2010, here we come

From my home to yours, I hope you and your family have a wonderful 2010!

Masquerade

The bright young thing mentality: the penchant for fantasy and masquerade had become an expression of the disregard they felt for the immediate past or the immediate future. They lived -or tried to live - outside their time. Philip Hoare, Serious Pleasures, the life of stephen tennant

New Years Eve is the perfect time for fantasy. What do you want your life to be this coming year? Or fantasy could be as simple as dressing up in costume for the evening: full of high hopes for the future and escaping the past year.

Fantasy is not dead, it survives.

Whatever form your fantasies take or whatever you may wear, I hope you have great New Years celebrations!

A modern renovation

Featured in the March 2008 issue of Metropolitan Home magazine was an example of a city apartment with great bones which was renovated efficiently and beautifully. The great bones were there, natural light, outdoor space and tall ceilings on a high floor.Jeffrey Povero, an architect in NYC, renovated the space for himself and his partner in a 1914 hospital buiding which had been converted to apartments in the 80s. The space was a bland box when he found it, but he saw promise in the 11 foot ceilings and views of the brooklyn bridge. I'm sure the huge terrace and three exposures didn't hurt either!

What started out as plans for minimal renovations turned into a gut job, as these types of jobs often do. Why do anything half way? While not a small apartment by New York standards at 860 SF, it still had to operate efficiently for the two.I would buy a rat filled shoebox of an apartment for that terrace. Amazing! I'm in love with the walnut paneling Povero had installed behind the fireplace (top image) and in the kitchen below and with the acres of white marble. I would have used a beefier countertop at the island though I think.....it looks fragile and skimpy.

Povero wanted to create a modern men's club, which I think reads very strongly. While a bit minimal for my personal tastes, I think the apartment is stunning.

One thing Povero and I share is a love of organization, although he takes it further than I; his books, seen above, are arranged in Dewey Decimal order! He worked for years at Robert Stern designing libraries: I suppose that will do it for you!

Mirrors were used in the apartment advantageously to reflect the light and views and make small rooms feel bigger. The photo below looks like 2 rooms almost!

The closet is also a work of supreme organization. How many closets get published in magazines? I drooled over this.....

Even if it's not your style, I think everyone can appreciate the work that went into this space!

photographs by Peter Murdock

New Camera

The sad news is that my old camera (2002 canon powershot sds) finally died yesterday and I'm in the market for a new one. The good news is that I get to take advantage of updated technologies, mainly size! My old camera was small for the time (basically pocketsize) and has performed really well, but as the years progressed smaller versions were being released. As I like to carry my camera around with me all the time, size is so important -it must fit in my pocket!

I'm thinking of replacing it with the same model, unless anyone has any other suggestions, the Canon PowerShot SD780 IS. Is anyone familiar with this version of camera?

It also comes in 4 colors and I'm having a difficult time deciding which I want to go with . I value your opinion: what color would you chose? Silver, black, red or gold? I'm leaning towards gold (shown)..... and shying away from red which I feel is a target when traveling. Thoughts?