dreamland

In the August 2008 issue of World of Interiors is probably the best 'boat' chandelier I've ever seen (complete with little lifeboats!).
Designed by Jean-Gabriel Domergue in the 1930's, the fixture dominates the owner's library. If I had a library, this is just the type of fixture I would want! Something playful and beautiful; you could of course make the corelation between knowledge and travel if you want to be really 'deep'. Check out the beautiful ceiling in this library as well as the labels on the bookshelves! What a great room (but i would have used more subsantial shelving, also in white, and organized the books a bit more!

monotonous.......

mono-toney-ous........While I love bright colors, I must admit that I have a penchant for quiet, subtle rooms. My entire apartment is shades of french grays and cool grays. I'm really loving this Warren Smith room today and the subtle degrees of gray. I never noticed how strong I liked a quiet room till flipping through my clipping files the other week - I wondered 'Am I boring?'. So what do you think -color, or not to color?

Project Runway #2

So, did you see Project Runway on Wednesday: the green challenge? I know I'm posting a few days late. The green challenge...I don't get it really.I think it's great they were green but how is that a 'challenge'? It limits the fabric choices, that I understand, but they didnt' get to chose their own fabrics, so what's the difference? I loved that the models were the clients and that they also chose the fabric. Hey, it's a challenge, designers, so it's CHALLENGING! I thought a few of them really stepped up to the plate this episode - we're starting to see who is a good designer and who is good tv. As you probably know (if you've read this far into the post you probably watched the show!) Suede won the challenge. Were you as shocked as me? I would have sworn he was in the running to be cast off! However, he made this super cute party dress with a fun skirt and used the shiny awful fabric in a unique way! This will be available on Bluefly.com soon for sale!
My favorite dress (that no one really talked about) was this one by Terri. Isn't it adorabe and well made? Such a sassy model too!

Crazy orange Blayne created this fun 80's cocktail dress out of the hot pink fabric that he hated; but I think it turned out really cute, don't you?
This is what I call the window shade dress.....it looks like those french style sheer blinds you see in funeral parlors and 'victorian' recreation homes. Shame on you keith! And it's so short, it's like the blinds are half way up! I guess you have to give it points for creativity -and it would hide a baby lump (or two!).
This dress seemed to come in second place, by Kenley. This was probably my 2nd favorite dress -as the judges said -it was drop dead chic.
The biggest shock of the night to me was Korto. I thought she was the designer with the most talent and best abilities.....then this.......It was well made -but those fins are awful.... they make a model look hippy!! I had such high hopes :-(
The judges didn't seem to like this little number by Leanne. I thought this was super cute though! They said it had too much going on, well....yes......I think though that it's different and cute: i love the pockets. The only change I would make is to have had the model put her arm through that last loop instead of over it like an epulet. Still -it's an adorable little 'romper' (I believe that is the term for this time of garment.....besides it's so fun to say....or write).

Thank you!!

I had a package waiting for me in the mail today. Patricia from PVE and her friend who works at Wiley sent me a care package of two books to thank me for guest blogging! This made my day :-) Honestly, I was so excited to guest blog that it was thanks enough (but I will still keep the books!). Here they are on my coffee table waiting to be read!The first book has stunning photographs of buildings from the turn of the 19th century in Paris. This book explores where the period's stunning architecture came from and how it evolved from its predecessors. It's really interesting in that it studies a lot of the 'not famous' buildings that you don't normally study -I can't wait to dig into it further!!The second book, and my favorite because it has floor plans (I could look at floor plans all day long, it's an addiction) is about the work of Baillie Scott and is entitled 'the artistic house'.

Scott had a long career as an architect from 1892 till 1939 in the English Arts and Crafts style. This book is wonderful -the homes in it are just magical and so special. I especially like that many of the homes have been altered somewhat and you see the evolution (pvc drainpipes and all!). He is credited for being one of the first architects to use the 'open floor plan' so popular in the last century and opening the house to the garden and outdoors. 'Blackwell House'

These houses pictured are charming, not overbearingly large and many little nooks and corners full of delightful detail. Like a lot of other idealistic architects of the time period, he was obsessed with the idea of perfect houses for everyday people -workingmen.1901 - Baillie Scott -interior

Thanks so much again, both of you!!

This is real!

Okay, so this is how I imagine this conversation went!

Bakery Employee: 'Hello 'dis be Walmarts, how can I help you?'

Customer: ' I would like to order a cake for a going away party this week.'

Bakery Employee: 'What you want on 'dat cake?'

Customer: 'Best Wishes Suzanne' and underneath that 'We will miss you'.

Open Shelves

Lately there has been a lot of talk about open kitchen shelves in blogland and I have very mixed feelings about them. I do like their look, but you'd have to have very cohesive dishes to make them work and what about dust? While going through my image files I came across this one though which worries me indeed.This is undeniably a beautiful kitchen. But a few things worry me. Shelves in front of windows? Whats going on there? Like -take your dusty shelves and put them in the BRIGHT light. Also, I don't like blocking windows in general like this -you can't enjoy the beautiful view!

Also, this is obviously a renovation of an older house -but do you really need to block the windows with the cabinets? You can see that the windows go BELOW counter height - YIKES. Thats just a formula to get dust and crumbs stuck down there - plus looking at the house from the exterior -those windows will look WHACK. What do you think? I love the look of all the white dishes though, those huge windows (A shame they block them with counters, dishes and shelves) and the TALL ceilings!

Mamma Mia!

If Sex and the City was the best movie of the summer, then Mamma Mia is the MOST FUN! It's always really upsetting to me that my favorite movies get LOUSY reviews....including this one. Well don't listen to the critics -this movie is good fun! Sure, it's a bit campy and corny but it's a musical. Isn't it a law somewhere that musicals need to be a bit corny and campy and hilarious? Trust me -this is one to see if not just for the BEAUTIFUL scenery of Greece! I need to go to Greece!The one thing I could do without is Pierce Brosnan in the movie. I LOVE me some Pierce Brosnan (my favorite 007) but the man is not a comedian and can NOT sing. The only time he got laughs were when he tried to sing (no joke, for real). Everytime james bond broke into song (or a silly outfit) the entire audience broke into laughter!Meryl Streep is the real star of this movie. She can sing very well (was trained as an opera singer in her teens!) and as we all know she can ACT supremely. I am not embaressed to admit she brought a tear to my eye a few times. And I won't give anything away, but stay for the credits; one of the best parts of the movie happens during the ending credits. Also -the soundtrack is amazing (of course). The cast brings some great ACTING to the songs - great updates of Abba classics! check that out too!all photos courtesy of the main movie website linked above.

another clever idea

I came across this image on yesterday's NYSD's home tour. Jonah Bushwick's dance studio front door has this really clever name plate- scrabble pieces! I really love this, how fun!

tagged

I was tagged by my friend Laura at With Love from Pittsburgh and I'm always up for a challenge!

1. What are the last 3 things you purchased?
-more dishes from ebay, I just can't stop!
-Verners rootbeer from Dean and Deluca (the best!)
-lunch at chipotle

2. What are the last 3 songs you downloaded?
-I recently downloaded the album 'Between the Lines' by Janis Ian, I don't really believe in downloading individual songs, not sure why.
-the album 'bring ya to the brink' by Cyndi Lauper ( sooo good!)
-Tolomeo (opera) by Handel

3. Where were the last 3 places you visited?
Vapiano's
work
Dean and Deluca courtyard

4. What are your 3 favorite movies?
OK -this is probably impossible for me to do -i have 100's of 'favorite movies' but here are 3 in no particular order:
-Gigi (1958)
-Marie Antoinette (both the new and old versions, 2006 & 1938)
-Mary Poppins (1964)
-thoroughly modern millie (1967)
-funny face (1957)
-Great Expectations (1998)
-ok i'll stop or this list will take all day long

5. What are your 3 favorite possessions?
my books and magazines (yes, all of them - it's a COLLECTION)
my dishes (yes, all of them again)
my condo

6. What 3 things can you not live without?
-my friends
-design magazines
-beautiful music

7. What would be your 3 wishes?
-to win the lottery, I won't lie about this one-it's true....
-a long life for all my family and friends ( and me! )
-a cure for alzheimers

8. What are 3 things you have not done yet?
-visited Venice
-been married
-had my own project as an architect under my own name

9. What are your 3 favorite dishes?
-cheesecake
-sour patch kids
-sharp cheddar cheese

10. What 3 celebrities would you want to hang out with the most?
-Kathy Griffin (she would be SOOO fun!)
-Martha Stewart (my idol)
-Miles Redd (my favorite designer)

11. Name 3 things that freak you out
-cockroaches
-cockroaches
-cockroaches

12. If you could describe yourself in 3 words, what would they be?
I don't like this question...hmmmm
-modest (well, obviously if I hate talking about myself)
-2
-3 (i'll fill these in later.......)

13. Name 3 unusual things you are good at.
-the piano
-i have an 'eye'
-architecting (yes, it can be a verb.......)

14. What are 3 things you are currently coveting?
-a dog -yorkshire terrier
-a bigger condo -1 bedroom
-a LONG vacation

Trash

Yes, this is the outside face of a landfill. Puente Hills

So today I'm taking a break from the 'pretty' and talking about the Important (notice, capital 'I'!!). I read this really interesting article about where our trash goes after we dispose of it and the ramifications of our trash-based society (oh, thats a broad statement in so many ways!). In the May 2008 issue of GQ was an important article entitled 'This is paradise' about one of the largest trash dumps in the country in CA, Puente Hills.

The inside face of Puente Hills after a day's work has been covered with 12" of dirt

The process is incredibly complex and sophisticated. There are trash engineers out there who are passionate about their craft and are interested in the entire cycle of life and how our trash fits into that. These are SMART guys - at one point in the article someone mentions how our politicians should be coming from trash engineering (that would probably be an improvement)! All the gasses and juices released from the landfills (eww!) are being turned into electricity at these more sophisticated sites. The circle of life is continued.

the 5 steps of trash

I won't transcribe the entire article here (but it's definitely worth a read and i've linked to it below) but I think the important issue here is that every single thing that you get rid of without thought, takes many many people to get 'put away' and a lot of energy and SPACE. But the thing is - it NEVER goes away. It's there forever. So much of this waste can be recycled or more efficiently even, reused! So next time you throw something away, think twice. Can it be donated, recycled, resused in another way? And next time you're at the store, do you need a bag? Can you carry it or resuse a bag? Do you really need to put a plastic bag around those apples at the store? Do you need that twisty tie; and if you do can you reuse it later?

Here is 'Big Mike' -one of the characters interviewed in the article. A day's worth of trash at this ONE site is so enormous, you can't even imagine. Waste, Waste, Waste!

Read the entire article online HERE. I also have scanned the article into a pdf, please email me if you would like a copy of it.