September 27 2013

Friday Things Considered: The Autumn Equinox Edition

On this week of the fall equinox I’ve been spending time getting ready to host a baby shower for a young friend.  Other friends are bringing the food which means I’ve been able to focus my party prep on my home and garden.  Early in the week, feeling very Mrs. Dalloway-esque, I headed to my local flower stand to see what kind of fall foliage was available.  Look at the beautiful hawthorn branches laden with orangey-red berries and wicked thorns I brought home! All week I’ve loved watching the way the light passes through the mottled leaves and the branches frame my living room art.  New season new living room.

Here are some other fresh ideas from the week:

Eight architects recommend their favorite black paint colors.

One woman’s quest to get the French to eat kale.

Join a bunch of other smart folks on Oct. 18 and throw a dinner party with a purpose.

Ruth Reichl has a faffer, shouldn’t you?

Ten years later, how The O.C. still influences teen drinking.

#hashtag much?

Happy Autumnal Equinox!

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September 20 2013

Friday Things Considered: The Spider Season Edition

After reading Jackson Lander’s chilling account of being bit by a black widow spider, I’m cautiously eyeing the fall crop of spider webs around my yard.  Though Landers writes that black widows are notoriously shy and likely to stay clear unless threatened, he was still caught unawares when he stepped into a water shoe to go fishing. Unbeknownst to him, an industrious black widow had turned his shoe into her citadel and she needed to defend herself against his wriggling toes. Alerted to potential danger, I put down Lander’s story and looked in my nearby gardening clogs where, sure enough, there was a newly formed spider’s web. Clearly there will be no more mindless slipping on of said clogs to cut some late season cosmos. No siree.

Other things that caught my attention this week–

How women’s travel patterns influence city planning in Vienna.

Victorian novelist George Eliot’s relevance for modern-day “Girls.”

The perfect packing list for Paris in October or the East Coast when I head out to Parent’s Weekend next month.

Things that work and look better with IOS7 (not so sure about the new graphics, are you?)

And finally, some wry commentary about the Top 5 IOS7 ringtones.

Happy Weekend!

 

 

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September 19 2013

Donny Osmond’s Home Furnishings Line

Donny Osmond is launching a furniture line!  I remember the sad day I found out that Donny was engaged and therefore no longer eligible to be my Mr. Right.  Not that I’d ever met the toothsome pop singer, but I confess to a bit of Puppy Love for several of the Osmond brothers in my youth. However, when Donny Osmond Home is launched early next year our homes can all be a little bit country and a little bit  rock ‘n’ roll.  Or, looking at this early teaser for the line, a little bit Victorian and a little bit Mad Men Modern.

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September 16 2013

Artful Living Ideas

If you live in the Bay Area, be sure to add the annual Junior League of Oakland-East Bay’s Artful Living Home Tour to your November calendar.  I toured the homes last week in order to write about them for an upcoming spread in Diablo magazine and I can tell you that the homeowners (several of them design professionals) have some big design ideas to share.  There are also many small vignettes that would translate well to anyone’s home. Like the unexpected pairing of a contemporary vase with classic Disneyland paper silhouettes in a master bedroom (above). Or a cheerful pet portrait and colorful kids’ art in a laundry room.

And I loved finding the King and Queen in a throne/powder room. Brilliant!

 See all these vignettes and much, much more on The Artful Living Home Tour running November 15th and 16th in the Alamo/Danville/Diablo area of Contra Costa County. 

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September 13 2013

Friday Things Considered: The Ugly Nail Polish Edition

How does something ugly become a thing of beauty? Take the popularity of this bruise-like grey/purple/green nail color from Essie called “For the Twill of It.” (Don’t you just love nail polish names?) The shimmery black shade evokes beetle exoskeletons, fish scales and bat wings–perfect for Halloween but how about early September?  I decided to give it a test run this week. At first glance the changeable hue seemed icky, dreary, unhealthy.  But a few days later its versatility has won me over.  Like a basic black dress with just a little something extra, “Twill” adds a bit of attractive mystery to my otherwise predictable pedicure.

Here are some other things that wowed me this week —

Marc Jacobs’ Spring/Summer 2014 “Sad Beach” fashion show set  provided an oversized creepy cool backdrop for the blonde Victorian surfer girls (full disclosure—my daughter was part of the design team).

I’ve thought a lot about what a “good-enough” death might be after reading this essay about the author’s mother refusing medical treatment while she was still relatively young and healthy.

On a fizzier note – we’ve enjoyed this root beer chocolate cake all week.  Thinking I’ll try the 7-up recipe for company tomorrow.

Happy Weekend Everyone!

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September 11 2013

12 Years Later

. . .the thing I still remember is how quiet the sky was.

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September 09 2013

Saving the America’s Cup Playground

The America’s Cup finals are happening here in San Francisco just as the fog’s rolled out and the warm weather’s rolled in. Boats of all shapes and sizes cut across the Bay this afternoon like kids playing tag on a September playground.

While the hi-tech racing catamarans were docked for the day—races resume tomorrow—a splashy lineup of MIT professors sallied forth to the water’s edge to discuss the Future of the Oceans. Gathering in a conference room near architect John Portman’s iconic Hyatt Regency atrium, these cross-disciplinarian experts talked about shrinking icecaps, sluggish currents and acidified waters before proceeding on to sci-fi worthy deep-water vessels, acoustic navigation and ocean-friendly wind turbines.

Sporting his trademark Hawaiian shirt (this one covered in leaping dolphins), Professor Alex Slocum ended the symposium on an upbeat note saying that “I have faith we can work together to create a beautiful world rather than blowing it all up.”  That would be a victory for us all.

Along with sofas and sconces, I’m interested in science. If you, too, would like to learn more about ocean-related research going on at MIT, click here. 

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September 07 2013

Fireclay Tile

The Bay Area is blessed with local companies who make beautiful and eco-friendly building materials. Fireclay Tile in San Jose is one of them.  Founded in 1986, the company emphasizes green design and custom options.  You can find out more about Fireclay Tile in my Bay Area News Group story.  Also, check out today’s Boneyard Sale for assorted odds and ends.

Boneyard Sale Details

At this event, the company offers first-quality tiles and trim from overruns and canceled orders, as well as some second-quality items and shards of broken tile for use by crafters. Normally priced at $20 or more per square foot, the materials are reduced to about $10 per square foot. Quantities are limited, but in most patterns you will find enough for a backsplash or other small project. And if you don’t mind some mixing and matching, you may find enough for a larger project. The items are piled on tables and in boxes. Bring your project’s measurements, and dress for getting dusty. Put some boxes in the car for hauling home your choices.

When: 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Sept. 7

Where: Fireclay Tile, 495 W. Julian St., San Jose

Information: 408-275-1182, www.fireclaytile.com

 

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September 06 2013

Friday Things Considered: The Blue China Edition

“I find it harder and harder to live up to my blue china.”—Oscar Wilde

I was reminded of Wilde’s blue china quote last week when we took in Cal Shakes production of “Lady Windermere’s Fan“ (through Sept.8.)  The play is charming, acted with great aplomb.  And the sumptuous period sets by Annie Smart were glorious out in the open air.  One of the actors at the post-production Talk Back said that she enjoys Shakespeare plays set in different time periods, but finds Wilde’s plays offputting when set in anything but the Victorian era.  Maybe more time needs to pass between conception and reinterpretation.

Back to the original Wilde quote. As I grow more comfortable with who I am, I tend to shed things–like Wilde’s blue china–that seem pretentious or don’t fit who I’ve become. High heels, fussy furnishings and overly manicured gardens come to mind. Are there fancy things you once aspired to that seem less appealing to you now? What’s taken their place?

Some things this week that still hold appeal:

This pre-fabulous home that I wrote about for Williams-Sonoma’s Designer Marketplace.

Jap chae, Korean glass noodles with vegetables.   Milan-based photographer Christine Davis’s photos make me want to check out the version at Kimchi Princess in Berlin.

The idea that the music in a podcast like Radiolab is “embroidery”.

We are what we read–as evidenced in these Bookshelfies.

And finally, how to explain twerking to your parents.

Happy Weekend!

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September 04 2013

Good Cooks Make Good Guests

You may recall from my last post that I was intrigued by chef David Lebovitz’s extensive packing list. A few days later I volunteered to help my sister-in-law Connie, also a top-notch baker, create some desserts for my niece’s wedding in Idaho. Her packing list was equally impressive.

Connie’s mini-van was filled with kitchen implements like tools to cut and roll and form tart shells. There were jelly roll pans to make enormous sheet cakes, cutters to create perfect parfait cake circles, and whisks to make fantastic fillings. There were tiny spoons and great swaths of table decorating fabrics. There were even snacks–like freshly squeezed tangerine juice, pretzel goldfish and almonds–for the kitchen crew.

Grateful that I was just the help and not the dessert table mastermind, I was nevertheless inspired to pitch in with other meals.  After the last tart pan was thoroughly dried and returned to the van, I made this simple apple salad with walnuts and lime as part of a post-wedding dinner.  It’s one of those dishes that’s easy to execute even without the exact recipe. And for those of us who travel a little more lightly, you can use any old paring knife and baking sheet to make the salad.

In other news, my interview with Pottery Barn and Williams-Sonoma Home Executive Vice President Monica Bhargava is up over at William-Sonoma Inc.’s Designer Marketplace if you’re interested in what one of the retail world’s top tastemakers is saying about trends in furniture design. Also, find out which WSHome products Bhargava uses in her own home!

 

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Kathryn Pritchett

writes about Things Elemental — where we find shelter, why we connect, what sustains us and how we strut our stuff.

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