks so modern it would fit right into my house today. Part of House Proud: Nineteenth-Century Watercolor Interiors From the Thaw Collection, at the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum in Manhattan. The exhibition runs until January 25 2009.
via The New York Times

Hampton Designer Showhouse

The Hamptons season is drawing to a close but one of the coolest things to do if you're a lover of pricey real estate or interior design is visit the 2008 Hampton Designer Showhouse. This year it's also interesting for the eco-minded as it's a "green house". That seems to mean lots of grass cloth, shells and coral. I don't know how you harvest coral in an environmentally-friendly way, but I'm sure someone will enlighten me.
If you can't get there in person view the Newsday photo gallery and let me know what those tall white objects in the guest suite are (image #9) and whether Kevin Hart's headboard (image #6) reminds you of a headless animal skin. Or maybe I've just seen too many bear rugs at Sagamore Hill? Do pay special attention to image #31 - at least until you fall into a hypnotic trance.


Eco-chic comes at a price and the 11,000 sq feet Sagaponack, NY house is a very expensive home. Currently off the market, the house had been listed for $12,500,000 and even with a $1 million reduction that's over $1000 a square foot for a house on a comparatively small lot.
Tickets to view the Showhouse will set you back $30 and there's a whole heap of restrictions but proceeds benefit Southampton Hospital. Open daily through Aug. 31. Call 631-537-0455 for details.
Bonus video here.

Vacation in a Krisel Home

After blogging about William Krisel recently I really want to go to Palm Springs and tour some of his houses. Then serendipity strikes. It seems not only could I go look, but I can actually stay in one. This completely restored 1957 Alexander House can be rented by the night, week or month from owner Chris Menrad.
It seems there are plenty of other mid-century modern vacation homes out there if you know where to look. Time Magazine has selected a few, including Frank Sinatra's desert home from the Rat Pack days. I hear the happy sound of cocktails being poured right now.

After the Hail

After the hailstorm ended I ran out to see what the damage was. A lot of leaves and some branches down, quite a few more bees and assorted insects didn't make it and the hostas are torn and battered.


Like little diamond pearls, the hail and one deceased insect.


Taken yesterday at 10:30 AM, the hostas were at their finest - proud and shiny.


The same plant after the hail, amazingly the flower stalk is still intact but the leaves are shredded.

TLC

We had set aside the final two days of our home-ation for repairing the damage done to the redwood siding by our favorite wildlife: the carpenter bees and the woodpecker. In the end we found more live bees that we had to deal with, lots more holes to fill, sand and stain, and we ended up lavishing a whole lot of extra tender loving care on the house in between rain showers. The Guy did 90% of the work, including repairing the pond pump while I stained a little wood and took a few shots.

Maintenance round-up:


Ten dead carpenter bees (sorry but the damage they do to the siding is incredible)


Four working path lights on the walkway to the front door


Several holes on the overhang, filled and ready to be sanded


The frame around the kitchen door stained with Cabot Clearcoat Redwood


All accomplished without disturbing this spider (click for the full-glory version)


Of course even when you think you are done there's always something else. Just as we were packing up for the evening I bent down to pick up the drop cloth and I noticed this. Another bee hole. A miracle of bee engineering and a complete pain in the bee-hind. Grrr.

Hailstorm

Flowering Hibiscus and ice, August sure is turning out to be a beauty weather-wise.

YRG and Emmy Award Winners in the House

The highlight of vacation week was definitely Friday when The Cool House provided the backdrop for a music video shoot. Emmy® Award Winners Richie Saccente, Cosmo Mallardi and Jake Gorst were all here filming part of a video for Young Rebel Goombas, a Tropical band that operates like a huge family. Vocalists Richie and Cosmo were joined by Richie's daughter and trainee sound engineer, Chelsea and Vinny, who proved invaluable as an expert cat wrangler. The Guy and I were listening and trying to stay out of the way while secretly being star-struck. Of course if they'd actually brought the Emmy, any Emmy, with them, we'd have been in the shot like an, umm, shot.
In lieu of that I got these stills:


This was parked on my driveway most of the afternoon. How cool is that?


Chelsea and Richie seated, Cosmo standing. YRG method acting.


Jake Gorst directs: More coffee and this time with feeling, please. Vinny looks on, ready to pluck stray cats out of shot.


Jake Gorst shooting. Got it!
The Young Rebel Goombas' eponymous debut album is available here and here. Rock on Cool House!

Maya on a Pagoda

Looks cute but is actually perfectly positioned to snatch passing wildlife out of the bushes and the air.....
Note the not so attractive and possibly lethal rebar....

The Summer White House

I did squeeze in one local culture experience on my vacation at home. On Thursday morning I visited Teddy Roosevelt's home Sagamore Hill at Oyster Bay Cove, 10 minutes from The Cool House.
I've taken visitors to the grounds many times before but this was the first time I'd toured the house and it was worth at least double the $5 fee. Firstly you get a NPS ranger as tour guide and they are always informative but our guide Robert Erhlich had so many stories about the house and the artifacts that we were there much longer than planned. There is the house itself, which is one of the best preserved Victorian Shingle-style homes in the US, with its gas lighted dining room, dark wood paneling, and exterior ice house. Everything in the house, with the exception of the rugs, some drapes and the back staircase, is original. Then there are the public rooms filled with the souvenirs of TR Roosevelt's life, as New York politician, explorer, Rough Rider and President. Elephant tusks (a gift from the King of Ethiopia, Polar and Grizzly bear rugs, the Presidential flag represent just part of the unique decor you'll find here. Even the room where Elinor Roosevelt stayed when her parents died is preserved as it was, complete with a signature quilt made by her closest friends.


Roosevelt and his second wife Edith Kermit Carow moved into Sagamore Hill in 1887, eventually raising six children there, including Alice, from his first marriage. When Roosevelt became the youngest president in 1902 after the McKinley's assassination he re-named the Executive Mansion in Washington DC "The White House" and the installation of a telephone at Sagamore Hill that kept the President in touch with the Capital permitted the family to reside on Long Island during the summer months. Sagamore Hill became known as the Summer White House.
If you love old houses, taxidermy, history or good yarns and have an opportunity to visit Long Island, or if you live near here and didn't know about it, beg or borrow $5 and invest it in a tour. You won't be disappointed.
Sagamore Hill NHS 12 Sagamore Hill Road, Oyster Bay, NY 11771 is open to visitors from Wednesday through Sunday each week (closed Mondays & Tuesdays). House tours on the hour 10 AM-4 PM.

Vacation: not quite as planned

Monday was the start of a week long vacation. We packed in a fair amount and we had a list of things we wanted to do during the other five days. How do you think we did?
Well the rest of the vacation went something like this....
Tuesday: We're told the car has been repaired and we need to take to the auto body shop the cheque the insurance company sent us four weeks ago. Four weeks proves to be a long time to keep a cheque in a safe place. Too long. The search begins. Six and a half hours later we have missed our day-trip to Montauk but The Guy has a super-tidy office. Alas we do not have the cheque. We declare it lost and the insurance company agrees to issue a new cheque at the drive-in window of their offices (conveniently located half-way between The Cool House and the auto repair place.
Wednesday: The plan is to drive to insurance co. pick up cheque, drive to body shop and get car, then take loaner car back. Should take a couple of hours, giving us the rest of the day to do something exciting. We drive to get cheque, drive-in window actually a walk-in office. There are no free parking spaces. I wait in car, ready to move it if necessary while The Guy runs in to get cheque. He is gone 35 minutes. Cheque wasn't ready. Drive to car repair place. Car out on final road test. Should take 15 minutes. Car comes back. There are two problems: the registration ran out and the car needs a service before we can drive it. The first proves to be their error. Car is registered, they put the sticker on upside down when fixing the windshield. This is easily remedied but car has to go to the shop to be serviced. A different shop. In a different town. The Guy will drive there in our car and I will follow in loaner in case he breaks down. I leave The Guy to see to car service and come home. Many hours later he returns and we take back loaner car. Actual time taken: 6 hours.
Thursday: It started well enough but then there was this. The storms continued late into the evening. Another neighbor had the bark stripped off a maple tree by the lightning and there are branches down in lots of places but the Village is still preoccupied with the house fire.
I've had better vacations but at least I wasn't out on the water when this happened.

Lighting Stikes Historic Beach Home

A severe thunderstorm blew through Huntington around 1 PM today. We were having lunch on the harbor when the the thunder started, the rain came down in sheets and ice fell from the skies - not hail, ice. Then the siren started at the local fire station, and we joked that if it was bad they would sound more alarms. It was bad. Fire trucks came from Halesite and Huntington, Centerport, Northport, Cold Spring Harbor and Greenlawn. They rushed past us, in the direction of our village, lights blazing, sirens blasting.
When we arrived home we could smell the smoke. The beautiful, historic Victorian on the hill overlooking Nathan Hale Beach had been struck by lightning starting a fire that gutted the roof and parts of the second floor.
No one was home, no one was hurt, but one of the gems of the Incorporated Village has been badly damaged.


This is the same view taken in the Winter.
They will rebuild but today everyone is in shock. We send our sympathy to the owners and their family. Life changes in an instant.

Prefabulous houses at MoMA

Monday morning's disappointment with The Waterfalls and the delicious make-up-for-it lunch and a couple of espressos behind us we headed uptown for more culture at the MoMA - Home Delivery: Fabricating The Modern Dwelling. This exhibition of prefabrication in architecture from the early 19th century to the present isn't comprehensive - Sears-Roebeck homes get a mention but Macy's Leisurama Homes don't - but it is fascinating nonetheless. I especially loved the 1930's copper houses constructed in Berlin and Haifa, that I previously knew nothing about.
I checked in the all-metal 1949 Lustron House that was reassembled inside the museum for this exhibition but the drawers were clear of used tissues. There was a couple seated at the dining table, she was applying lipstick, checking her blackberry while they chatted about friends and how they could "totally live there right in the middle of a museum". They were completely comfortable, enjoying the Prefab space. It was kind of cute in a life-as-art way.
Outside on a vacant lot adjacent to the MoMA were five prototype prefabs, the installation of which you can watch on video.


I loved the construction of the Digitally Fabricated Housing for New Orleans: no nails, no glue, you need only a rubber mallet to put together the numbered parts.


Open tread staircase in the photovoltaic rich Cellophane House, adds to the open and airy feeling. The house is full of light and feels surprisingly spacious and cool even on a sweltering New York Summer day


The retro feel but conceptually ultra-modern Burst*008, is bathed in a creamy yellow glow. This prefab isn't a box but rather geometrical folds mean each house will be unique. Sunshine bursts everywhere, including this nifty skylight above the double bed, yet the house remains cool.
This was installation design done really well and a fun afternoon at MoMA. They have had some really interesting, informative and thought-provoking exhibitions over the past year, and that's what a culture-fix should provide.

Sale stuff, is it really saving?

I decided things needed sprucing up in a non-power tool, no drama way. So I went sale shopping and got a whole stack of cushion covers last week and all were under $16. Four of them were $5.97 and one was a super-steal $3.97 at Pottery Barn. Funnily enough the one I thought The Guy would really hate is the one he likes the most. Who knew he liked floral prints?


They give a different vibe to the pink sectional, plus they disguise the cat fur, too. Extra bonus - it's certainly cheaper than re-upholstering the whole thing. As I was on a roll I also got around to hemming the bedroom curtains, at last.
Although I'm very pleased with my mega bargains, if I actually dared to add up what I've spent since January on soft furnishings, drapes, pillows, bedding I could probably have afforded a trip to Maui, or at least a relaxing day at a spa somewhere...

Hydrangea colour

There's a rich blue hydrangea at the east side of the yard that blooms throughout the summer. In front used to be a patch of lawn 4'x 6' with low-growing junipers on either side. Gradually over the past four years that patch of grass has turned to moss, and although we've removed all the ivy and weeds from that area, it was looking sad and neglected. The blue hydrangea was the one bright spark of colour on that side.


This weekend we decided the lawn would never return and planting another couple of hydrangeas would be more aesthetically pleasing and (once they were in) less labour-intensive. Of course August isn't the optimum time to find hydrangeas at the nursery but we set off on our quest anyway. We found only one worthy specimen, Hydrangea Annabelle, whose 10" snowball heads should be a joy next summer. The Guy planted it early Sunday morning and it almost covers the lawn area right now. By next Spring you will never know there had ever been a minute patch of grass on that border.

Towel rail miscalculation resolved

On Saturday after everyone had calmed down we tried a new fix for the towel rail issue. Instead of centering the brackets on one tile and thereby exposing the "oopsies", we carefully placed a second stainless tile adjacent to the first to cover the holes and assorted nicks.


It's not exactly as I envisioned it but it works fine, especially when viewed through a mirror. Speaking of which, we still have to replace the ugly plastic mirror above the towel bar. This really shouldn't be much of a challenge.......

Escape or Exile?

Saturday morning found The Guy on the roof just before the thunderstorm arrived


Was he banished after the latest debacle or did he climb up here to avoid the wrath of the wife?

Renovation Frustration

Sometimes renovation projects are simple. Like when the design shows tell you to spruce up your bathroom by changing the towels and maybe the hardware. It's easy, they coo, it refreshes the whole room in no time at all and at very little cost.


Then there are the deeply frustrating projects. You start well, you decide to spruce up the bathroom by changing the towels and removing the hideous plastic towel rail.


Three of the screws come out easily but the third is screwed. You use a wrench, a pair of pliers and a lot of brute strength. It takes an hour but eventually the old, ugly towel rail is gone. You measure the distance and the height of the screw holes.


You purchase a new towel rail, and a toilet roll holder in brushed stainless steel to match the faucet and handles on the vanity. When you hold the towel rail against the wall you realise the holes you will need to make to secure it to the wall do not match the existing holes. This is not a big deal if you are screwing into wallboard - that's what spackle is for. However, if the area behind the towel rail is tile, YOU ARE IN BIG TROUBLE. You contemplate your options. Many months go by.
Suddenly, you have a "eureka" moment. You can center the towel rail on two 6" stainless steel tiles. You order a sample pack of stick on stainless steel tiles from an online retailer. They arrive. You try it out. It looks as if the tiles are part of the towel rail, it fits, it covers the holes. It is the perfect solution.
Then things start to go very, very wrong. You request the help of The Guy to afix said tile/towel rail combo to the wall. The Guy offers to take over. You ask if he requires help masking the spot. He does not. He asks only for a magic market to block the tile. You give him the pen and move on to other tasks. You leave the house.


When you return an hour and a half later you are surprised that only one bracket of the towel rail is on the wall. You make the unwise decision to voice this aloud. The Guy storms off, whereupon you take this opportunity to examine his work more closely. The holes are not covered by the tile. On the other side of the bracket he has knocked the glaze off an adjacent tile while hammering plastic anchors into the tile. Why?
You leave the project, go into your office and find the desk littered with paper on which is scribbled mathematical formulae for calculating the exact position of the towel rail on the tile. But nowhere is there a calculation for the correct placement of the tiles so that the existing holes would be covered. Which was, if you remember, the point of the tiles in the first place.
My conclusion from this project? The littlest things take the longest time, cost you money than you ever imagined and are emotionally frustrating.

Lobster Day: what went down

Here was the plan:
1) Drive 45 minutes on the Long Island Expressway (east) to get The Guy's neck checked by Insurance Doctor. This was necessary because he'd had 12 sessions of physio after the accident. The car insurance medical assessor assigns a doctor that is impossible to reach unless you have your own car and have the means to put gas in the tank. The letter inviting The Guy to the appointment made it clear that YOU MUST VISIT AT THE APPOINTED TIME. NO EXCEPTIONS. FAILURE TO DO SO MAY RESULT IN YOUR CLAIM BEING DENIED!
2) Continue on to the Lobster Roll, eat lunch
3) Call at Tanger Outlet and buy rug for master bedroom
And here's what actually happened:
We arrived at the doctor's office 15 minutes early. The room was filled with people completing their info sheets. Sample questions: What is your date of birth? How old are you? Are you a minor? I'm not even kidding. An hour later we were still waiting and so was everyone else. It was hot. There was no water. People started getting restless. Questions were asked. Voices were raised. Accusations were leveled. Things got tense. Groups formed; some people were angry, others defensive. While interesting from a sociological standpoint it was not a good situation.
Someone came out from the back office, left and returned bearing boxes of donuts, coffee, juice and water. The crowd was placated. People were seen. Two hours after The Guy's initial appointment he was called in. Four minutes later he was out with a recommendation to continue the physio for another twelve sessions. That means he has to go through this again in six weeks. Not necessarily at this doctor's office. I will not be accompanying him.


The Guy had to make a business call. I shopped for the rug while he worked. I scored the softest cream rug at Pottery Barn, a cardinal red throw, a bathmat, huge candlesticks, paper napkins. A bunch of stuff, in fact. The Guy finished his call just as I was checking out. It was 3:30. We were STARVING.
Twenty minutes later, a shared plate of puffers and a glass of chardonnay before us and lobster rolls ordered, The Guy announced we'd have to hurry as he had to go out to dinner at the other end of Long Island. At a lobster restaurant.......
So dear readers, I got indigestion. The Guy got puffers, lobster roll and a 1 1/2 lb lobster in the space of three hours. He didn't seem to suffer at all.
I feel a little cheated.

Cervaiole Marble - modern or traditional

Suddenly it's everywhere


I first saw mega amounts of it used in this 2006 Phillipe Starck bathroom. De trop, perhaps?


In this newly built Hampton Shingle Style house in the Incorporated Village it's paired with traditional cream cabinets. There's a lot of it and it's not really working for me. Too dark, maybe?


In Boston, this 2008 Watermark Awards winner contrasts the marble with simple teak cabinetry for a really successful sleek but warm kitchen.
Perhaps most successful use of Cervaiole marble is this backsplash and countertop in a modern home that's actually in the Hamptons. It's a multimedia guide so click on the top photo icon in the dining room to see the kitchen. Bright white, spare flat-fronted cabinets and white oak floors are light and airy while the veined marble gives a richness to the whole space. Lovely.

By the way, I'm awed by the New York Times new interactive guides. There's also a great one on Chinese food in Flushing, Queens for all you New York food freaks.