Verace: Truth in Eating

Bouler Design Group has been commissioned to design a new Italian restaurant by the owners of Teller's Chophouse and Prime, two of Long Island's top eateries. The space, a brick building which has had many different functions throughout its hundred year history,will incorporate the classical element of a Romanesque arch in a post-modern, expressive way. These computer generated images (thank you, Nicholas Pfluger!) provide a sense of some of the interior elevations. By working with interior designer Jim Wood, James was able to reuse much of the existing building. According to Time Magazine, one of the greenest ways to further the construction industry is to reuse existing structures as much as possible. What's great about this one is its bones-- the aged brick, the beams-- and its context to the streetscape. Located on Main Street in Islip next door to Tellers, the cozy space between the buildings reminds me of an old European cobblestone alleyway. As for the interior finish, everything is being considered: color, efficiency, flow, texture, and ambience. Once open, I suspect Verace will become a regular stop to dine in for many of us on the island.

Scandinavian Design

I've developed a love of Scandinavian design as of late. There's something about the clean, round forms that seems both modern and inviting. Unlike strict, stark modern surfaces, Scandinavian design seems softer, more accessible, and easliy integrated into an eclectic decorating style.
Ever since I missed out on scoring a Malm wood stove on Craigslist, I've been in search of one for our covered porch at Potic Cottage. The mid-century design seems to fit the ski lodge aesthetic perfectly. Perhaps it is the nostalgia of it that adds another level of attraction. Author and humorist David Sedaris wrote about his parents' Scandinavian dining room set as one of their most coveted possessions. To them, it meant grown-up sophistication, but Sedaris remembers wondering how long the Scandinavian designers plotted against knobs.
I'm not alone. The blog world is abuzz with contemporary decor derived from this style. Modernemama had an entry today comparing a flower to the Egg Chair-- and Style Files shared some recent Dutch finds. Design Within Reach and Hivemodern are both really great sources for new Scandinavian pieces to readily add to one's current decor. I may just get that Malm stove yet.

Springtime Morning

I'm not sure what feng shui experts would say about a bedroom facing east, but the sunlight this morning was amazing. I just had to share it.

The Uninvited Guest

Now I love nature as much as the next gal, but a midnight visit on Saturday from a black bear on the deck of Potic Cottage is a bit too close for comfort. Just like the bear featured in this photo, I tried to snap a pic myself, but the flash only bounced back at me off the window. There was no way I was opening the door to get a good shot, blog or no blog. Standing on his hind legs, the bear had to be about eight feet tall, 400 pounds. I watched in awe as he shook a bird feeder into his mouth, like a box of tic tacks. But it was when he settled down to lick his paws that James and I decided he was too comfortable with his new spot. Getting an air horn, we gave him a good blast and off he went into the darkness. James made a few phone calls today, and hopefully our month-long absence without bird feeding or garbage disposal will be sufficient in encouraging him to move elsewhere; otherwise we need to get in touch with the DEC and hear their suggestion on sending him off to wilder pastures.

Tom Judson: Part Two

As Tom Judson divests himself of possessions, I accumulate them, namely from his storage unit. With taste eerily similar to my own, it took great restraint not to be a greedy bugger, and choose pieces for Potic Cottage that would truly finish the place off. Only 665 square feet in size, clutter in the cottage is anathema, so bookshelves were in order. One of Tom's shelving units fit so well in the living room that all I needed to do was add books. As for the other shelf, a few quick coats of cherry stain integrated the unit into the bedroom and suddenly everything had a neat and organized home. But my favorite pieces were the small mirror I put over the dresser-- so sweet with its college banner stickers from the fifties, and the charming mid-century chair. It was fun to reorganize the cottage and do some much needed spring cleaning.

Tom Judson: Part One

The illustrious Tom Judson, who has reinvented himself more times than Madonna, is planning another journey. When we met Tom two years ago, we purchased Potic Cottage from him-- a place he renovated and decorated with taste strikingly similar to mine. He was in his "home remodeling phase" which is now leading him from his last renovation job Idlewild, pictured here, to Saba, a Caribbean island, where he will be renovating hotel cottages. His blog Rattling the Saba, is about the process of divesting himself of his belongings and heading on this very exciting adventure. While in Saba, Tom, a former Broadway musician and film actor, will write a one-man show about his life. In true multiple personality style, Tom is writing another blog, Canned Ham, where he chronicles his plans for adventure once he returns to the United States in the fall. Traveling cross-country in the camper featured above, Tom, armed with little more than an accordion and a smile, will perform his one-man show nationwide, interviewing and filming those he meets along the way. How could this not be an HBO special? Or at least a show on the Travel channel?

Mt. Sinai Residence

Peeking over James' shoulder last night, I spied this sketch he was working on. "Oooo, whose new house is that?" I asked. He walked me through the project, an addition to a waterfront home in Mt. Sinai. The goal is to keep the first floor walls and existing bedrooms in order to keep costs down and rip the roof to add a second story for a master suite, which will include a walk-in closet, a bathroom and an office. The front elevation faces the water with a western exposure, so the sloping roof on the addition will face south. In order to capitalize on the fantastic sun exposure, James has plans for 10 kw of solar panels to be installed on the new roof. The existing roofline over kitchen is going to remain intact, so the addition of a clerestory roof dormer will connect the new design to the existing house. In looking at the preliminary sketch again, it seemed incredibly efficient to reuse what worked, and transform what didn't. What could be more modern than that?

Earth Day: 39 Years Later

Imagine if our country took environmental matters seriously when Earth Day was first celebrated in 1970. Our country's growing affluence was a concern even back then, and we all know what happens next: unabashed and unbridled use of natural resources. The tide seems to be changing of course, with Joe Biden announcing today various 'green' uses of stimulus money. In fact, with tax incentives and rebates, green technologies are becoming a viable option for the everyday homeowner. It is also a technology, like the microchip, that could lead to incredible innovation and propel us into a new age. Hopefully when we celebrate Earth Day in another 39 years, we will see a vastly different notion about our planet's resources.
But a concern I have is the 'greenwashing' going on. The term has come to mean that certain companies and products are presenting themselves in an eco-friendly light, and yet they are not really reducing their toxic behaviors. Some of these behaviors are well intentioned; my son's elementary school sent home all sorts of single-sided xeroxed packets for the students to color to celebrate the day. Times that by four classes of kindergardeners, and all the kindergardeners across the country and I bet a lot of paper was generated thanks to the well-intentioned efforts of many. What will be even more concerning are the corporations that will undoubtedly capitalize on our government's forward thinking incentives by cutting corners and equivocating on the truth. It's already a shame that our government pays enormous sums of money to clean up toxic superfund sites-- wastelands once exploited by companies now too toxic for safe use. So I'd like to add an addendum and an asterisk onto today's events: as a country we should remember the mistakes of the past in order not to continue them into the future.

Feeling a Bit Flush?

Alright pardon the pun, but ever since I read that at least 1.5 billion people in the developing world lack access to clean water, I was absolutely floored. Imagine what future generations will say about ours: They used to flush with drinking water?!

The decadence of this form of plumbing is only increased when you consider what else we do with drinkable water: wash cars, water lawns, hose off driveways--- meanwhile potable water supplies become more scarce around the globe. I know many of us are of the "if it's yellow" club, but if you are not, Toto and other toilet manufacturers are now offering a dual flush system, offering you the option of how much water you'll need for the flush. If you aren't ready for a new system, I hear the good ol' brick in the tank is a decent way to limit the amount of water per flush, which is on average five gallons. Of course it's better to shower than fill a bathtub, and to turn the water off when brushing teeth or doing the dishes, but it seems reasonable to begin collecting and using rainwater for our gardening needs. Many islands such as Bermuda have been doing this for years, designing roof lines to increase rain collection. One product James saw at the builders expo in Las Vegas was the rain pillow, a simple and affordable system for the average homeowner to set up. At Potic Cottage last weekend, James replaced our gutter downspouts with a chain system which feeds into a steel bucket, hoping to collect a bit of water for the plants on our deck and our bird bath. It's a start, but I'd love to hear about more water saving strategies we may not have considered in order for us all to become more ecologically aware.

Alex Katz: Fifteen Minutes

I've been following Alex Katz's career ever since the 80's, gravitating to his large scale, graphic portraiture. It's the kind of work people enjoy living with. It's for that reason, I often think of Katz's paintings more often in the homes of personal collections than in museums, kind of like having a billboard in your loft. This coming Friday, Katz's new exhibition Fifteen Minutes at PaceWildenstein Gallery in Chelsea opens, featuring some of his lesser-known, large scale twilight landscapes: silhouetted trees along the lakes of Maine, Soho buildings at sunset, which have appeared and reappeared throughout his career either paintings or lithographs. These images catch those last 15 minutes of shimmering light, and if the role of art is meant to raise awareness of the world around us, I can't think of a better tribute to Earth Day than to look at such a perfect moment captured. The show runs until June 11th, coinciding with several exhibitions of Katz's work throughout Europe. Save yourself the flight and head into the city, and let me know what you think.

Take Me Out to the Ballgame

Joseph Campbell said that one can tell what a society values based on its largest buildings. When looking at the new baseball stadium Citi Field in Flushing, Queens, it was very evident that the love of baseball was alive and well.
Four tickets to yesterday's Mets game landed in our lap most generously, so we took the kids to their first baseball game. James and I were quite curious about the new stadium, designed by HOK Sport, who have renovated at least 13 ball fields. NY baseball history is touched by greatness, as well as some sadness. Of course, The Brooklyn Dodgers broke the color barrier with the legendary Jackie Robinson, but the loss of the Dodgers was a heartbreak to many of the fans, including my father Arnold Palumbo, who spent many hours at Ebbets Field watching the team play. By using the same materials as Ebbets Field, the new stadium tried to pull in the past while accommodating modern crowds. And I must say the result was a very efficient flow to the space. Under steel girders that would remind you of supports for elevated subway cars, fans stream through the Jackie Robinson Rotunda, up the escalators, and to the concourse. Bars, bathrooms, food concession line the interior space as we made our way to our seats. The seats have spectacular, unobstructed views and even I watched the game. If the goal of architecture is to match form and function perfectly, Citi Field did just that.

Huntington Fun

Had a wonderful trip to downtown Huntington's fantastic independent bookstore The Book Revue with author Joan Leonard. We hammed it up in the travel and art sections, but in the end, we had a great lunch and an even better conversation. Joan is wickedly funny and can turn stories about suburban cookouts and cross country trips into incredibly comedic fodder. I always leave her inspired with new ideas on pieces to write.

Black Horse Farms

SInce we're on our virtual road trip on 9W, there's an amazing farm stand (more like 'superstand') between Athens and Coxsackie. It's packed with all sorts of vegetables and fruits, as you would expect, but also gourmet snacks, plants, gardening tools, freshly baked pies, local cheeses, fudge, smoked salami, small gifts, fresh eggs... heck what did I miss? I get their discount produce for soups, plants for the deck at Potic-- even the kids look forward to stopping. It's got a very welcoming atmosphere where you wander at will. This past trip I bought my herbs for the Islip garden. I have been saving this amazing picture from Victoria Magazine of a kitchen garden for about ten years now. I love its pattern and function, which for some reason reminds me of 16th c. Italian painter Arcimboldo whose portraits are shaped out of vegetables or plants. Anyway, let me be honest here-- my garden will look nothing like this. It will ramble and spread more like an English country garden, but the function will be the same: to provide fresh herbs for the times I can't get to Black Horse Farms.

Check it Out

If you aren't following The Paris Apartment blog and Claudia's trip to Paris, you may have missed some amazing pictures, so I thought I'd share some with you. Happy Friday!

One Man's Treasure

One way to reduce consumption is to reuse other people's castaways. Of course, it takes a bit of time and an imaginative eye to see through all the rubble in order to find the one item that might work in your life. What I like about the flea markets on 9W in Ravena was the lack of editing. You want a box of eight-track tapes? How about a slightly cracked set of dishes? Hey, they were just going to the landfill anyway; they might as well sit on the shelf at the flea market with the possibility of finding a home. I am pleased to report that the mismatched set of crystal cordial glasses (50 cents each) made their way home, as did the canoe pillow, a bag of Matchbox cars and an old Easter basket.

Oak Beach Interior

It was energizing to see the evolution of the Oak Beach project today. The client has made very thoughtful choices in many of the surfaces, using natural and renewable materials infused with greater meaning. Seen here is the river of local stone set in concrete and posts reused from the original pilings, which now serve as supports for the bannister. The master bathroom, which overlooks the water, will incorporate natural stone in the shower stall and recycled slate materials for counters. Even more intriguing, rough semi precious stones were imbedded in the poured concrete flooring, which will emerge once the floors are polished. As for the curved ceiling, the client is investigating different bamboo veneers. Ultimately, the cool elegance of the design will be balanced by the warmth of natural materials, not to mention the breathtaking view of the water.