Just a few blocks from me on Wythe avenue in Williamsburg, Brooklyn; a graffiti style painted metal door.
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Design Suggestions:
Easily transform any ordinary and inexpensive door by applying your own graphics and patterns using a mix of your favorite colors of household paint. To demonstrate; I feel a DIY coming soon.
Growing up I always had friends from different cultures and ethnic backgrounds and often I would be invited for dinners where I would enthusiastically question their parents for the exact ingredients and origins of their favorite dishes. When I was 15 I was introduced to a simple fennel salad by an Uzbek friend who’s mom simply marinated sliced fennel in lemon juice and salt. My own anise version includes dill and shaved Petit Chistera, a mild but nutty sheep and goats milk cheese. If you have a hard time finding this at your local cheese shop use P’tit Basque or any of your favorite aged cheeses instead.
Cheese Notes: Both the Petit Chistera, and the P’tit Basque are made in the Pyrenees mountains region in the south France. The Petit Chistera is made of 59% sheep’s milk and 39% goat while the P’tit Basque is a 100% sheep’s milk cheese. Both are made of pasteurized milk and are aged a minimum of 70 days. Although I prefer the smoother profile of the Petit Chistera, it is currently more difficult to find in the USA and therefore recommend the P’tit Basque as an alternative.
Using fresh dill is important for this dish, and the complexity of the sweet but crunchy anise paired with the salty and crumbly cheese makes this dish one of my favorites.
Anise salad with dill and aged goat cheese.
Makes enough for 4 sides or 2 mains.
You will need:
1 large anise, thinly sliced, about 1/16 inch slices.
5 tablespoons freshly chopped dill
2 ounces Petit Chistera or P’tit Basque thinly shaved (see cheese notes)
Juice of half a lemon
Sea salt to taste
Freshly ground black pepper.
1. Generously salt the sliced anise and let stand 5-8 minutes.
2. Coat salted anise with freshly squeezed lemon and let stand another 5 -10 minutes.
3. Garnish with fresh black pepper, shaved cheese, and coarsely copped dill.
To best enjoy, serve immediately.
Recently I bought my first pair of black jeans and am loving everything about them.
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Last night I got to meet the wonderful Grace Bonney of Design *Sponge after her live interview at the ABC Carpet design meet organized by by Maxwell Gillingham-Ryan of Apartment Therapy. Grace talked about her new book Design Sponge at Home, it’s two year design process, her book tour, and she answered some interesting questions about what to expect from herself and her blog in the future.
The book is quite wonderfully illustrated and there are lots of fun ideas for beginners and novices alike. Of course I forgot mine at home and had to ask Grace to sign my sketch book instead. I must say that her humble and honest approach to all of her accomplishments was quite inspiring.
Follow link to buy this book from amazon.com.
Low Table, 1990: A organically shaped, red lacquered polyurethane table by french designer Louis Durot.
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I absolutely love how unique the shape of this table is. Because of its eccentric appearance, I think its form and texture would work perfectly in both a complimentary modern space or a contrasting traditional space.
For purchasing info please contact me here.
Pumpkins are one of my favorite fruits/vegy ever. Their orange color is so pretty, their shape unique, their use versatile, and seeing them always reminds me of my favorite time of year, fall.
For a fifteen person Halloween Birthday Party last year, I made this pumpkin stuffed with vegetable stew, and because I was hoping to use it as a backup main for the fried chestnut, sweet potato gnocchi I was sure were going to flop, I added beef to the original recipe. The original Gourmet Magazine recipe calls for a unique roasted-vegetable and wine sauce which if you haven’t the time to make, most of you wont, I think substituting it with your favorite stock works just fine.
See complete recipe here.
Things have been a little hectic and so gratefully busy for me the last few weeks. Although I have so much I want to write and blog about, hardly have I had a free moment to sit down and make it all come together.
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In the meantime; I hope everyone is having a great week and feeling rather inspired by all the challenges we have, so clearly laid out before us. Although I hardly understand the science of economics and I won’t pretend to know anything about how we are or aren’t temporarily financially impaired, I am confident that we are far from any doom so many seem to think we are destined for.
To me; Peace represents the solution of social + cultural challenges, which when solved, will surely resolve many more of our economic difficulties. Love represents the balance of ego vs. pride, which when found, universal independence and stability will be so abundant that easily renewable trees will hastily grow into everlasting paper, allowing us to document the future in good earthly health, and in great limitless pride. The fate of computers; well plastics will be scarce since peace will have diminished the need to control natural resources and in good consciousness the limited supply of black gold will have been sealed off for future generations who might discover a less harmful use for it all. Without computers, people will once again enjoy communicating, Facebook will be a fad of the past, letters will be hand written, and speedy cars will only be the temptation of new lovers in a rush to find their first home.
In the rush to create a world that is effortlessly able to instantly communicate, unsolved static will fade as we discover a world full of equally magical and beautiful people so full of never ending evolecaep.
Why do I look so serious? Because I am determined to see it so!
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Untitled: A 2009 cast resin polymer sculpture by NYC based American artist Aaron Young. On auction Sep 23, 2011 at Phillips De Pury & Company.
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This is just how I feel today. Invigorated!
Today, September 11, 2011 marks the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks on New York City’s World Trade Center. On that day many people lost their lives, and since then, so many more have worked hard to restore what had so suddenly been destroyed. Instantly our city felt vulnerable and under attack, our country violated, and in those first few moments the world had changed forever.
For all those who were immediately effected by that day, I send you my truest love!
For everyone else; I hope you are inspired to persevere.
Some fireplace inspiration for you and I to use when planning our dream homes. I do apologize that I do not know their sources and please email me if you do.
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Summer came and went faster then any morning sunrise, and in NYC this week, the rain is quickly falling, making way for the soon to come fall. Of all the seasons fall is my favorite, and one thing I look forward to most is, sitting around a warm fireplace, cup of hot chocolate in hand, and a great group conversation about art and design.
After spending five years at NYSID, it sure was fun to see some of the old gang at our friend Lauren and her new husband AJ’s wedding just a few weeks ago. For party favors; they had this Smilebooth set up, where everyone could just step up, have their photos taken and walk home with their own personalized photo memories of the wedding.
I would recommend you rent one of these for your next event but consider having it uncovered only after all the important stuff is over with. It is a instant crowd-pleaser and your guest will surely make good use of it.
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DMC-12 Cabinet: Designed by Pratt Institute design student Edward Hale. Built of a lacquered case and powder-coated steel tubing; I really like how the round tubing and its color make the white cabinet float and how minimal and yet 2011 it feels.
This design is yet another result of Pratt partnering with furniture design firm Cappellini for their Perpetual Motion furniture design studio which challenges students to create pieces intended to inspire future design.
Paris apartment of mid-century art and furniture dealer Phillipe Jousse photographed by Brooklyn based photographer Simon Watson.
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Anyone who gets to live with so many beautiful pieces of furniture must be generous and happy all the time. In particular; I really like the addition of the continuous circle motif (art,stools,door, table lamp, chandelier), which I think helps to add a contemporary experience to the otherwise obvious collection of rare and beautiful mid-century pieces.
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1990’s colored acrylic sculptures by East Hampton based American artist and sculptor Norman Mercer.
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Hardly is there anything more elegant than handsomely shaped towers of translucent color. Don’t you agree?
Applications are now being accepted for the first time ever “winter residency” at The Wassaic Project artist retreat in upstate Wassaic, NY. Studio space is limited and residencies are one to six months and include housing.
Application deadline now extended to September 22, 2011.
More info here.
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I really wish I cold take a break this year and join. I have visited several times before and I encourage all artists to at least apply. If you do get accepted, please invite me as I would love to visit and do a post about you and the program on my blog.
Two days later; Hurricane Irene came and went, thankfully leaving NYC intact with hardly any damages to take note of. To avoid any trouble, I had evacuated my Brooklyn apartment over the weekend and went upstate where I hoped to be safe from any flooding and the sort. We lost electricity over the first night and without any real light I spent most of my time in silent meditation. On Sunday I took advantage of the afternoon’s indirect light which allowed me to photograph some fun open-shutter style compositions.
Romanian model Gabriela Iliescu, styled by Charlotte Diestel, and photographed by Munich based fashion photographer Johannes Graf for Fine Taste Magazine.
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I really like how the detail of the stretched plastic adds subtle transparent texture to the otherwise minimal composition.
Blow: A 1967 inflatable plastic armchair designed by Italian architect and designer Jonathan De Pas.
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I absolutely love blow up chairs and would encourage more designers, myself included, to design more of these in fun and unique shapes.
Sometimes a Casual Friday can allow the beat up white tee a chance to shine.
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Spanish abstract artist Pablo Picasso with the 2010 Blow table by Munich based designer Konstantin Grcic.
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I can only imagine how infuriated Picasso would be if he were to find my dubbed comparison of his portrait to an itty bitty side table. None the less; it is made of hand-blown glass, by Italian artisans, and its a-symmetrical shape and color really remind me of his work and personality.
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Some of my favorite designs from The Pin-Up Nightstands; a 2011 design collaboration between Pin-Up magazine and Phillips de Pury & Company, featuring innovative nightstand designs by:
Aranda\Lasch, Rafael de Cardenas with Evan Gruzis, Jim Drain, Paul Kopkau, Paul Lee, Shawn Maximo, Richard Phillips, Leon Ransmeier, Rich Brilliant Willing, RO/LU, Situ Studio, and Michael Stipe.
More here.
fixated + addiction = fixaddic
ex. When tempted by the urge of my late night sugar fixaddic, I run a cold bath and imagine myself treading deep soda waters with taffy shaped sharks circling my reese’s float.
*Warning: Fixaddic obsessions can dangerously turn into obsessfixaddons.
Polish fashion model Magdalena Frackowiack, styled by Anders Sølvsten Thomsen, and photographed by Aitken Jolly for Copenhagen based Dansk Magazine.
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There are so many reason why I love these images. First off, Magdalena is ravishingly beautiful and for me, well for me that really is all the reason that need to be.
But on another note; the setting, styling and minimal composition really evoke the feeling of the past; in some ways elaborately textured and Victorian, in some ways simple and puritan like, and in other ways dark and Gothic like. Although I often prefer white rooms, I hate to admit it but I do have a little fixaddic (fixated addiction) fascination with dark interiors elegantly styled with very minimal furnishings.
Removing the clutter allows me to reinterpret and experience a darker space as one of the future deeply grounded in the romanticism of the past. If you visited the Alex McQueen Savage Beauty exhibit then you might already understand how I feel.
Made of bronze, a 2011 dagger style letter opener by American artist and sculptor Mary Brogger.
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For many, opening letters must seem outdated, but unavoidable bills surely must be more fun opening with bronze, dagger style. Personally; I really could use the help of a chic bohemian letter opener to undress the modest pile of wedding invites now cluttering my desk. If for whatever reason you feel the need to buy me a gift, hint hint, look above for suggestions.
British actress Tilda Swinton, styled by Jacob Kjeldgaard, and photographed by fashion photographer Tim Walker for W-Magazine.
See more pics here.
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I love how the background architecture feels so alien like and how those otherwise unimportant factory exhaust cylinders have now become so significant.
