Categorizing PIECES -- Atlanta

I was admiring a very cool chandelier in the "what's hot" section of Elle Decor recently.

The store's url was listed and so I visited the Atlanta store Pieces. (Note: it is also a 1stdibs shop) Yes, the store has lots of cool stuff, but what I like about it is that it categorizes it's wares not just by function, but by color -- which is FUN! Am I obsessed? I'm rather like that with my collections, although I do shapes too. Time to get back to work!
Wonderful hand blown etched glass.
And a raincoat for my imaginary whippet Hermes.

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New Shopping Site -- One King's Lane

There is a new "invitation only" shopping site with which I have a love/hate relationship.

One King's Lane is a sale site not unlike Gilt Groupe, that "partners" with various design companies and sells at substantial discounts. The pillow above is John Robshaw. They have shown Ann Gish and others in the past. It certainly shares many of the glitches that GG had in the beginning such as the outrageous shipping charges. One pillow $16.00. Two pillows twenty plus dollars. Crazy. Their returns policy is not user friendly either. GG slowly overcame many of their weaknesses, so I hope the same occurs with One King's Lane.

That said, if you want an invitation, put your email address in the comments area and I'll send you one. The John Robshaw sale is fabulous. And Gilt Groupe -- which bills itself as having "sample sales" has a fab Bric's luggage sale today. And there is a Caroline Herrara (!) sale later this week.

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River's got High Hopes

River in Essex CT and High Hopes Theraputic Riding Center are partnering in a creative fundraising endeavor.

My friend Joe Marini has been consulting with High Hopes this year for their annual fundraiser which is Symphony in the Barns (every other year it's Symphony in the Meadows, which I love) but as everyone knows the economy having an unfortunate impact on all of our non-profits. So everyone is getting creative out of necessity. The plan, devised by Joe and his partner John Simoudis, along with the folks at High Hopes goes like this; River will host a 2 day event (there will be food!) where shoppers can purchase items and see precisely how the purchase will benefit the people and horses at High Hopes. Below I've included an example. If you purchase the urns, the cost will cover replacement post rails for High Hopes fences. Other businesses are welcome to participate.

Update 4/10. Corrections. Other businesses are welcome to participate, although there is nothing to stop them. The important thing I failed to explain is that local businesses will also benefit because for each purchase made River will by the needed items from a local business. For example, hay or fencing might be bought from nearby Shagbark Lumber.

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A Beautiful Eye Indeed -- Bell'occhio

I should be outdoors gardening today and here I am feeling guilty about not blogging for such a long time. My, how working gets in the way of things. Oh well, Happy Spring.

In today's T section of the NYTimes there is a one page spread on the store Bell'occhio in San Francisco. Meaning "beautiful eye" in Italian, it's a concept store with items ranging from a few dollars to thousands. Wonderful housewares, paper, ribbon. All sorts of goodies. And a rather whimsically written online store. Lots of clever boxes in an array of dreamy colors like the one above $24). The "Lavandiere Chapeaux, below, is so cool because it ties around your head and eliminates the inevitable falling off problem. ($48-$64)



I would gladly add this leafy ribbon to my ever-expanding ribbon collection. Great for wrapping gifts for gardeners. ($3 per yard)

This long handled goat hair duster would certainly encourage cleanliness. But I might not want to get it dirty. ($48)

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MiX Design Store -- Guilford CT

I did a ton of Christmas shopping last week at MiX Design Store on the Guilford Green.

I wrote a little about MiX in a very early post on Middle Kingdom porcelain, which I love and will never have enough of. I know, bad grammar, but who's watching? I also like these placemats. The ultimate recycle (!) using old NY and LA Times newspapers that are covered with plastic or wax or something so that they can be easily cleaned. The company also makes bags that can be used as hampers or for shopping. There is a collection of reclaimed road signs that are artfully done. Not sure if I really want to be reminded of I-95 (EVER) but it's a fun photo.
These Pantone mugs come in fabulous colors with fun names. The blue one second from the left lists: Aquarium, Sea Glass, King Tut, and Duck. Duck? I bought some of these for my artsy friends. It was impossible to choose colors. I loved them all.
The women who own MiX -- it isn't even a year old -- are wise to a fault. They are so smart (and maybe a little bit lucky considering the economy), becacause they have amazingly affordable pricepoints. I think I bought at least 7 really nice presents, maybe more and spent only $105.

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Ann Lightfoot Jewelry at New York Mag's Best Bets for the Whole Family

Ann Lightfoot, who I recently posted about here, will be one of many wonderful vendors featured at New York Magazine's Best Bets for the Whole Family sale in NYC on Saturday Dec 6th. I'm offering $10.00 of admission. Read on. . . .

The sale is located at the Altman Building, 135 W 18th St. from 11am - 7pm. There will be more than 40 exhibitors and STUFF up to 60% off, with activities and free admission for kids! I looked at the vendors and there are some great companies. LOTS of kid stuff. They are partnering with a really great sounding charity called Room to Grow, a non-profit organization dedicated to enriching the lives of babies born into poverty throughout their critical first three years of development. I'm excited to see the people from Greenwich Press; I love the concept of letterpress. Admission is $20.00. If you'd like a $10.oo off coupon for admission, send me a note in the comments section.

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Domaine de Canton -- A Spirit to Lift Your Spirits

Thanksgiving 2008. We have a lot for which to be thankful. Yesterday, with lifted spirits we celebrated with loved ones and looked to the future with hope.

Speaking of spirits, I finally got my hands on something I've been reading about for some time but, because it's unavailable locally, I have yet to try. Enter house guest extraordinaire from the big city with a bottle in tow. After a light sup and both tired we opened the bottle of Domaine de Canton, took tiny portions and loved it. It is French cognac-based liqueur infused with (and I quote) "baby Vietnamese ginger." I love ginger-anything. Assuming the cognac factor, I figured it was for after dinner. Nope. Domaine de Canton is so subtle it can be added to all sorts of drinks. It works really well in cocktails. On their extraordinarily annoying website you can learn many drink recipes, but be prepared to spend way too much time trying to track back. And it may also have recipe applications that I have yet imagined. I would recommend buying a case and giving it as a holiday gift.

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SONG -- Not Your Everyday Calendar

Actually SONG is precisely an every day calendar. What was I thinking.

.I was having lunch in a very crowded RJ Julia Booksellers in Madison, CT yesterday when a woman sat down and pulled out her calendar. Its distinct shape reminded me that it was time to give Jan a nudge and get some images for my blog. My friends Jan & Peter have come out with their 16th (?) annual Calendar in a Can(nister). This year the theme is SONG. They are the talent behind Cummings & Good a graphic design firm. Each month of this limited edition calendar has art, often by Jan or Peter, that is thematically related to SONG. There are quotes -- on topic of course. A full sized image from the month of April can be seen here, but I'm not willing to anger the blogspot demons by trying to post it. The unusual format of the calendar takes a bit of getting used to (more on that later), but its distinct shape means it's really easy to find a place to hang it. Back to the format. The weekends are always a different color than the weekdays, so once you get accustomed to that little tidbit, you'll be much closer to knowing where to look. I pass this on, because it took me years to figure that out. It's available on the C&G website, at the aforementioned RJ Julia and at Landis Gifts and Stationery in Los Angeles. Note: The introduction to the calendar, is a charming poem by their son Justin, and quite the departure from past years.

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Cleaning the DWR Way

Put on your apron. Your Fog apron that is.

I was about to recycle the large DWR catalog this afternoon, decided to look through it. Wow! There are all sorts of cool items for the home. Obviously with the economy going to hell in a hand basket, shopping is . . . perhaps ill-advised. Nevertheless, there are great ideas for the home and super ideas for gifts. The Fog Linen apron, by Japanese designer Yumiko Sekine is a good place to start. The complete collection, which can be seen on the DWR website, is made from linen from Lithuania is said to get softer and more absorbent over time.

I also found this useful little item. The table brush, part of the collection by Swedish designer Iris Hantwerk, is impressive in that it's almost, but not cute. It is so compact. I love things that are perfectly contained. Gotta love the business model too. According to DWR, "they hire and support visually impaired craftspeople" to make these wonderful everyday objects.
So Stop. Do not send this one out to recycle. Take another look.

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Tiny Ottomans

I found these tiny ottoman boxes on Australian designer Anna Spiro's Absolutely Beautiful Things blog.

They are by artist Kimberly Applegate of Live a Plush Life. As one who favors the diminutive, I'm clearly smitten.

Here's the blue ottoman styled two ways.

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My QR Code -- http://tinyurl.com/58fcou

I work a bit for a French company, Baracoda, that makes Bluetooth barcode scanners used in warehousing, hospitality, education, medical institutions and on and on. So codes elicit a bit of excitement in me.

Understandably, my ears perked up when I started reading about QR codes (developed not too much of a surprise, by a Japanese company) being used in retail. You can generate one for your website here at the QR Code Generator. There's a Ralph Lauren ad (below) featuring one in recent New York Mag back cover. The photograph is odd, because I was in the car and it is from an Iphone. It made me wonder if one could "find" or "design" really attractive QR codes. No, perhaps I should finish reading the newspaper.

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Patterns: Paisley

For the past few weeks, I've been musing on paisley. It's a classic. One week, I couldn't find anything worth mentioning. The next I was inundated with images.

The perforated lanterns, above are from River, the wonderful shop in Essex CT belonging to my friends John and Joe. No one has better taste than they do. No 1. They opened in a new location there and it has changed the balance of the town. The following three images are Etro products. A tray, a throw that no Iphone can do justice to and a gorgeous tablecloth. I have successfully edited out Joe's leg. Cute as it might be. A word on Etro. The website is darling; not too great as a functioning site, but darling. Check it out.




Crate & Barrel sports this pillow along with some paisley linens.





Target has an understated paisley shower curtain reminiscent of Les Indiennes









And three good examples from the Bergdorf Goodman website. Check out the Stephen Dweck engraved paisley (silver?) earrings.





Love the Loro Piana cashmere scarf here.



Stella McCartney has the asymmetrical paisley print dress. Might have to see this in person.

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A Rainy Summer Must Have

The past few weeks have been rainy. As in: the lawn needs mowing every five days. Typically lawns are parched this time of year.

So when I was in NYC on Friday and -- once again -- rain threated I headed for a reputable umbrella store not far from Grand Central. I adore single object stores, for example glove stores. So this was great fun. But they didn't like me taking photographs. SO. I won't write the name of the store. But that's not to say I won't talk about the cool umbrellas. The octagonal one above is by Piganiol , a French company that has been around since 1884. The Piganiol "welcome page" is very snazzy. The lozenge-shaped one below is from the German firm Knirps.

I vetoed the Knirps because the process is too lengthy. Open case, take brolley out of pretty sleeve and open it. That's too much for someone with my attention span. Instead I went with the model by Finnish textile maker marimekko (see below). It's got an impressive J-shaped wooden handle.

Here it is closed.

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Carafe in a cozy

Stumbled upon the website of Eva Solo, a Danish design team with both clean lines and fun aesthetic.

I love these carafes. Or perhaps I love the idea of the idea of a carafe in a jacket, more specifically a carafe clothed in a colorful jacket. Would the red get along with a hunk of pink watermelon?

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New Find: The Elemental Garden

Connecticut Cottages & Gardens featured a short piece about OV3Design and gave a major mention to The Elemental Garden in Woodbury, CT.




I must visit the shop in Woodbury. Great town, great antiques but not a summer place to visit. Although, a bit of antiquing and a visit to the Mayflower Inn doesn't sound too difficult. These finials are pretty captivating, as finials go.

This red table would be great as is almost anything red and iron.

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Farmers Market in August Bon Appetit Mag

The August 2008 issue of Bon Appetit has an article on the Farmer's Market at Ashlawn Farm by frequent visitor Dorie Greenspan. The photograph at the top is of Chip about 200 years ago. He was certain I would -- like every one else -- include pictures of the children or Carol. So there Chip!




In the article, Summer House Cooking, Dorie writes:

Me, I pinch myself every week. I also thank Carol and Chip Dahlke, the geniuses behind the market, every time I see them. May their names be enshrined in the Connecticut Good Neighbors Hall of Fame forever.

I couldn't agree more. We are so lucky to have the cafe during the week when the farm is quiet, but willing to share the weekend with visitors.

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