B's House

Some girls fantasize about their perfect wedding. For me, it's real estate. When I was home I finally got to see Brian's house... and I love it. It's early 20th c., Arts&Crafts, and... adorable. Pretty jealous. He's in the process of furnishing it, and we went to Attinson's Antiques (on Coventry Road) where he found a pair of carriage lights that will go in the bedroom. Can't wait to see them installed (hint hint). xoxo

Hemingway's room

"... it was very cold and I knew how much it would cost for a bundle of small twigs, three wire-wrapped packets of short, half-pencil length pieces of split pine to catch fire from the twigs, and then the bundle of half-dried lengths of hard wood that I must buy to make a fire that would warm the room."

"I brought mandarines and roasted chestnuts to the room in paper packets and peeled the small tangerine-like oranges and threw their skins and spat their seeds in the fire when I ate them and roasted chestnuts when I was hungry."

Being Home

I love visiting my childhood home (and seeing family of course). Each time I notice new things about the house I was born in (not literally, folks). This Thanksgiving might have been one of the best. It went by so quickly, and I was home so briefly, but I feel that as I get older these trips are more meaningful. My mother and I chose ornaments from her collection for my own first tree. We also began to read through letters written by my parents to theirs in 1978, the year they moved to Paris. My mother was 26 then - my age now. All of the details of my trip made me sort of emotional, and made me fall in love with my family even more. Enjoy some vignettes from home!

Swap Meet!

Anyone interested in NYFA's Swap Meet? December 10th, 6pm, $5. I'm inventorying swappable items in my mind riiiight now.

Picture Yourself

Well, well. I've been waiting to mention last week's PopRally at MoMA because I wanted to link to the photos they took. The PopRally is an inexpensive after-hours party - this most recent one showcased some of the new photography out on view. In addition to the art, drinks, and music, there was a "photo booth." In my head I imagined one of those old booths with a little curtain and a slot spitting out black and white photos (I should have thought harder on this...). They took amazing digital photos in front of a green-screen, and then we got to choose backgrounds designed by the photographers featured that night!

work in progress

I recently purchased a silk screen used by Scalamandre to print their wallpapers (thanks for the tip, Noel!). This is the type of object that you really have to get close to to appreciate. And it's meaningful to me because it's like owning a piece of the company's history. Apparently they rarely sell them.

Right now I'm "storing" it on my mantel. I need a drill to make a hole in order to hang it properly on the wall. I'm also considering painting the bit of wall behind it white so the flowers stand out more. But for now, it's hanging out. Any other suggestions?

House on Haunted Hill (1959)

I find the disembodied head of Vincent Price hovering over a historic house very satisfying.


This weekend I watched some horror oldies featuring Vincent Price, one of them being House on Haunted Hill from 1959. During the opening scene and credits, I was surprised to see a house I recognized (sidenote: I think it a very poor choice for a haunted house, but whatevs). I know Frank Lloyd Wright's concrete Ennis House (1924) because the Metropolitan has a block from it. The house is still standing, but during the 1980s (I think) the foundation sold a few blocks to raise money for its restoration/preservation. I helped acquire an image and ready the label for this block, which should be in the American Wing's redone Engelhard Court. Neat! (The curators probably would have frowned upon a mention of the movie in the label, so its good that I didn't know about this then).