The casual visitor to Portland, Oregon can’t help but notice the profusion of bicycles. There are bikes with containers for shopping or the kids, and bikes with trailers for large deliveries. There are all manner of bike events, including a day when Portland’s many bridges are closed to cars so the bikes can frolic without hindrance. This bike-centric vibe definitely contribute to the relaxed, low-pressure feel that makes Portland so delightful. Even the cars are interesting, either old VW vans or ancient Volvos or Karmann Ghias. And the cars are all driven very slowly, to make sure they avoid the bikes. If bikes and old VWs are your thing, Portland is your town. Oh, and the food is great, too.
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The SFMOMA in San Francisco just opened a sculpture garden that includes this piece. My husband decided that if he focused hard enough, the gentleman on the right would explain the meaning of life. If he could have spoken, the statue probably would have said, “You’re standing on my pedestal.”
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They say marriage involves give and take. Our recent west coast trip provides a perfect example. Opera lover that I am, I convinced my husband to accompany me to a Seattle Opera production of Wagner’s Tristan and Isolde. After sitting through the five-hour performance, he increased his understanding (if not his appreciation) of this somewhat elitist art form. In exchange, I volunteered to join him at the Monterey Historic Races, the most prestigious gathering of antique racing cars in the world. I sat reading my novel with earplugs, while he behaved like a kid in a candy store.
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When I worked with this client on their kitchen twenty years ago, we used cherry wood. They adored the look so much that when they were designing the kitchen for their new home last year, they insisted on cherry. It is a timeless choice. The stainless steel farm sink with raised bunch of grapes detail fits perfectly. The tailored window shade in a floral pattern adds a soft counterpoint to the dark wood, as does the wool stripe runner. The fresh yellow/red roses in the photo look especially decorative in this palette, anchored by the rich tones of the cherry wood.
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With the proliferation of remote controls, smart phones, iPods, etc, gadget clutter is growing by leaps and bounds. This chair provides a clever solution. The arms contain hidden storage spaces, just the right size for electronic gadgets. There is definitely a James Bond element to these camouflaged spaces; remember the controls hidden within the armrest of 007’s Aston Martin in “Goldfinger”? Unfortunately I don’t think you can push a button to eject anyone seated nearby, no matter how boring his or her conversation.
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I’ve posted before on an idyllic Adirondack retreat we’ve been working on for several years. This view of the living room in the main house emphasizes the stepped back ceiling, birch bark veneer custom cabinets, stone fireplace and oversized metal chandeliers. I don’t usually look for color in antique books, but in this case the complete set of red–spined Dickens in the cabinets brings out the warm wood tones, as do the bright colors of the antique plates. The reflection in the TV gives a hint to the views of Lake George that make this property so spectacular.
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Say you have a lot of watches, in fact you have a bit of a watch fetish. This decorative box is designed for you. Inside the box are little pockets for each watch behind the nine round porthole-like windows. There is a security system that opens the front of the box to allow entry. So you can display your collection for friends and family while limiting access. Even if your watches aren’t all made by Rolex it’s still a cool way to store and display them.
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The lower level suite in this home near the shore is geared for casual entertaining. There’s a card table, billiard room and bar, but this part of the space is for TV watching; the large flat screen is on the wall behind the camera. Whether on the couch potato friendly sectional sofa (custom made to fit the room), the relaxing cane chairs or the child friendly cushions, the goal is comfort and convenience. Hard-wearing and easy to clean sunbrella and sunsuede fabrics take the worry out of maintenance, and the color and texture combinations lift your spirits and warm your heart.
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Edith Wharton was America’s first successful woman writer, author of “The Age of Innocence” and “Ethan Frome.” She also had a passionate interest in interior design; in fact her first major book was “The Decoration of Houses.” She put her ideas into practice in the design and construction of The Mount, the estate she and her husband built in Lenox, Mass in 1902. I’ve meant to visit many times and had the opportunity recently. While the house and gardens are impressive, I was disappointed in the interior. They display some photos of the house as it was during her time, but there are no original furnishings. Designers have filled the space as a show house, so instead of getting an idea of what The Mount was like during it’s heyday, we see modern furniture “inspired” by Wharton’s ideas. Not very inspirational.
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Shakespeare and Company’s first home was in the gardens and drawing rooms of The Mount, Edith Wharton’s estate. In 2000 they moved to a thirty-acre campus just down the road in Lenox, Mass. Today Tina Packer’s creation is one of the finest resident theatre companies in America. We try to catch at least one show every year. This year we saw a very impressive Richard III. One of Shakespeare’s more entertaining history plays, Richard is a portrait of a villain you love to hate. John Douglas Thompson, whom we saw as a luminous Othello last year, played Richard to perfection, and the rest of the company was equally impressive.
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