Create a Shaker-Style Kitchen
Historically influenced furnishings and handcrafted accents conceal the thoroughly modern amenities of this cooking-and-eating area
This Old House: Kitchen And Bath
Tags: Create, Kitchen, ShakerStyle
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The Perfectly Imperfect Home: Deborah Needelman
Last Sunday I was on my treadmill, as I often am at 8:30am on weekends, watching Open House NYC. It is always so much fun when someone I know appears on TV. And, on January 8th Deborah Needleman, editor in chief of the WSJ Magazine and creator of the Off Duty section of the Wall Street Journal, was featured. When I first met Deborah she was the Founding Editor in Chief of Domino, the much missed youthful, lighthearted, helpful shelter magazine that made design accessible and revealed designers insider secrets.
On the TV segment she shared her lovely NYC loft and some easy decorating tips from sofas covered in washable white canvas to the strategic placement of lamps for a warm glow. Her home reflects just who she is: A stylish, sophisticated working Mother whose preference is for a relaxed and comfortable home. Her new book, THE PERFECTLY IMPERFECT HOME, takes us on a journey of how she came to appreciate the simple elements of style and how some very easy quick fixes will help brighten your house and life!
I want to add that the illustrations are charming and a welcome relief from the glossy photos that are in all new books and every magazine. This artistic format lets you use your imagination to help drive design decisions. I love the chapter on Glamifcations where she claims a bit of “fippery” is actually a necessity. She says, and I agree, that it can elevate a room into an experience. She is looking for the chic combination of simplicity and glam. That could mean the use of very decorative fabrics or a fancy decorative mirror and simple white dinner plates.
This is a delightful book that makes you believe that you can manage a room transformation without spending a King’s ransom and have lots of fun expressing yourself in the process. Deborah makes you re-think the placement of objects, the collection of family photos (often orphans hanging by themselves), and the creation of tablescapes by clustering small objects for a strong visual statement.
Enjoy the charming illustrations!
Barbara Sallick
PS. This is the last week The Perfect Bath will be published in this format (94 blogs have been posted to date). We have re-designed it for an easier format and a little more interactive participation from our readers. Hope you will like it.
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Tags: Deborah, Home, Imperfect, Needelman, Perfectly
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Museum Exhibit: Crafting Modernism
Several weeks ago I took the time while in New York to go to the Museum of Art and Design (MAD) to see the CRAFTING MODERNISM exhibit. The museum, formerly the Museum of Contemporary Crafts (MCC) and later the American Craft Museum (ACM) still retains its original vision by creating exhibits to examine and celebrate American craft in the 20th century. It charts the bold new direction in craft media from the postwar period through the mid 60′s, showing a range of works from the strictly functional but studio made, to beautiful objects integrated into the factory with the designer-craftsman serving as the bridge between hand and machine.
What makes this exhibition so special is that in our technological age the handmade object has become an important expression of individuality. It is also a tribute to the innumerable galleries, journals, conferences and fairs that promoted the studio craft movement; the artists who were willing to develop new techniques with their chosen materials and take advantage of technical advancements. It also acknowledges a group of individuals with vision and energy to support and promote these craftspeople. The influence of craftspeople spread with their participation in international exhibitions with pieces that went outside of traditional boundaries to show work of great originality and energy.
Many of the earliest craftspeople brought a modernist perspective to their art that was shaped by the Bauhaus; for example Joseph and Anni Albers worked to unify art, craft and industry. There was a fine group of artists from Denmark working in metals and ceramics. A crafts lifestyle attracted a small group who wanted self employment and small scale production as a means to being self sufficient. They could work independently or collaboratively, teach, or team with industry where the “designer-craftsman” could create objects with mass production capabilities.
Today the studio craft movement is a vital part of the world art scene. This exhibit and the MAD celebrate artists who have taken their materials to new frontiers. All of the objects are beautifully staged and many of the pieces are awe inspiring. I have included pictures of a few of my favorites, some that are familiar to all of us.
Try not to miss CRAFTING MODERNISM.
Barbara Sallick
Tags: Crafting, Exhibit, Modernism, Museum
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New York Architectural Treasure
A couple of weeks ago I had to go to a meeting on Layfayette Street in Lower Manhattan. I was a bit early so I looked for a place to have a cup of tea and found Le Pain Quotidian. Only when I was leaving and looked up did I realize that I was in a very special building disguised by huge scaffolding. I poked around a bit and found the entrance at 65 Bleecker Street and was I surprised!!
Out came my phone to record the extraordinary architecture and interior decoration. The receptionist was happy to tell me it was called the Bayard-Condict Building and the only building in New York designed by the famous Chicago architect, Louis Sullivan. It was built between 1897-1899 and despite its outstanding architectural characteristics it had little influence on other New York buildings because it was built in an industrial area. It was one of the first steel skeleton frame buildings in the city, an innovation, but what you see is incredible white terra cotta over masonry and an exuberant amount of decoration.
When the scaffolding finally comes down, what you will see is a building constructed in three sections. There is an ornamented base (which is what caught my eye first), a shaft of identical floors with a lighter style of embellishment and a heavily decorated crown. It is 13 stories high but seems taller because the windows are relatively undecorated, accentuating its height.
The restoration began in 2000. All of the 7,000 glazed architectural terra cotta pieces were inspected and, fortunately, only 30 were damaged beyond repair and had to be replicated. The building today looks very close to the original intent of the famous architect. Lost column capitals have been replicated and insensitive storefronts have been replaced. It is quite a sight and worth the trip to inspect the wonderful remnant of old New York.
This is a great example of my “you never know” theory. Something inspirational may be right in front of your eyes!!
Barbara Sallick
Tags: Architectural, Treasure, York
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Tapping Existing Potential to Create an Attic Master Suite
Clever built-ins and warm finishes, plus new plumbing and wiring, turn an unloved top floor into a cheerful bedroom, bath, and office
This Old House: Kitchen And Bath
Tags: Attic, Create, Existing, Master, Potential, Suite, Tapping
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An Unfinished Basement Gets a Masculine Makeover
An eerie, partially below-grade storage space becomes a fun and functional getaway for a hardworking dad
This Old House: Kitchen And Bath
Tags: Basement, Gets, Makeover, Masculine, Unfinished
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Privet House at Christmas
I love small shops whose owners so tastefully decorate for the holidays. This past weekend I went back to the Privet House in Warren, Ct to find a couple of last minute gifts and was delighted to see the shop looking so festive. There were great gift ideas for everyone on your list from the dog to the smallest child.
While it might be a little late for this year, unless you live in Connecticut, there are great ideas for the future. I especially liked the red glass dishes and the decorated chandelier over the table. Hotel silver is not expensive and makes a sparkling gift if packaged with some greenery. And, my favorite apothecary jars from my last visit have been re-merchandised and are as appealing as ever.
You can never go wrong with a lovely ornament or two, especially vintage ones, and there were lots of them to be found here. Privet House also has a great selection of vintage books (I just bought a great one for a designer friend) on fashion and decorating. Vintage books, in fact books of all sorts, are always appreciated.
Make the holiday special with one special gift from a shop you love.
I send you good wishes for a Happy and Prosperous New Year.
Happy Holidays.
Barbara
Tags: Christmas, House, Privet
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British Ceramics Biennial, Stoke On Trent
Please welcome Sarah Watson who runs the bath furnishings company, Balineum, in the UK as our guest blogger to THE PERFECT BATH. She lives in London with her husband (who does not work in the world of bathrooms, has no interest in ceramics, and whose only interest is cricket—-not the insect). www.balineum.co.uk.
Thank you, Sarah, for this wonderful post:
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As someone who owns a bath furnishings company, it’s fair to say I’m a bit besotted with all things related to bathroom design. Tiles border on an obsession. So recently I dragged my husband to Stoke-on-Trent, the ceramics capital of the England, for a day touring the British Ceramics Biennial.
The main exhibition space was inside the Old Spode Factory site. This now disused factory provided the perfect backdrop to showcase the remarkable versatility of clay. Students from the nearby Staffordshire University, pursuing their Masters in Ceramics, showed work alongside commercial companies making strides with this innovative material (think portable ceramic water filters for aid agencies and NGOs) as well as more practical applications in tiles, sinks, toilets and bricks.
There were so many highlights, some directly related to the bathroom and others that were just generally inspiring:
DTile – They call themselves makers of 3-D tiles, and they had tiles featuring built-it towel hooks and cups. There were also some tiles with a chalkboard finish (which could be lots of fun in a kitchen or restaurant). They manufacture small runs of tiles in almost any shape.
Flux – A new venture from the University of Staffordshire, where students from the MA Ceramic course make up the design team. I love the way they are reworking and modernizing the blue-and-white glazes that are synonymous with Stoke on Trent tableware (and they’ve got me thinking about counter top accessories in the same vein!)
Merete Rasmussen- An artist who creates standalone sculpture and wall pieces using single colour matte glaze finishes. I found her work incredibly alluring and the use of matte glazes is most uncommon.
Like most Londoners I’ve also been watching the St Pancras Hotel renovation over the last few years and thought it was especially lovely when its exterior emerged butterfly-like from behind its scaffolding – so it was really interesting to see that British company Charnwoodwere commissioned to make specialist bricks to match the historical brickwork of the building.
Speaking of London, the V&A is another great source for ceramic inspiration (and much easier to get to than Stoke-on-Trent!)
Sarah Watson
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Tags: Biennial, British, Ceramics, Stoke, Trent
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Two Cooks, One Small-Space Kitchen
Every square inch counts in this compact, light-filled family kitchen
This Old House: Kitchen And Bath
Tags: Cooks, Kitchen, SmallSpace
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